What is the ruling on treatment for possession (by jinn), and what is your advice to the youth regarding this?

The questioner : The treatment for possession, possession by jinn, has recently spread among the youth in our area.

The Shaykh: What?

The questioner : Treatment for possession by jinn. What is your opinion on this, and what do you advise the youth to do in these matters?

The Shaykh : Regarding possession by jinn, we do not see anything beyond reciting verses from the Noble Qur'an, following the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). It is reported in more than one hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would expel jinn from human beings by reciting certain verses from the Qur'an. As for what is widespread in many Islamic countries, where some of these people do things and perform acts beyond reciting the Qur'an, this is not of Islam at all. For example, some of them speak to the jinn possessing a human and may ask it, "What is the matter with this afflicted person?" The jinn might say, "This person is under a spell. Where is the sorcery that follows him?" or "It is in such-and-such a desert or such-and-such a well." All of this is forbidden because it is seeking help from the jinn, not seeking help from Allah (Mighty and Majestic). In brief, as I said earlier, it is not permissible to do more than recite the Noble Qur'an. And I fear most of all that there is a type of deception in the news today, as there was a few years ago, called "summoning spirits" or "magnetic hypnosis." All of these were merely stunts performed by some charlatans under modern names: magnetic hypnosis, summoning spirits, and now summoning jinn. This is absolutely not permissible. Our Lord (Mighty and Majestic) mentioned in the Noble Qur'an, regarding the Arabs in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance, that it was their custom that when they traveled and descended into a valley to spend the night there, the leader of the tribe from among the humans would call out: "O leader of this valley from among the jinn, we are now under your protection and in your hospitality," or something similar. Allah (Mighty and Majestic) pointed to this misguidance by saying: This addition mentioned in the Qur'an is what is done by most of these people who claim, meaning, that they extract jinn from humans. It is not permissible, and it is part of fortune-telling about which the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And in another narration: This is because he seeks help from it and asks it about matters of the unseen that people do not usually know, so they go astray and lead others astray. This is my answer to this question.