There is a mosque in our village, but its imam uses soil from graves and writes amulets and charms, claiming that they cure the sick and break sorcery.
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The questioner : A message arrived from a listener from Sudan. The listener, Idris, says in his first question: There is a mosque in our village, O honorable Shaykh, but the imam of the mosque uses soil from graves and writes amulets and charms, claiming that they cure the sick and break sorcery and the evil eye. Is the prayer valid behind this mentioned imam? We ask for guidance, may you be rewarded?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. As for what follows, there is no doubt that the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and that the worst of matters are their innovations, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to declare this in the Friday sermons. Taking soil from graves for healing is a religious innovation (bid'ah), and it is misguidance in the religion of Allah and foolishness in the mind. For this soil has not undergone any change that would make it a cause for curing the sick, merely because a dead person was buried in the grave. Rather, this soil is like the rest of the earth's soil; it has no superiority over the rest. Whoever seeks blessing (tabarruk) from it or seeks healing from it has innovated, gone astray, and been foolish in his mind. He must repent to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) from this action and know that healing is from Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and that there is no healing by any cause except what Allah the Exalted has made a cause. And Allah the Exalted has not made taking soil from graves a cause for curing the sick. As for reciting over the sick with verses from the Qur'an or with what the Sunnah brought from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), this is a prescribed cause by which healing is achieved by the permission of Allah. It is authentic that a detachment in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) descended upon a people, and they invited them to stay, but the people refused to host them. So Allah the Exalted decreed that their leader, meaning the leader of the people, was bitten by a snake. They said, "Is there a healer (raqi)?" Then they came to the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "Do you have a healer?" They said, "Yes." They said, "Their leader has been bitten, and they want him to be treated with ruqyah." They said, "We will not treat him with ruqyah except for so much and so much of the sheep." They gave it to them. So one of the people from the detachment went to the bitten man and began to recite over him with the opening of the Book (Surat al-Fatihah). This bitten man rose up as if he had been released from a bond, and he was cured by the permission of Allah by the man's recitation of Surat al-Fatihah over him.
And the effect of reciting the Qur'an on the sick is a matter that is not denied. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Isra 17:82] The healing here is comprehensive, including healing from diseases of the hearts and diseases of the bodies.
And this imam whom you mentioned, who seeks blessing from the soil of graves and seeks healing from it, you must advise him and make it clear to him that this is a religious innovation (bid'ah) and misguidance in the religion of Allah and foolishness in the minds, and that he must repent to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) from this action he was performing.
As for his reciting over the sick with verses from the Qur'an and with what the Sunnah brought, there is nothing wrong with this; rather, it is a required matter.
As for praying behind him, the stronger position (rajih) among the opinions of the scholars is that if a person does not reach disbelief (kufr) that takes him out of Islam through his actions and innovations, then he is prayed behind, and the prayer behind him is valid. Except if there is fitnah in praying behind him, such that people are tempted by him and follow him in his innovation. In that case, it is good not to pray behind him, so that people are not tempted by him and think that he is on the right path, especially if the one praying behind him is someone who is pointed to for jurisprudence and knowledge.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. As for what follows, there is no doubt that the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and that the worst of matters are their innovations, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to declare this in the Friday sermons. Taking soil from graves for healing is a religious innovation (bid'ah), and it is misguidance in the religion of Allah and foolishness in the mind. For this soil has not undergone any change that would make it a cause for curing the sick, merely because a dead person was buried in the grave. Rather, this soil is like the rest of the earth's soil; it has no superiority over the rest. Whoever seeks blessing (tabarruk) from it or seeks healing from it has innovated, gone astray, and been foolish in his mind. He must repent to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) from this action and know that healing is from Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and that there is no healing by any cause except what Allah the Exalted has made a cause. And Allah the Exalted has not made taking soil from graves a cause for curing the sick. As for reciting over the sick with verses from the Qur'an or with what the Sunnah brought from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), this is a prescribed cause by which healing is achieved by the permission of Allah. It is authentic that a detachment in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) descended upon a people, and they invited them to stay, but the people refused to host them. So Allah the Exalted decreed that their leader, meaning the leader of the people, was bitten by a snake. They said, "Is there a healer (raqi)?" Then they came to the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, "Do you have a healer?" They said, "Yes." They said, "Their leader has been bitten, and they want him to be treated with ruqyah." They said, "We will not treat him with ruqyah except for so much and so much of the sheep." They gave it to them. So one of the people from the detachment went to the bitten man and began to recite over him with the opening of the Book (Surat al-Fatihah). This bitten man rose up as if he had been released from a bond, and he was cured by the permission of Allah by the man's recitation of Surat al-Fatihah over him.
And the effect of reciting the Qur'an on the sick is a matter that is not denied. Allah the Exalted said:
And We send down of the Qur'an that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss.
وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ القُرءانِ ما هُوَ شِفاءٌ وَرَحمَةٌ لِلمُؤمِنينَ وَلا يَزيدُ الظّالِمينَ إِلّا خَسارًاAnd this imam whom you mentioned, who seeks blessing from the soil of graves and seeks healing from it, you must advise him and make it clear to him that this is a religious innovation (bid'ah) and misguidance in the religion of Allah and foolishness in the minds, and that he must repent to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) from this action he was performing.
As for his reciting over the sick with verses from the Qur'an and with what the Sunnah brought, there is nothing wrong with this; rather, it is a required matter.
As for praying behind him, the stronger position (rajih) among the opinions of the scholars is that if a person does not reach disbelief (kufr) that takes him out of Islam through his actions and innovations, then he is prayed behind, and the prayer behind him is valid. Except if there is fitnah in praying behind him, such that people are tempted by him and follow him in his innovation. In that case, it is good not to pray behind him, so that people are not tempted by him and think that he is on the right path, especially if the one praying behind him is someone who is pointed to for jurisprudence and knowledge.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.