Types of Forbidden Sorcery
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
His Eminence the Shaykh: In our country, there are people known as al-Hawwa (plural of Hawi), who are men who perform magical tricks for entertainment in schools and recreational areas. They take a white piece of paper, put it in their pocket, and take it out as a banknote of one thousand or five hundred riyals, or they put a handkerchief in their mouth and take out dozens of handkerchiefs tied together with wires or razors and the like.
Is this considered forbidden sorcery?
Yes.
This is no doubt forbidden sorcery. Allah the Exalted said regarding the magicians of the family of Pharaoh, when they cast their ropes and staffs, that Moses (peace be upon him) [Taha:66] was made to think that they were snakes filling the earth and moving toward him, so he feared. Then Allah commanded him to cast his staff [Al-Shu'ara:45].
This is sorcery of the eyes; otherwise, it has no effect on the creation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). These handkerchiefs that he put in are nothing but a single handkerchief, and the paper that he put in and took out as money is nothing but the original paper, but it is sorcery that deceives people's eyes.
Is this considered forbidden sorcery?
Yes.
This is no doubt forbidden sorcery. Allah the Exalted said regarding the magicians of the family of Pharaoh, when they cast their ropes and staffs, that Moses (peace be upon him)
seemed to him from their magic that they were moving
يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَىThen Moses threw his staff, and at once it devoured what they falsified.
فَأَلْقَى مُوسَى عَصَاهُ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَلْقَفُ مَا يَأْفِكُونَThis is sorcery of the eyes; otherwise, it has no effect on the creation of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). These handkerchiefs that he put in are nothing but a single handkerchief, and the paper that he put in and took out as money is nothing but the original paper, but it is sorcery that deceives people's eyes.