How to respond to the Mu'tazilah in their claim that sorcery is merely an illusion and not a reality, citing His saying: "It is made to appear to him from their sorcery that the ropes are moving"?
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The questioner : The Mu'tazilah cited as evidence for their claim that sorcery occurs as an illusion and is not a reality the saying of the Exalted: [Taha 20:66] What is the response of the people of the Sunnah to this evidence?
The Shaykh : Now, is this illusion real or not real? If it is made to appear to a person that the static ropes that do not move are moving, did it affect him or not? Now, this is the point.
Sorcery is such that a person's mind is disturbed so that he sees the inanimate objects, the ropes and the sticks, meaning they do not move, but it is made to appear to him that they are moving while they are not moving, but it is made to appear to him. Did it affect him or not? It affected him. So their evidence is evidence against them.
The questioner : Was the disagreement verbal between the people of the Sunnah and the Mu'tazilah?
The Shaykh : No, no, it is not a verbal disagreement. The apparent disagreement is real; it is not verbal. We say: Sorcery has an effect; it makes a person sick, it corrupts his mind, and it may cause him to become insane, or it may kill him, degrees thereof, and may Allah protect us. Yes.
seemed to him from their magic that they were moving
يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَىThe Shaykh : Now, is this illusion real or not real? If it is made to appear to a person that the static ropes that do not move are moving, did it affect him or not? Now, this is the point.
Sorcery is such that a person's mind is disturbed so that he sees the inanimate objects, the ropes and the sticks, meaning they do not move, but it is made to appear to him that they are moving while they are not moving, but it is made to appear to him. Did it affect him or not? It affected him. So their evidence is evidence against them.
The questioner : Was the disagreement verbal between the people of the Sunnah and the Mu'tazilah?
The Shaykh : No, no, it is not a verbal disagreement. The apparent disagreement is real; it is not verbal. We say: Sorcery has an effect; it makes a person sick, it corrupts his mind, and it may cause him to become insane, or it may kill him, degrees thereof, and may Allah protect us. Yes.