Sorcery, the extent of its effect, and how to treat it
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Question:
We return at the beginning of this episode to the message from our listener Huda. We presented part of her questions in two previous episodes, and in this episode, a set of her questions remains, and we hope to be able to present some of them.
In her first question, she says: How does sorcery affect people, given that nothing happens except by the permission of Allah the Exalted? And is it permissible for me to go to a shaykh to see if anyone has harmed me, if I suspect that? I ask for your information and clarification. May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance. As for what follows:
The Book of Allahand the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) indicate that sorcery may occur with regard to some people and may affect the one who is bewitched by the permission of Allahas Allah:[Surat al-Baqarah:102].
Thus, He, Glorified is He, made it clear that they may cause harm with it, but only by the permission of Allah, meaning by the divine decree and destiny of Allah. Then He said afterward: [al-Baqarah:102], meaning: they exchanged it for [al-Baqarah:102], meaning: they sold themselves, had they known. [al-Baqarah:103].
This indicates the danger of sorcery, and that its practitioner has no standing with Allah, meaning: he has no status and no share, and that it is contrary to faith and contrary to mindfulness of Allah, and that it is disbelief. As He said about the two angels that they say to the one who learns it: it is disbelief. [al-Baqarah:102], [al-Baqarah:102], meaning: to the learner: [al-Baqarah:102].
This indicates that learning sorcery, teaching it, and practicing it is disbelief—may Allah protect us from it—and that is only because it is worship of the Shayatins and drawing near to them through sacrifices, vows, supplication, calling for aid, and the like. Thus, a sorcerer does not become a sorcerer except by drawing near to the Shayatins and the jinn and worshipping them instead of Allah . It may happen that the one who has been bewitched is affected by hating his wife, or she hates her husband if she is the one who has been bewitched; for this reason, He (Mighty and Majestic) said: [al-Baqarah:102] meaning: the man, and his wife meaning: his wife, [Al-Baqarah 2:102] .
This indicates that the harm that occurs by the will of Allah is not from the power of the sorcerer, but rather the sorcerer is a cause, and Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) is the Determiner of affairs (Glorified and Exalted is He), and He is the One who decreed them with His wisdom and His prior divine decree (Glorified and Exalted is He). Everything in existence is by the will of Allah; what Allah willed came to be, and what He did not will did not come to be. Whether it is disbelief, sorcery, sins, or acts of obedience, it is all by the divine decree of Allahand He has the perfect wisdom (Exalted and Majestic is He), as He:[Surat al-Hadid:22], and the Exalted said:[Surat al-Qamar:49], so all affairs are in His handand nothing occurs in this world except by His will (Glorified and Exalted is He) and His prior divine decree. Thus, acts of obedience are by His prior divine decree, and sins are by His prior divine decree. The servant has choice and will; he acts and chooses, and he knows what harms him and what benefits him. He is held accountable for his choice if he chooses what harms him, just as he is rewarded if he chooses what benefits him from the acts of obedience to Allah, but despite this, he is subject to the will of Allah, as He, the Exalted, said:[Surah al-Takwir: 28][Surah al-Takwir: 29], He, the Exalted, said:[Surah al-Muddaththir: 55][Surah al-Muddaththir: 56].
Sorcery may also be an illusion and a fabrication that has no effect on the human body, as He, Exalted and Majestic, said in the story of Moses and Pharaoh: [Ta-Ha:66]. So they produced ropes and staffs before the people, and the people thought they were snakes on the earth, whereas they were only ropes and staffs. But it was made to appear to the people that they were snakes because of the fabrication and deception they performed on their eyes with things they knew and Allah enabled them to do, until the observers thought the staffs and ropes were snakes and feared them. The reality is that they were not snakes, but ropes and staffs. For this reason, He, Glorified is He, said: [Ta-Ha:66]. This is unlike the hand of Moses, which was a reality, and unlike his staff, which was a reality. Allah made the staff a moving snake, then He, Exalted and Majestic, returned it to its original state, Exalted and Majestic. And so He made his hand white, with no disease in it, but it was a sign. So you, O questioner, and you, O listener, know by this that sorcery has two states:
The first is a reality that affects the bewitched person with illness, or killing, or hatred between him and his companion, or between him and his wife.
The second state is illusion and fabrication, and it has no effect on the human soul. But it is made to appear to him that his wife is not his wife, that his brother is not his brother, and that his companion is not his companion, and so on. It is made to appear to him things that make him averse to his companion, or averse to his wife, or makes her averse to her husband, because of the things they placed that distorted the appearance of the husband or the wife or the companion, until he became different from his original state. So hatred, change, and disturbance occurred due to the fabrication and illusion performed by the sorcerer between this one and that one. May Allah be our helper, and there is no power and no strength except with Allah.
And it has a treatment, praise be to Allah. Allah has made a treatment for it from the Noble Qur'an, for Allah has placed in the Qur'an a cure for every ailment. So reciting over the bewitched person from the verses of Allah that were revealed regarding sorcery, and the Verse of the Throne, and [al-Kafirun:1], [al-Ikhlas:1], and the two chapters of protection (al-Mu'awwidhatan), if these are recited over the bewitched person and he is rubbed with them and supplicated for with safety, Allah will benefit him with that. Or they are recited in water, and the verses of sorcery from al-A'raf, and those in Yunus, and those in Ta-Ha are blown into the water, and with them the Verse of the Throne and [al-Kafirun:1] and [al-Ikhlas:1] and the two chapters of protection are recited. Then the bewitched man or woman, or the one prevented from his wife, drinks three mouthfuls from it, then bathes with the rest. This is, by the permission of Allah, a tested method for the removal of sorcery and the removal of the prevention that kept him from his wife. This is tested and real, praise be to Allah, and it is of the beneficial, effective, and successful medicine, with the praise of Allah.
The bewitched person may know of his sorcery through nails arranged one after another, or hair tied together, or rags, or the like of that, which the bewitched person may recognize. So if he recognizes them and removes them, the sorcery is nullified. May Allah be our helper, and there is no power and no strength except with Allah. The verses that are recited from Surat al-A'raf are the saying of the Exalted: [al-A'raf:119]. And from Surat Yunus: [Yunus:79] [Yunus:80] [Yunus:81] [Yunus:82]. And in Surat Ta-Ha, He, Glorified is He, says: [Ta-Ha:69]. So these verses, and the Verse of the Throne, and [al-Kafirun:1], and [al-Ikhlas:1], and [al-Falaq:1] and [al-Nas:1].
All of these are recited in water, or over the bewitched person, or the one prevented from his wife, and he is supplicated for with healing and safety with the famous supplication that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught his Companions,Riyad as-Salihin 902. And if it is repeated three times, it is better, for he, peace and blessings be upon him, used to supplicate three times when he supplicated. And so the famous supplication with which Jibril (peace be upon him) performed ruqyah for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) Sahih Muslim 2186. This also should be repeated three times, as Jibril did with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), for he performed ruqyah for him with this great ruqyah, Sahih Muslim 2186. And if he supplicates for him with other supplications along with it, there is no harm, from the good supplications, such as: O Allah, heal him and grant him safety. O Allah, remove the evil from him. O Allah, cure him of his illness. Supplications like these are fine, all of it is good.
The presenter: May Allah bless you and reward you with good. Shaykh Abdul Aziz, does the occurrence of sorcery go beyond the power and will of Allah?
The Shaykh: As mentioned before, everything is by the will of Allah, as He, Glorified is He, said: [al-Baqarah:102].
So the whole thing is by the permission and decree of Allah. If He, Glorified is He, wills it, it occurs, and if He does not will it, it does not occur, even if the sorcerer did what he did.
And there are things from which one should guard, and from others besides them, and that is: seeking refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He created, morning and evening, three times. And saying:Sunan Ibn Majah 3869, three times morning and evening. All of this is among the causes of safety from sorcery, the evil eye, and the like. Also, reciting the Verse of the Throne after every prayer and reciting it at bedtime. Also, reciting [Al-Ikhlas 112:1] and the two chapters of protection after every prayer once, and after Fajr and Maghrib three times. All of this is among the causes of safety from all evil, by the permission of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good. Shaykh Abdul Aziz, I heard from some students of knowledge that he denies sorcery, to the extent that he said: Bring the sorcerers to bewitch me if they are truthful. What is your guidance, if you please, especially if this phrase is from a famous person who has a considerable following?
The Shaykh: This is ignorance and error; this statement issues from ignorance. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was bewitched, and he is the best of creation. It is established in the authentic hadiths from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he was bewitched, and Allah cured him of it and healed him, (Glorified and Exalted is He). This is a well-known matter, and the Muslims have agreed that it occurs by the permission of Allah, (Glorified and Exalted is He). However, some of it affects the patient, while some of it is mere illusion, as mentioned previously.
The presenter: Fine, may Allah reward you with good.
We return at the beginning of this episode to the message from our listener Huda. We presented part of her questions in two previous episodes, and in this episode, a set of her questions remains, and we hope to be able to present some of them.
In her first question, she says: How does sorcery affect people, given that nothing happens except by the permission of Allah the Exalted? And is it permissible for me to go to a shaykh to see if anyone has harmed me, if I suspect that? I ask for your information and clarification. May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, and may Allah send blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow his guidance. As for what follows:
The Book of Allahand the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) indicate that sorcery may occur with regard to some people and may affect the one who is bewitched by the permission of Allahas Allah:
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.
وَاتَّبَعُوا مَا تَتْلُوا الشَّيَاطِينُ عَلَى مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَلَكِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ كَفَرُوا يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ 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 إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِThus, He, Glorified is He, made it clear that they may cause harm with it, but only by the permission of Allah, meaning by the divine decree and destiny of Allah. Then He said afterward:
And the people learn what harms them and does not benefit them. But the Children of Israel certainly knew that whoever purchased
وَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلا يَنفَعُهُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُوا لَمَنِ اشْتَرَاهُwould not have in the Hereafter any share. And wretched is that for which they sold themselves, if they only knew.
مَا لَهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلاقٍ وَلَبِئْسَ مَا شَرَوْا بِهِ أَنفُسَهُمْ 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 يَعْلَمُونَThis indicates the danger of sorcery, and that its practitioner has no standing with Allah, meaning: he has no status and no share, and that it is contrary to faith and contrary to mindfulness of Allah, and that it is disbelief. As He said about the two angels that they say to the one who learns it: it is disbelief.
So do not disbelieve.
فَلا تَكْفُرْBut the two angels do not teach anyone unless they say
وَمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ حَتَّى يَقُولاWe are a trial, so do not disbelieve
إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلا تَكْفُرْThis indicates that learning sorcery, teaching it, and practicing it is disbelief—may Allah protect us from it—and that is only because it is worship of the Shayatins and drawing near to them through sacrifices, vows, supplication, calling for aid, and the like. Thus, a sorcerer does not become a sorcerer except by drawing near to the Shayatins and the jinn and worshipping them instead of Allah . It may happen that the one who has been bewitched is affected by hating his wife, or she hates her husband if she is the one who has been bewitched; for this reason, He (Mighty and Majestic) said:
And [yet] they learn from them that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife
فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِbetween a man
بين المرءBut they do not harm anyone through it except by permission of Allah.
وَمَا هُمْ بِضَارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِThis indicates that the harm that occurs by the will of Allah is not from the power of the sorcerer, but rather the sorcerer is a cause, and Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) is the Determiner of affairs (Glorified and Exalted is He), and He is the One who decreed them with His wisdom and His prior divine decree (Glorified and Exalted is He). Everything in existence is by the will of Allah; what Allah willed came to be, and what He did not will did not come to be. Whether it is disbelief, sorcery, sins, or acts of obedience, it is all by the divine decree of Allahand He has the perfect wisdom (Exalted and Majestic is He), as He:
No disaster strikes upon the earth or among yourselves except that it is in a register before We bring it into being
مَا أَصَابَ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ فِي الأَرْضِ وَلا فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ نَبْرَأَهَاIndeed, all things We created with predestination.
إِنَّا كُلَّ شَيْءٍ خَلَقْنَاهُ بِقَدَرٍFor whoever wills among you to take a right course.
لِمَنْ شَاءَ مِنْكُمْ أَنْ يَسْتَقِيمَAnd you do not will except that Allah wills - Lord of the worlds.
وَمَا تَشَاءُونَ إِلَّا أَنْ يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَThen whoever wills will remember it.
فَمَنْ شَاءَ ذَكَرَهُAnd they will not remember except that Allah wills. He is worthy of fear and adequate for [granting] forgiveness.
وَمَا يَذْكُرُونَ إِلَّا أَنْ يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ هُوَ أَهْلُ التَّقْوَى وَأَهْلُ الْمَغْفِرَةِSorcery may also be an illusion and a fabrication that has no effect on the human body, as He, Exalted and Majestic, said in the story of Moses and Pharaoh:
seemed to him from their magic that they were moving
يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَىseemed to him from their magic that they were moving
يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَىThe first is a reality that affects the bewitched person with illness, or killing, or hatred between him and his companion, or between him and his wife.
The second state is illusion and fabrication, and it has no effect on the human soul. But it is made to appear to him that his wife is not his wife, that his brother is not his brother, and that his companion is not his companion, and so on. It is made to appear to him things that make him averse to his companion, or averse to his wife, or makes her averse to her husband, because of the things they placed that distorted the appearance of the husband or the wife or the companion, until he became different from his original state. So hatred, change, and disturbance occurred due to the fabrication and illusion performed by the sorcerer between this one and that one. May Allah be our helper, and there is no power and no strength except with Allah.
And it has a treatment, praise be to Allah. Allah has made a treatment for it from the Noble Qur'an, for Allah has placed in the Qur'an a cure for every ailment. So reciting over the bewitched person from the verses of Allah that were revealed regarding sorcery, and the Verse of the Throne, and
Say: O you disbelievers!
قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَSay, "He is Allah, [who is] One,
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌSay: O you disbelievers!
قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَSay, "He is Allah, [who is] One,
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌThe bewitched person may know of his sorcery through nails arranged one after another, or hair tied together, or rags, or the like of that, which the bewitched person may recognize. So if he recognizes them and removes them, the sorcery is nullified. May Allah be our helper, and there is no power and no strength except with Allah. The verses that are recited from Surat al-A'raf are the saying of the Exalted:
(117) And We inspired to Moses, "Throw your staff," and at once it devoured what they were falsifying. (118) So the truth was established, and abolished was what they were doing. (119) And Pharaoh and his people were overcome right there and became debased.
وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى مُوسَى أَنْ أَلْقِ عَصَاكَ فَإِذَا هِيَ تَلْقَفُ مَا يَأْفِكُونَ فَوَقَعَ الْحَقُّ وَبَطَلَ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ فَغُلِبُوا هُنَالِكَ وَانقَلَبُوا صَاغِرِينَAnd Pharaoh said, "Bring to me every learned magician."
وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ ائْتُونِي بِكُلِّ سَاحِرٍ عَلِيمٍSo when the magicians came, Moses said to them, "Throw down whatever you will throw."
فَلَمَّا جَاءَ السَّحَرَةُ قَالَ لَهُمْ مُوسَى أَلْقُوا مَا أَنْتُمْ مُلْقُونَAnd when they had thrown, Moses said, "What you have brought is [only] magic. Indeed, Allah will expose its worthlessness. Indeed, Allah does not amend the work of corrupters.
فَلَمَّا أَلْقَوْا قَالَ مُوسَى مَا جِئْتُمْ بِهِ السِّحْرُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَيُبْطِلُهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُصْلِحُ عَمَلَ الْمُفْسِدِينَAnd Allah will establish the truth by His words, even if the criminals dislike it."
وَيُحِقُّ اللَّهُ الْحَقَّ بِكَلِمَاتِهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُجْرِمُونَ(65) They said, "O Moses, either you throw or we will be the first to throw." (66) He said, "Rather, you throw." And suddenly their ropes and staffs seemed to him from their magic that they were moving [like snakes]. (67) And he sensed within himself apprehension, did Moses. (68) Allah said, "Fear not. Indeed, it is you who are superior. (69) And throw what is in your right hand; it will swallow up what they have crafted. What they have crafted is but the trick of a magician, and the magician will not succeed wherever he is."
قَالُوا يَا مُوسَى إِمَّا أَنْ تُلْقِيَ وَإِمَّا أَنْ نَكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَلْقَى قَالَ بَلْ أَلْقُوا فَإِذَا حِبَالُهُمْ وَعِصِيُّهُمْ يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَى فَأَوْجَسَ فِي نَفْسِهِ خِيفَةً مُوسَى قُلْنَا لا تَخَفْ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الأَعْلَى وَأَلْقِ مَا فِي يَمِينِكَ تَلْقَفْ مَا صَنَعُوا إِنَّمَا صَنَعُوا كَيْدُ سَاحِرٍ وَلا يُفْلِحُ السَّاحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَىSay: O you disbelievers!
قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَSay, "He is Allah, [who is] One,
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌSay, "I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِSay, "I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind,
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِAll of these are recited in water, or over the bewitched person, or the one prevented from his wife, and he is supplicated for with healing and safety with the famous supplication that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught his Companions,
"Allahumma Rabban-nasi, adhhibil-ba'sa, washfi, Antash-Shafi, la shifa'a illa shifa'uka, shifaan la yughadiru saqaman [O Allah! the Rubb of mankind! Remove this disease and cure (him or her)! You are the Great Curer. There is no cure but through You, which leaves behind no disease]
اللهم رب الناس أذهب البأس واشف أنت الشافي لا شفاء إلا شفاؤك شفاء لا يغادر سقمًاIn the name of Allah I exorcise you from everything and safeguard you from every evil that may harm you and from the eye of a jealous one. Allah would cure you and I invoke the name of Allah for you.
باسم الله أرقيك، من كل شيءٍ يؤذيك، ومن شر كل نفس أو عين حاسد الله يشفيك، باسم الله أرقيكIn the name of Allah I exorcise you from everything and safeguard you from every evil that may harm you and from the eye of a jealous one. Allah would cure you and I invoke the name of Allah for you.
باسم الله أرقيك من كل شيء يؤذيك، ومن شر كل نفس أو عين حاسد الله يشفيك، باسم الله أرقيكThe presenter: May Allah bless you and reward you with good. Shaykh Abdul Aziz, does the occurrence of sorcery go beyond the power and will of Allah?
The Shaykh: As mentioned before, everything is by the will of Allah, as He, Glorified is He, said:
But they do not harm anyone through it except by permission of Allah.
وَمَا هُمْ بِضَارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِSo the whole thing is by the permission and decree of Allah. If He, Glorified is He, wills it, it occurs, and if He does not will it, it does not occur, even if the sorcerer did what he did.
And there are things from which one should guard, and from others besides them, and that is: seeking refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of what He created, morning and evening, three times. And saying:
Bismillahil-ladhi la yadurru ma'a ismihi shay'un fil-ardi wa la fis-sama'i wa Huwas-Sami'ul-'Alim
باسم الله الذي لا يضر مع اسمه شيء في الأرض ولا في السماء وهو السميع العليمSay, "He is Allah, [who is] One,
قل هو الله أحدThe presenter: May Allah reward you with good. Shaykh Abdul Aziz, I heard from some students of knowledge that he denies sorcery, to the extent that he said: Bring the sorcerers to bewitch me if they are truthful. What is your guidance, if you please, especially if this phrase is from a famous person who has a considerable following?
The Shaykh: This is ignorance and error; this statement issues from ignorance. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was bewitched, and he is the best of creation. It is established in the authentic hadiths from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he was bewitched, and Allah cured him of it and healed him, (Glorified and Exalted is He). This is a well-known matter, and the Muslims have agreed that it occurs by the permission of Allah, (Glorified and Exalted is He). However, some of it affects the patient, while some of it is mere illusion, as mentioned previously.
The presenter: Fine, may Allah reward you with good.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.