Fathwa - The Effects of Jinn on Humans, and Seeking Protection From Them

Question:
Can jinn harm man? Howdo we protect ourselves from them?
Answer:
No doubt, jinn can do things to harm man, sometimes things that lead
to his death. Both the Sunnah and observed phenomena support this.
During a battle, the Messenger of AllaahSalallaahu alayhi wasallamgave
permission to one of his Companions to return to his family; that
Companion was young and recently married. When he returned to his
home, he saw his wife standing at their door, and he reproached her
for that. She told him to go inside, and when he entered, he saw a
snake on their blanket. He had a spear with him, and hepierced it into
the body of the snake until it died.However, the man died at the same
time, so that no one knew who died first: He or the snake. When the
news of the incident reached the Messenger of AllaahSalallaahu alayhi
wasallam, he forbade the killing of small sankes found in the house,
with the exception of the short tailed snake, and those with two black
stripes on the back.
This proves that jinn mayattack human beings. Sometimes a person will
go into a secluded place,where he sees no one, but he will hear voices
and sounds, or he will hear stones being thrown. When this happens, it
can very possibly be jinn. Jinn caneven enter the body of ahuman being
- because they are in love with him, or for any other reason. Allaah
Almighty says:
ÇáøóÐöíäó íóÃúßõáõæúäó ÇáÑøöÈóÇ áÇó íóÞõæúãõæúäó ÅöáÇøó ßóãóÇ íóÞõæúãõ
ÇáøóÐöíú íóÊóÎóÈøóØõåõÇáÔøóíúØóÇäõ ãöäó ÇáúãóÓøö
Those who eatRiba(usury and interest) will not stand (on the Day of
Resurrection) except likethe standing of a person beaten
byShaytaanleading him to insanity[Al-Baqarah 2:275]
To protect ourselves from evil jinn, we shouldread those invocations
that the Messenger of AllaahSalallaahu alayhi wasallamtaught us to
read, such asAyat Al-Kursi, for when a person reads this verse during
the night, he is protected, andShaytaandoes not come near him until
the morning - and Allaah Almighty is the One who protects us.