Explanation of the Book of Tawhid-23

The Shaykh : And from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is the most sincere of all creation toward creation; he warns them of anything that harms them in their religion or their worldly life. For this reason, he said: This is more emphatic than saying "Do not do it"; because the meaning of avoidance is that you are on one side and it is on the other, and this necessitates distance from it, or does it not?
And his statement (peace and blessings be upon him): does not necessitate exclusivity, because there are other destructive sins. But as we have passed over many times, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sometimes limits certain types and categories, and this does not mean that others do not exist. Yes.
He says: . When the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were warned by him about the seven destructive sins, they said: What are they? So that we may avoid them. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed them. And this is the method of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) presented to them something general, they sought its interpretation and clarification, except for what they knew had wisdom in its concealment. So based on this principle, the Companions were the most eager people for knowledge, and when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) presented to them something ambiguous, they asked him for its interpretation and clarification. Based on this, some people tried to authenticate the hadith of listing the ninety-nine names. For the listing of the ninety-nine names of Allah was not transmitted in al-Bukhari or Muslim. Rather, the Shaykh al-Islam transmitted the consensus of the people of knowledge in hadith that counting them is not authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And he (may Allah have mercy on him) was truthful, as evidenced by the great disagreement regarding them. I say that some scholars tried to authenticate the counting of them, saying: This is a great matter; saying cannot be missed by the Companions, so they would not ask for their specification. This indicates that they were specified by the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). But our answer to this is simple. What is the answer?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : No, we say it must be specified. What can the Messenger specify? Because they are important. And even if he remained silent, the Companions would ask for their clarification. We say: This is not necessary. If the matter were as you said, these ninety-nine names would be known to the world more than the knowledge of the sun, and they would be transmitted in al-Bukhari and Muslim and others, because this is something that necessity calls for and insists upon preserving and caring for. So how does it not come except through weak paths and in different forms?!
Then we say: This is the hour of Friday. Did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) specify between them? No, he did not specify it. Yes, but the scholars differed regarding the hadith of Abu Musa in Muslim, where he said: Some of them authenticated this hadith and some of them weakened it, but in my view it is authentic.
Is the Night of Decree specified or not? It is not specified, even though it is one of the most important matters. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not specify these ninety-nine names for a profound wisdom, so that people would seek them and search for them in the Qur'an and in the Sunnah of his Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), so that the eager one would be known from the non-eager one.
Sorcery in the Arabic language is what is hidden and subtle in its cause. The hidden thing is called sorcery. Good. Good. And in the Shari'ah.
The student: In the Shari'ah?

The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: Ruqyah and beliefs.

The Shaykh : Knots and incantations.
The student: Affecting

The Shaykh : And medicines.
The student: ... on bodies and minds.

The Shaykh : Affecting bodies and minds. Good. Does sorcery have a reality?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : Good. What is the evidence?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : Repeat the evidence.
The student : .

The Shaykh : Yes Good. What is the answer to His saying: ? No, the one behind you. Who knows the answer? It contains evidence for affirming the effect of sorcery.
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : Yes. So sorcery affected their eyes.
The student: Yes, it deluded them.

The Shaykh : Yes. But it does not affect the hearts of the realities of things, or does it? So these staffs and ropes remained ropes and staffs, but it affected their sight, so they looked at them as if they were moving snakes. Yes, correct.
What is the ruling of sorcery in the Shari'ah? What is the ruling of sorcery?
The student: A major sin.

The Shaykh : How?
The student: The sorcerer is killed.

The Shaykh : Let us leave the killing. What is the ruling of sorcery?
The student: A major sin among the major sins.

The Shaykh : How? Meaning, did it not reach the circle of disbelief?
The student: Disbelief.

The Shaykh : Yes? Do you not know?
The student: Disbelief.

The Shaykh : No, no. Yes.
The student: Some of the scholars said that the sorcerer is declared a disbeliever, and some said that he is not declared a disbeliever. And the correct view is that it is distinguished: whoever's sorcery is ... .

The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : So we say sorcery is of two types: One is that it is through the jinn and associating partners with Allah through them, and this is disbelief, because it does not occur except with disbelief, and what does not occur except with disbelief is disbelief. The second type is that it is through medicines and drugs and the like. In this, there is disagreement among the people of knowledge; some said that it is disbelief and some said that it is not disbelief. And there are two narrations from Imam Ahmad. And that is because this man did not come with what necessitates disbelief, but he came with what necessites harm and harming creation, and this does not lead to disbelief. Is that clear? Good. What is the evidence that it is disbelief?
The evidence for disbelief in the case where it is disbelief - Adam - what is the evidence? What is the jibt, O Husayn?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : The jibt.
The student: The Shaytan.

The Shaykh : Good. And the taghut?
The student: Everything that is exceeded ... of a worshipped thing or a followed thing or an obeyed thing.

The Shaykh : Everything by which the servant exceeds his limit.
The student: Everything by which the servant exceeds ...

The Shaykh : Yes. And his statement (peace and blessings be upon him): means, O servant of Allah ... .
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : Strange. We need ... .
And from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said ... And from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: .
"Avoid" means "leave." And he expressed it with "avoid" because it is more emphatic, for the meaning is that you are on one side and it is on the other, and this is stronger than mere leaving, because a person may leave a thing while being close to it. So when it is said "avoid it," the meaning is leave it with distance, leave it with distance.
And his statement (peace and blessings be upon him): This is not on the basis of exclusivity, but rather the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) always limits some things to a specific number, such as seven and three and the like, and this does not mean that it is exclusive to them. For example, in you find that there are others to whom this threat is established, and they are not these three. Are there others? Yes, there are others. And there are many examples of this, and the important thing is that this does not indicate exclusivity. And if we said that it indicates exclusivity here because it occurred with the definite article, then it limits them by saying that these are the greatest of the major sins, because these are the greatest of the major sins.