The Reason they are called Jinn They are known as jinn because they are invisible and hidden from the naked eye. They see men but men do not see them, as Allah says: Verily, he and his tribe see you from where you cannot see them. (Surah al-A‘raf, verse 27) The point being that men cannot see the jinn in their original form, however they may see them in other forms, such as certain animals. When were the Jinn Created? The jinn were created before mankind as is mentioned in the clear text of the Qur’an: And indeed, We created man from dried (sounding) clay of altered mud. And the jinn, we created aforetime from the smokeless flame of fire.(Surah al-Hijr, verse 26-27)