Are the jinn able to appear in human form? Can they appear in Ramadan?

Firstly: 

Most scholars are of the view that it is not
possible for any human – except the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) and his fellow Prophets – to see the jinn in their original form,
which is not known in the first place. So any statement with certainty that
they take a particular form is not something to be believed without
question. Those who say that it is not possible to see them in their true
form quote as evidence the verse in which Allah, may He be exalted, says
(interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily,
he [Shaytaan] and Qabeeluhu (his soldiers from the jinns or his tribe) see
you from where you cannot see them”

[al-A‘raaf 7:27]. 

Ash-Shaafa‘i (may Allah have mercy on him)
said: 

If a person who is of good character claims
that he sees the jinn, his testimony becomes invalid because Allah, may He
be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily,
he [Shaytaan] and Qabeeluhu (his soldiers from the jinns or his tribe) see
you from where you cannot see them”[al-A
‘raaf 7:27] – unless the person
who says that is a Prophet. 

See: Ahkaam al-Qur’an (2/195, 196) by
al-Qurtubi 

Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him)
said: 

The jinn are real, and they are part of the
creation of Allah, may He be glorified and exalted. There are disbelievers
and believers among them; they can see us but we cannot see them.

Al-Muhalla
(1/34) 

This does not contradict what has been
proven of seeing them in the forms of humans or animals; the inability to
see them is only applicable to seeing them in their real form. 

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on
him) said: 

He – i.e., the Shaytaan – may appear in
different forms that can be seen. The words of Allah, may He be exalted,
“Verily, he [Shaytaan]
and Qabeeluhu (his soldiers from the jinns or his tribe) see you from where
you cannot see them”[al-A‘raaf 7:27]
– apply only to seeing him in the form in which Allah created him.

Fath al-Baari
(4/489) 

Secondly: 

Allah, may He be exalted, has given the jinn
the ability to appear in the form of humans and animals; there is sound
evidence to that effect and that is known from real events. 

It was narrated that Abu Sa‘eed al-Khudri
(may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say: “In Madinah there are some
of the jinn who have become Muslim. Whoever sees any sign of these
inhabitants, let him warn him for three days, then if he appears after that
let him kill him, for he is a devil.” 

The word translated above as inhabitants
refers to snakes that may live in houses. 

The Shaytaan came in human form to Abu
Hurayrah, claiming to be poor and in need; the hadeeth will be quoted
below. 

It was also narrated that he appeared in the
form of Suraaqah ibn Maalik. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have
mercy on him) said: 

The jinn may appear in human or animal form;
they may appear in the form of snakes, scorpions and so on; or in the form
of camels, cattle, sheep, horses, mules and donkeys; or in the form of
birds. They may also appear in human form, as the Shaytaan came to Quraysh
in the form of Suraaqah ibn Maalik ibn Ja‘sham, when they wanted to go out
to Badr. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And
(remember) when Shaitan (Satan) made their (evil) deeds seem fair to them
and said, ‘No one of mankind can overcome you this Day (of the battle of
Badr) and verily, I am your neighbour (for each and every help).’ But when
the two forces came in sight of each other, he ran away and said ‘Verily, I
have nothing to do with you. Verily! I see what you see not. Verily! I fear
Allah for Allah is Severe in punishment’”

[al-Anfaal 8:48].

Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa
(19/44, 45) 

He (may Allah have mercy on him) also said: 

The black dog is the devil among dogs, and
the jinn often appear in that form, and also in the form of black cats,
because the black colour is more able to concentrate devilish power than
other colours, and it concentrates heat.

Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa
(19/52) 

Dr. ‘Umar al-Ashqar (may Allah have mercy on
him) said: 

Sometimes the devils come to man not by way
of waswasah (whispering insinuating thoughts); rather they appear to him in
human form, or a person may hear a voice and not see a body. Or they may
appear in strange forms, which come to people and tell them that they are
from the jinn. Sometimes they lie and say that they are angels, and
sometimes they call themselves “men of the unseen”, or claim that they are
from the spirit world. In all cases, they speak to some people directly, or
by means of one person who is called a “medium”, whom they possess and they
speak on his lips. Or the response may come in the form of writing, or it
may go further than that and they may pick a person up and fly with him
through the air, and transport him from one place to another. Or they may
bring him things that he asks for. But they only do that to those who are
misguided and who disbelieve in Allah, the Lord of heaven and earth, or who
do evil deeds and things that incur divine wrath. Those people may pretend
to be righteous and pious, but in fact they are among the most misguided and
evil of people. The earlier and later generations have told many stories
about this matter, to such an extent that it is not possible to reject or
deny them, because they have been narrated by so many from so many.

‘Aalam al-Jinn wa ash-Shayaateen
(p. 115) 

Thirdly: 

There is no difference between the month of
Ramadan and other months with regard to seeing the jinn in different forms;
rather it is proven in a saheeh hadeeth that the jinn may appear in human
form during the month of Ramadan. 

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allah
be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) put me in charge of guarding the zakah (charity) of
Ramadan. Someone came to me and started scooping up handfuls of the food. I
grabbed him and said, ‘I will take you to the Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him).’. He said: ‘Verily I am in need, and I have
dependents and am in great need.’ So I let him go. The next day, the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) asked me: ‘O Abu Hurayrah, what
did your prisoner do last night?’ I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, he
complained of great need and having dependents, so I took pity on him and
let him go.’ He said: ‘He lied to you and he will come back.’ Then I knew
that he would come back, because the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) said that he would come back. So I lay in wait for
him, and he came and started scooping up handfuls of the food. I grabbed him
and said, ‘I will take you to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him).’. He said: ‘Let go of me, for I am in need, and I have
dependents; I will not come back.’ I took pity on him and let him go, then
the next morning the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) asked me: ‘O Abu Hurayrah, what did your prisoner do last night?’
I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, he complained of great need and dependents,
so I took pity on him and let him go.’ He said: ‘He lied to you and he will
come back.’ So I lay in wait for him on the third night, and he came and
started scooping up handfuls of the food. I took hold of him and said, ‘I
will take you to the Messenger of Allah, and this is the last of three
times. You say that you will not come back, but then you come back.’ He
said: ‘Let go of me, and I will teach you some words by means of which Allah
will benefit you.’ I said, ‘What are they?’ He said, ‘When you go to your
bed, recite Aayat al-Kursiy, “Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the
right to be worshipped but He), Al-Hayyul-Qayyoom (the Ever Living,
the One Who sustains and protects all that exists)…” [2:255] – until you
complete the verse, for then you will have a protector from Allah and no
devil will come near you until morning.’ So I let him go, and the next
morning the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
asked me, ‘What did your prisoner do last night?’ I said, ‘O Messenger of
Allah, he claimed that he would teach me some words by means of which Allah
would benefit me, so I let him go.’ He said: ‘What were they?’ I said: ‘He
said to me: “When you go to your bed, recite Aayat al-Kursiy from beginning
to end, ‘Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be
worshipped but He), Al-Hayyul-Qayyoom (the Ever Living, the One Who
sustains and protects all that exists)…’” And he said to me: “You will have
a protector from Allah and no devil will come near you until morning.” – And
they (the Sahaabah) were very eager to learn good things – The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘Indeed he told you the
truth, although he is an inveterate liar. Do you know who you have been
speaking to for the last three nights, O Abu Hurayrah?’ I said: ‘No.’ He
said: ‘That was the Shaytaan.’ 

Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3101) in a mu‘allaq
report; an-Nasaa’i in ‘Aml al-Yawm wa al-Laylah (p. 533) 

This hadeeth indicates that it is possible
for the jinn to change their form, and also that they may appear in Ramadan.
The correct view is that those who are chained up during the month of
Ramadan are the most rebellious devils (maarid), not all of the
jinn. 

See also the answers to questions no.
12653 and 39736. 

From the above it is clear: 

1.    
that the jinn do not appear to anyone – apart from the Prophets – in
their real forms

2.    
that they can appear in the form of humans and animals

3.    
that it is not impossible for them to appear in different forms
during the month of Ramadan. 

For information on ways of warding off the
tricks and harm of the shayaateen (devils), please see the answers to
questions no. 10513, 9574,
22816 and 42073. 

And Allah knows best.