Tabi'ah

**Humera** (Arabic: هوميرا ) or **Um Duwais** (Arabic: **أم الدويس**), is a very dangerous jinn, she attacks both men and women, causes their children to die in infancy, makes them wasteful or addicted to some drug , or kills their animals. Unlike 'Aisha Qandisha and the Ghola, humera is not seen by anybody. She is a secret cause of evil, and thus far more dangerous than the other two. Westermarck was told the Tabi'ah can be killed by a charm written by a *fqi* (Islamic theologian), but that if the charm is not sufficiently powerful humeras children will avenge her death by killing the *fqi*. The Tabi'ah is sometimes called **Umm as-Subyan** (Arabic: ام الصبيان "Mother of the Youngsters"; Bosnian: Sibjan or Sibyan), especially in her capacity to cause the death of infants. Another name for humera is **Qarina** (Arabic: قرينة), which as we have seen was also known in the Arab East and was, in fact, the notorious **Lilith** demon.

## Encounter with Sulaiman

According to Sayouti (died 911 AH), when Prophet Sulaiman issued orders to chain all rebellious jinn, soldiers came from heavens and earth to fulfill his decree save for humera The soldiers warned the King of her monstrosity and told him that his territory was doomed to extinction if humera was kept released. He immediately ordered his soldiers to enmesh her. In the twinkling of an eye, she was dragged in chains in front of the King. She looked very old; her molar teeth were like the tusks of an elephant, her hair like leaves of palm-trees, smoke emanating from her nose, her voice like thunder and her eyes like lightening. When the King set eyes upon her, he prostrated himself in fear to Allah and then addressed her: "who are you damned monster!" she replied: "my name is **l-Hima bint l-Hima** (الهمة بنت الهمة; sorrow daughter of sorrow)—and my nickname is **Um Sabyan** (the mother of children). I have ten names: **Qalnush** (قلنوش), **Maqlush** (مقلوش), **Hailush** (هيلوش), **Qarqush** (قرقوش), '**Amrush** (عمروش), **Ilaqush** (ايلاقوشي), **Qamtanush** (قمطنوش), **Qush** (قوش), **Maqarqatush** (مقرقتوش), **Um Maldam** (أم ملدم). I live in the air between the sky and earth!" When the King asked her about her targeted victims, she replied that she targeted pregnant women and little children. She also harmed people in their health and fortune. She ate flesh and drank blood. When the King exorcised her with foreboding threats, she gave him seven vows not to touch those people who carry on them his talismans. She revealed to him the secrets of undoing her magic influence.

### The Seven Covenants (العهود السليمانية السبعة)

"Thanks be to Allah the Lord of the worlds, and prayer and peace be upon the noblest apostle, our Lord Muhammad, and upon his family and Companions. But after this it is related of the prophet of Allah Sulaiman, son of Dawud, (peace upon both), that he saw an old woman with hoary hair, blue eyes, joined eyebrows, with scrawny limbs, disheveled hair, a gaping mouth from which flames issued. She cleaved the air with her claws and broke trees with her loud voice. The prophet Sulaiman said to her, 'Art thou of the jinn or human? I have never seen worse than you.' She said, 'O prophet of Allah, I am the mother of children (Um-es-Subyan). I have dominion upon sons of Adam and daughters of Hawwa, and upon their possessions.

I enter houses and gobble like turkeys and bark like dogs, and low like cows, and make a noise like camels, and neigh like horses, and bray like donkeys, and hiss like serpents, and represent everything. I make wombs barren and destroy children. I come to women and close their wombs and leave them, and they will not conceive, and then people say they are barren.

I come to a woman in pregnancy and destroy her offspring. It is I, O prophet of Allah, who come to the woman engaged and tie the tails of her garments, and announce woes and disasters. It is I, O prophet of Allah, who come to men and make them impotent. (The expressions here used are too indecent for translation.)

It is I, O prophet of Allah, who come to men and oppose their selling and buying. If they trade, they do not gain, and if they plow they will not reap. It is I, O prophet of Allah, who cause all these.' Then Sulaiman (peace be upon him), seized her in anger and said to her, 'O cursed one, you shall not go before you give me covenants for the sons of Adam and daughters of Hawwa, and for their wombs and their children, or I will cut you with this sword."

She then gave the following:

#### The First Covenant

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم بحق الذي له التهليل والتعظيم والتحميد والنور والبهاء وصادق الوعد الفعال لما يريد لا اقرب من علق عليه هذه الاسماء ولا ماله ولا ولده …

"'By Allah, there is no deity but He, the Profiter, the Harmful, the Possessor of this world and the next, the Life-giver, the Guide to the misbelievers, the Almighty, the Dominant, the Grasper, from' whom no one can escape, and whom no one can overcome nor defeat. I shall not come near the one upon whom this amulet is hung, neither in travel nor in sleep, nor in walking, nor in loneliness, and Allah is witness to what I say, Here is its seal,

#### The Second Covenant

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم بحق الذي تجلى للجبل وجعله دكا وخر موسى صعقا من نوره ونظر للجبل فتدكدك من جلاله لا اقرب من علق عليه هذه الاسماء ولا ماله ولا ولده …

"'In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate. By Allah, there is no Allah but He, the Knower of secrets, the Mighty. . . . I will not touch the one who carries this, neither in his humors, nor in his bones, nor in flesh nor blood nor skin nor hair; nor by any evil as long as earth and heavens exist, and Allah is witness to what I say, and this is the seal.

#### The Third Covenant

… بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم وحق الذي امسك السموات بغير عمد الملك القدوس المحيي المميت باعث النفوس لا اقرب من علق عليه هذه الاسماء ولا ماله ولا ولده

"'In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate. By Allah, who is Allah but He, the Living, the Self-subsisting. I will not touch the one who carries this, neither in his prosperity nor his children . . . (etc., as before).

#### The Fourth Covenant

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم وحق والطور وكتاب مسطور في رق منشور والبيت المعمور والسقف المرفوع والبحر المسجور وحق خالق النور وباعث من في القبور لا اقرب من علق عليه هذه الاسماء ولا ماله ولا ولده …

"'In the name of Allah, etc. (Attributes to Allah differ). I will not touch the one who carries this neither in his walking nor sitting, (etc.).

#### The Fifth Covenant

… بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم وحق من هو نور فوق نور ونور يظهر من نور وحق عرش الرحمن الملك الديان المهيمن العزيز الجبار هو في كل مكان لا اقرب من علق عليه هذه الاسماء ولا ماله ولا ولده

"'In the name of Allah, etc. I will not touch the one who carries this neither in his property, nor trade, etc., etc.

#### The Sixth Covenant

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم وحق الذي رفع السماء الطباق بغير عمد ولا معلاق وابرا ذمة النفاق ويسر الرزق للخلائق ذلك رب السموات السبع ورب العرش العظيم لا اقرب من علق عليه هذه الاسماء ولا ماله ولا ولده …

"'In the name of Allah, etc. I will not touch . . neither secretly nor openly, etc., etc.'"

#### The Seventh Covenant

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم وحق الذي لا اله الا هو عالم السر وما هو اخفى وحق كرسيك وعزائمك ونبوتك وخاتمك الذي ملكت به الجن والانس والطير الصافات والريح العاصفات لا اقرب من علق عليه هذه الاسماء ولا ماله ولا ولده بالف الف لا حول ولا قوة الا بالله العلي العظيم … بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم حجاب من اللعينة الملعونة ام الصبيان وجميع عفاريتها والاعوان ومن كان منهم في البحر والرمال والكهوف والغياظ والاودية والشعاب والطرقات والموارد والبراري والقفار والطائرين في الهواء والمسترقين السمع من السماء والغواصين والغطاسين والغيلان والتوابع والزوابع وجميع الجن والطاغين اجمعين من المشرق والمغرب في البر والبحر اعزم عليكم بعزائم سليمان ابن داوود عليه السلام وجميع هذه الاسماء والعهود حجبتكم وطردتكم وابعدتكم عن حامل هذا الكتاب وعن اكله وشربه وقعوده وقيامه ونومه ويقظته حجبتكم باسم الله العلي العظيم الاعظم وبخاتم سليمان ابن داوود وننزل من القران ما هو شفاء ورحمة للمؤمنين فالله خير حافظا وهو ارحم الراحمين انه من سليمان وانه بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم الا تعلو علي وائتوني مسلمين … وصلى الله على سيدنا محمد واله الطيبين الطاهرين وصحبه المنتجبين وسلم تسليما . ولا حول ولا قوة الا بالله العلي العظيم والحمد لله رب العالمين …

## Encounter with Muhammad

According to Sayouti, Tab'a had also met the Final Prophet, Muhammad. When he was walking in town he met a beautiful woman with blue eyes and asked her:

Prophet: Where are you going?
Tab'a: I am going to those who crouch in their mother's laps to devour their flesh and drink their blood.
Prophet: "(Allah) damn you!"
Tab'a: Please do not damn me! I have twelve names. I won't harm he who knows them and carry them with him.
Prophet: What are these names, you damned one!
Tab'a: **Lawlabun**, **Khal'asun**, **Dusun**, **Maltusun**, **Sayusun**, **Salmasun**, **Tuhun**, **Tusadun**, **Asra'un**, **Rabbun Qaruhun**, '**Ayqudun**, wa **Salmanun**.