Both the Quran and hadith make reference to witchcraft and the evil eye as well as to supernatural beings known in Arabic as jinn.

Jinnat are a creation of Allah which HE created before the creation of Adam (as). Some may call good jinnat as Prayaan (Urdu) and Rooh (in Arabic). Different names for the same invisible creatures living around us. Demons (Shaytaan), however, refer to Evil-Jinnat. If we want to know about Jinnat, we would have to delve deep into Islamic and pre-Islamic times of Arab.

Truth is, Jinnat (Jinn) have a world of their own. Living on the same earth we live on; but within a different dimension. A dimension Higher than our 3D-world. Giving them the advantage to see us when we cannot. Also, they can move from their dimension into our dimension easily; and may appear in the form of any object or any living thing. It can be an illusion, and may also be the appearance of a real object. That is the reason they are called Shape-Shifters by the western people.

Jinnat (Jinn) possess some characteristics in common with humans. Like: They have a Free-will, a conscience to choose between the path of good and evil, and also think and reflect like us.

By implication, Good-Jinnat are referred to as Paryaan (in Urdu) and Spirits (Rooh). But when Jinnat (Jinn) are Bad and Evil, and causes harm, they are referred to as Demons (Shaytaan, Asaib). Therefore, Jinnat and Shaytaan both have the same origin, but they are categorized into Jinnat and Shaytaan only for their actions.

Types of Jinn

MARID

Large and imposing, the marid are considered the most powerful tribe of jinn. They are the classic genies of folklore, often portrayed as barrelchested men with booming voices.
Originally sea-spirits, they are often associated with water, and thought to take sanctuary in the open ocean.

EFFRIT

Intelligent and cunning, the effrit are thought to live in complex societies similar to those of humans. They are said to prefer caves and under ground dwellings. Though ostensibly demonic, they are portrayed as changeable in nature, and capable of becoming pious and good. In the Quran, King Solomon is said to have had power over a tribe of effrit, who performed various tasks for him.

GHOUL

This tribe of jinn has traveled north and west to become a common English- language term for “undead monster.” This is pretty close to its original Arabic connotation; ghouls are thought to be zombie-like jinn who haunt graveyards and prey on human flesh. They are strictly demonic and incapable of goodness. Often portrayed as nocturnal.

SILA

Talented shape-shifters who are more tolerant of human society than other tribes of jinn, sila are most often portrayed as female. Thought to be extremely intelligent, sila are nonetheless the most rarely seen of all the types of jinn, and appear only sporadically in folklore. There is speculation that the term sila might be related to seelie, a Middle English word for “a good faerie.” (This would make sense, as sila does not appear to correspond to an Arabic root pattern.) Sila are extremely rare, both on- and off-line, and while they are  intelligent and comfortable crossing back and forth between realms seen and unseen/human and jinn, by their nature they do not usually set out to harm or trick humans. Sila are, however, fond of meddling in an attempt to help.

VETALA

The original vampires, vetala are semi-malevolent spirits from ancient Indian folklore. They can possess human corpses and prevent them from decaying, and in so doing trick human beings into believing the vetala is an ordinary person. However, vetala can also change shape at will. They are thought to be natural psychics, able to foretell the future and gain insight into the past, as well as read the thoughts of others.