"Abu Fanous" the jinn of the Saudi desert
Is it really a jinn, or just an optical phenomenon? Many people and scientists are unsure how to explain this strange being or phenomenon known as "Abu Fanous" of the Saudi desert. Some even say the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) spoke of it as "ogres" or "ghouls." Here we will examine this strange object or phenomenon and explore its origins and nature.
Show key points
- Abu Fanous is a mysterious desert light phenomenon in Saudi Arabia, often described as resembling approaching or retreating car headlights that vanish suddenly.
- Local folklore links Abu Fanous to jinn or supernatural entities, believed to mislead travelers and sometimes cause them to disappear in the desert.
- The phenomenon has been associated with similar mysterious lights reported in other parts of the world, such as the Marfa Lights in Texas and Maine Maine Lights in Australia.
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- One scientific explanation suggests that Abu Fanous could be clusters of dusty plasma generated by underground lightning or tectonic stress discharges.
- Another theory proposes that the lights are optical illusions caused by a supermirage, where light from distant car headlights is refracted by layers of air with different temperatures.
- Some researchers believe the lights might be caused by the combustion of natural gases like phosphine and methane, which are present in regions rich in hydrocarbons.
- Certain Islamic traditions and hadiths mention beings referred to as "ghouls" or "ogres," which some interpret as early references to phenomena like Abu Fanous.
Who is "Abu Fanous"
Abu Fanous, also called Abu Nuwayra and Abu Siraj, is clearly linked to light in one way or another. It appears as a glare resembling car headlights at night, or as a ball of light when seen from a distance. Reportedly, in the early hours before sunrise it sometimes moves away or toward observers and then vanishes suddenly.
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It is frequently seen in the Empty Quarter, the world’s largest sand desert and part of the Arabian Desert. Local residents say Abu Fanous’s aim is to mislead travelers; those who follow it do not return, supposedly wandering until they become trapped in quicksand.
Other theories about what a "lantern" is
Abu Fanous is also compared to the "Marfa Lights" and the "Min Min Lights," named for the places where these moving lights appear—Marfa in Texas and Min Min in Australia. Scientists and others have proposed the following explanations:
1. Thunderstorms underground
In 2000, James Bunnell, a former NASA engineer, studied the Marfa Lights by placing surveillance cameras at multiple angles to distinguish between car headlights and genuine Marfa lights. He concluded that underground electrical discharges—underground lightning—create dusty plasma clusters that power these lights. According to Bunnell, the Marfa Lights result from tectonic stress discharges or underground lightning.
2. The supermirage (Fata Morgana): car headlights
In 2004, physics students from the University of Texas investigated the Marfa Lights. They found the lights were closely linked to car headlights on the highway and appeared to move with them. This is explained by a superior mirage, known as a Fata Morgana, which can make distant lights appear higher and distorted when layers of air at different temperatures refract and scatter the light.
3. Incandescent gases
These lights may result from leaks of phosphine and methane from swamps. Under certain temperatures and pressures, these gases can ignite on contact with oxygen, producing a glow known as marsh gas. This phenomenon occurs worldwide and can be expected in places with large reserves of oil, natural gas, and hydrocarbons such as methane, including Saudi Arabia.
Mentioning "Abu Fanous" in the hadiths of the Prophet
Some say that "Abu Fanous" was referred to as "ghoul" or "ogres," terms used for types of jinn and demons that take many shapes, including forms of light. They are mentioned in two hadiths:
Jabir ibn Abdullah reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "If you walk in the fertile, then enable the passengers to have its teeth, and do not bypass the houses, and if you walk in attraction, then beg for it, and you have to go to the daluj, the earth is folded at night, and when the ogres wandered for you, so take the initiative to call to prayer, and you and pray on the horse of the road, and descend on it, for it is the shelter of serpents, and the seventh, and the elimination of the need, for it is cursed."
It is proven from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that he said: "There is no infection, no tira, no important, no zero, no petrel, no ghoul, and I like the omen."
In the first hadith, the Prophet commanded people to call for prayer and remember Allah when confronting ghouls (jinn). In the second hadith, he does not deny the existence of the jinn, but rather rejects the Arabs' claim that ghouls can deliberately mislead and harm travelers by causing them to become lost in the desert.