Explanation of the Author's Statement: The Chapter on What Has Come Regarding Sorcery
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The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The Chapter on What Has Come Regarding Sorcery"
Sorcery in language refers to that which is hidden in its cause and subtle. Hence, the last part of the night is called sorcery (sahar) because the actions that occur in it are hidden. Likewise, the pre-dawn meal is called sorcery (suhur) because it is eaten at the end of the night and is hidden. So all hidden things are called sorcery. Even to this day, things whose cause is hidden, such as acrobatic tricks and the like, are called sorcery. Even when clocks first appeared, they were called sorcery because their movement and their measurement of time were hidden. And now, the computer in our time is sorcery because its cause is hidden within it. Now, cars, they tell me... and I actually rode in one. If the door is not closed completely, it tells you "door closed." And when the gasoline runs out, it says "watch out for the gasoline," and the like.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : What a strange thing this is. In reality, if this had come in the previous era, before we knew of development, they would have said these are devils inside this iron. Yes. But sorcery in language is this.
And as for in the Shari'ah, it is divided into two categories:
The first is knots and incantations; meaning: recitations and talismans by which the sorcerer utilizes the devils in what he desires.
The second refers to medicines and drugs that affect the body of the bewitched person, his body, his mind, his will, and his inclination; so you find him inclining or turning away. This is what they call among them "attraction" and "repulsion." Attraction and repulsion... a person, for example, is attracted to his wife or to another woman until he is like a beast; like a beast that leads him as it wishes. And repulsion is the opposite.[Al-Baqarah 2:102]
So the result is that sorcery in the Shari'ah refers to knots and incantations by which the devils are utilized to harm the bewitched person. And this is what Allah the Exalted mentioned in Surat al-Baqarah.[Al-Baqarah 2:102] Yes.
And the second, what did we say about it? Medicines and drugs that are gathered and given to the bewitched person or the like, so they affect him either in his body or in his mind or in his perception and understanding.
In his body, the body begins to weaken little by little until he perishes.
In his perception, he imagines things to be other than what they are.
In his mind, it may reach madness; it reaches madness, and I seek refuge in Allah. So sorcery is a category of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and a category of aggression. Shirk, which categories of it? The first category, which is through the devils. And as for aggression, it is the second category, which is through medicines and drugs and the like.
And this division that we mentioned leads us to an important issue, which is: Is the sorcerer declared a disbeliever or not? The scholars differed on this: some said that he is declared a disbeliever, and some said that he is not declared a disbeliever.
But the detail that we mentioned in the categories of sorcery clarifies the ruling of this issue. So whoever's sorcery is through the devils, is he declared a disbeliever or not? He is declared a disbeliever. And whoever does it through medicines and drugs and the like, he is not declared a disbeliever, but he is considered a sinner from the sorcery as well.
... These people are mistaken, of course, they are mistaken in principle, but they are mistaken in a branch of the religion, which is that they pass the miqat (boundary) without entering ihram (consecrated state), because these... carry them and pass by the miqat and they do not enter ihram.
For this reason, if it were said to us: Did the previous scholars speak about passing the miqat without ihram by air? What would we say? We would say: The airplane did not exist except recently, but this issue that the Shaykh al-Islam mentioned, we say: Yes, they spoke about it in the issue of the sorcerers whom the devils carry to Makkah and who pass the miqat without ihram.
Good. From this also is what happened to Musa (peace be upon him) with the sorcerers of Pharaoh. They threw their ropes and staffs, so what did he see?[Taha 20:66] That they were moving and that they were snakes... and in reality they were not snakes, but they were ropes and staffs, except that they [Al-A'raf 7:116]
And from this is what people mention; they mention incidents of this type, and it is said to us that a man from the sorcerers used to date the palm trees. Do you know the palm trees? They date them, meaning they harvest their fruit. And they... this date fruit in a pot. So the sorcerer said to them: I am able to walk in this date fruit and it will not be affected. Walk... and it will not be affected at all. They said: That is not true, it is not possible. He said: I will show you now. So he showed them that he was walking in the date fruit while he was turning from behind the pot, and they... the important thing is this was a strange state. They made a commotion: "It won't happen, it won't happen, it won't happen." The dates in the palm tree, he saw it turning from behind the pot, so he cast sorcery on him. He said... now it is true, it is turning from the middle of the pot. Yes, he cast sorcery on him. This is famous among us.
The important thing is that sorcery has an effect, without doubt, it has an effect. But it does not turn entities into other entities, because no one can turn entities into other entities except Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Rather, it creates the illusion that this thing has turned and this thing has moved and this thing has walked and the like.
He said: And the saying of Allah... If someone asks: What is the reason for including the chapter of sorcery in the book of Tawhid (the oneness of Allah)?
We say: Because some categories of sorcery do not usually occur except through shirk (associating partners with Allah). The devils do not serve a person without, in most cases, serving him only for a benefit. And it is known that the devil's benefit is to mislead the children of Adam and lead them into shirk and sins. For this reason, the author (may Allah have mercy on him) included it in the chapter of Tawhid.
The student: Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: Is it permissible for one to learn sorcery to remove sorcery from people?
The Shaykh : It is not permissible. It will come to us, if Allah wills, in this issue called "nashrah" (removal of sorcery).
He said: And the saying of Allah the Exalted.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Is it true? And the scholars differed: Is it reality or illusion? And the correct view is that it is reality, but in terms of turning things, it is illusion. Otherwise, it is effective... it is effective. For this reason, Allah said:[Al-A'raf 7:116] So He made the eyes bewitched to be affected. But are the staffs and ropes actually changed? No. But it is an illusion. So in reality, it is effective and not effective from the aspect that the bewitched person sees the stationary thing moving and sees the thing other than its true form; this is a real effect. And from the aspect that the entities remain as they are, this is an illusion.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : By Allah, I do not know except that the illusion is, in one aspect, an illusion and in one aspect, a reality.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : No, it is not possible. But harming the body or changing the sight or the hearing or the like, this is real.
He said: And the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:102]. This verse, or this part of a verse, is His saying the Exalted: [Al-Baqarah 2:102] And the meaning of ; that is: learn it, learn it.
And His saying, yes:[Al-Baqarah 2:102] That is: he has no share. And whoever has no share in the Hereafter, it means that his work is ruined and invalid. But either the share is completely negated, in which case that is disbelief, or the perfection of the share is negated, in which case that is open sinfulness.
He said: "And the saying of Allah the Exalted:[An-Nisa 4:51] 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: ". [An-Nisa 4:51]. By sorcery.
And the Jews were among the most people in learning sorcery and practicing it. For this reason, who bewitched the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? Labid ibn al-'A'sam the Jew. And they are the ones who learned sorcery and claimed that Sulayman (peace be upon him) taught it to them.
He says:[An-Nisa 4:51]. And what is the taghut? The most correct thing said, or the most agreed upon thing said about it, is: that it is everything by which a servant exceeds his limit, whether it is a worshipped thing, a followed thing, or an obeyed thing. Of course, a worshipped thing with knowledge and approval.
And His saying:[An-Nisa 4:51].
The point of this verse is His saying: Where the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), interpreted it as sorcery. And as for his interpretation of taghut as the devil, this is from the category of interpretation by example.
And the Salaf (may Allah have mercy on them) used to interpret the verse with an example from it to be followed. And we give an example of this by His saying the Exalted:[Fatir 35:32].
Some of the exegetes said: The one who wrongs himself is the one who does not pray except after the time has passed. The moderate one is the one who prays at the end of the time. The one who is foremost in good deeds is the one who prays at the beginning of the time. Is this what the verse indicates comprehensively, or is it an example from the examples? This is an example from the examples.
For this reason, some of them interpreted it by saying that the one who wrongs himself is the one who does not pay zakah, the moderate one is the one who pays zakah and does not give charity, and the one who is foremost in good deeds is the one who pays zakah and gives charity.
When 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) interpreted *taghut* as Satan, we say that this is an interpretation by example; otherwise, *taghut* is broader than Satan. *Taghut* is broader. Are idols considered among the *taghut* or not? As Allah the Exalted said:. Likewise, rulers or scholars who mislead people are considered *taghut*; because they transgressed, added, and did what they had no right to do.
He (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The Chapter on What Has Come Regarding Sorcery"
Sorcery in language refers to that which is hidden in its cause and subtle. Hence, the last part of the night is called sorcery (sahar) because the actions that occur in it are hidden. Likewise, the pre-dawn meal is called sorcery (suhur) because it is eaten at the end of the night and is hidden. So all hidden things are called sorcery. Even to this day, things whose cause is hidden, such as acrobatic tricks and the like, are called sorcery. Even when clocks first appeared, they were called sorcery because their movement and their measurement of time were hidden. And now, the computer in our time is sorcery because its cause is hidden within it. Now, cars, they tell me... and I actually rode in one. If the door is not closed completely, it tells you "door closed." And when the gasoline runs out, it says "watch out for the gasoline," and the like.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : What a strange thing this is. In reality, if this had come in the previous era, before we knew of development, they would have said these are devils inside this iron. Yes. But sorcery in language is this.
And as for in the Shari'ah, it is divided into two categories:
The first is knots and incantations; meaning: recitations and talismans by which the sorcerer utilizes the devils in what he desires.
The second refers to medicines and drugs that affect the body of the bewitched person, his body, his mind, his will, and his inclination; so you find him inclining or turning away. This is what they call among them "attraction" and "repulsion." Attraction and repulsion... a person, for example, is attracted to his wife or to another woman until he is like a beast; like a beast that leads him as it wishes. And repulsion is the opposite.
they learn from them that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife
فيتعلمون منه ما يفرقون به بين المرء وزوجهSo the result is that sorcery in the Shari'ah refers to knots and incantations by which the devils are utilized to harm the bewitched person. And this is what Allah the Exalted mentioned in Surat al-Baqarah.
And they followed [instead] what the devils had recited during the reign of Solomon. It was not Solomon who disbelieved, but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic
واتبعوا ما تتلو الشياطين على ملك سليمان وما كفر سليمان ولكن الشياطين كفروا يعلمون الناس السحرAnd the second, what did we say about it? Medicines and drugs that are gathered and given to the bewitched person or the like, so they affect him either in his body or in his mind or in his perception and understanding.
In his body, the body begins to weaken little by little until he perishes.
In his perception, he imagines things to be other than what they are.
In his mind, it may reach madness; it reaches madness, and I seek refuge in Allah. So sorcery is a category of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and a category of aggression. Shirk, which categories of it? The first category, which is through the devils. And as for aggression, it is the second category, which is through medicines and drugs and the like.
And this division that we mentioned leads us to an important issue, which is: Is the sorcerer declared a disbeliever or not? The scholars differed on this: some said that he is declared a disbeliever, and some said that he is not declared a disbeliever.
But the detail that we mentioned in the categories of sorcery clarifies the ruling of this issue. So whoever's sorcery is through the devils, is he declared a disbeliever or not? He is declared a disbeliever. And whoever does it through medicines and drugs and the like, he is not declared a disbeliever, but he is considered a sinner from the sorcery as well.
... These people are mistaken, of course, they are mistaken in principle, but they are mistaken in a branch of the religion, which is that they pass the miqat (boundary) without entering ihram (consecrated state), because these... carry them and pass by the miqat and they do not enter ihram.
For this reason, if it were said to us: Did the previous scholars speak about passing the miqat without ihram by air? What would we say? We would say: The airplane did not exist except recently, but this issue that the Shaykh al-Islam mentioned, we say: Yes, they spoke about it in the issue of the sorcerers whom the devils carry to Makkah and who pass the miqat without ihram.
Good. From this also is what happened to Musa (peace be upon him) with the sorcerers of Pharaoh. They threw their ropes and staffs, so what did he see?
seemed to him from their magic that they were moving
يخيل إليه من سحرهم أنها تسعىthey bewitched the eyes of the people and struck terror into them, and they presented a great [feat of] magic.
سحروا أعين الناس واسترهبوهم وجاءوا بسحر عظيمAnd from this is what people mention; they mention incidents of this type, and it is said to us that a man from the sorcerers used to date the palm trees. Do you know the palm trees? They date them, meaning they harvest their fruit. And they... this date fruit in a pot. So the sorcerer said to them: I am able to walk in this date fruit and it will not be affected. Walk... and it will not be affected at all. They said: That is not true, it is not possible. He said: I will show you now. So he showed them that he was walking in the date fruit while he was turning from behind the pot, and they... the important thing is this was a strange state. They made a commotion: "It won't happen, it won't happen, it won't happen." The dates in the palm tree, he saw it turning from behind the pot, so he cast sorcery on him. He said... now it is true, it is turning from the middle of the pot. Yes, he cast sorcery on him. This is famous among us.
The important thing is that sorcery has an effect, without doubt, it has an effect. But it does not turn entities into other entities, because no one can turn entities into other entities except Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Rather, it creates the illusion that this thing has turned and this thing has moved and this thing has walked and the like.
He said: And the saying of Allah... If someone asks: What is the reason for including the chapter of sorcery in the book of Tawhid (the oneness of Allah)?
We say: Because some categories of sorcery do not usually occur except through shirk (associating partners with Allah). The devils do not serve a person without, in most cases, serving him only for a benefit. And it is known that the devil's benefit is to mislead the children of Adam and lead them into shirk and sins. For this reason, the author (may Allah have mercy on him) included it in the chapter of Tawhid.
The student: Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The student: Is it permissible for one to learn sorcery to remove sorcery from people?
The Shaykh : It is not permissible. It will come to us, if Allah wills, in this issue called "nashrah" (removal of sorcery).
He said: And the saying of Allah the Exalted.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Is it true? And the scholars differed: Is it reality or illusion? And the correct view is that it is reality, but in terms of turning things, it is illusion. Otherwise, it is effective... it is effective. For this reason, Allah said:
they bewitched the eyes of the people
سحروا أعين الناسThe student: ... .
The Shaykh : By Allah, I do not know except that the illusion is, in one aspect, an illusion and in one aspect, a reality.
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : No, it is not possible. But harming the body or changing the sight or the hearing or the like, this is real.
He said: And the saying of Allah the Exalted:
But the Children of Israel certainly knew that whoever purchased the magic would not have in the Hereafter any share
وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُوا لَمَنِ اشْتَرَاهُ مَا لَهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلاقٍAnd [yet] they learn from them that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife. But they do not harm anyone through it except by permission of Allah. And the people learn what harms them and does not benefit them. But the Children of Israel certainly knew that whoever purchased the magic would not have in the Hereafter any share
ويتعلمون منهما ما يفرقون به بين المرء وزوجه وما هم بضارين به من أحد إلا بإذن الله ويَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلا يَنْفَعُهُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُوا لَمَنِ اشْتَرَاهُ مَا لَهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلاقٍBuys it
اشتراهAnd His saying, yes:
would not have in the Hereafter any share
مَا لَهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلاقٍHe said: "And the saying of Allah the Exalted:
who believe in superstition and false objects of worship
يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْجِبْتِ وَالطَّاغُوتِ*Jibt*: sorcery, and *taghut*: Satan
الجبت : السحر والطاغوت الشيطانHave you not seen those who were given a portion of the Scripture, who believe in superstition and false objects of worship
ألم تر إلى الذين أوتوا نصيبا من الكتاب يؤمنون بالجبت والطاغوتAnd the Jews were among the most people in learning sorcery and practicing it. For this reason, who bewitched the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? Labid ibn al-'A'sam the Jew. And they are the ones who learned sorcery and claimed that Sulayman (peace be upon him) taught it to them.
He says:
who believe in superstition and false objects of worship
يؤمنون بالجبت و الطاغوتAnd His saying:
who believe in superstition and false objects of worship
يؤمنون بالجبت و الطاغوتThe point of this verse is His saying:
In the *jibt*
بالجبتAnd the Salaf (may Allah have mercy on them) used to interpret the verse with an example from it to be followed. And we give an example of this by His saying the Exalted:
Then we caused to inherit the Book those We have chosen of Our servants; and among them is he who wrongs himself, and among them is he who is moderate, and among them is he who is foremost in good deeds by permission of Allah
ثُمَّ أَوْرَثْنَا الْكِتَابَ الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَيْنَا مِنْ عِبَادِنَا فَمِنْهُمْ ظَالِمٌ لِنَفْسِهِ وَمِنْهُمْ مُقْتَصِدٌ وَمِنْهُمْ سَابِقٌ بِالْخَيْرَاتِ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهSome of the exegetes said: The one who wrongs himself is the one who does not pray except after the time has passed. The moderate one is the one who prays at the end of the time. The one who is foremost in good deeds is the one who prays at the beginning of the time. Is this what the verse indicates comprehensively, or is it an example from the examples? This is an example from the examples.
For this reason, some of them interpreted it by saying that the one who wrongs himself is the one who does not pay zakah, the moderate one is the one who pays zakah and does not give charity, and the one who is foremost in good deeds is the one who pays zakah and gives charity.
When 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) interpreted *taghut* as Satan, we say that this is an interpretation by example; otherwise, *taghut* is broader than Satan. *Taghut* is broader. Are idols considered among the *taghut* or not? As Allah the Exalted said: