The Authenticity of the Hadith: “Learn Sorcery but Do Not Practice It”
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Q: What is the authenticity of the hadith I heard from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): “Learn sorcery but do not practice it”?
A: This hadith is invalid and has no basis. It is not permissible to learn sorcery or to practice it, for it is an abomination, indeed disbelief and misguidance. Allah has clarified His rejection of sorcery in His Noble Book in His saying:[Al-Baqarah 2:102] AND IF ONLY THEY HAD BELIEVED AND FEARED ALLAH, A REWARD FROM ALLAH WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER, IF ONLY THEY HAD KNOWN [Surat al-Baqarah: 102-103].
Thus, the Exalted made clear in these verses that sorcery is disbelief and that it is taught by the devils. Allah has censured them for this, and they are our enemies. He then clarified that teaching sorcery is disbelief, and that it harms and does not benefit. Therefore, it is obligatory to guard against it.
This is because learning sorcery is entirely disbelief. For this reason, He informed about the two angels that they do not teach people until they say to the learner:[Al-Baqarah 2:102], then He said: [Al-Baqarah 2:102], so it is known that it is disbelief and misguidance, and that sorcerers do not harm anyone except by the permission of Allah. By this is meant His cosmic and decreed permission, not His legislative and religious permission; for the Exalted did not legislate it nor permit it religiously; rather, He forbade it and prohibited it, and clarified that it is disbelief and from the teaching of the devils. As the Exalted made clear that whoever buys it, meaning exchanges for it and learns it, has no share in the Hereafter; meaning no portion or lot. And this is a great warning.
Then the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:102], and the meaning is that they sold themselves to Satan with this sorcery. Then the Exalted said: [Al-Baqarah 2:103], so this indicates that learning sorcery and practicing it is contrary to faith and piety and inconsistent with them. There is no power and no strength except with Allah.
A: This hadith is invalid and has no basis. It is not permissible to learn sorcery or to practice it, for it is an abomination, indeed disbelief and misguidance. Allah has clarified His rejection of sorcery in His Noble Book in His saying:
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 and that which was revealed to the two angels at Babylon, Harut and Marut. But the two angels do not teach anyone unless they say, "We are a trial, so do not disbelieve [by practicing magic]." And [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. And wretched is that for which they sold themselves, if they only knew.
وَاتَّبَعُوا مَا تَتْلُو الشَّيَاطِينُ عَلَى مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَلَكِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ كَفَرُوا يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَى الْمَلَكَيْنِ بِبَابِلَ هَارُوتَ وَمَارُوتَ وَمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ حَتَّى يَقُولا إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلا تَكْفُرْ فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِ وَمَا هُمْ بِضَارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلا يَنْفَعُهُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُوا لَمَنِ اشْتَرَاهُ مَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلاقٍ وَلَبِئْسَ مَا شَرَوْا بِهِ أَنْفُسَهُمْ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ Thus, the Exalted made clear in these verses that sorcery is disbelief and that it is taught by the devils. Allah has censured them for this, and they are our enemies. He then clarified that teaching sorcery is disbelief, and that it harms and does not benefit. Therefore, it is obligatory to guard against it.
This is because learning sorcery is entirely disbelief. For this reason, He informed about the two angels that they do not teach people until they say to the learner:
We are a trial, so do not disbelieve
إنما نحن فتنة فلا تكفرBut they do not harm anyone through it except by permission of Allah.
وَمَا هُمْ بِضَارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِThen the Exalted said:
And wretched is that for which they sold themselves, if they only knew.
وَلَبِئْسَ مَا شَرَوْا بِهِ أَنْفُسَهُمْ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَAnd if they had believed and feared Allah, then the reward from Allah would have been [far] better, if they only knew.
وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَمَثُوبَةٌ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.