Djinn Stories: Spiritual Protection
This is one of three paintings, collectively titled “DJINN STORIES,” serving as a visual representation of the stories told by my elders (namely my grandmother and her siblings), about a djinn that served their grandmother, Bibi Rashida Khatoon. She had witnessed the tumultuous period of the 1920’s in what is now Pakistan, when communal tensions and political upheaval created an atmosphere of uncertainty for Muslim families. Born in a small village in northwest Punjab to a family of spiritual practitioners, she inherited not only Quranic knowledge, but also the more esoteric practices that had been preserved in her family since the Mughal period.
The catalyst for her decision to bind a djinn was in circa 1923, when a series of violent raids in neighboring villages resulted in quite a few deaths and the loss of property while the local authorities provided little to no protection.
My great great grandmother performed a summoning ritual that Ramadan, requiring forty days of preparation, including specific fasting practices, the creation of certain geometric patterns with ash and rosewater, the recitation of verses from old scripts and intense isolation.
The djinn that responded to her summons was of considerable age and power and had served various human masters since the time of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi. The binding contract stipulated that the djinn would provide protection for Bibi Rashida’s direct lineage for two generations, extending to immediate family members and their primary residence and agricultural properties. Upon completion the djinn would be released from service with appropriate compensation in the form of specific ritual observances. The binding came to an end a few years after Partition.
The djinn manifested in three forms, namely a large black dog for protection against external physical threats, a hare for internal monitoring, and a doe for spiritual protection.
12”x16” oil painting on cradled gessobord (1.5” thickness). 50% of this sale will be donated to The Sameer Project.