Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
The jinn who are accountable under the Islamic Shariah are able to read the Qur’an. Indeed, those among them who embrace Islam are addressed by the commands of the Shariah and are required to pray and obey Allah according to what they have been commanded to do. It is authentically established that they heard the Qur’an from the Prophet ﷺ and believed in it, and it is also established that the Prophet ﷺ recited the Qur’an to them. As for the angels, there is no authentic evidence preventing them from reciting the Qur’an. Rather, some scholars have mentioned evidence indicating that they may recite it. One of the clearest examples is that Jibril (Gabriel), peace be upon him, brought down the Qur’an and recited it to the Prophet ﷺ.
Allah created the jinn and mankind to worship Him. Among the jinn are believers and disbelievers, the obedient and the disobedient.
Allah Almighty says:
“Say, ‘It has been revealed to me that a group of jinn listened and said: Indeed, we have heard a wondrous Qur’an. It guides to the Right Way, so we have believed in it, and we will never associate anyone with our Lord.’”
[Al-Jinn 72:1–2]
Allah also says:
“And remember when We directed a group of jinn toward you, listening to the Qur’an. When they attended it, they said, ‘Listen attentively!’ When it was concluded, they returned to their people as warners. They said, ‘O our people! We have heard a Scripture revealed after Moses, confirming what came before it. It guides to the truth and to a straight path.’”
[Al-Ahqaf 46:29–30]
These verses demonstrate that the jinn hear the Qur’an, understand it, believe in it, and call their people to it.
Yes.
It is authentically reported from ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“A caller from the jinn came to me, so I went with him and recited the Qur’an to them.”
[Narrated by Muslim]
This clearly indicates that the jinn learn and understand the Qur’an and that the Qur’an addresses them just as it addresses mankind.
Yes. There is nothing that prevents this.
Muslim jinn are accountable under the Shariah of the Prophet ﷺ, which includes prayer and other acts of worship.
Scholars have mentioned that this accountability necessarily entails learning what they need from the Qur’an and the Shariah.
Al-Qurtubi (may Allah have mercy on him) stated that Surahs Al-Rahman, Al-Ahqaf, and Al-Jinn demonstrate that the jinn are:
“Addressed, accountable, commanded, prohibited, rewarded, and punished, just like humans.”
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) stated that Muslims are agreed that the Prophet ﷺ was sent to both the jinn and mankind, and that obedience to him is obligatory upon the jinn just as it is obligatory upon humans.
Therefore, there is no basis for claiming that the jinn cannot recite the Qur’an and can only engage in dhikr.
As for the claim that angels do not recite the Qur’an and only glorify Allah, there is no authentic evidence establishing such a restriction.
Scholars have differed regarding this matter.
It is reported that Ibn al-Salah (may Allah have mercy on him) held that recitation of the Qur’an is a special honor granted to humans and that the angels listen to the Qur’an from humans.
However, a number of scholars objected to this view and did not see any evidence preventing the angels from reciting the Qur’an.
Some commentators stated that Allah’s words:
“And those who recite the Reminder.”
[As-Saffat 37:3]
refer to the angels.
This interpretation has been reported from Mujahid and al-Suddi.
Al-Tabari (may Allah have mercy on him) explained the verse as:
“Those who recite a Scripture.”
He then reported from Mujahid and al-Suddi that those intended are the angels.
This is among the evidence cited by those who hold that angels can recite the Reminder and revelation.
Among the strongest indications supporting this view is that Jibril, peace be upon him, was the angel who brought the Qur’an down to the Prophet ﷺ.
Allah says:
“Say, ‘Whoever is an enemy of Jibril—it is he who has brought it down upon your heart by Allah’s permission.’”
[Al-Baqarah 2:97]
Allah also says:
“The Trustworthy Spirit brought it down upon your heart.”
[Ash-Shu‘ara 26:193–194]
Scholars explained that the Qur’an was conveyed to the heart of the Prophet ﷺ through his hearing it from Jibril.
Allah says:
“So when We have recited it, follow its recitation.”
[Al-Qiyamah 75:18]
Al-Shinqiti (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned that this means that the angel recites the Qur’an to the Prophet ﷺ so that he hears it from him, and then its meanings reach his heart.
It is also authentically established that Jibril used to review the Qur’an with the Prophet ﷺ.
This indicates that reciting the Qur’an is not something impossible for the angels.
Not necessarily.
Humans and jinn are accountable under the Shariah of the Prophet ﷺ, and reciting the Qur’an is an act of worship that they are commanded to perform and for which they are rewarded.
The angels, however, have a nature, forms of worship, and responsibilities that differ from those of humans and jinn.
Therefore, saying that angels can recite the Qur’an does not necessarily mean that their recitation is performed in exactly the same manner or is subject to the same rulings that apply to the recitation of humans and jinn.
The jinn are able to hear, learn, and recite the Qur’an. They are addressed by the Shariah of the Prophet ﷺ, and it is authentically established that the Prophet ﷺ recited the Qur’an to a group of them, that they listened to it, believed in it, and called their people to it.
As for the angels, there is no authentic evidence preventing them from reciting the Qur’an. Some scholars have mentioned that Allah’s words, “And those who recite the Reminder,” include the angels. Moreover, Jibril, peace be upon him, brought down the Qur’an and recited it to the Prophet ﷺ.
Therefore, it is not correct to state with certainty that the angels do not recite the Qur’an and that their worship is limited only to glorification and remembrance of Allah.
And Allah knows best.