PART 2 – AMULETS
8. Charging Fees for Writing Amulets
Question:
Someone has written amulets for someone else in return for a fee. The latter discovers that amulets are not allowed. Does he still have to pay the amulet writer?
Answer:
The right thing is not to hang any amulets at all, they are from the Qur‘an. Therefore, charging fees for them is not allowed, neither is paying for them.
May Allah‘s prayers and peace be upon Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم ,his kin and his Companions. (Ifta’ Permanent Committee, Islamic Research Journal, Issue 26, p.97.)
9. Those Who Write Amulets for Patients and Instruct Them to Wear Them
Question:
What is the ruling on writing Quranic verses, instructing the patient to wear the writing around his neck or on some other part of his body and telling him: this will bring about your healing? The patient may or may not be charged for that.
Answer:
Writing Quranic verses or any established prayers to be worn by the patient seeking healing is banned for three reasons:
Firstly, the Hadiths banning amulets are general statements without exceptions.
Secondly, the general ban has preventative implications, for allowing Quranic amulets will likely open the door for wearing others.
Thirdly, the ban saves Qur‘anic verses from being exposed to degrading conditions.
Since the whole practice is banned, charging fees for writing amulets is banned, too.
May Allah‘s prayers and peace be upon Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم ,his kin and his companions. (Fatawa of the Ifta’ Permanent Committee, p. 203.)
10. Having Amulet Writers as Imams (Prayer Leaders)
Question:
Is it allowed to have an Imam who writes amulets? It must be mentioned that he is not doing that for witchcraft purposes. He is doing that for minor problems, such as headaches and breastfeeding difficulties. We hope you will clarify this issue to us, as some Ulama say that the writer is a Mushrik, who must not be leading prayers.
Answer:
It is allowed to pray with such an Imam since he uses the Qur‘an and legally established prayers, but he should not be writing amulets since they are not allowed to be worn or hung. However, if the amulets contain any Shirk elements, he must not be leading prayers, and he has to be told that it is Shirk. The one to advise him must be aware of these matters.
May Allah‘s prayers and peace be upon Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم ,his kin and his Companions. (Fatawa of the Ifta’ Permanent Committee, pp. 211-212.)
11. Praying with Amulets on
Question:
Is one allowed to pray while wearing an amulet?
Answer:
The Ulama are unanimous on the prohibition of nonQur‘anic amulets, but on the Qur‘anic ones they are not. Some allow them, while others ban them. We favour the ban due to the general ban in the Hadiths and its preventative advantage. Therefore, in the case of prayers, the argument for the ban is that Allah is the One Who grants success. May His prayers and peace be upon Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم ,his kin and his companions. (Fatawa of the Ifta’ Permanent Committee, p. 212.)
12. Writing Refuge-Seeking Invocations
Question:
Is it an act of Shirk to write refuge-seeking invocations from the Qur‘an or other sources and wear them around the neck?
Answer:
It is verified by several Hadiths – by various narrators, but with the same meaning – that the Prophet says, “Ruqyas, amulets and love charms are acts of Shirk.’’ (Op. Cit.) He also says, “If one wears an amulet, may Allah grant him no success; if one wears a shell, may Allah grant him no peace.’’ (Op. Cit.) One version says, “Whoever wears an amulet has committed an act of Shirk.’’ (Op. Cit.)
An amulet is what people wear for protection from the evil eye, Jinn or diseases, etc. It is sometimes called “Hirz’’ (that which protects) or “Al-Jami‘ah’’ (that which is inclusive). There are two types of amulets. One type has names of devils, bones, nails, tiny beads, talisman or incomprehensible inscriptions. This type is undoubtedly forbidden, and there is a great deal of evidence to its prohibition. In fact, it is considered as minor Shirk according to the mentioned Hadiths, and as major Shirk if the amulet is believed to bring about protection or healing without Allah‘s permission.
The other type has Quranic verses, prayers the Prophet used to say and good supplications. This type is allowed by some Ulama, while banned by others. Those who allow it consider it as a legal Ruqya. Those who ban it base their argument on two points. One point is the generality of the ban on amulets as stated in the relevant sound Hadiths considering the amulet an act of Shirk; therefore, no exception can be made to the general ban unless there is a Shar‘i evidence. There is no such evidence.
Unlike amulets, Ruqyas using the Qur‘an and legally established prayers – as stated in sound Hadiths – are allowed. Ruqyas have to be comprehensible, and the Raqi and the patient must believe that healing occurs by Allah‘s permission. The Prophet says, “Ruqyas are valid so long as they are void of Shirk.’’ (Sahih Muslim, Kitab Assalam (Book of Peace), Hadith No. 2200.) He performed Ruqyas and so did some of his companions. He also says, “Nothing is as good as Ruqyas for treating the evil eye and the sting / bite.’’ (Sunan Abu-Dawood, Kitab Attib (Book of Medicine), Hadith No.3889.) There are a lot of Hadiths licensing such Ruqyas, but there are none allowing any type of amulet. Therefore, the general ban on amulets remains.
The other point in the argument for the general ban on amulets is the advantage of preventing Shirk practices. If we were to allow amulets with non-objectionable content, the door would be wide open for Shirk amulets to get in, and it would be too difficult to distinguish between them. Therefore, the general ban is the safest way to close Shirk avenues, and we believe it is the right thing to do.
May Allah grant us success. (Ibn-Baz, Fatwa Al-Mara’h Al-Muslimah (Fatwas for Muslim Women), Vol.1, pp. 162-163.)
13. Reconciling the Hadith “Ruqyas, amulets and love charms are acts of Shirk” with the Hadith “Whoever can benefit his brother should do so”
Question:
Abdullah Ibn-Mas‘ud says, “ I heard the Messenger of Allah say, ‘Ruqyas, amulets and love charms are acts of Shirk.‘
Jabir says, “I had an uncle (on my mother‘s side) who used to perform Ruqyas for scorpion stings, but Allah‘s Messenger banned Ruqyas. He went to him and said, ‘O Allah‘s Messenger, you have banned Ruqyas, and I treat scorpion stings with Ruqyas.‘ He replied, `Whoever can benefit his brother should do so.‘’’
How can the Hadiths banning Ruqyas and those allowing them be reconciled?
What is the legality of hanging written Ruqyas on the patient‘s chest?
Signed: Abdurrahman S. F.
Answer:
The banned Ruqyas are those that have elements of Shirk, invocation of other than Allah or incomprehensible inscriptions.
The allowed Ruqyas are the legally valid ones, and they are a great means to healing. In this regard, the Prophet says, “Ruqyas are valid so long as they are void of Shirk.’’ (Op. Cit.) He also says, “Whoever can benefit his brother should do so.’’ (Sahih Muslim, Kitab Assalam (Book of Peace), Hadith No. 2199.) His saying “Nothing is as good as Ruqyas for treating the evil eye and the sting / bite’’ (Op. Cit.) means no Ruqya is as effective as in these two cases. The Prophet himself performed and received Ruqyas.
As for hanging a written Ruqya – it is sometimes called a Tameemah (amulet) , a Hirz (protector) or a Jami‘ah (that which is inclusive) – on the sick or children, it is not allowed. In fact, it is forbidden as an act of Shirk, for the Prophet said:
“If one wears an amulet, may Allah not grant him his wish; if one hangs a shell, may Allah grant him no peace.’’
“Whoever wears an amulet has committed an act of Shirk.’’
“Ruqyas‘, amulets and love charms are acts of Shirk.’’ (Op. Cit.)
However, there is no complete agreement among the Ulama on the amulets from the Qur‘an and valid prayers. We favour banning them for two reasons. One reason is the ban on amulets in the Hadiths is general, and there are no Hadiths that mention exceptions at all. The other reason is that the general ban blocks all avenues in the face of Shirk amulets, thus, giving a preventative Shar‘i advantage to the ban. Allah is the One Who grants success. (Kitab Adda wah, (Book of the Call), A1-Fawzan’s Fatwas, Vol.1, pp. 20-21.)
By Khaled al-Jeraisy
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