Fatwas

PART 1 – WITCHCRAFT AND SOOTHSAYING

1. Seeking the Jinn’s Help to Know the Unseen

Question:

(A) What is the Islamic ruling regarding those who seek the Jinn‘s help to know the unseen?

(B) What is the Islamic ruling regarding hypnotism, by which the hypnotist has such control over the hypnotized patient that the latter does something forbidden, is healed from a nervous disease or carries out the hypnotist‘s commands?

Answers:

(A) Knowledge of the unseen is under Allah‘s control. None of His creatures, be it Jinn or others, know it; they know only what He permits. If and when He wills, He reveals it by His inspiration to angels or messengers of His choice. Allah says, “Say (O Muhammad): None in the heavens and the earth knoweth the Unseen save Allah….’’ (Al-Naml Sura, Ayah 65. ) About the Prophet Sulaiman and the Jinn Allah assigned for his service, He says, “And when We decreed death for him, nothing showed his death to them save a creeping creature of the earth which gnawed away his staff. And when he fell the jinn saw clearly how, if they had known the unseen, they would not have continued in despised.’’ (Saba’ Sura, Ayah No. 70. ) toil. Allah also says, (He is) the knower of the Unseen, and He revealeth unto none His secret, Save unto every messenger whom he hath chosen, and then He maketh a guard to go before him and a guard behind him.’’ (Al-Jinn Surah, Ayahs No. 26-27. )

Annawwas Ibn-Sam‘an reported that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “When Allah wants to reveal some matter, He communicates it through inspiration, which causes the heavens to tremble fiercely in fear of Allah – pride and glory be to Him. On hearing this, residents of the heavens are shocked and fall to the ground in prostration. The first to raise his head is Jibreel, to whom Allah communicates the revelation He wants. Jibreel, then, passes by angels. In each heaven, the angels ask him, `O Jibreel, what has Allah said?‘ Jibreel replies, `He has said the Truth, and He is the High, the Great.‘ They all repeat what Jibreel says. Jibreel reaches where the revelation is to be delivered as commanded by Allah – pride and glory be to Him. (Ibn-Abi-‘Asim’ Assunnah, Hadith No. 515, and Ibn-Khuzaimah’s Al Tawheed and Al-Baihaqi’s Al-Asma’ and Assifat.. )

In Sahih Al-Bukhari, Abu-Hurayrah reported that Allah‘s Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “When Allah decrees some order in the heaven, the angels flutter their wings indicating complete surrender to His saying which sounds like chains being dragged on rock. And when the state of fear disappears, they ask each other, `What has your Lord ordered? They say that He has said that which is true and just, and He is the Most High, the Most Great.‘ Then the stealthy listeners (devils) hear this order, and these stealthy listeners are like this, one over the other. (Sufyan, a sub-narrator demonstrated that by holding his hand upright and separating the fingers.) A stealthy listener hears a word which he conveys to that which is below him and the second conveys it to that which is below him till the last of them conveys it to the sorcerer or foreteller. Sometimes a flame of fire may strike the devil before he can convey it, and sometimes he may convey it before the flame strikes him, whereupon the sorcerer adds to that word a hundred lies. The people will then say, `Didn‘t he (i.e. sorcerer) tell such-and-such a thing on such-and-such date?‘ So that magician is said to have told the truth because of the statement which has been heard from the heavens.’’ (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Kitab Al Tafseer (Book of Explanation), Explaining Saba’ Sura, Hadith No. 4800.)

Thus, it is not allowed to seek help from the Jinn or other creatures to learn the unseen, nor is it allowed to pray to them or invoke them or do the Mandal; this is an act of Shirk, for it involves worship of other than Allah, who commands his creatures to worship none but Him by saying, “Thee alone we worship, and thee alone we ask for help.’’ (Al-Fatiha Surah, Ayah 5. ) The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was reported to have said to Ibn-Abbas, “If you ask (for help), ask Allah, and if seek support, seek Allah‘s support.’’ (Sunan Al-Tirmidhi, Kitab Sifat Al-Qiyamah (Book of Doomsday Description), Hadith. )

(B) Hypnotism belongs to soothsaying by the invocation of a devil that the hypnotist uses to control a medium. The devil speaks and does some acts through the controlled medium, who is made to obey the commands of the hypnotist. In return for his part of the bargain, i.e., putting the medium under the hypnotist‘s control, the devil receives some offerings or sacrifices.

Thus, the utilization of hypnotism as such to obtain information (about, for example, something stolen or lost, treating a patient or doing some other acts demanded by the hypnotist) is not allowed. In fact, it is an act of Shirk, for it is invocation of someone other than Allah to seek means beyond the natural ones permitted by Him.

(C) The expression “By (such and such a person)’’ could mean a kind of oath or mean the invocation of that person‘s self or status. If it is meant to be an oath, it is forbidden to take an oath by someone other than Allah. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم says, “Whoever takes an oath by other than Allah has committed an act of Shirk.’’ (Sunan Al-Tirmidhi, Kitab Al-Iman Wan-Nuthur (Book of Faith and Promises), Hadith No. 1535.) If it is meant as invocation of self or status, it is not allowed either. Never did the Sahaba (the Prophet‘s صلى الله عليه وسلم Companions) invoke the Prophet‘s صلى الله عليه وسلم self or status during his life or after his death even though they were the most aware of his status and position in Allah‘s eyes and the most aware of Shari‘ah. When they went through afflictions during his lifetime and after his death, they sought Allah‘s help. If the invocation of the Prophet‘s صلى الله عليه وسلم self or status were allowed, he would have instructed them to do that as dictated by his mission, and they would have followed his instructions as dictated by their typical commitment. Therefore, the fact that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم did not guide them to do it and that the Sahaba never did it verifies that it is not allowed.

What the Sahaba actually did in times of affliction was to invoke Allah through the prayers of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ,who said the prayers at their request, as in the case of rain-invoking prayers. When seeking rain after the Prophet‘s صلى الله عليه وسلم death, Umar used to pray, “O Allah, whenever we had droughts, we invoked You through the Prophet‘s صلى الله عليه وسلم prayers. Now we invoke You through his uncle‘s prayers.’’(Sunan Al-Bukhari, Kitab Al-Istisqa’ (Book of Seeking Rain), Hadith No. 1010. ) This demonstrates that if invocation of self or status were legitimate, they would rather have invoked the Prophet‘s صلى الله عليه وسلم . Besides, practical experience demonstrates that status invocation of prophets and the righteous can easily lead to Shirk. Therefore, banning it is a preventive measure that safeguards Tawheed (oneness of Allah). (Ifta’s Permanent Committee, Islamic Research Journal, Issue 30, pp. 78-81.)

2. Seeking Treatment by Soothsayers and Magicians

Question:

What is the ruling on seeking treatment by soothsayers and magicians?

Answer:

It is forbidden to approach soothsayers and magicians for treatment. It is a much greater sin if one believes them, as the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم says, “If one visits a soothsayer to enquire about something, his prayers will not be accepted for forty days.’’ (Op. Cit.) Prohibition of seeking soothsayers‘ help is also demonstrated by this Hadith, “If one consults a soothsayer and believes him, one disbelieves in what has been revealed to Muhammad.’’ (Op. Cit.) There are other Hadiths about banning dealing with soothsayers. (Ifta’a Permanent Committee, Islamic Research Journal, Issue 21, p. 51. )

3. Treating the Effects of Magic by Counter-Magic

Question:

If someone is bewitched, can he go to a magician for treatment?

Answer:

This is not allowed. Its prohibition is stated in the Hadith reported by Jabir that “Allah‘s Messenger was asked about Annashra (counter-magic), and he replied, `It is Satan‘s work.‘ ‘’ (Op. Cit.)
Instead, one has to seek medical treatment as well as Shar‘i treatment. For every disease Allah has created a cure, which some people can discover, while others cannot. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم instructs people to seek medical treatment that does not involve forbidden materials. The Hadith says, “Seek medical treatment, but not with forbidden materials.’’ (Op. Cit.) The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is reported to have said, “Allah has not made your healing in what He has forbidden.’’ (Musnad Abu-Ya’la, Hadith No. 12/402.) & (Ifta’a Permanent Committee, Important Fatwas for the All the Nation, pp. 106-107. )

By Khaled al-Jeraisy

Comments

John Doe

23/3/2019

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

John Doe

23/3/2019

John Doe

23/3/2019

PART 1 – WITCHCRAFT AND SOOTHSAYING

Share with a friend

Comments

John Doe

John Doe

John Doe

Comment