What is the authenticity of the hadith, the meaning of which is that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) recited over so-and-so, and the jinn came out of him?
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The questioner : To what extent is the hadith authentic, the meaning of which is that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) recited over so-and-so, and something like ... or ... came out of him? There has been a lot of talk about this issue; we want a comprehensive answer. May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : There is no doubt among the scholars of the Muslims that the possession of humans by jinn is a reality, both in the past and the present. There is an indication of this in the statement of Allah the Exalted when He described the consumer of riba (usury or interest), saying:[Al-Baqarah 2:275]; this is an indication that Satan takes control of a person and throws him about to the right and to the left. This is what is called epilepsy. This epilepsy, when its cause is the domination of jinn over humans, is of a type that known medical drugs today cannot reach; therefore, doctors, whether they are disbelievers or Muslims, have thrown in the towel of surrender, because they have no cure for such a disease, as it has a connection to what is beyond the natural cosmic causes that are within the length of the human being. As for the jinn, they are a creation as Allah the Exalted described them: [Al-A'raf 7:27]; therefore, doctors' medicines are of no benefit for this type of epilepsy. Epilepsy has other types which they treat, and they succeed in that. But when the cause of the epilepsy is the jinn, there is no cure for it except the lawful ruqyah (healing by Qur'anic recitation), namely the recitation of some Qur'anic verses or the authentic Prophetic supplications.
This verse points to this reality. Then come authentic hadiths, including the hadith that came in the question. The hadith is in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), from various routes, some of which are good. It states that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by a woman who had a boy afflicted with lamam (a type of madness) due to the touch of jinn. She brought him to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and complained to him about his condition. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited over him some Qur'anic verses and ordered the jinn possessing the boy to come out, and it came out. I do not remember now if the hadith, as it came in the question, contains something like ...; perhaps this is in some narrations. But the important thing in the hadith is that it came out and he was cured, as if he had been untied from a rope. Then, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) returned and passed by the woman, he asked her about the boy. She mentioned that he no longer saw what he used to see before.
Those who subject the texts of the Shari'ah to their minds certainly do not accept such reports, because they require faith and knowledge of the routes of hadith, which they do not know, and trust in the imams of hadith, in whom they do not have trust. Because if it were so ... leading their thought and mind with these hadiths that the people of the Sunnah narrated, and which are authentic and not weak. If they knew something of the science that this hadith is weak and cannot serve as proof, we would say there is no harm. But the noble verse points to what came in this hadith and others, with its coming from routes, some of which are proof, as I mentioned earlier. Then, the practice of the scholars of the Muslims proceeded by following the noble Prophet (may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him). They were known for treating some epileptics in the same way that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) treated that boy. If some of these scholars had been among the scholars over whom deception and charlatanism pass, we would assume that deception had entered them in this matter. But as for Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, who raised the banner of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and the call to the Book and the Sunnah, and fought superstitions and the charlatanism of the Sufis and Sufi women, and the like; this is the man who became famous for treating epilepsy and reciting over them some Qur'anic verses, so that the epileptic would return as if he had not been touched. So, denying these realities that came in some authentic hadiths, and which some imams like Ibn Taymiyyah acted upon, is in fact a stubbornness beyond stubbornness. And it is amazing that some of those who deny these realities criticize some of our Salafi or people of hadith brothers who may actually hasten in holding to a hadith and mistake an imam from the imams of the Muslims simply because he stopped at an authentic hadith. They do not care who opposed him, and this group says with disapproval: How is this? For every science there are its people and its specialists. We give examples of this:
If you have a sick boy, for example, do you take him to theThe Shaykh : scholar or do you take him to the doctor? And if the patient is afflicted with a disease in his eye, do you take him to the doctor who specializes in treating the heart and chest and the like? He says: For every science there is specialization. He says this reality, and it is the truth, and there is no doubt in that at all. Then he forgets that and subjects his traditional, jurisprudential, madhhab-based, materialist mind to it, and denies these realities. So the people of hadith affirm this story, and he does not care at all!! And Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah knows that he used to do that; so was Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, who is known in the Islamic world, especially in this time, to beThe Shaykh : the only one who, by virtue of his books that have been printed now, brought about this awakening that we glorify and elevate, and the merit after Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Sunnah returns to this man who revived the Sunnah by his call to following the Book and the Sunnah, and his fighting of all the misguided sects; whether what was related to them was concerning beliefs or behavior, like the Sufis.
And perhaps you know that in Damascus, he was the only man who would stand up against the misguided sects from the Sufis; and especially from them the Rifa'iyyah, and more specifically the Bata'ihiyyah. For these people used to descend into the markets of Damascus wearing chains, and wrapped around them ... they deceived the people into thinking that they were from the awliya (close friends of Allah), and that all these things did not affect them. So he challenged them and said to them: You are nothing but this, which is the eye of falsehood. And they used to claim that fire does not burn them. So, because of how much he bothered them with his call and his clarification that they were on clear misguidance, they complained to the governor of the city at that time. So he held a council, andThe Shaykh : the Shaykh of the Bata'ihiyyah was present. Shaykh al-Islam spoke, as is known of him, citing verses, hadiths, and the sayings of the Salaf. Then he presented a suggestion to the governor: You order thisThe Shaykh : one who pretends that he enters the fire and is not burned to take off his clothes and enter the bathroom and wash himself with vinegar—look at the knowledge of Ibn Taymiyyah—wash himself with vinegar; because he knew that the charlatanism of this group was that they dye their clothes with a substance that prevents the effect of fire, and they also anoint their bodies with such a substance, so that the deception and charlatanism does not pass over him ...; therefore, he asked the governor of Damascus at that time to have this man take off his clothes and have the governor dress him after he washes his body with vinegar; wash his body with vinegar, and put on clean clothes, and I will enter the fire with him; so whichever of us is burned, he is the one who is in the wrong. When this Bata'ihi charlatan knew that Shaykh al-Islam had exposed his charlatanism, he turned on his heels and fled ... beforeThe Shaykh : the governor.
This is a man over whom deception and charlatanism might pass, and he treats some epileptics with some Qur'anic verses, and immediate healing appears at his hands. Then some people come and say this is not reasonable? It is reasonable to say this about something that has no origin in the Qur'an, and no detail in the Sunnah, and which some of the imams did not act upon. But the matter is not so, as you have heard; so this is the limit of denial and stubbornness and little faith in what came from Allah and His Messenger and from the trustworthy, reliable imams.
And this is sufficient, if Allah wills, to establish the proof.
The Shaykh : There is no doubt among the scholars of the Muslims that the possession of humans by jinn is a reality, both in the past and the present. There is an indication of this in the statement of Allah the Exalted when He described the consumer of riba (usury or interest), saying:
except as one stands who is being beaten by Satan into insanity
كما يقوم الذي يتخبَّطه الشيطان من المسِّIndeed, he sees you, he and his tribe, from where you do not see them
إِنَّهُ يَرَاكُمْ هُوَ وَقَبِيلُهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا تَرَوْنَهُمْThis verse points to this reality. Then come authentic hadiths, including the hadith that came in the question. The hadith is in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), from various routes, some of which are good. It states that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by a woman who had a boy afflicted with lamam (a type of madness) due to the touch of jinn. She brought him to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and complained to him about his condition. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited over him some Qur'anic verses and ordered the jinn possessing the boy to come out, and it came out. I do not remember now if the hadith, as it came in the question, contains something like ...; perhaps this is in some narrations. But the important thing in the hadith is that it came out and he was cured, as if he had been untied from a rope. Then, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) returned and passed by the woman, he asked her about the boy. She mentioned that he no longer saw what he used to see before.
Those who subject the texts of the Shari'ah to their minds certainly do not accept such reports, because they require faith and knowledge of the routes of hadith, which they do not know, and trust in the imams of hadith, in whom they do not have trust. Because if it were so ... leading their thought and mind with these hadiths that the people of the Sunnah narrated, and which are authentic and not weak. If they knew something of the science that this hadith is weak and cannot serve as proof, we would say there is no harm. But the noble verse points to what came in this hadith and others, with its coming from routes, some of which are proof, as I mentioned earlier. Then, the practice of the scholars of the Muslims proceeded by following the noble Prophet (may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him). They were known for treating some epileptics in the same way that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) treated that boy. If some of these scholars had been among the scholars over whom deception and charlatanism pass, we would assume that deception had entered them in this matter. But as for Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, who raised the banner of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and the call to the Book and the Sunnah, and fought superstitions and the charlatanism of the Sufis and Sufi women, and the like; this is the man who became famous for treating epilepsy and reciting over them some Qur'anic verses, so that the epileptic would return as if he had not been touched. So, denying these realities that came in some authentic hadiths, and which some imams like Ibn Taymiyyah acted upon, is in fact a stubbornness beyond stubbornness. And it is amazing that some of those who deny these realities criticize some of our Salafi or people of hadith brothers who may actually hasten in holding to a hadith and mistake an imam from the imams of the Muslims simply because he stopped at an authentic hadith. They do not care who opposed him, and this group says with disapproval: How is this? For every science there are its people and its specialists. We give examples of this:
If you have a sick boy, for example, do you take him to theThe Shaykh : scholar or do you take him to the doctor? And if the patient is afflicted with a disease in his eye, do you take him to the doctor who specializes in treating the heart and chest and the like? He says: For every science there is specialization. He says this reality, and it is the truth, and there is no doubt in that at all. Then he forgets that and subjects his traditional, jurisprudential, madhhab-based, materialist mind to it, and denies these realities. So the people of hadith affirm this story, and he does not care at all!! And Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah knows that he used to do that; so was Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, who is known in the Islamic world, especially in this time, to beThe Shaykh : the only one who, by virtue of his books that have been printed now, brought about this awakening that we glorify and elevate, and the merit after Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Sunnah returns to this man who revived the Sunnah by his call to following the Book and the Sunnah, and his fighting of all the misguided sects; whether what was related to them was concerning beliefs or behavior, like the Sufis.
And perhaps you know that in Damascus, he was the only man who would stand up against the misguided sects from the Sufis; and especially from them the Rifa'iyyah, and more specifically the Bata'ihiyyah. For these people used to descend into the markets of Damascus wearing chains, and wrapped around them ... they deceived the people into thinking that they were from the awliya (close friends of Allah), and that all these things did not affect them. So he challenged them and said to them: You are nothing but this, which is the eye of falsehood. And they used to claim that fire does not burn them. So, because of how much he bothered them with his call and his clarification that they were on clear misguidance, they complained to the governor of the city at that time. So he held a council, andThe Shaykh : the Shaykh of the Bata'ihiyyah was present. Shaykh al-Islam spoke, as is known of him, citing verses, hadiths, and the sayings of the Salaf. Then he presented a suggestion to the governor: You order thisThe Shaykh : one who pretends that he enters the fire and is not burned to take off his clothes and enter the bathroom and wash himself with vinegar—look at the knowledge of Ibn Taymiyyah—wash himself with vinegar; because he knew that the charlatanism of this group was that they dye their clothes with a substance that prevents the effect of fire, and they also anoint their bodies with such a substance, so that the deception and charlatanism does not pass over him ...; therefore, he asked the governor of Damascus at that time to have this man take off his clothes and have the governor dress him after he washes his body with vinegar; wash his body with vinegar, and put on clean clothes, and I will enter the fire with him; so whichever of us is burned, he is the one who is in the wrong. When this Bata'ihi charlatan knew that Shaykh al-Islam had exposed his charlatanism, he turned on his heels and fled ... beforeThe Shaykh : the governor.
This is a man over whom deception and charlatanism might pass, and he treats some epileptics with some Qur'anic verses, and immediate healing appears at his hands. Then some people come and say this is not reasonable? It is reasonable to say this about something that has no origin in the Qur'an, and no detail in the Sunnah, and which some of the imams did not act upon. But the matter is not so, as you have heard; so this is the limit of denial and stubbornness and little faith in what came from Allah and His Messenger and from the trustworthy, reliable imams.
And this is sufficient, if Allah wills, to establish the proof.
Source
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