In this episode, we dive into Charmed’s genie chaos—where French Stewart pops in, Dan pops out (at warp-speed aging), and the sisters’ well-intentioned wishes go predictably sideways until a remorseful genie helps set the timeline right. From there, we open the lamp on the real lore: exploring the deep history of jinn and genies, their origins in pre-Islamic belief and Islamic theology, their many types, their fears, their role in modern Muslim contexts, and how pop culture turned them into wish-granting icons. It’s a whirlwind tour of smokeless fire, tricky magic, and the surprising differences between the djinn of myth and the genies we grew up with.

Trigger Warning: This episode includes mentions of slavery and references to violence.

Learn More:

• Al-Dirassa Institute. (n.d.). Protection against jinns in Islam: Invocation and significance. Al-Dirassa. https://al-dirassa.com/en/protection-against-jinns-in-islam-invocation-and-significance/

• Arabian Tongue. (2023, September 14). What are jinns scared of in Quran: Unveiling the mysteries. ArabianTongue.com. https://www.arabiantongue.com/what-are-jinns-scared-of/

• Biblioteca Natalie. (2024, October 24.). Jinns: Beings of light and fire in Arabian folk. BibliotecaNatalie.com. https://bibliotecanatalie.com/home/f/jinns-beings-of-light-and-fire-in-arabian-folk

• Islamic Dua Ghar. (2024, June 23). Signs of jinn in house - detection and protection tips. IslamicDuaGhar.com. https://islamicduaghar.com/signs-of-jinn-in-house/

• Jinn. (n.d.). Jinn Wiki. https://jinn.fandom.com/wiki/Jinn

• Khan, A. M. (n.d.). Getting involved with jinns and the unseen. IslamQA.org. https://islamqa.org/hanafi/darululoomtt/52160/getting-involved-with-jinns-and-the-unseen/

• Life With Allah. (n.d.). Magic and Jinn. LifeWithAllah.com. https://lifewithallah.com/articles/ruqyah/magic-and-jinn/

• Misra, A. A. (2011, July 31). The jinn: The reality of their existence and how to protect ourselves from them. SeekersGuidance.org. https://seekersguidance.org/answers/general-counsel/the-jinn-the-reality-of-their-existence-and-how-to-protect-ourselves-from-them/

• Mission Islam. (n.d.). Question and answer. MissionIslam.com. https://www.missionislam.com/health/questionjinnnowscared.html

• Mythos Anthology. (n.d.). Genie: The wish-granting spirit of Middle Eastern and Western folklore. MythosAnthology.com. https://mythosanthology.com/genie/

• Praveen, D. (2023, 25 Oct.). Jinn and Genies: Exploring the Differences. Super Natural Saga. https://supernaturalsaga.com/difference-between-jinn-and-genies/ 

• Saber, I. F. (2022, February 20). Jinn: Who are the supernatural beings of Arabian and Islamic tradition? Middle East Eye. https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/jinn-islamic-arabian-tradition-supernatural-beings

• Sagers, A. (2019, May 25). A history of genies in folklore and pop culture. IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/05/25/a-history-of-genies-in-folklore-and-pop-culture

• Suhail, A. (2022). Exploring the 10 types of jinn as described in Islamic belief. Vocal Media. https://vocal.media/journal/exploring-the-10-types-of-jinn-as-described-in-islamic-belief

• Times of India. (2023, November 20). City of jinn: Magical myths haunt ancient Omani oasis. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/science/city-of-jinn-magical-myths-haunt-ancient-omani-oasis/articleshow/105345293.cms

• Ummah Welfare Trust. (2019). Ruqyah booklet: A remedy for illnesses, evil eye, magic and jinn from the Qur’ān and Sunnah [PDF]. https://uwt.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ruqyah-Booklet.pdf

• Venkataraman, U. (2011, May 22). All about jinn: Creatures that dwell in dark places, caves, toilets, and now also in parliaments. Al Arabiya English. https://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2011%2F05%2F22%2F150083

• Vocabulary.com. (n.d.). Djinn. In Vocabulary.com Dictionary. https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/djinn 

• Wikipedia contributors. (2025, December 8). Jinn. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jinn&oldid=1326347993