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How to deal with sihr (magic/witchcraft)
Praise be to Allaah.
Whoever is affected by sihr should not treat it with sihr, because evil
cannot be removed by evil, and kufr cannot be removed by kufr. Evil is removed
by good. Hence when the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked about al-nushrah (treating sihr with
sihr), he said: “This is the work of the Shaytaan.” Nushrah means removing sihr
from a person who has been affected by it by using more sihr. But if it is
treated by means of the Qur’aan and permissible medicines or good ruqyahs, there
is nothing wrong with that, but treating it with sihr is not permitted, as
previously stated, because sihr means worshipping the shayaateen (devils).
The
saahir (magician, practitioner of witchcraft) does sihr or learns sihr only
after worshipping and serving the shayaateen, and drawing close to them by means
of the things that they like. After that, they teach him the means of sihr. But,
praise be to Allaah, there is no reason why the person who has been affected by
sihr should not be treated by means of reciting Qur’aan and the prayers for
refuge with Allaah that are prescribed in sharee’ah, and permissible medicines,
just as patients with all kinds of sicknesses are treated by doctors. The
patient does not necessarily recover, because not every sick person does
recover. A sick patient might be treated and then recover if his appointed time
(of death) has not yet arrived, or he may not recover and may die from this
sickness, even though he may be been seen by the most skilled physicians and
knowledgeable doctors. When the appointed time of death comes, no medicine or
treatment will be of any avail, because Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“And Allaah grants respite to none when his
appointed time (death) comes” [al-Munaafiqoon 63:11]
Medical treatment is of benefit when the appointed time has not yet come, and
Allaah decrees that His slave should be healed. The same applies in the case of
one who has been affected by sihr; Allaah may decree that he should recover, or
He may not decree that, as a test and a trial, or for other reasons which are
known to Allaah. Among those reasons may be the fact that the one who is
treating him does not have the right treatment for this problem. It was narrated
in a saheeh report that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “For every disease there is a
medicine, and if that medicine is applied to the disease, he will recover by
Allaah’s Leave.” And he (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah has not sent down any disease but He has
also sent down the cure; the one who knows it knows it and the one who does not
know it does not know it.”
Among the treatments prescribed in sharee’ah is
the treatment of sihr with recitation of the Qur’aan. The greatest soorah in the
Qur’aan, which is al-Faatihah, should be recited over the person who has been
affected by sihr. This should be repeated several times. If it is recited by a
believing, righteous reader who knows that everything is subject to the will and
decree of Allaah, that Allaah is in control of all things, that when He says to
a thing ‘Be!’ it is, if the reciting is based on faith, taqwa and sincerity, and
is repeated several times, then the sihr may be removed and the person may
recover by Allaah’s Leave. Some of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with
them) passed by some Bedouins whose shaykh, i.e., their leader, had been bitten.
They had done everything they could but he had not gotten better. They said to
one of the Sahaabah, “Is there any raaqi (one who performs ruqyah) among you?”
They said, “Yes.” So one of them recited Soorat al-Faatihah over him, and he
immediately got up full of energy as if nothing had happened; Allaah healed him
of the ill-effects of that snakebite.
The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is nothing wrong with
ruqyah so long as it does not involve shirk.” He
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) performed ruqyah and had it
performed for him. There is a lot of good in ruqyah, and a great deal of
benefit. Al-Faatihah, Aayat al-Kursiy, “Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad”, al-Mi’wadhatayn
and other aayahs may be recited over the person who has been affected by sihr,
as well as good du’aa’s narrated in the ahaadeeth from the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
such as the du’aa’ he said when he performed ruqyah for a sick person and said,
“Allaahumma Rabb al-naas, adhhib il-ba’s, washfi anta al-Shaafi laa shifaa’a
illa shifaa’uka shifaa’an laa yughaadir saqaman (O Allaah, Lord of mankind,
remove the harm and heal him, for You are the Healer and there is no healing
except Your healing, with a healing which does not leave any disease behind).”
This may be repeated three times or more. And it was also narrated from him
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
that Jibreel (peace be upon him) performed ruqyah for him and said three times:
“Bismillaah arqeeka min kulli shay’in yu’dheeka, wa min sharri kulli nafsin aw
‘aynin haasid Allaah yashfeek, bismillaah arqeek (In the name of Allaah I
perform ruqyah for you, from every thing that is harming you, from the evil of
every soul or envious eye may Allaah heal you, in the name of Allaah I perform
ruqyah for you).” This is a great ruqyah which was narrated in a saheeh hadeeth
from the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him).
It is prescribed to perform ruqyah for the one who has been
bitten or stung, and the one who has been affected by sihr, and the one who is
sick. There is nothing wrong with performing ruqyah for one who is sick or has
been affected by sihr or bitten or stung, by reciting good du’aa’s, even if they
were not transmitted from the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so long as they do not contain anything
that is haraam, because of the general meaning of the hadeeth of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “There is nothing wrong with ruqyah
so long as it does not involve shirk.”
Allaah may heal the sick person and the person affected by sihr, and others,
without any ruqyah and without any action on the part of other people, because
He is Able to do all things, and He is Wise in all that He does. Allaah says in
His Holy Book:
“Verily, His Command, when He intends a thing, is
only that He says to it, ‘Be!’ and it is!” [Yaa-Seen 36:82]
To Him be praise and thanks for all that He wills and decrees, for He is wise
in all that He does.
The sick person may not be healed if his
appointed time has come and it is decreed that he should die from this disease.
Among the things that may be used in ruqyah are the verses which speak of sihr,
which may be recited into water. These are the verses about sihr in Soorat
al-A’raaf, where Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And We revealed to Moosa (saying): ‘Throw your
stick,’ and behold! It swallowed up straight away all the falsehood which they
showed.
Thus truth was confirmed, and all that they did
was made of no effect.
So they were defeated there and returned
disgraced
[al-A’raaf 7:117-119]
And in Soorat Yoonus (interpretation of the
meaning):
“And Pharaoh said: ‘Bring me every well-versed
sorcerer.’
And when the sorcerers came, Moosa said to them:
‘Cast down what you want to cast!’
Then when they had cast down, Moosa said: ‘What
you have brought is sorcery, Allaah will surely make it of no effect. Verily,
Allaah does not set right the work of Al-Mufsidoon.
And Allaah will establish and make apparent the
truth by His Words, however much the Mujrimoon may hate (it).’”
[Yoonus 10:79-82]
And in Soorat Ta-Ha (interpretation of the
meaning):
“They said: ‘O Moosa! Either you throw first or
we be the first to throw?’
Moosa said: ‘Nay, throw you (first)!’ Then behold! their ropes and their
sticks, by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved fast.
So Moosa conceived fear in himself.
We (Allaah) said: ‘Fear not! Surely, you will
have the upper hand.
And throw that which is in your right hand! It will swallow up that which
they have made. That which they have made is only a magician’s trick, and the
magician will never be successful, to whatever amount (of skill) he may
attain.’”
[Ta-Ha 20:65-69]
These aayahs are among the things by which Allaah
causes the ruqyah against sihr to be beneficial. If the qaari’ (reader) recites
these verses into water, and also reads Soorat al-Faatiha, Aayat al-Kursiy, “Qul
Huwa Allaahu Ahad”, and al-Mi’wadhatayn into the water, then pours it over the
person who he thinks has been affected by sihr or is being prevented by magic
from having intercourse with his wife, then he will be healed by Allaah’s Leave.
If seven lotus leaves are ground up and added to the water as well, this is
appropriate, as was mentioned by Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Hasan (may Allaah
have mercy on him) in Fath al-Majeed, quoting from some of the scholars in the
chapter entitled Ma jaa’a fi’l-Nushrah. It is mustahabb to recite the three
soorahs, namely Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad, Qul A’oodhu bi Rabb il Falaq and Qul
A’oodhu bi Rabb il-Naas.
The point is that these and similar treatments which
are used to treat this problem of sihr, may also be used to treat the one who is
prevented by magic from having intercourse with his wife. This has been tried a
great deal and Allaah caused it to yield results. A person may be treated with
al-Faatihah alone and be healed, or with Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad and
al-Mi’wadhatayn on their own, and be healed. It is very important that the
person performing this treatment and the person who is being treated should both
have sincere faith and trust in Allaah; they should know that He is control of
all things and that when He wills a thing it happens, and when He does not will
a thing it does not happen. The matter is in His hand, whatever He wills happens
and whatever He does not will does not happen. When both the reader and the one
who is read over have faith and are sincere towards Allaah, the sickness will
disappear quickly by Allaah’s Leave, and both physical and spiritual medicine
will be beneficial. We ask Allaah to help us all to please Him, for He is
All-Hearing and is ever Near.
Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-‘Allaamah
‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), p. 70
Is witchcraft real? Is it permissible to seek treatment from practitioners of
witchcraft
Praise be to Allaah.
Sihr (witchcraft or magic) is a word referring to
something hidden. It is real and there are kinds of witchcraft that may affect
people psychologically and physically, so that they become sick and die, or
husbands and wives are separated. Its effects happen by the will of Allaah. It
is a devilish action, most of which is only achieved by means of shirk and
drawing close to the jinn and shayaateen (devils) by means of that which they
love, and it is based on associating others with Allaah (shirk).
There are doctors who are also practitioners of
witchcraft, who treat people by means of seeking the help of the jinn. They
claim to have knowledge of the sickness with no need to identify it, and they
prescribe for the patient foods and drinks that bring him closer to his allies
among the devils. He may tell them to slaughter a pig whilst saying “Bismillaah”
over it, or to slaughter a permissible animal without saying “Bismillaah”, or
when saying the name of one of the devils.
This is kufr or disbelief in Allaah, and it is
not permissible under any circumstances to go to people like these. The hadd
punishment for these people is execution. It has been proven from three of the
Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) that the practitioners of witchcraft
are to be put to death.
The Standing Committee was asked a question about
this matter, in which it was said:
Please note that in Zambia there is a Muslim man
who claims that he has with him a jinn, and the people come to him and ask him
to treat their sicknesses, and this jinn states what their treatment should be.
Is that permissible?
They replied:
It is not permissible for that man to use the
jinn, and it is not permissible for the people to go to him seeking treatment
for sickness through his using the jinn, or to meet any other need by this
means.
Seeking treatment through human medical doctors
and using permissible medicines is sufficient and means that there is no need
for that, and it keeps people safe from the sorcery of the magicians.
It was narrated in a saheeh report that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him about
something, his prayer will not be accepted for forty days.” Narrated by Muslim.
And it was narrated by the authors of al-Sunan
and by al-Haakim, who classed it as saheeh, that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “Whoever goes to a soothsayer and believes what he says has disbelieved in
that which was revealed to Muhammad.”
This man and his companions from among the jinn
are regarded as being among the fortune-tellers and soothsayers, so it is not
permissible to ask them anything or to believe them.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 1/408, 409
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz said:
Given that there are so many charlatans lately,
who claim to be doctors and to treat people by means of magic and witchcraft,
and they have become widespread in some countries and they exploit the naïveté
of the ignorant, I thought that in the spirit of sincerity towards Allaah and
His slaves, that I should explain the grave danger that this poses to Islam and
the Muslims, because it involves dependence on something other than Allaah and
going against His command and the command of His Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so I say, seeking the help of
Allaah:
It is permissible to seek treatment according to
scholarly consensus. The Muslim may go to a doctor to seek treatment for
internal diseases, injuries, nervous complaints, etc, so that he can identify
the disease and treat it in an appropriate manner, using medicines that are
permissible according to sharee’ah, based on his knowledge of medicine, because
this comes under the heading of using the ordinary means, and it is not contrary
to the idea of putting one's trust in Allaah. Allaah has sent down the disease
but He has also sent down with it the cure; those who know it know it and those
who do not do not. But Allaah has not created the healing for His slaves in that
which He has forbidden to them, so it is not permissible for the sick person to
go to a soothsayer who claims to know the unseen, in order to find out from them
what is wrong with him. And it is not permissible for him to believe what they
tell him, because they speak of the unseen without knowledge, or they summon the
jinn and seek their help in doing what they want. The ruling on these people is
that they are kaafirs and misguided, because they claim to have knowledge of the
unseen.
Muslim narrated in his Saheeh that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever goes to a
fortune-teller and asks him about something, his prayer will not be accepted for
forty days.” And it was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with
him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever goes to a soothsayer and believes what he
says has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).” Narrated by Abu Dawood and by the
four authors of al-Sunan; classed as saheeh by al-Haakim who narrated that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “Whoever goes to a fortune-teller or soothsayer and believes
what he says has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).” And it was narrated that ‘Imraan
ibn Husayn (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “He does not belong to us who
observes bird omens or has that done for him, or who seeks divination or who has
that done for him, or who practices witchcraft or has that done for him. Whoever
goes to a soothsayer and believes what he says has disbelieved in that which was
revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him).” Narrated by al-Bazzaar with a jayyid isnaad.
These ahaadeeth demonstrate that it is forbidden
to go to soothsayers, fortune-tellers, witches and the like, and ask them
questions and believe them, and a warning is issued to those who do that.
Community leaders and those in positions of power and authority must forbid
going to fortune-tellers, soothsayers and the like, and not allow anyone who
deals in such things to operate in the marketplaces or elsewhere. They should
denounce them emphatically, and denounce those who go to them. We should not be
deceived by the fact that they may get things right sometimes, or by the fact
that many people go to them, because they are ignorant and the people should not
be deceived by them. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade going to them, asking them questions
and believing them, because that is a great evil, a serious danger and leads to
bad consequences, and because they are immoral liars. These ahaadeeth also
indicate that soothsayers and witches are also kaafirs, because they claim to
have knowledge of the unseen, which is kufr, and because they only reach their
goals by serving the jinn and worshipping them instead of Allaah, which is kufr
or disbelief in Him and associating others with Him (shirk). The one who
believes them and their claims to have knowledge of the unseen is like them.
Everyone who goes to these people and deals with them, is disowned by the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him). It is not permissible for the Muslim to accept what they
claim is a kind of treatment, such as their muttering mumbo-jumbo or pouring
lead and other kinds of nonsense that they do. This is a kind of sorcery and
deception of the people. Whoever accepts that is helping them in their falsehood
and kufr.
Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 3/274-281.
Secondly:
With regard to witchcraft (sihr), it is real and
is not an illusion, and it may have an effect by Allaah’s leave.
Al-Quraafi said:
Sihr is real, and the person
against whom it is done may die, or his nature or habits may be changed, even if
he does not deal with it himself. This was the view of al-Shaafa’i and Ibn
Hanbal… Al-Furooq, 4/149.
The Mu’tazalis, Qadaris and some of the scholars
held a different view, but no attention should be paid to that. Al-Quraafi and
others mentioned that the Sahaabah were unanimously agreed that it is real
before there appeared those who denied that.
The evidence of Ahl al-Sunnah concerning that is
as follows:
1. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“but the Shayaateen (devils) disbelieved,
teaching men magic and such things that came down at Babylon to the two angels,
Haaroot and Maaroot, but neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such
things) till they had said, “We are for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning
this magic from us).” And from these (angels) people learn that by which they
cause separation between man and his wife, but they could not thus harm anyone
except by Allaah’s Leave. And they learn that which harms them and profits them
not” [al-Baqarah 2:102]
This verse clearly indicates what we are trying
to say, which is that sihr (witchcraft) is real, and that the practitioner of
witchcraft may create a division between a man and his wife thereby, and that he
may harm people by means of his witchcraft, but he cannot do any harm except by
Allaah’s leave.
2. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“And from the evil of those who practise
witchcraft when they blow in the knots”
[al-Falaq 113:4]
“those who practise witchcraft when they blow in
the knots” refers to female witches whose witchcraft involved tying knots then
blowing into them. If witchcraft were not something real, Allaah would not have
commanded us to seek refuge from it.
3. Further evidence is provided by the fact
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) was bewitched by the Jew Labeed ibn al-A’sam. This is a
saheeh hadeeth that was narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim.
Ibn al-Qayyim said: The witchcraft which can
cause sickness, lethargy, mental sickness, love, hatred and delusions is
something that does exist and is known by the masses. Many people know it from
experience.
Al-Tafseer al-Qayyim, p. 571
Thirdly:
There are many kinds of witchcraft, including
illusions and deceiving the eyes. But not all sihr is like that. Some of the
scholars listed different kinds of witchcraft, and counted eight kinds, the most
well known of which are:
1. Knots and incantations
i.e., reciting words and mumbo-jumbo by means of
which the witch is able to use the devils to do what he wants of harming the
person being bewitched. But Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“… but they could not thus harm anyone except by
Allaah’s Leave” [al-Baqarah 2:102]
2. Sleight of hand.
They become skilled in this by means of practice
and training to do things quickly, and bring out something hidden.
For example, the magician may bring a dove and
strange it in front of the audience, then he hits it with his hand and it gets
up and flies.
But in fact there was a kind of anaesthetic in
his hand and he made it smell it and made the audience think that he had
strangled it and killed it, then when he hits it, he wakes it up from that
stupor.
3. Bewitching the eyes.
This is very common among the liars; the magician
does not really put a sword in his body, rather he bewitches the eyes of the
audience, and puts the sword by his side, but the bewitched people think that he
puts it through his middle.
These tricksters have become well known among us,
because among the audience there are those who protected themselves with Qur’aan
and dhikr, and remembered Allaah a great deal whilst sitting in the gathering
watching the magician, so they saw what really happened, unlike what those who
were bewitched saw.
4. Using chemicals
This is done well by those who know how
substances react with one another, thus producing a substance that is not
affected by some other substances, such as the Sufi Rifaa’iyyah who make people
think that they are not affected by fire, when in fact they coat themselves with
some fireproof substances. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy
on him) challenged them to wash with hot water before entering the fire and they
refused because this would have exposed their deceit.
And there are many other things that the
practitioners of witchcraft do, which could not happen unless Allaah decreed
it.
See Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 1/146; Majmoo’ Fataawa
al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 2/178; al-Sihr by Shaykh ‘Umar al-Ashqar.
Can sihr (witchcraft, magic) kill?
Praise be to Allaah.
Yes, there is sihr that can kill. When discussing different forms of murder
the scholars have mentioned that the person who kills another by means of a kind
of sihr that usually kills should be executed (qisaas – retaliation), because he
has killed by means of something that usually kills. Ibn Qudaamah said in
al-Mughni (9/330): “The sixth kind: if he killed him by means of a kind of sihr
that usually kills, then he has to be executed, because he has killed by means
of something that usually kills, like killing by use of a knife. If he killed by
means of something that does not usually kill or something that sometimes kills
and sometimes does not, then he has to pay diyah (blood-money), but qisaas is
not required, because he intended to do harm, and it is akin to beating someone
with a stick (which may or may not kill).”
The ruling concerning the saahir (practitioner of sihr) in al-Mawsoo’ah
al-Fiqhiyyah (24/267) says that in the case where he killed a person by means of
his sihr… the majority say that killing by means of sihr may be done
deliberately, in which case qisaas is required. According to the Maalikis,
evidence or a confession is required. According to the Shaafi’is, if the person
whom the practitioner of sihr killed was his equal , then qisaas is required if
the killing was deliberate, which may be proven by a confession on the part of
the saahir, such as his saying “I killed him by means of my sihr”, or “I killed
him with this type of thing”, supported by the testimony of two reliable
witnesses who have practised sihr in the past but have now repented, who can
confirm that this kind of sihr usually kills. If it is a type that does not
usually kill, then the matter is more akin to manslaughter.
And Allaah knows best.
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
Black Magic and Satanic Possession
Praise be to Allaah
People who have had experience with such situations have related that the
following are among the signs of a person who is possessed by jinn (or Satan):
1. Strong repulsion when hearing Qur’aan or Aathaan (call for prayers).
2. Episodes of losing consciousness and/or epileptic attacks, especially
when Qur’aan is recited for the possessed person.
3. Frequent nightmares during sleep.
4. Tendency to avoid people accompanied by out-of-the-norm behavior.
5. The jinn who possesses him might speak when Qur’aan is recited for the
possessed person.
6. Madness, as stated in the Qur’aan (interpretation of the meaning):
"Those who devour usury will not stand except as stands one whom Satan by
his touch hath driven to [epileptic] madness…" 2:275
As for a person struck by magic he might experience the following:
1. Dislike of one’s spouse, as indicated in the Qur’aan by the following
verse (interpretation of the meaning): "And from these (angels) people learn
that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife..."
(Al-Baqarah, 2:102).
2. Different attitude in the house from that which is outside the house.
For example, a person will feel that he is missing his family when is
outside the house but when he goes home, love changes quickly to extreme
hatred.
3. Inability to have sexual intercourse with one’s spouse.
4. Frequent miscarriage for pregnant women.
5. Sudden change in behavior without obvious reason.
6. Complete loss of appetite for food.
7. Thinking or imagining one has done something when in reality one has
not.
8. Sudden obedience and/or love for a particular person.
It should be noted that if a person experiences some of the above symptoms
this does not necessarily mean that he is either possessed by a jinn or struck
by black magic. It might be due to physiological or psychological reasons.
As for curing this condition the following steps are recommended:
1. Putting one’s trust in Allah with sincere belief that He is the only
cure for everything.
2. Reading Qur’aan and known supplications expressing seeking refuge, the
most important and effective of which is sura 113 and 114, Al-Falaq and
Al-Naas, which were used to cure the Prophet himself. Surah 112, Al-Ikhlaas,
is recommended along with them, as well as the opening chapter of the
Qur’aan, Al-Fatihah. To cure black magic some have successfully used seven
lotus-tree leaves. The leaves should be crushed, then mixed them with water
enough for taking a bath. The following verses from the Qur’aan are then
recited: verse Al-Kursi (2:255), surah Al-Kafiroon (109), surah 112, 113,
114; the verses which mention magic, which are: in surah Al-Baqarah (2:102),
Al-A’raaf (3:117-119), Yunus (10:79-82), and Taha (20:65-69). The possessed
person drinks some of the water, and the rest is used to give him a bath.
3. Removing the elements of magic as was done by the Prophet when he was
struck by black magic by a Jewish man called Lubaid Ben Al-‘Aasim.
4. Eating seven Aa’liya Al-Barniy dates (among the dates of Al-Madinah)
first thing in the morning; if not possible, any dates will suffice, by the
will of Allaah.
5. Cupping--removing excess blood.
6. Supplications.
And we ask Allaah to cure your brother and ease your hardship and his, as He
is the One who cures and there is no one else who can cure.
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
Soundness of the hadeeth, “Learn witchcraft (sihr)”
Praise be to Allaah.
This hadeeth is false and has no basis. It is not
permissible to learn witchcraft or to use it. It is an evil action and is kufr
and misguidance. Allaah clearly stated that witchcraft is forbidden in His Book,
where He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“They followed what the Shayaateen (devils) gave out (falsely of the magic)
in the lifetime of Sulaymaan (Solomon). Sulaymaan did not disbelieve, but the
Shayaateen (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic and such things that came
down at Babylon to the two angels, Haaroot and Maaroot, but neither of these two
(angels) taught anyone (such things) till they had said, ‘We are for trial, so
disbelieve not (by learning this magic from us).’ And from these (angels) people
learn that by which they cause separation between man and his wife, but they
could not thus harm anyone except by Allaah’s Leave. And they learn that which
harms them and profits them not. And indeed they knew that the buyers of it
(magic) would have no share in the Hereafter. And how bad indeed was that for
which they sold their ownselves, if they but knew.
And if they had believed and guarded themselves
from evil and kept their duty to Allaah, far better would have been the reward
from their Lord, if they but knew!” [al-Baqarah 2:102-103]
In these verses, Allaah clearly states that
witchcraft is kufr and that it is from the teachings of the devils. Allaah has
condemned them for that, and they are our enemies. And He has stated that
teaching witchcraft is kufr and that it is harmful and not beneficial, so we
must beware of it.
Learning witchcraft is all kufr, hence He stated
that the two angels did not teach it to people until they had told them,
“We are
for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this magic from us).” Then He says,
“but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allaah’s Leave”
so it is known
that it is kufr and misguidance, and that the practitioners of witchcraft cannot
harm anyone except by Allaah’s Leave. What is meant is His universal qadari will
(i.e., things that He decrees should happen even though He may dislike them),
not His religious shar’i will (i.e., that which He prescribes and which pleases
Him) – because Allaah has not prescribed this and has not given permission for
it in His sharee’ah; rather He has forbidden it and stated that it is kufr and
is from the teachings of the devils. And He has stated that whoever buys it –
i.e., learns it – will have no share in the Hereafter. This is a serious
warning. Then Allaah says: “And how bad indeed was that for which they sold
their ownselves, if they but knew” – what is meant is that they have sold
themselves to the devils for this witchcraft. Then Allaah says,
“And if they had
believed and guarded themselves from evil and kept their duty to Allaah, far
better would have been the reward from their Lord, if they but knew!” – this
indicates that learning witchcraft and using it is the opposite of faith and
piety. There is no power and no strength except with Allaah.
Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li’l-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 6/371
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