Explanation

‘Āmir Ash-Sha‘bi (may Allah have mercy upon him) asked ‘Alqamah (may Allah have mercy upon him) — both were venerable Tābi‘īn — whether ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) witnessed the night when the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) met the Jinn. ‘Alqamah said that he asked Ibn Mas‘ūd about that, and he told him that none of the Companions witnessed that. However, one night, they were with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) but they suddenly could not find him. Therefore, they searched for him in the valleys, roads, and among mountains, but they could not find him. So they feared that the Prophet was assassinated or kidnapped by the Jinn. This prospect was so upsetting to them that they spent the night in grief. In the morning, they saw the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) coming from the direction of the mount of Hirā'. They told him that they missed him and had looked for him but could not find him, which made them spend the night in great sorrow and grief. However, the Prophet told them that an emissary from he Jinn had come to him, so the Prophet went along with him and read the Qur’an to the Jinn. The Prophet went with the Companions and showed them the traces of the Jinn and the traces of their embers. He told the Companions that the Jinn had asked him for food, so he told them that their food would be every bone on which the name of Allah was mentioned. If such bones fell in their hands, they would find them covered with meat. Likewise, the dung of animals would be fodder for their beasts. Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the Muslims to cleanse themselves after defecation with bones and animal dung, for these belong to the food of their brethren from among the Jinn.