I debated with one of the students in the college, and he denies that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was subjected to sorcery, citing the saying of Allah the Exalted:
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The Shaykh : The important point is that when it is said that an ahad hadith does not establish a matter of creed, no one says that such a report is not to be accepted. It has no relation to creed. Here, as they say, is the crux of the matter: the fact that the Messenger was subjected to sorcery has no relation to creed. Therefore, whoever says that this hadith is not to be accepted because it is an ahad report has contradicted the Salaf and the Khalaf, contradicted the method of all Muslims, and incurred the warning in the saying of Allah the Exalted: [An-Nisa 4:115]. The path of all believers is that ahad reports regarding rulings, other than creed, must be accepted.
The student : Ahad reports.
The Shaykh : Ahad reports other than those concerning creed must be accepted. The hadith of sorcery has no relation to creed; it is a report about reality and advice, as in "Sahih al-Bukhari." Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: One day, he came to him while he was on his bed, and two angels came to him, one at his head and the other at his feet. Does this have any relation to creed? It is a story narrated by Lady Aisha. "Matabb" means subjected to sorcery. The well was named.
The student : Dhurwan.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The student : Dhurwan.
The Shaykh : Dhurwan, you got it right.
"So the Messenger (peace be upon him) sent Ali, who went down to the well. Indeed, he found the comb and the hair that falls out when one combs. He removed it, and the two Mu'awwidhat were revealed:[Al-Falaq 113:1], [An-Nas 114:1]. After that, the Messenger returned as if he had been released from a bond." It was as if he had been bound and then set free. This is a story related to reality; it has no connection whatsoever to the knowledge of the unseen. Therefore, the statement of thisThe student : student that this is an ahad report not to be accepted contradicts the path of all believers, because it has no relation to creed or the unseen. As for what you mentioned regarding his claim that Allah said: [Taha 20:69], this is also a superficial understanding, indeed a distortion of the verse. What does [Taha 20:69] mean? Does it mean that sorcery has no effect? If he understands it this way, and this is what appears to be the case, this is a second error. So what does he say regarding the sorcerers of Moses and Moses? [Taha 20:67-68] Did the sorcery have an effect on Moses or not?
The student : He is a scholar, and it had an effect, yes, but he cited the second verse.
The Shaykh : Okay, be patient, do not move us to the second verse. We have another question for you, so do not answer with the second verse... Let us finish with the first verse.[Taha 20:69] If he understands that the sorcery of the sorcerer has no effect, this is an error, for it did have an effect on the one who spoke with Allah, Moses (peace be upon him). He trembled in fear, so Allah said to him, what? : "Do not be afraid." So the sorcery did have an effect on him, but it did not... meaning it did not reach its desired goal through his sorcery, which was to frighten the public, the huge, great crowd that Pharaoh had gathered, into believing that Moses was a false prophet claiming prophethood. He is a false prophet; look, see what happened to him. Allah supported him despite the sorcery of the sorcerers. Indeed, the complete victory was that the sorcerers said: [Taha 20:70-71] and so on. So "the sorcerer will not succeed wherever he goes" does not mean that the sorcerer has no effect; rather, he has an effect, and Muslims to this day attribute some illnesses and some innovations in many places to sorcerers. So all of this is ignorance of Islam, of the meanings of the Qur'an, and of the value of the authentic hadiths reported from the Messenger (peace be upon him). This is a long hadith, and we will suffice with this amount for now, to hear, if you wish, the rest of your question that you started with, or the other verse related to this topic.
The student : But before moving on, my Shaykh, regarding... ahad reports, we mean we accept them in rulings and creed... others might understand it differently.
The questioner : No, I understand, Shaykh, I understand, Shaykh.
The student : ... .
The Shaykh : Go ahead, what do you have?
And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows other than the way of the believers
وَمَنْ يُشَاقِقِ الرَّسُولَ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ الْهُدَى وَيَتَّبِعْ غَيْرَ سَبِيلِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَThe student : Ahad reports.
The Shaykh : Ahad reports other than those concerning creed must be accepted. The hadith of sorcery has no relation to creed; it is a report about reality and advice, as in "Sahih al-Bukhari." Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was subjected to sorcery for six months by Labid ibn al-A'sam, until he would think that he was doing something when he was not doing it.
سحر رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - ستَّة أشهر سحره لبيد بن الأعصم حتى كان يتوهَّم أنه يفعل الشيء ولا يفعلهOne of them said to the other, while the Messenger was listening: "What is the matter with the man?" He said: "He is matabb (subjected to sorcery)." Who subjected him to it?
قال أحدهما للآخر والرسول يسمع : ما بالرجل ؟ قال مطبوب ، من طبه ؟Who subjected him to it? This Labid, the Jew, took a comb and a tuft of hair and threw them into a well called...
من طبه من حره ، لبيد هذا اليهودي أخذ مشط ومشاطة وألقاها في بئر كذاThe student : Dhurwan.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The student : Dhurwan.
The Shaykh : Dhurwan, you got it right.
"So the Messenger (peace be upon him) sent Ali, who went down to the well. Indeed, he found the comb and the hair that falls out when one combs. He removed it, and the two Mu'awwidhat were revealed:
Say, "I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِSay, "I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind,
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِand the magician will not succeed wherever he is."
وَلَا يُفْلِحُ السَّاحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَىand the magician will not succeed wherever he is."
وَلَا يُفْلِحُ السَّاحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَى(67) And he sensed within himself apprehension, did Moses. (68) Allah said, "Fear not. Indeed, it is you who are superior.
فَأَوْجَسَ فِي نَفْسِهِ خِيفَةً مُوسَى * قُلْنَا لَا تَخَفْ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْأَعْلَىThe student : He is a scholar, and it had an effect, yes, but he cited the second verse.
The Shaykh : Okay, be patient, do not move us to the second verse. We have another question for you, so do not answer with the second verse... Let us finish with the first verse.
and the magician will not succeed wherever he is."
وَلَا يُفْلِحُ السَّاحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَىDo not be afraid.
لَا تَخَفْWe have believed in the Lord of Aaron and Moses." (71) [Pharaoh] said, "You believed him before I gave you permission
آمَنَّا بِرَبِّ هَارُونَ وَمُوسَى * قَالَ آمَنْتُمْ لَهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ آذَنَ لَكُمْThe student : But before moving on, my Shaykh, regarding... ahad reports, we mean we accept them in rulings and creed... others might understand it differently.
The questioner : No, I understand, Shaykh, I understand, Shaykh.
The student : ... .
The Shaykh : Go ahead, what do you have?
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.