Going to a Sorcerer or a Fortune-Teller
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Fatwa No. ( 21364 )
Praise be to Allah alone, and blessings and peace be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. After that: The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed what was sent to His Eminence the Grand Mufti from the questioner, the honorable judge of the Badr Court in Madinah , and referred to the Committee by the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars, under number (1132) on 19/2/1421 AH. The questioner asked:
The question is as follows: Recently, it has become widespread among the general public that there is a person in the land of al-Sham who treats difficult cases and physical illnesses. We have been informed that he takes people out of their homes, then places a number of water containers under the sound of a recording of one of the reciters reciting the Qur'an. After that, anyone who has a physical illness requiring surgery is taken into a dark room for a full night, where no one enters to see him. The patient then emerges in good health, and anyone with a blockage in the heart emerges cured. People who were blind have also emerged from his place able to see, by the power of Allah. We have also been informed that a number of students of knowledge from this country, who study under some well-known shaykhs, went to him, and his fame and reputation have spread. What is the ruling on this in the Shari'ah? Many of the residents of the town have asked us to issue a fatwa on this matter. We should note that many of the general public believe it is permissible to seek the aid of the jinn in permissible matters, provided no harm is caused to others, and they attribute a fatwa to the honorable Shaykh Muhammad ibn Uthaymeen (may Allah preserve him). Since this is a dangerous matter when it is opened up to people, I would like to present this to your permissiveness so that you may issue whatever fatwa you see fit regarding this matter and guide people in the affairs of their religion. If this is urgent, that is what I hope for. May Allah reward you for your efforts and multiply your reward, and may Allah preserve and care for you?
After studying the question, the Committee answered that it is not permissible to go to this man, because he is a sorcerer or a fortune-teller, because he seeks the help of the jinn. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Ibn Majah 639Hasan (Darussalam) (peace and blessings be upon him). And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 2230. It is obligatory upon scholars and students of knowledge to clarify the truth, warn people against following false paths that undermine the creed, and restrict treatment to permissible methods. He said: Sunan Abi Dawud 3874Da'if (Al-Albani). And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sunan al-Bayhaqi 17:517. Therefore, it is obligatory upon the Muslim to restrict himself to what Allah has made permissible and leave what Allah has forbidden. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Praise be to Allah alone, and blessings and peace be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. After that: The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed what was sent to His Eminence the Grand Mufti from the questioner, the honorable judge of the Badr Court in Madinah , and referred to the Committee by the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars, under number (1132) on 19/2/1421 AH. The questioner asked:
The question is as follows: Recently, it has become widespread among the general public that there is a person in the land of al-Sham who treats difficult cases and physical illnesses. We have been informed that he takes people out of their homes, then places a number of water containers under the sound of a recording of one of the reciters reciting the Qur'an. After that, anyone who has a physical illness requiring surgery is taken into a dark room for a full night, where no one enters to see him. The patient then emerges in good health, and anyone with a blockage in the heart emerges cured. People who were blind have also emerged from his place able to see, by the power of Allah. We have also been informed that a number of students of knowledge from this country, who study under some well-known shaykhs, went to him, and his fame and reputation have spread. What is the ruling on this in the Shari'ah? Many of the residents of the town have asked us to issue a fatwa on this matter. We should note that many of the general public believe it is permissible to seek the aid of the jinn in permissible matters, provided no harm is caused to others, and they attribute a fatwa to the honorable Shaykh Muhammad ibn Uthaymeen (may Allah preserve him). Since this is a dangerous matter when it is opened up to people, I would like to present this to your permissiveness so that you may issue whatever fatwa you see fit regarding this matter and guide people in the affairs of their religion. If this is urgent, that is what I hope for. May Allah reward you for your efforts and multiply your reward, and may Allah preserve and care for you?
After studying the question, the Committee answered that it is not permissible to go to this man, because he is a sorcerer or a fortune-teller, because he seeks the help of the jinn. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
or who goes to a fortuneteller and believes what he says, he has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad
من أتى عرافًا فسأله عن شيء فصدقه بما يقول، فقد كفر بما أُنزل على محمدHe who visits a diviner ('Arraf) and asks him about anything, his prayers extending to forty nights will not be accepted.
من أتى كاهنًا لم تقبل له صلاة أربعين ليلةso treat yourselves medically, but use nothing unlawful.
تداووا، ولا تتداووا بحرامAllah has not sent down a disease without sending down a cure for it; He has made it known to those who know it and unknown to those who do not know it
ما أنزل الله داءً إلا أنزل له شفاء، علمه من علمه، وجهله من جهله
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.