Deviant Paths
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Going to sorcerers and charlatans
Question: In Upper Egypt, when one of our children or livestock falls ill, we go to a shaykh who writes us a paper. We then burn it and inhale the smoke, or drink it, or hang it around the neck of the sick person or animal. What is the ruling on this practice, may Allah reward you?
Answer: This is among the superstitions for which Allah has not sent down any authority. We do not know what is written on that paper; it may contain shirk (associating partners with Allah) and kufr (disbelief) in Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
In any case, it is obligatory for you to avoid such things, and you must rely upon Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He,As Allah the Exalted said: [Yunus: 107] .
And Allah the Exalted said: [Al-An'am: 17] , and Khalil (peace be upon him) said, as mentioned in the Noble Qur'an: [Al-Shu'ara: 80] .
It is obligatory for the Muslim to rely upon Allah in seeking healing through du'a' (supplication), worship, and supplicating to Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, for He is the One who possesses healing and well-being. As for going to sorcerers and charlatans, taking papers from them, burning them, inhaling them, and the like, this is the deception of Shaytan. So you must repent to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, from this, and you must also take what Allah has permitted of medicines, for Allah has not sent down a disease without sending down a cure for it,The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Ibn Majah 3439Sahih (Darussalam) .
So you must use permissible medicines and treatment through permissible medicine. As for seeking treatment through sorcery and superstitions, this is not permissible for the Muslim.
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[Deviant Paths]
Question: What are the sects and paths that deviate from the path of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? Are there any Sufi paths that follow the correct Islamic way? Please inform us, may Allah reward you.
Answer: The paths that deviate from the path of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) are numerous and cannot be counted,And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
for he (peace and blessings be upon him) stated that this Ummah (the Muslim community) will split into seventy-three sects, which is a large number. Currently, there are many branches and subdivisions of these sects, but the seventy-three sects are their roots, as the scholars of knowledge said. Otherwise, the misguided sects are many, refuge is sought in Allah, and there is no saved sect except one among these many sects. This saved sect is the one that was upon what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions were upon, and they are those about whom the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us by saying: .
One sect is the saved one: they are the people of the Sunnah and the community, who remained and stood firm upon what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions were upon, and they did not change or alter it.
These are the saved sect, and whoever is other than them is misguided, and as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us, they are all in the Fire.
The Sufi paths are misguided, deviant paths, especially in our present time, for most of them are deviant paths; because they contradict what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions were upon, they fall under the misguided sects. In fact, their misguidance may reach the level of kufr (disbelief); because among them are the people of the Unity of Existence, and these are the most disbelieving of creation, and they are from the branches of the Sufis, or from the leaders of the Sufis. Also among them are the people of Incarnation, and among them now are the Sufi masters who worship other than Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Their seekers approach them with various types of acts of devotion, and they approach their shrines and graves, if they are dead, with various types of acts of devotion, hoping for their aid, intercession, and the like. And if they are alive, they submit to their orders that contradict what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was upon, such as making the haram (forbidden) halal (lawful), making the halal haram, and changing the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law) and the practices that contradict what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was upon. This is common in the Sufi paths today.
We do not know of any moderate Sufi sect; rather, all Sufi sects are deviant, and their deviation varies, some being less than others.
In any case: The Sufis and others, everyone who contradicts the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and contradicts the Sunnah (the Prophet's way) of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is misguided and deviant, and falls under this severe warning. We ask Allah for well-being.
Question: In Upper Egypt, when one of our children or livestock falls ill, we go to a shaykh who writes us a paper. We then burn it and inhale the smoke, or drink it, or hang it around the neck of the sick person or animal. What is the ruling on this practice, may Allah reward you?
Answer: This is among the superstitions for which Allah has not sent down any authority. We do not know what is written on that paper; it may contain shirk (associating partners with Allah) and kufr (disbelief) in Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
In any case, it is obligatory for you to avoid such things, and you must rely upon Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He,As Allah the Exalted said:
And if Allah should touch you with adversity, there is no remover of it except Him; and if He intends for you good, then there is no repeller of His bounty
وَإِنْ يَمْسَسْكَ اللَّهُ بِضُرٍّ فَلَا كَاشِفَ لَهُ إِلَّا هُوَ وَإِنْ يُرِدْكَ بِخَيْرٍ فَلَا رَادَّ لِفَضْلِهِAnd Allah the Exalted said:
And if Allah should touch you with adversity, there is no remover of it except Him. And if He touches you with good - then He is over all things competent.
وَإِنْ يَمْسَسْكَ اللَّهُ بِضُرٍّ فَلَا كَاشِفَ لَهُ إِلَّا هُوَ وَإِنْ يَمْسَسْكَ بِخَيْرٍ فَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌAnd when I am ill, it is He who cures me
وَإِذَا مَرِضْتُ فَهُوَ يَشْفِينِIt is obligatory for the Muslim to rely upon Allah in seeking healing through du'a' (supplication), worship, and supplicating to Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, for He is the One who possesses healing and well-being. As for going to sorcerers and charlatans, taking papers from them, burning them, inhaling them, and the like, this is the deception of Shaytan. So you must repent to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, from this, and you must also take what Allah has permitted of medicines, for Allah has not sent down a disease without sending down a cure for it,The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Allah does not send down any disease, but He also sends down the cure.
ما أنزل الله داء إلا أنزل له شفاءSo you must use permissible medicines and treatment through permissible medicine. As for seeking treatment through sorcery and superstitions, this is not permissible for the Muslim.
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[Deviant Paths]
Question: What are the sects and paths that deviate from the path of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? Are there any Sufi paths that follow the correct Islamic way? Please inform us, may Allah reward you.
Answer: The paths that deviate from the path of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) are numerous and cannot be counted,And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The Jews split into seventy-one sects, and the Christians split into seventy-two sects, and this Ummah will split into seventy-three sects, all of them in the Fire except one.
افترقت اليهود على إحدى وسبعين فرقة، وافترقت النصارى على اثنتين وسبعين فرقة، وستفترق هذه الأمة على ثلاث وسبعين فرقة، كلها في النار إلا واحدةfor he (peace and blessings be upon him) stated that this Ummah (the Muslim community) will split into seventy-three sects, which is a large number. Currently, there are many branches and subdivisions of these sects, but the seventy-three sects are their roots, as the scholars of knowledge said. Otherwise, the misguided sects are many, refuge is sought in Allah, and there is no saved sect except one among these many sects. This saved sect is the one that was upon what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions were upon, and they are those about whom the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us by saying:
A group from my Ummah will remain manifestly upon the truth; those who abandon them or contradict them will not harm them until the command of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, comes, and they will be upon that.
لا تزال طائفة من أمتي على الحق ظاهرين لا يضرهم من خذلهم ولا من خالفهم حتى يأتي أمر الله تبارك وتعالى وهم على ذلكOne sect is the saved one: they are the people of the Sunnah and the community, who remained and stood firm upon what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions were upon, and they did not change or alter it.
These are the saved sect, and whoever is other than them is misguided, and as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us, they are all in the Fire.
The Sufi paths are misguided, deviant paths, especially in our present time, for most of them are deviant paths; because they contradict what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions were upon, they fall under the misguided sects. In fact, their misguidance may reach the level of kufr (disbelief); because among them are the people of the Unity of Existence, and these are the most disbelieving of creation, and they are from the branches of the Sufis, or from the leaders of the Sufis. Also among them are the people of Incarnation, and among them now are the Sufi masters who worship other than Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Their seekers approach them with various types of acts of devotion, and they approach their shrines and graves, if they are dead, with various types of acts of devotion, hoping for their aid, intercession, and the like. And if they are alive, they submit to their orders that contradict what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was upon, such as making the haram (forbidden) halal (lawful), making the halal haram, and changing the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law) and the practices that contradict what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was upon. This is common in the Sufi paths today.
We do not know of any moderate Sufi sect; rather, all Sufi sects are deviant, and their deviation varies, some being less than others.
In any case: The Sufis and others, everyone who contradicts the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and contradicts the Sunnah (the Prophet's way) of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is misguided and deviant, and falls under this severe warning. We ask Allah for well-being.