What is the ruling on summoning spirits, and what does it mean?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Is it permissible for them to summon [spirits] so they can know about his work? They want to know if the person has passed away, and they don't know... You ask if it is permissible or not? So I told her it is not permissible.
The Shaykh : What is it that is not permissible?
The questioner : I mean summoning spirits.
The Shaykh : You must say that summoning spirits is not permissible, because this is like if someone asked you if it is permissible to get a job at the bank, and you said no, it is not permissible. But the bank exists and the employees exist. So when you tell him it is not permissible, it means you have acknowledged the existence of the bank and the employees, but you advised this man not to get a job there. Do you understand?
The questioner : It is the same thing. Is summoning spirits not permissible?
The Shaykh : Yes, well done. That is how you should understand it. Understand: summoning spirits today is modern deception.
The questioner : What does this word mean?
The Shaykh : Modern deception means that a person has died, and we Muslims know that he has died. The one who has died is either in a garden of the gardens of Paradise or in a pit of the pits of the Fire. These disbelieving Europeans have brought us this new misguidance in the present age, claiming that the living can summon the spirit of the dead. This is impossible, because if he is in a garden of the gardens of Paradise, what does he need from this world and its problems? And if he is among the people of the Fire, who will save him from the people of the Fire? Who will save him? So you must keep in mind that the issue of summoning spirits is modern deception.
The questioner : I mean, they are doctors now who do this thing.
The Shaykh : We are honored.
The questioner : I mean, you are telling me that doctors can do this work for us.
The Shaykh : We are honored. By the doctors and physicians of the end times.
The questioner : Ah, I mean, this is absolutely not the case.
The Shaykh : It has absolutely no basis.
The questioner : Yes, if it is possible.
The Shaykh : No, it has no basis at all.
The Shaykh : What is it that is not permissible?
The questioner : I mean summoning spirits.
The Shaykh : You must say that summoning spirits is not permissible, because this is like if someone asked you if it is permissible to get a job at the bank, and you said no, it is not permissible. But the bank exists and the employees exist. So when you tell him it is not permissible, it means you have acknowledged the existence of the bank and the employees, but you advised this man not to get a job there. Do you understand?
The questioner : It is the same thing. Is summoning spirits not permissible?
The Shaykh : Yes, well done. That is how you should understand it. Understand: summoning spirits today is modern deception.
The questioner : What does this word mean?
The Shaykh : Modern deception means that a person has died, and we Muslims know that he has died. The one who has died is either in a garden of the gardens of Paradise or in a pit of the pits of the Fire. These disbelieving Europeans have brought us this new misguidance in the present age, claiming that the living can summon the spirit of the dead. This is impossible, because if he is in a garden of the gardens of Paradise, what does he need from this world and its problems? And if he is among the people of the Fire, who will save him from the people of the Fire? Who will save him? So you must keep in mind that the issue of summoning spirits is modern deception.
The questioner : I mean, they are doctors now who do this thing.
The Shaykh : We are honored.
The questioner : I mean, you are telling me that doctors can do this work for us.
The Shaykh : We are honored. By the doctors and physicians of the end times.
The questioner : Ah, I mean, this is absolutely not the case.
The Shaykh : It has absolutely no basis.
The questioner : Yes, if it is possible.
The Shaykh : No, it has no basis at all.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.