Ways of treating sihr
Praise be to Allaah.
There are different kinds of treatment:
1 – He can look at what the saahir (person who
practices sihr) has done. For example, if he has put some of his hair in a
place, or in a comb, or somewhere else, if it is discovered that he has put it
in such-and-such a place, it should be removed and burnt or destroyed. This will
cancel out what has been done and will foil the intentions of the saahir.
2 –The saahir should be forced to undo what he
has done, if his identity is known. It should be said to him,
“Either you undo
what you have done, or you will be executed.” After he has undone it, he should
still be executed by the authorities, because the saahir should be killed
without being asked to repent, according to the correct view. This is what was
done by ‘Umar, and it was narrated that the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: “The punishment of the saahir is to strike him with the sword (i.e.,
execute him).” When Hafsah Umm al-Mu’mineen (may Allaah be pleased with her)
found out that a slave woman of hers was dealing with sihr, she killed her.
3 – Reciting Qur’aan, for it has a great effect
in removing (the effects of) sihr. Aayat al-Kursiy, the aayahs of sihr from
Soorat al-A’raaf, Soorat Yoonus and Soorat Ta-Ha, Soorat al-Kaafiroon, Soorat
al-Ikhlaas and al-Mi’wadhatayn should be recited over the person who has been
affected by sihr, or into a vessel. Du’aa’ should be made for healing and good
health; in particular the du’aa’ which has been narrated from the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):
“Allaahumma Rabb al-Naas, adhhib al-ba’s wa’shfi,
anta al-Shaafiy, laa shifaa’a illa shifaa’uka, shifaa’an laa yughaadiru saqaman
(O Allaah, Lord of mankind, remove the evil and grant healing, for You are the
Healer. There is no healing except Your healing, which does not leave any
sickness).”
One may also recite the words used by Jibreel
when he treated the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) with ruqyah:
“Bismillaah urqeek, min kulli shay’in yu’dheek,
wa min sharri kulli nafsin aw ‘aynin haasidin Allaah yushfeek, bismillaah urqeek
(In the name of Allaah I perform ruqyah for you, from everything 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 should be repeated three times, as should
the recitation of “Qul Huwa Allaah Ahad” and al-Mi’wadhatayn.
He may also recite the above into water, some of
which should be drunk by the person who has been affected by sihr, and he should
wash with the rest, one or more times as needed. This will remove the sihr by
Allaah’s Leave. This was mentioned by the scholars (may Allaah have mercy on
them), and by Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Hasan (may Allaah have mercy on him) in
Fath al-Majeed Sharh Kitaab al-Tawheed, in (the chapter entitled) Baab Ma jaa’a
fi’l-Nushrah, and by others.
4 – He can take seven green lotus leaves, grind
them up, and put them into water, then recite into it the aayahs and soorahs
mentioned above, and the du’aa’s. Then he can drink some and wash with the rest.
This is also useful for treating a man who is being kept from having intercourse
with his wife. Seven green lotus leaves should be placed in water, the verses
referred to above should be recited into it, then he should drink from it and
wash with it. This is beneficial, by Allaah’s leave.
The verses which should be recited into the water
and the lotus leaves for those who have been affected by sihr and the one who is
being prevented from having intercourse with his wife because of sihr are as
follows:
1- Soorat al-Faatihah
2- Aayat al-Kursiy from Soorat al-Baqarah,
which is as follows (interpretation of the meaning):
“Allaah! Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He),
Al-Hayyul-Qayyum (the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that
exists). Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in
the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him
except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in
this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter. And they will never
compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Kursiy extends
over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and
preserving them. And He is the Most High, the Most Great” (al-Baqarah 2:255)
3- The verses from Soorat al-A’raaf, which
are as follows (interpretation of the meaning):
“[Pharaoh] said: ‘If you have come with a sign, show it forth, if you are one
of those who tell the truth.’
Then [Moosa] threw his stick and behold! it was a
serpent, manifest!
And he drew out his hand, and behold! it was
white (with radiance) for the beholders.
The chiefs of the people of Pharaoh said: ‘This
is indeed a well-versed sorcerer;
He wants to get you out of your land, so what do
you advise?’
They said: ‘Put him and his brother off (for a
time), and send callers to the cities to collect —
That they bring to you all well-versed
sorcerers.’
And so the sorcerers came to Pharaoh. They said:
‘Indeed there will be a (good) reward for us if we are the victors.’
He said: ‘Yes, and moreover you will (in that
case) be of the nearest (to me).’
They said: ‘O Moosa! Either you throw (first), or
shall we have the (first) throw?’
He [Moosa] said: ‘Throw you (first).’ So when
they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people, and struck terror into them,
and they displayed a great magic.
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.
And the sorcerers fell down prostrate.
They said: ‘We believe in the Lord of the
‘Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists).
The Lord of Moosa and Haaroon (Aaron).’”
[al-A’raaf 7:106-122]
4- The verses from Soorat Yoonus, which are
as follows (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)
5- The verses from Soorat Ta-Ha, which are as
follows (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]
6- Soorat al-Kaafiroon
7- Soorat al-Ikhlaas and al-Mi’wadhatayn
(i.e., Soorat al-Falaq and Soorat al-Naas) – to be recited three times.
8- Reciting some of the du’aa’s prescribed in
sharee’ah, such as:
“Allaahumma Rabb al-Naas, adhhib al-ba’s wa’shfi,
anta al-Shaafiy, laa shifaa’a illa shifaa’uka, shifaa’an laa yughaadiru saqaman
(O Allaah, Lord of mankind, remove the evil and grant healing, for You are the
Healer. There is no healing except Your healing, which does not leave any
sickness).”
This is good, and it may also be accompanied by
the du’aa’:
“Allaahumma Rabb al-Naas, adhhib al-ba’s wa’shfi,
anta al-Shaafiy, laa shifaa’a illa shifaa’uka, shifaa’an laa yughaadiru saqaman
(O Allaah, Lord of mankind, remove the evil and grant healing, for You are the
Healer. There is no healing except Your healing, which does not leave any
sickness).”
If the above verses etc. are recited directly
over the person who has been affected by sihr, then the reciter blows on his
head and chest, these are also among the means of healing, by Allaah’s Leave, as
stated above.
Majmoo’ Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-‘Allaamah
‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), vol. 8,
p. 144
Sihr and its types
Praise be to Allaah.
Praise be to Allaah and blessings and peace be
upon the Messenger of Allaah, and his family and companions and those who follow
his guidance.
Sihr is a serious crime and is one of the kinds
of kufr. It is one of things with which people have been tested, in the past and
currently, among the nations of the past, during the Jaahiliyyah and in this
ummah. The more ignorance increases, the less there is knowledge and awareness
of faith, the less attention the authorities pay to this matter – the more the
practitioners of sihr and trickery increase and spread in the land, to take the
people’s wealth and confuse them and do other things. When knowledge prevails
and faith increases, and the Islamic authorities are powerful, the number of
these evil people shrinks and they move from one land to another, seeking a
place where their falsehood will be accepted and they will be able to engage in
their trickery and corruption.
The Qur’aan and Sunnah have described the kinds
of sihr and the rulings on these matters.
Sihr is so called because its means are hidden or
secret, and because the practitioners of sihr deal with things in secret which
enable them to perform illusions to confuse the people and deceive their eyes,
and to cause them harm or steal their money, etc., in a secretive manner so that
in most cases nobody realizes what is happening. Hence the last part of the
night is called sahar, because at the end of the night people are unaware and
they do not move about much. And the lungs are also called sahr, because they
are hidden inside the body.
According to sharee’ah, the meaning of sihr is what the magicians do to
delude and confuse people, so that the one who is watching thinks that it is
real when in fact it is not. As Allaah said concerning the magicians of Pharaoh
(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]
Sihr may involve things that the magician does
when tying knots on which he blows, as is referred to in the Qur’aan
(interpretation of the meaning):
“And from the evil of those who practise
witchcraft when they blow in the knots” [al-Falaq 113:4]
And it may involve other things which they manage to do through the
shayaateen (devils), so they do things that may affect a man's reason or make
him sick; they may cause division between a man and his wife, resulting in her
looking ugly to him, or by making her hate her husband or be put off by him.
This is blatant kufr as the Qur’aan states. Allaah 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”
[al-Baqarah 2:102]
Allaah informs us that they (the shayaateen)
committed kufr by teaching men magic. Then He says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“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).’” [al-Baqarah 2:102]
Then Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“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” [al-Baqarah 2:102]
i.e., this magic and any harm that results from
it is subject to the prior decree and will of Allaah, for our Lord cannot be
overwhelmed and nothing can happen in His Dominion against His Will. Nothing
happens in this world or in the hereafter except by His prior decree and His
great wisdom, as He wills. So some people may be tested by sihr, and others may
be tested by sickness, or by being killed…etc. Allaah is All-Wise in all that
He wills and decrees, and in all that He prescribes for His slaves. Hence Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
“but they could not thus harm anyone except by
Allaah’s Leave” [al-Baqarah 2:102]
i.e., by His universal (kawni) will and decree, not by His legislative
(shar’i) will [i.e., He wills that it should happen but He does not enjoin it
and He is not pleased by such actions]. For sharee’ah does not allow such
things, indeed it forbids them, but by His universal leave He already knows and
has already decreed that So and so will do sihr, and that So and so will be
affected by sihr, just as He already knows and has already decreed that So and
so will be killed, or afflicted with a certain sickness, or will die in a
certain land, and will receive such and such provision, or will be rich or poor.
All of that happens by the will and decree of Allaah, as He says (interpretation
of the meaning):
“Verily, We have created all things with Qadar
(Divine Preordainments of all things before their creation as written in the
Book of Decrees Al‑Lawh Al‑Mahfooz) [al-Qamar 54:49]
“No calamity befalls on the earth or in
yourselves but it is inscribed in the Book of Decrees (Al‑Lawh Al‑Mahfooz)
before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allaah” [al-Hadeed 57:22]
The evils that come at the hands of the
magicians or others do not happen because our Lord is ignorant, for He knows all
things and nothing at all is hidden from Him, as He says (interpretation of the
meaning):
“Verily, Allaah is the All-Knower of everything”
[al-Anfaal 8:75]
“that you may know that Allaah has power over all things, and that Allâh
surrounds all things in (His) Knowledge” [al-Talaaq 65:12]
So Allaah knows all things, and nothing happens
in His Dominion that He does not will, but He has perfect wisdom and good aims
in whatever He decrees should happen to people of honour or humiliation, losing
or gaining power, sickness or health, magic and other things.
Everything that happens to people happens by the
will of Allaah and in accordance with His prior decree. These magicians may
perform their illusions, as stated in the aayah quoted above (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. [Ta-Ha
20:65-66]
It appeared to the onlooker as if these sticks
and ropes were snakes, moving fast in the valley. They were only sticks and
ropes, but the magicians, through what they had learned, made what they
demonstrated before the people look different in their eyes to what it really
was.
Allaah says (interpretation if the meaning):
“by their magic, appeared to him as though they
moved fast” [Ta-Ha 20:66]
And in Soorat al-A’raaf Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
“He [Moosa] said: ‘Throw you (first).’ So when
they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people, and struck terror into them,
and they displayed a great magic” [al-A’raaf 7:116]
But in fact their sticks and ropes did not
change; it was the people’s sight which changed because of the sihr, so they
thought they were snakes, because of the illusion brought about by the
magicians. Some people call this taqmeer, which is when the magician does things
to make a person not sense reality as it really is, so his eyes do not see what
is really there and things may be taken from his shop or his home without him
realizing it, i.e., he does not know what is really happening. So he may see a
rock as a chicken or as an egg, and so on, because reality has been changed in
his eyes because of the confusion wrought by the magician, and because his eyes
have been bewitched. There are things that the magicians do with certain
substances to make people’s eyes not see what is really happening. This is the
kind of magic which Allaah describes as “great” [i.e. serious, powerful] in
Soorat al-A’raaf (interpretation of the meaning):
“… So when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of
the people, and struck terror into them, and they displayed a great magic”
[al-A’raaf 7:116]
From Majmoo’ Fataawaa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi’ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh
al-‘Allaamah ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), p. 65
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