The Qur’an establishes the existence of jinn, but relatively little is revealed about how they live. Their food, their animals and the manner in which they obtain provisions are among the subjects rarely discussed in Islamic education.
Yet an extraordinary narration in Sahih Muslim provides a direct answer to one of these questions.
A delegation of jinn approached the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and asked him for food. He informed them that bones would serve as their provisions, while animal dung would provide food for their animals.
The narration also explains a lesser-known reason behind a Prophetic prohibition concerning personal purification.
Other authentic reports reveal an additional detail: Shaytan can participate in human meals when Allah’s name is neglected.
The Night the Prophet ﷺ Went to Meet the Jinn
Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated an unusual incident involving the Prophet ﷺ and a gathering of jinn.
According to Sahih Muslim 450a, the Prophet ﷺ disappeared from his Companions one night.
Unable to find him, they searched the surrounding valleys and mountain paths.
They feared that he had been abducted or secretly killed.
Ibn Mas’ud described it as one of the worst nights they had experienced.
When morning arrived, the Prophet ﷺ returned from the direction of Hira.
He explained that a messenger from the jinn had approached him and invited him to meet them.
The Prophet ﷺ accepted the invitation and recited the Qur’an to the assembled jinn.
He later showed his Companions traces of their presence, including the remains of their fires.
During this meeting, the jinn had made a request.
They wanted provisions.
The Prophet ﷺ Revealed What Jinn Eat
The Prophet’s ﷺ response is recorded in the same narration.
He informed the jinn that every bone over which Allah’s name had been mentioned would be provision for them.
He then described something remarkable about those bones:
يَقَعُ فِي أَيْدِيكُمْ أَوْفَرَ مَا يَكُونُ لَحْمًا
Meaning: It would come into their possession with an abundance of flesh. Source: Sahih Muslim 450a.
This is the most extraordinary detail in the narration.
The jinn were not simply told to collect discarded bones. The Prophet ﷺ described bones becoming available to them with flesh upon them.
The hadith does not explain the precise mechanism through which this occurs.
It also does not establish that human beings can observe bones regenerating flesh.
The narration concerns provisions granted to the jinn through Allah’s decree, and the nature of that provision belongs to the unseen.
The Jinn Also Have Animals That Require Food
The same narration contains another detail that is frequently overlooked.
After mentioning bones as food for the jinn, the Prophet ﷺ said:
وَكُلُّ بَعَرَةٍ عَلَفٌ لِدَوَابِّكُمْ
Meaning: And every piece of dung is fodder for your animals. Sahih Muslim 450a.
The distinction is important.
The narration identifies two different provisions: bones for the jinn and dung for their animals.
This indicates that the jinn addressed by the Prophet ﷺ possessed animals that required sustenance.
However, the hadith does not describe those animals, identify their species or explain whether they resemble animals familiar to human beings.
Their existence in this context is established through the narration, but additional descriptions should not be invented.
The Delegation of Jinn From Nasibin
Another authentic narration identifies a delegation of jinn who visited the Prophet ﷺ and requested provisions.
Abu Hurayrah reported that he was accompanying the Prophet ﷺ while carrying water for his personal needs.
The Prophet ﷺ instructed him to collect stones for cleaning himself after relieving himself.
He specifically told Abu Hurayrah not to bring bones or animal dung.
When Abu Hurayrah later asked why those materials were prohibited, the Prophet ﷺ explained that they were among the provisions of the jinn.
He then mentioned a delegation from Nasibin, an ancient city in Upper Mesopotamia.
The Prophet ﷺ praised these jinn and explained that they had requested food.
He had supplicated to Allah that they would not encounter bones or dung without finding provisions associated with them.
The account is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari 3860.
This narration independently confirms that jinn sought provisions from the Prophet ﷺ.
It also establishes a connection between their food and a specific ruling in Islamic purification.
Why Are Muslims Forbidden From Cleaning Themselves With Bones?
The prohibition against using bones and dung for istinja, the cleaning performed after relieving oneself, is directly connected to the narrations concerning the food of jinn.
In Sahih Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ explained the prohibition by describing these materials as provisions for their brothers among the jinn.
The Arabic wording is particularly notable:
فَإِنَّهُمَا طَعَامُ إِخْوَانِكُمْ
Meaning: For they are the food of your brothers Sahih Muslim 450a.
The Prophet ﷺ thus referred to the jinn who had approached him using the language of brotherhood.
This is significant because the narration concerns jinn who had listened to the Qur’an and sought provisions from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The prohibition also demonstrates that Islamic teachings concerning the unseen can have practical legal implications.
A ruling concerning personal purification was connected to provisions granted by Allah to another creation.
Can Shaytan Eat Human Food?
While the previous narrations concern provisions granted to jinn, another authentic hadith describes how Shaytan can participate in a human meal.
Jabir ibn Abdullah narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said that when someone enters their home and mentions Allah’s name, then also mentions Allah before eating, Shaytan is denied both lodging and food.
However, when Allah’s name is neglected, Shaytan announces that lodging and an evening meal have become available.
The narration is recorded in Sahih Muslim 2018a.
This establishes an important reason for mentioning Allah before eating.
The practice is not merely an expression of gratitude. According to the authenticated narration, it also prevents Shaytan from sharing in the meal.
The distinction between the previous narrations and this one should be preserved.
Bones were identified as provisions for the jinn who requested them. Shaytan’s participation in human meals is described separately.
These reports should not be combined into an unsupported claim that every jinn obtains food in precisely the same way.
The Day the Prophet ﷺ Stopped Shaytan From Eating
An even more unusual incident appears in Sahih Muslim 2017a.
Hudhayfah narrated that the Companions would wait for the Prophet ﷺ to begin eating before they touched the food.
On one occasion, a young girl approached their meal in a hurry, as though something were pushing her forward.
She attempted to reach for the food.
The Prophet ﷺ caught her hand before she could begin.
A Bedouin then approached in a similar manner, and the Prophet ﷺ stopped him as well.
He subsequently explained that Shaytan had attempted to use these individuals to gain access to food over which Allah’s name had not been mentioned.
The Prophet ﷺ stated that he had caught Shaytan’s hand along with the girl’s hand.
The incident provides a remarkable example of the importance attached to mentioning Allah before eating.
It also establishes that the Prophet ﷺ described Shaytan as actively attempting to participate in a human meal.
Does Shaytan Eat and Drink With His Left Hand?
Yes. This is explicitly stated in an authentic narration.
Abdullah ibn Umar reported that the Prophet ﷺ instructed Muslims to eat and drink with their right hands.
He explained:
“For the Satan eats with his left hand and drinks with his left hand.” Sahih Muslim 2020a.
The narration is particularly relevant because it mentions both eating and drinking.
It confirms that authentic Islamic sources describe Shaytan consuming food and drink, although they do not explain the biological nature of that consumption.
The hadith also establishes a clear distinction between the eating etiquette prescribed for Muslims and the behaviour attributed to Shaytan.
Do All Jinn Eat Bones?
The authentic narrations identify bones as provisions granted to the jinn who approached the Prophet ﷺ.
However, they do not establish that bones are the exclusive food of every jinn.
Nor do they provide a comprehensive description of what all jinn eat and drink.
Claims that jinn necessarily consume blood, smoke, incense or particular substances cannot be attributed to the Prophet ﷺ without reliable evidence.
Likewise, the narrations do not establish that leaving food uncovered automatically attracts jinn into a house or that discarded bones reveal their presence.
The authentic evidence is specific.
It establishes that jinn have provisions, that the delegation mentioned in Sahih Muslim was granted particular forms of food, and that Shaytan can participate in human meals under the circumstances described by the Prophet ﷺ.
Further details remain outside what these narrations explicitly reveal.
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