Question:
Is it permissible to undo witchcraft by using witchcraft?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Praise be to Allaah and blessings and peace be upon
the Messenger of Allaah and his family and companions.
Undoing the effects of witchcraft on one who has
been bewitched means that one of the following two
scenarios must apply:
1 _ That the ruqyahs prescribed in sharee'ah and
the prayers for refuge with Allaah that are narrated from
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
and permissible medicines are used. There is nothing
wrong with that, but one must be careful to adhere to
the guidelines prescribed in Islam with regard to ruqyah.
See question no. 12918.
2 _ That the witchcraft is treated by means of
witchcraft, which means getting close to the jinn by means of
offering sacrifices and other kinds of acts of worship. This is
not permissible, because this is a devilish action, and
indeed it is major shirk and we must avoid it. Similarly it is
not permissible to treat the problem by asking
fortune-tellers, soothsayers and magicians for help and doing what
they say, because they are not believers and they are liars
and evildoers who claim to have knowledge of the
unseen and who deceive people. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned us
against going to them and believing what they say. He
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him about
something, his prayer will not be accepted for forty days." And
he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Whoever goes to a soothsayer and believes what he
says has disbelieved in that which was revealed to
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)."
The practitioners of witchcraft are kaafirs and it is
not permissible to go to them or to ask them about
anything or to believe them.
It was narrated in a saheeh report that the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
was asked about nashrah. He said: "It is the work of
the Shaytaan." Narrated by Imam Ahmad in his
Musnad, 3/294; Abu Dawood in his
Sunan, 3868, with a jayyid isnaad.
Nashrah means undoing witchcraft by means
of witchcraft. What the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) meant by nashrah is that which
the people of the Jaahiliyyah used to do, when they
would ask the practitioners of witchcraft to undo spells,
or undoing witchcraft by means of a spell from
another practitioner of witchcraft.
With regard to undoing witchcraft by means of
ruqyah and prayers for refuge with Allaah as prescribed
in sharee'ah, and permissible kinds of medicine, there
is nothing wrong with that. This was stated by Ibn
al-Qayyim and Shaykh `Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Hasan in
Fath al-Majeed, and also by other scholars. Allaah is the
One Whom we ask to keep the Muslims safe from all
evils and to preserve their religious commitment and help
them to understand their religion, and to keep them safe
from everything that goes against His laws. May Allaah
send peace and blessings upon His slave and
Messenger Muhammad and upon his family and companions.
See Majmoo' Fataawa Samaahat al-Shaykh Ibn
Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him, 3/280.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
What do you say about the devils being chained up
in Ramadaan?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Al-Bukhaari (1899) and Muslim (1079) narrated from
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: "When Ramadaan comes, the gates
of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hell are closed, and
the devils are chained up."
The scholars differed as to the meaning of the devils
being chained up in Ramadaan.
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said, quoting al-Haleemi: It may
be interpreted at meaning that the devils are not able to
tempt the Muslims as they are at other times because they
are busy with the fast which controls their desires, and
with reading Qur'aan and dhikr (remembrance of
Allaah). Another scholar _ someone other than al-Haleemi _
said that what is meant by the devils is some of them,
namely the maarids (strong devils), who are chained up.
`Iyaad said: it may be interpreted in a literal sense,
and that is as a sign to the angels that the month has
begun, and in veneration of its sanctity, and so as to prevent
the devils from harming the Muslims. And it may be interpreted as referring to the great amount of reward
and forgiveness, and that the devils tempt people less, so it
is as if they are chained up. This second interpretation
is supported by the fact that according to a report
narrated by Yoonus from Ibn Shihaab which is recorded by
Muslim it says "the gates of mercy are opened". The chaining
up of the devils may also be understood as a metaphor
for them being unable to tempt people and make their
whims and desires attractive to them. Al-Zayn ibn al-Muneer
said: The first view is most likely to be correct, and there is
no need to try to understand it in anything other than
the literal sense.
Fath al-Baari, 4/114.
Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on
him) was asked about the words of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) "and the devils
are chained up," _ yet we still see people suffering
from epilepsy during the day in Ramadaan, so how can
the devils be chained up when some people are
suffering epileptic fits?
He replied: In some versions of the hadeeth it says
"and the strong devils (maarids) are chained up" _ this
is narrated by al-Nasaa'i. This hadeeth is speaking of
matters of the unseen, so we have to accept it and not discuss
it any further. This is safer for a person's
religious commitment. Hence when `Abd-Allaah, the son of
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said to his father, "Some people
suffer epileptics fits during the day in Ramadaan," the
Imam said: "This is what the hadeeth says and we do not
discuss this."
Moreover it seems that what is meant by their
being chained up is that they are prevented from
tempting people, based on the fact that there is a great deal
of goodness and many people turn to Allaah during Ramadaan.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 20.
Based on this, the chaining up of the devils is
something that happens in a real sense, about which Allaah
knows best. This does not mean that evil things do not
happen or that people do not commit sin. And Allaah knows best.
See also question no. 12653.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Is it possible for a person who has been affected by
envy (hasad) to know whether the envy came from himself
or from another person? What is the remedy in either case?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
If a person looks at something he has with
admiration and he does not pray for barakah (blessing) for it, by
saying "Baarik Allaahu fihi (may Allaah bless it)" and the
like, and this thing is then affected in some way, then it
is possible to know that he has inflicted hasad on himself.
It is not possible to know that a specific person is the
one who has envied you, except in circumstances such as
those described above, such as if a person enters your shop
and starts to admire it but does not pray for it to be
blessed, then things in the shop get broken or damaged.
This applies in cases where the effect is seen
straightaway. But if a long time passes before something happens,
then we cannot be certain that a specific person has
envied him.
There are means that some people use to find out
who has put the evil eye on something or someone, but
these are not prescribed or approved of in sharee'ah, rather
they are devilish means, such as imagining (the person
who caused it) during recitation of Qur'aan as a remedy,
or seeking the help of the jinn and devils (shayaateen)
to find out such things.
The scholars of the Standing Committee said:
With regard to imagining (the person who caused
it) during recitation of Qur'aan as a remedy, this is a
devilish procedure which is not permitted, because it is
seeking the help of the devils (shayaateen), who appear to
the sick person in the form of the one who afflicted him.
This is something that is haraam, because it involves
seeking the help of the devils, and because it stirs up
enmity between the people, and spreads fear and mistrust
among people, so it comes under the verse in which Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And verily, there were men among mankind who
took shelter with the males among the jinn, but they
(jinn) increased them (mankind) in sin and transgression"
[al-Jinn 72:6]
They said: It is not permissible to seek the help of
the jinn in order to find out what has been done and how
it should be treated, because seeking the help of the jinn
is shirk. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And verily, there were men among mankind who
took shelter with the males among the jinn, but they
(jinn) increased them (mankind) in sin and transgression"
[al-Jinn 72:6]
And He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And on the Day when He will gather them (all)
together (and say): `O you assembly of jinn! Many did you
mislead of men,' and their Awliyaa' (friends and helpers)
amongst men will say: `Our Lord! We benefited one from the
other, but now we have reached our appointed term which
You did appoint for us.' He will say: `The Fire be your
dwelling place, you will dwell therein forever, except as
Allaah may will. Certainly your Lord is AllWise, AllKnowing'"
[al-An'aam 6:128]
What is meant by benefiting from one another is that
the humans venerated the jinn and humbled themselves
to them and sought their help, so the jinn served them
and did what they wanted, and brought them what they
asked for _ including telling them the nature and causes
of sickness, things which the jinn can see but humans
cannot. But they may tell them lies because they cannot be
trusted and it is not permissible to believe them.
Majallat al-Da'wah, no. 1682.
Secondly:
With regard to treating one who has been affected by
envy, there are two ways of doing this:
If the person who envied him is known, he may be
asked to do ghusl and the water used should then be poured
on the "victim". If he is not known then the remedy is
by means of ruqyah and the dhikrs prescribed in sharee'ah.
For more details on the evil eye and envy (hasad),
and the differences between them, and how to protect
oneself against them, please see the answers to questions
no. 20954. 7190, 11359,
12205.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
I was living in flat in sharjah,after some month passed
i realised the fingure print with blood was on the wall
and on the floor and the same day the noise started
coming, so i left that flat and move to another one, in that also
the same thing happened, then i send my family back
hone, now i am staying with my freind,their also i realise
the noise, but if i stayed alone, then it trouble me lot, i
used to prayer 5 time and receit the quran in morning and
while going to bed i read shura al-muzzammil 7 time &
shura al-mulk. Now slowing its reducing. Please could u
tell me what step i should take.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
These noises and actions may come from the jinn.
The jinn are part of the creation of Allaah whose existence
we must believe in, because Allaah mentions them in
many verses of the Qur'aan, and there is even a soorah
named for them, namely Soorat al-Jinn. Their existence is
a matter upon which there is consensus.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:
All nations believe in the jinn and they have had
many encounters with them, which it would take too long
to describe. No one denies the existence of the jinn
except for a very few ignorant philosophers and doctors and
the like.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 19/32
Their powers are greater than those of man, as
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"An `Ifreet (strong one) from the jinn said: "I will
bring it [the throne of the Queen of Saba'] to you before
you rise from your place"
[al-Naml 27:39]
There was a great distance between Sulaymaan (peace
be upon him) and the Queen of Saba' (Sheba).
Allaah has enabled the jinn to change shape and to
fly, etc, but despite their great powers they have no
control over the righteous slaves of Allaah. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, My slaves (i.e. the true believers of
Islamic Monotheism) — you have no authority over them.
And AllSufficient is your Lord as a Guardian"
[al-Isra' 17:65]
"And he (Iblees Satan) had no authority over them,
except that We might test him who believes in the Hereafter,
from him who is in doubt about it"
[Saba' 34:21]
Even the Shaytaan acknowledged this and said:
"[Iblees (Satan)] said: `O my Lord! Because You misled me, I
shall indeed adorn the path of error for them (mankind) on
the earth, and I shall mislead them all.
Except Your chosen, (guided) slaves among them'"
[al-Hijr 15:39-40 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
Rather he has control over those people who agree
with his kufr and follow him willingly, as Allaah tells
us (interpretation of the meaning):)
"Certainly, you shall have no authority over My
slaves, except those who follow you of the
Ghaawoon (Mushrikoon and those who go astray,
criminals, polytheists, and evildoers)"
[al-Hijr 15:42]
Allaah may give them [the jinn] power over
believers because of their sins, as the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah is with the
qaadi (judge) so long as he is not unjust; if he is unjust
then Allaah has nothing to do with him and will cause
the Shaytaan to stay with him." Narrated by al-Haakim
and al-Bayhaqi; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in
Saheeh al-Jaami', 1823.
The Muslim must, above all else, arm himself with
the weapon of faith and righteous deeds, for these are
the best provision he may have and the best means of
foiling the plots of the devils among mankind and the jinn.
You have to strengthen your relationship with Allaah,
for He is the One on Whom you should depend.
Remember Allaah a great deal in all situations, and strive to
keep your tongue busy constantly with dhikr (remembrance
of Allaah). No one can find any better protection against
the Shaytaan than the remembrance of Allaah. It was
narrated in a saheeh report from the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) that Allaah enjoined five
things upon Yahya ibn Zakariya, which he was to do and
to command the Children of Israel to do, one of which
was: "I command you to remember Allaah, for the likeness
of that is that of a man whose enemy comes after him,
until he comes to a strong fortress where he protects
himself from him. Similarly, a person cannot protect
himself against the Shaytaan except by remembering
Allaah." Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
Constantly recite the dhikrs narrated from the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), such as
the dhikr when entering the toilet, when having
intercourse, when hearing the braying of a donkey, when entering
the house, in the morning and the evening, when going
to sleep, and in other circumstances and at other times
for which a specific dhikr has been narrated from the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
These dhikrs have been compiled in books such as
al-Adhkaar by al-Nawawi, al-Kalim
al-Tayyib by Ibn Taymiyah, and Husn
al-Muslim by al-Qahtaani [the later is available with English transliteration and
translation under the title "Fortress of the Muslim _ Invocations
from the Qur'an and Sunnah", published by
Darussalam, Riyadh _ Translator].
You should also read a lot of Qur'aan in the
house, especially Soorat al-Baqarah. Ahmad (7762) and
Muslim (780) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be
pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Do not make
your houses (like) graveyards, for the Shaytaan flees from
a house in which Soorat al-Baqarah is read."
You should also purify your house of everything in
which there is disobedience towards Allaah, such as
keeping images and dogs. Abu Talhah (may Allaah be pleased
with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "The angels do not enter
a house in which there is a dog or an image." Narrated
by al-Bukhaari, 3322; Muslim, 2106.
If there are no angels in the house, it will become
a dwelling for the devils.
With regard to reading Soorat al-Muzzammil and
al-Mulk when going to sleep, there are reports that indicate that
it is mustahabb to recite Soorat al-Mulk before
sleeping. Al-Tirmidhi (2892) narrated from Jaabir (may Allaah
be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used not to sleep until he
has recited Alif-Laam-Meem Tanzeel (al-Sajdah) and Tabaarak alladhi bi yadihi'l-mulk (Soorat
al-Mulk). Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh
al-Tirmidhi.
With regard to Soorat al-Muzzammil, there is no
report to indicate that it is mustahabb to recite it when going
to sleep. And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
I am a young sister who got married recently to a
man with very good character and deen, masha-Allah. Since
I have got married, I frequently have very
frightening dreams about my husband and others I love.
Before marriage I never had frightening dreams as I
always make my adhkaar at bedtime. Sometimes I see that
there are jinns inside other people and I am trying to fight
them by reciting ayatul-Kursi, but they are stopping me
from doing so. I cannot sleep at night and wake up several
times. One good sister suggested to me that it may be the
evil eye brought on by others who are jealous. If that is
the case, then please could you guide me as to what I can
do about this problem as it is very distressing. May
Allah Reward you greatly for your advice.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Undoubtedly the frightening dreams that this sister
sees are from the accursed Shaytaan who is trying his
hardest to prevent people from following the true religion
and keep them away from their Lord Whom they
worship, and he wants to cause grief to the believers. But his
plots against the pious close friends of Allaah are weak
and insignificant, especially against those who
fortify themselves with ruqya as prescribed in sharee'ah day
and night.
Secondly:
You should note that the best way in which the
Muslim can protect himself against the Shaytaan is to
remember Allaah. According to the hadeeth narrated by
al-Tirmidhi (2863), Allaah commanded Yahya ibn Zakariyya
(peace be upon him) to tell the Children of Israel to do five
things, including the following:
"I command you to remember Allaah, for the likeness
of that is that of a man who enemy comes after him, until
he comes to a strong fortress where he protects himself
from him. Similarly, a person cannot protect himself
against the Shaytaan except by remembering Allaah."
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh
al-Tirmdihi.
If the Muslim fears Allaah in all his affairs, and
adheres to that which Allaah has commanded and avoids
that which He has forbidden, and he constantly
remembers Allaah, praying and fasting and other kinds of
worship, and he fortifies himself by reading Qur'aan night and
day, out loud and silently, and he regularly recites the
wirds and dhikrs prescribed in Islam for the morning
and evening, and when eating, drinking, getting dressed
and going to sleep, then the Shaytaan will go away from
him, blameworthy and defeated, and will have no power to
do anything to him. How can it be otherwise when
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Those who believe, fight in the Cause of Allaah,
and those who disbelieve, fight in the cause of
Taaghoot (Satan). So fight you against the friends of
Shaytaan (Satan); ever feeble indeed is the plot of
Shaytaan (Satan)" [al-Nisa' 4:76]?
The Shaytaan only comes close to those who are far
away from their religion and Qur'aan. The Shaytaan may try
to divert the righteous from the straight path, in order
to ruin their lives and religious commitment and
worldly interests. But protection may be sought against him
in the manner described above. You can also refer to
the books of dhikr such as al-Adhkaar by al-Nawawi;
`Aml al-Yawm wa'l-Laylah by al-Nasaa'i; `Aml al-Yawm
wa'l-Laylah by Ibn al-Sunni; and other books of dhikr
that deal with this topic, or books of
Sunan in general. If you do that we hope that your situation will improve and
you will find peace of mind, and Allaah will change
your situation to a better one.
Among the dhikrs with which we advise you to
recite regularly are the following:
1 _ Adhkaar for morning and evening.
(a) Reciting every evening the words, "A'oodhu
bi kalimaat Allaah il-taammah min sharri ma
khalaqa (I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allaah from the
evil of that which He has created)."
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: A man came
to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and said, "O Messenger of Allaah, I am suffering
because of a scorpion that stung me yesterday." He said, "If
you had said in the evening, A'oodhu bi kalimaat Allaah
il-taammah min sharri ma khalaqa (I seek refuge in
the perfect words of Allaah from the evil of that which
He has created),' it would not have harmed you. Narrated
by Muslim.
Indeed, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) encouraged us to say that in every place where
we stop (when travelling).
It was narrated that Khawlah bint Hakeem
al-Salamiyyah said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: "Whoever makes a stop
in some place, then says, `A'oodhu bi kalimaat Allaah
il-taammah min sharri ma khalaqa (I seek refuge in
the perfect words of Allaah from the evil of that which
He has created),' nothing will harm him until he moves
on from that place." Narrated by Muslim, 2708.
(b) It was narrated that `Uthmaan ibn `Affaan (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There is
no person who says in the morning and evening of each
day, `Bismillaah illaahi laa yadurru ma'a ismihi shay'un
fi'l-ard wa la fi'l-sama' wa huwa al-samee'
ul-`aleem (In the name of Allaah with Whose name nothing is harmed
on earth nor in heaven, and He is the All-Hearing,
All-Knowing)' three times, but nothing will harm him."
Narrated and classed as saheeh by al-Tirmidhi, 3388;
also narrated by Ibn Maajah, 3869. Classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah.
(c) Reciting Aayat al-Kursiy and al-Mu'awwidhaat
before going to sleep.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: "The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) put me in charge of guarding the zakaah of
Ramadaan. Someone came to me and started grabbing handfuls
of the food. I took hold of him and said, `I will take you
to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him).' He said, `I will teach you some words
by means of which Allaah will benefit you.' I said,
`What are they?' He said, `When you go to your bed, recite
this aayah (interpretation of the meaning): "Allaah! Laa
ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but
He), Al-Hayyul-Qayyoom (the Ever Living, the One
Who sustains and protects all that exists)…" [al-Baqarah
2:255] _ until he completed the aayah. Then Allaah will
appoint a guard for you who will stay with you and no
shaytaan (devil) will come near you until morning.' The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) asked me, `What did your prisoner do last night?' I
said, `O Messenger of Allaah, he taught me something,
and claimed that Allaah would benefit me by it.' He
said, `What was it?' I said, `He taught me to recite Aayat
al-Kursiy when I go to bed, and said that no shaytaan
would come near me until morning, and that Allaah
would appoint a guard for me who would stay with me.'
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said, `He told you the truth, although he is an inveterate
liar. That was the Shaytaan.'" Narrated by al-Bukhaari,
3101; Muslim, 505.
There are many such dhikrs; we do not have room
to mention them all here.
Thirdly:
With regard to the hasad (envy) and the evil eye of
which you speak, it may be that this harm has come to
you through hasad. Protection against that is to be sought
by reciting the dhikrs prescribed in sharee'ah.
It was narrated that Ibn `Abbaas (may Allaah be
pleased with them both) said: "The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to seek refuge with
Allaah for al-Hasan and al-Husayn. He said: `Your father
[i.e., Ibraaheem] used to seek refuge with Allaah for
Ismaa'eel and Ishaaq with these words: A'oodhu bi kalimaat
Allaah al-taammah min kulli shaytaanin wa haammah wa
min kulli `aynin laammah (I seek refuge in the perfect
words of Allaah, from every devil and every poisonous
reptile, and from every bad eye).'"
Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3191.
With regard to the remedy:
It was narrated from Ibn `Abbaas that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The evil
eye is real, and if anything were to overtake the divine
decree (al-qadar) it would be the evil eye. When you are
asked to take a bath (to provide a cure) from the influence
of the evil eye, you should take a bath"
Narrated by Muslim, 2188.
If you know that the evil eye has been put on you by
a certain person, then you should ask him to do ghusl
and wudoo', then you should pour the water of his ghusl
or wudoo' over yourself. The way in which this should
be done has been explained by Ibn al-Qayyim, who said:
In Sunan Abi Dawood it is narrated that `Aa'ishah
(may Allaah be pleased with her) said: The `aa'in (the one
who put the evil eye on another) would be ordered to
do wudoo', then the ma'een (the one on whom he had
put the evil eye) would do ghusl with that water.
In al-Saheehayn it is narrated that `Aa'ishah said:
"The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) commanded me or he commanded us to recite ruqyah
for protection against the evil eye."
Al-Tirmidhi narrated from Sufyaan ibn `Uyayanah
from `Amr ibn Dinaar from `Urwah ibn `Aamir from
`Ubayd ibn Rafaa'ah al-Sarqi that Asma' bint Umays said:
"O Messenger of Allaah, the children of Ja'far have
been afflicted by the evil eye, shall we recite ruqyah for
them?" He said, "Yes, for if anything were to overtake the
divine decree it would be the evil eye." Al-Tirmidhi said: a
saheeh hasan hadeeth. Then he mentioned the hadeeth
which described how `Aamir ibn Rabee'ah afflicted Sahl
ibn Hunayf with his eye, and the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded `Aamir to do ghusl.
So he washed his face, hands, forearms, knees and
the sides of his feet, and inside his izaar (lower garment)
in the vessel. Then that water was poured over him, and
a man poured it over his head and back from behind.
He did that to him, then Sahl got up and joined the people.
Al-Tibb al-Nabawi, p. 127-129.
For more information on the evil eye and the ways
of dealing with it and protecting oneself against it,
please see question no. 20954.
And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Is there anything such as witch doctors? What should
we do if someone says "I don't believe in magic"
because "this is just an illusion"?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Sihr (witchcraft or magic) is a word referring to
something hidden. It is real and there are kinds of witchcraft
that may affect people psychologically and physically, so
that they become sick and die, or husbands and wives
are separated. Its effects happen by the will of Allaah. It is
a devilish action, most of which is only achieved by
means of shirk and drawing close to the jinn and
shayaateen (devils) by means of that which they love, and it is
based on associating others with Allaah (shirk).
There are doctors who are also practitioners of
witchcraft, who treat people by means of seeking the help of the
jinn. They claim to have knowledge of the sickness with
no need to identify it, and they prescribe for the patient
foods and drinks that bring him closer to his allies among
the devils. He may tell them to slaughter a pig whilst
saying "Bismillaah" over it, or to slaughter a permissible
animal without saying "Bismillaah", or when saying the
name of one of the devils.
This is kufr or disbelief in Allaah, and it is not
permissible under any circumstances to go to people like these.
The hadd punishment for these people is execution. It has
been proven from three of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be
pleased with them) that the practitioners of witchcraft are to
be put to death.
The Standing Committee was asked a question about
this matter, in which it was said:
Please note that in Zambia there is a Muslim man
who claims that he has with him a jinn, and the people
come to him and ask him to treat their sicknesses, and this
jinn states what their treatment should be. Is that permissible?
They replied:
It is not permissible for that man to use the jinn, and it
is not permissible for the people to go to him
seeking treatment for sickness through his using the jinn, or
to meet any other need by this means.
Seeking treatment through human medical doctors
and using permissible medicines is sufficient and means
that there is no need for that, and it keeps people safe
from the sorcery of the magicians.
It was narrated in a saheeh report that the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him
about something, his prayer will not be accepted for forty
days." Narrated by Muslim.
And it was narrated by the authors of
al-Sunan and by al-Haakim, who classed it as saheeh, that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Whoever goes to a soothsayer and believes what he says
has disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad."
This man and his companions from among the jinn
are regarded as being among the fortune-tellers
and soothsayers, so it is not permissible to ask them
anything or to believe them.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 1/408, 409
Shaykh `Abd al-`Azeez ibn Baaz said:
Given that there are so many charlatans lately, who
claim to be doctors and to treat people by means of magic
and witchcraft, and they have become widespread in
some countries and they exploit the naïveté of the ignorant,
I thought that in the spirit of sincerity towards Allaah
and His slaves, that I should explain the grave danger
that this poses to Islam and the Muslims, because it
involves dependence on something other than Allaah and
going against His command and the command of His
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so I
say, seeking the help of Allaah:
It is permissible to seek treatment according to
scholarly consensus. The Muslim may go to a doctor to
seek treatment for internal diseases, injuries,
nervous complaints, etc, so that he can identify the disease
and treat it in an appropriate manner, using medicines
that are permissible according to sharee'ah, based on
his knowledge of medicine, because this comes under
the heading of using the ordinary means, and it is not
contrary to the idea of putting one's trust in Allaah. Allaah
has sent down the disease but He has also sent down with
it the cure; those who know it know it and those who
do not do not. But Allaah has not created the healing for
His slaves in that which He has forbidden to them, so it is
not permissible for the sick person to go to a soothsayer
who claims to know the unseen, in order to find out from
them what is wrong with him. And it is not permissible for
him to believe what they tell him, because they speak of
the unseen without knowledge, or they summon the jinn
and seek their help in doing what they want. The ruling
on these people is that they are kaafirs and
misguided, because they claim to have knowledge of the
unseen. Muslim narrated in his Saheeh that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him about
something, his prayer will not be accepted for forty days." And it
was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased
with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: "Whoever goes to a soothsayer
and believes what he says has disbelieved in that which
was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him)." Narrated by Abu Dawood and by the
four authors of al-Sunan; classed as saheeh by al-Haakim
who narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever goes to a fortune-teller
or soothsayer and believes what he says has disbelieved
in that which was revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)." And it was
narrated that `Imraan ibn Husayn (may Allaah be pleased with
him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "He does not belong to us
who observes bird omens or has that done for him, or
who seeks divination or who has that done for him, or
who practices witchcraft or has that done for him.
Whoever goes to a soothsayer and believes what he says
has disbelieved in that which was revealed to
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)."
Narrated by al-Bazzaar with a jayyid isnaad.
These ahaadeeth demonstrate that it is forbidden to go
to soothsayers, fortune-tellers, witches and the like, and
ask them questions and believe them, and a warning is
issued to those who do that. Community leaders and those
in positions of power and authority must forbid going
to fortune-tellers, soothsayers and the like, and not
allow anyone who deals in such things to operate in
the marketplaces or elsewhere. They should denounce
them emphatically, and denounce those who go to them.
We should not be deceived by the fact that they may get
things right sometimes, or by the fact that many people go
to them, because they are ignorant and the people
should not be deceived by them. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade going to them,
asking them questions and believing them, because that is a
great evil, a serious danger and leads to bad consequences,
and because they are immoral liars. These ahaadeeth
also indicate that soothsayers and witches are also
kaafirs, because they claim to have knowledge of the
unseen, which is kufr, and because they only reach their goals
by serving the jinn and worshipping them instead of
Allaah, which is kufr or disbelief in Him and associating
others with Him (shirk). The one who believes them and
their claims to have knowledge of the unseen is like
them. Everyone who goes to these people and deals with
them, is disowned by the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It is not permissible
for the Muslim to accept what they claim is a kind
of treatment, such as their muttering mumbo-jumbo
or pouring lead and other kinds of nonsense that they
do. This is a kind of sorcery and deception of the
people. Whoever accepts that is helping them in their
falsehood and kufr.
Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 3/274-281.
Secondly:
With regard to witchcraft (sihr), it is real and is not
an illusion, and it may have an effect by Allaah's leave.
Al-Quraafi said: Sihr is real, and the person against
whom it is done may die, or his nature or habits may be
changed, even if he does not deal with it himself. This was
the view of al-Shaafa'i and Ibn Hanbal…
Al-Furooq, 4/149.
The Mu'tazalis, Qadaris and some of the scholars held
a different view, but no attention should be paid to that.
Al-Quraafi and others mentioned that the Sahaabah
were unanimously agreed that it is real before there
appeared those who denied that.
The evidence of Ahl al-Sunnah concerning that is
as follows:
1. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"but the Shayaateen (devils) disbelieved, teaching
men magic and such things that came down at Babylon to
the two angels, Haaroot and Maaroot, but neither of
these two (angels) taught anyone (such things) till they had
said, "We are for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this
magic from us)." And from these (angels) people learn that
by which they cause separation between man and his
wife, but they could not thus harm anyone except by
Allaah's Leave. And they learn that which harms them and
profits them not"
[al-Baqarah 2:102]
This verse clearly indicates what we are trying to
say, which is that sihr (witchcraft) is real, and that
the practitioner of witchcraft may create a division
between a man and his wife thereby, and that he may harm
people by means of his witchcraft, but he cannot do any
harm except by Allaah's leave.
2. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And from the evil of those who practise witchcraft
when they blow in the knots"
[al-Falaq 113:4]
"those who practise witchcraft when they blow in
the knots" refers to female witches whose witchcraft
involved tying knots then blowing into them. If witchcraft
were not something real, Allaah would not have
commanded us to seek refuge from it.
3. Further evidence is provided by the fact that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
was bewitched by the Jew Labeed ibn al-A'sam. This is
a saheeh hadeeth that was narrated by al-Bukhaari
and Muslim.
Ibn al-Qayyim said: The witchcraft which can
cause sickness, lethargy, mental sickness, love, hatred
and delusions is something that does exist and is known
by the masses. Many people know it from experience.
Al-Tafseer al-Qayyim, p. 571
Thirdly:
There are many kinds of witchcraft, including
illusions and deceiving the eyes. But not all sihr is like that.
Some of the scholars listed different kinds of witchcraft,
and counted eight kinds, the most well known of which are:
1. Knots and incantations
i.e., reciting words and mumbo-jumbo by means of
which the witch is able to use the devils to do what he wants
of harming the person being bewitched. But Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"… but they could not thus harm anyone except
by Allaah's Leave"
[al-Baqarah 2:102]
2. Sleight of hand.
They become skilled in this by means of practice
and training to do things quickly, and bring out
something hidden.
For example, the magician may bring a dove and
strange it in front of the audience, then he hits it with his
hand and it gets up and flies.
But in fact there was a kind of anaesthetic in his hand
and he made it smell it and made the audience think that
he had strangled it and killed it, then when he hits it, he
wakes it up from that stupor.
3. Bewitching the eyes.
This is very common among the liars; the magician
does not really put a sword in his body, rather he bewitches
the eyes of the audience, and puts the sword by his side,
but the bewitched people think that he puts it through
his middle.
These tricksters have become well known among
us, because among the audience there are those who
protected themselves with Qur'aan and dhikr, and
remembered Allaah a great deal whilst sitting in the gathering
watching the magician, so they saw what really happened,
unlike what those who were bewitched saw.
4. Using chemicals
This is done well by those who know how
substances react with one another, thus producing a substance that
is not affected by some other substances, such as the
Sufi Rifaa'iyyah who make people think that they are
not affected by fire, when in fact they coat themselves
with some fireproof substances. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn
Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) challenged them to
wash with hot water before entering the fire and they
refused because this would have exposed their deceit.
And there are many other things that the practitioners
of witchcraft do, which could not happen unless
Allaah decreed it.
See Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 1/146; Majmoo' Fataawa
al-Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen, 2/178;
al-Sihr by Shaykh `Umar al-Ashqar.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
(www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Every individual among the sons of Adam has a jinn
who has been appointed to be his constant
companion (Qareen). Ibn Mas'ood reports that the Prophet,
peace and blessings be upon him says: "The Messenger of
Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, says: There
is not one of you who does not have a jinn appointed to
be his constant companion. They said, And you too,
O Messenger of Allah? He said, Me too, but Allah has
helped me and he has submitted, so that he only helps me to
do good." (Reported by Muslim)
Is it possible to pray for our Jinn to become a Muslim?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah. The hadeeth you mention is a
saheeh hadeeth. It was narrated by Muslim (no. 2714), but
there is a difference of scholarly opinion as to the meaning
of the word "fa aslama" in this hadeeth. This dispute
and the most correct view was mentioned by al-Nawawi
in his commentary on this hadeeth. He said:
With regard to the words of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), "There is none of
you who does not have a companion (qareen) appointed
for him from among the jinn." They said, "Even you?"
He said, "Even me, but Allaah helped me against him
fa aslama [or fa aslamu], so he only tells me to do that
which is good."
There are two well-known views that have been
reported. Those who read the phrase as fa
aslamu said that it means, "So I am safe
[aslamu] from his evil and
temptation." Those who read it as fa
aslama said that it means, "The qareen became Muslim
[aslama] and became a believer, so he only tells me to do that which is good."
They differed as to which view is correct.
Al-Khattaabi said: The correct version is fa
aslamu [so I am safe]. Al-Qaadi `Iyaad thought that
fa aslama [so he became Muslim] was correct, and this is the preferred
version, because he then said, "so he only tells me to do that
which is good." And they differed concerning the report
that says fa aslama. It was said that it means he submitted
in the sense of surrendering, and it appears in this form
(fa astaslama _ so he surrendered) in reports
narrated elsewhere than in Saheeh Muslim. And it was said that
it means that he become a Muslim and a believer. This
is the apparent meaning.
Abu Na'eem al-Asbahaani said in Dalaa'il
al-Nubuwwah (1/185): It was said aslama meaning he believed.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
was the only one whose qareen became a Muslim and
a believer.
Based on this, having one's qareen become a Muslim
was something that was unique to the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
So it is not prescribed for the Muslim to pray that
his qareen become Muslim, because this is overstepping
the limits in du'aa' by asking Allaah for something
that belongs only to the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him), and because there is no report that
the Sahaabah, who were the keenest of all people to do
good and the closest to it, asked Allaah to make their
qareens become Muslim, and they did not ask the
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to pray
for that for them when they heard this hadeeth from
him. There is no report that Abu Bakr, `Umar, `Uthmaan
and `Ali, who were very keen to do good, or their sons,
did that. We have to follow the guidance of these
great Sahaabah because they understood this religion
properly and learned it directly from its source, the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
and it is not permissible for us to follow any path but
theirs. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And whoever contradicts and opposes the
Messenger (Muhammad) after the right path has been shown
clearly to him, and follows other than the believers' way, We
shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in
Hell — what an evil destination!"
[al-Nisa' 4:115]
This hadeeth was narrated in the context of warning
the Sahaabah against the fitnah of the qareen.
Al-Nawawi said: This hadeeth is a warning against the fitnah of
the qareen and his whispers and temptation. [The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] warned
us against him so that we can be as cautious as
possible." This is what we must do, according to sharee'ah.
It is sufficient for us to recite the du'aa's that Allaah
has taught us, for example:
"And say: `My Lord! I seek refuge with You from
the whisperings (suggestions) of the Shayaateen (devils).
And I seek refuge with You, My Lord! lest they
should come near me'"
[al-Mu'minoon 23:97-98 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
And you should recite Soorat al-Ikhlaas and the Mi'wadhatayn (the last two soorahs of the
Qur'aan) morning and evening, as well as the dhikrs narrated
in saheeh ahaadeeth from the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). You should also recite Aayat
al-Kursiy before going to sleep, and Bismillaah
il-Rahmaan il-Raheem before doing anything, and you should
seek refuge with Allaah every time you notice the whispers
of the Shaytaan. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And if an evil whisper from Shaytaan (Satan) tries
to turn you away (O Muhammad) (from doing good),
then seek refuge in Allaah. Verily, He is the AllHearer,
the AllKnower"
[Fussilat 41:36]
I ask Allaah to make you more keen to do good and
to protect us and you from the Shaytaan and his
whisperings. Ameen.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
What is the evil eye? I've seen this terminology been
used so many time on this webpage. Can you please explain
in detail?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
These follow some information and fatwas that have
to do with the evil eye. We ask Allaah to benefit
readers thereby.
The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked:
What is the definition of the evil eye? Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And from the evil of the envier when he envies"
[al-Falaq 113:5]
Is the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) saheeh in which it says that
"One third of those who are in the grave are there because
of the evil eye"? If a person thinks that someone is
envying him, what should the Muslim do and say? If the
person who put the evil eye on someone washes himself,
will the water he used bring healing to his victim? And
should he drink the water or wash himself with it?
They replied:
The Arabic word al-`ayn (translated as the evil eye)
refers to when a person harms another with his eye. It
starts when the person likes a thing, then his evil feelings
affect it, by means of his repeated looking at the object of
his jealousy. Allaah commanded His Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to seek
refuge with Him from the envier, as He said (interpretation
of the meaning):
"And from the evil of the envier when he envies"
[al-Falaq 113:5]
Everyone who puts the evil eye on another is
envious, but not every envier puts the evil eye on another.
The word haasid (envier) is more general in meaning than
the word `aa'in (one who puts the evil eye on another),
so seeking refuge with Allaah from the one who
envies includes seeking refuge with Him from the one who
puts the evil eye on another. The evil eye is like an arrow
which comes from the soul of the one who envies and the
one who puts the evil eye on another towards the one who
is envied and on whom the evil eye is put; sometimes it
hits him and sometimes it misses. If the target is exposed
and unprotected, it will affect him, but if the target is
cautious and armed, the arrow will have no effect and may
even come back on the one who launched it.
Adapted from Zaad al-Ma'aad.
There are ahaadeeth from the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) which speak of the effects of
the evil eye. For example it is narrated in
al-Saheehayn that `Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said:
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) used to tell me to recite ruqyah for
protection against the evil eye.
Muslim, Ahmad and al-Tirmidhi narrated from Ibn `Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"The evil eye is real and if anything were to overtake the
divine decree, it would be the evil eye. When you are asked
to take a bath (to provide a cure) from the influence of
the evil eye, you should take a bath." This was classed
as saheeh by al-Tirmidhi, and also by al-Albaani in
al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 1251.
Imam Ahmad and al-Tirmidhi (2059, where he classed
it as saheeh) narrated that Asma' bint `Umays said:
"O Messenger of Allaah, the children of Ja'far have
been afflicted by the evil eye, shall we recite ruqyah for
them?" He said, "Yes, for if anything were to overtake the
divine decree it would be the evil eye." Classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.
Abu Dawood narrated that `Aa'ishah (may Allaah
be pleased with her) said: The person who had put the
evil eye on another would be ordered to do wudoo', then
the person who had been afflicted would wash himself
(with that water). This was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani
in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
Imam Ahmad (15550), Maalik (1811), al-Nasaa'i and
Ibn Hibbaan narrated from Sahl ibn Haneef that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came
out and traveled with him towards Makkah, until they
were in the mountain pass of al-Kharaar in al-Jahfah.
There Sahl ibn Haneef did ghusl, and he was a handsome
white-skinned man with beautiful skin. `Aamir ibn
Rabee'ah, one of Banu `Adiyy ibn Ka'b looked at him whilst
he was doing ghusl and said: "I have never seen
such beautiful skin as this, not even the skin of a virgin,"
and Sahl fell to the ground. They went to Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came
and said, "O Messenger of Allaah, can you do anything
for Sahl, because by Allaah he cannot raise his head."
He said, "Do you accuse anyone with regard to him?"
They said, " `Aamir ibn Rabee'ah looked at him." So
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) called `Aamir and rebuked him strongly.
He said, "Why would one of you kill his brother? If you
see something that you like, then pray for blessing for
him." Then he said to him, "Wash yourself for him." So
he washed his face, hands, forearms, knees and the sides
of his feet, and inside his izaar (lower garment) in the
vessel. Then that water was poured over him, and a man
poured it over his head and back from behind. He did that
to him, then Sahl got up and joined the people and
there was nothing wrong with him.
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
al-Mishkaat, 4562.
The majority of scholars are of the view that people
can indeed be afflicted by the evil eye, because of
the ahaadeeth quoted above and others, and because of
the corroborating reports and other evidence.
With regard to the hadeeth that you mention, "One
third of those who are in the grave are there because of the
evil eye," we do not know how sound it is, but the author
of Nayl al-Awtaar said that al-Bazzaar narrated with a
hasan isnaad from Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him)
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Most of those who die among my ummah
die because of the will and decree of Allaah, and then
because of the evil eye."
The Muslim has to protect himself against the
devils among the evil jinn and mankind, by having strong
faith in Allaah and by putting his trust in Him and
seeking refuge with Him and beseeching Him, reciting the
prayers for protection narrated from the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), reciting
al-Mi'wadhatayn [the last two soorahs of the
Qur'aan], Soorat al-Ikhlaas, Soorat
al-Faatihah, and Aayat al-Kursi.
Du'aa's for protection include the following:
A'oodhu bi kalimaat-illaah il-taammati min sharri
ma khalaqa (I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allaah
from the evil of that which He has created).
A'oodhu bi kalimaat-illaah il-taammati min
ghadabihi wa `iqaabihi, wa min sharri `ibaadihi wa min
hamazaat al-shayaateeni wa an yahduroon (I seek refuge in
the perfect words of Allaah from His wrath and
punishment, from the evil of His slaves and from the evil
promptings of the devils and from their presence).
And one may recite the words of Allaah:
"Hasbi Allaahu laa ilaaha illa huwa, `alayhi
tawakkaltu wa huwa Rabb ul-`arsh il-`azeem
(Allaah is sufficient for me. Laa ilaaha illa Huwa
(none has the right to be worshipped but He) in Him I put
my trust and He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne)"
[al-Tawbah 9:129 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
And there are other similar du'aa's that are prescribed
in sharee'ah. This is what was meant by Ibn al-Qayyim
in the words quoted at the beginning of this answer.
If it is known or suspected that a person has been
afflicted by the evil eye, then the one who put the evil eye on
him should be ordered to wash himself for his brother. So
a vessel of water should be brought, and he should put
his hand in it, rinse out his mouth into the vessel. Then
he should wash his face in the vessel, then put his left
hand into the vessel and wash his right knee, then put his
right hand in the vessel and wash his left knee. Then he
should wash inside his garment. Then the water should be
poured over the head of the one on whom he put the evil
eye, pouring it from behind in one go. Then he will be
healed, by Allaah's leave.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah li'l-Buhooth
al-`Ilmiyyah wa'l-Ifta, 1/186
Shaykh Muhammad al-Saalih al-`Uthaymeen was asked:
Can the evil eye afflict a person? How is it treated?
Does being on one's guard against it contradict putting
one's trust in Allaah?
He replied:
Our opinion concerning the evil eye is that it is real and
is proven both by Islamic teachings and by real
life experiences. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And verily, those who disbelieve would almost make
you slip with their eyes (through hatred)"
[al-Qalam 68:51]
Ibn `Abbaas and others said, commenting on this
verse: this means, they put the evil eye on you with their
glances. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "The evil eye is real and if anything were to
overtake the divine decree, it would be the evil eye. When you
are asked to take a bath (to provide a cure) from the
influence of the evil eye, you should take a bath." Narrated
by Muslim. Al-Nasaa'i and Ibn Maajah narrated that
`Aamir ibn Rabee'ah passed by Sahl ibn Haneef when he
was bathing… and he quoted the hadeeth.
Reality confirms that and it cannot be denied.
In the event that you are afflicted by the evil eye,
you should use the treatments recommended in
sharee'ah, which are:
1 _ Reciting ruqyah. The Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said, "There is no ruqyah except
in the case of the evil eye or fever." al-Tirmidhi, 2057;
Abu Dawood, 3884. Jibreel used to do ruqyah for the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
say, "Bismillaahi arqeeka min kulli shay'in yu'dheeka,
min sharri kulli nafsin aw `aynin haasid Allaahu
yashfeek, bismillaahi arqeek (In the name of Allaah I perform
ruqyah for you, from everything that is harming you, from
the evil of every soul or envious eye may Allaah heal you,
in the name of Allaah I perform ruqyah for you)."
2 _ Asking the person who has put the evil eye on
another to wash, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) commanded `Aamir ibn Rabee'ah to do in
the hadeeth quoted above. Then the water should be
poured over the one who has been afflicted.
With regard to taking his waste, such as his urine
and stools, there is no basis for doing so; the same applies
to taking any of his belongings. Rather what is narrated
is that which is mentioned above, washing his limbs
and washing inside his garment, or likewise washing
inside his headgear and garments. And Allaah knows best.
There is nothing wrong with taking precautions
against the evil eye before it happens, and this does not
contradict the idea of tawakkul (putting one's trust in Allaah).
In fact this is tawakkul, because tawakkul means
putting one's trust in Allaah whilst also implementing the
means that have been permitted or enjoined. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to seek
refuge for al-Hasan and al-Husayn and say: U'eedhukuma
bi kalimaat Allaah al-taammati min kulli shaytaanin
wa haammah wa min kulli `aynin laammah (I seek
refuge for you both in the perfect words of Allaah, from
every devil and every poisonous reptile, and from every
evil eye).'" Al-Tirmidhi, 2060; Abu Dawood, 4737. And
he would say, "Thus Ibraaheem used to seek refuge
with Allaah for Ishaaq and Ismaa'eel, peace be upon
them both." Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3371.
Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen, 2/117, 118
See also the answers to questions no.
7190 and 11359.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
I have been suffering from jinn possession for nearly
two years, and am not cured. What is strange is that I can
feel them in my body and can control them to some
degree, such as when I hear Qur'aan, I feel pain from them
starting in my stomach but I am able, by Allaah's leave, to
make them stop moving.
I believe that they will never leave unless Allaah wills
it. So I pray to Allaah and I do not go and look for
someone to perform ruqyah by reciting Qur'aan.
Praise be to Allaah, I am righteous by the grace of
Allaah, but sometimes I commit some sins. What is the
reason for that? What advice can you give?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
There are some facts and some illusions connected to
the issue of jinn possession, and among most
people nowadays the illusions outweigh the facts. The
Sunnis are unanimously agreed that the jinn can dwell in
the bodies of humans, but that does not mean that
everyone who has epilepsy is possessed by the jinn,
because epilepsy may have physical causes. The pains etc.
that many people feel in their bodies cannot be ascribed
for certain to the actions of the jinn, rather they may
be illusions or something imaginary.
So you should not pay any attention to the whispers
of the Shaytaan that make you think that he has done
this and that you can control it. This is one of the ways
in which the Shaytaan deceives the Muslim and makes
him think that he can control him, and that he has powers
that in fact he does not possess. This may lead to
bad consequences as has happened to many people.
You have to keep on treating yourself with ruqyah,
for the Book of your Lord is available to you. Recite from
it and treat yourself with ruqyah. Whether you are
possessed or not, you will undoubtedly benefit from this
reading and ruqyah.
For more information please see question no.
3476.
If you go to someone who is known for using ruqyah
as prescribed in sharee'ah and is also righteous and
keeps away from deviance and myths, there is nothing
wrong with that and it may be a means of your being
healed from this problem.
You have to seek the help of Allaah and pray to Him
and beseech Him to prevent the plots of the devils
among mankind and the jinn from harming you. Man is
always in need of his Lord, and Allaah is Able to rid you of
these thoughts, illusions and facts that are harming you.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
After a lot of thinking I began to question the
Shaytaan's character. This question might tend to limits, but I
was wondering why, if he knows his final destination is
Hell, does he strive to do evil? -As he is, afterall, one
among the Jinns. Humans divert to evil under the influence
of the Shaytaan, but under what influence does the
Shaytaan do evil? Why? -Does he not know, with firm
confirmation (as he has communicated with Allah) that he is fuel
for Hell? As he is a Jinn, does not he, like Humans, have
the freedom of choice?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah. Iblees and other jinn, and
humans, have free will and freedom of choice, to obey Allaah
or to disobey Him, as Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"Then whosoever wills, let him believe; and
whosoever wills, let him disbelieve"
[al-Kahf 18:29]
"Verily, We showed him the way, whether he be
grateful or ungrateful"
[al-Insaan 76:3]
Allaah commanded Iblees to prostrate to Adam, but
he refused and was arrogant, and was one of the kaafirs.
So Allaah expelled him from His mercy, and cursed him
until the Day of Judgement.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And (remember) when We said to the angels:
`Prostrate yourselves before Adam.' And they prostrated
except Iblees (Satan), he refused and was proud and was one
of the disbelievers (disobedient to Allaah)"
[al-Baqarah 2:34]
"So the angels prostrated themselves, all of them together.
Except Iblees (Satan) — he refused to be among
the prostrators.
(Allaah) said: `O Iblees (Satan)! What is your reason
for not being among the prostrators?'
[Iblees (Satan)] said: `I am not the one to prostrate
myself to a human being, whom You created from
dried (sounding) clay of altered mud.'
(Allaah) said: `Then, get out from here, for verily,
you are Rajeem (an outcast or a cursed one).
And verily, the curse shall be upon you till the Day
of Recompense (i.e. the Day of
Resurrection)." [al-Hijr 15:30-35]
Then Iblees asked for a respite until the Day
of Resurrection, and Allaah granted him that.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"[Iblees (Satan)] said: `O my Lord! Give me then
respite till the Day they (the dead) will be resurrected.'
Allaah said: `Then verily, you are of those reprieved,
Till the Day of the time appointed'"
[al-Hijr 15:36-38]
When Iblees was certain that he is one of those who
are doomed, as well as his being arrogant and being
ungrateful to his Lord, he resolved to mislead whomever he
could of the slaves of Allaah, so that they would be with him
in Hell.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"[Iblees (Satan)] said: `O my Lord! Because You
misled me, I shall indeed adorn the path of error for
them (mankind) on the earth, and I shall mislead them all.
Except Your chosen, (guided) slaves among them.'"
[al-Hijr 15:39, 40]
He is eager to mislead and corrupt, so as to increase
the numbers of his followers and worshippers among
the doomed who will share his fate.
Iblees knows that his destination is the Fire, and he
hopes to take everyone else with him to Hell, out of envy,
hatred, kufr and stubbornness.
He hates mankind, who are the children of Adam
(peace be upon him), and he is hostile towards them because
he is cursed and has been banished from the mercy of
Allaah because of his refusal to prostrate to their father
Adam. Hence Allaah has warned His slaves against him and
has said:
"Surely, Shaytaan (Satan) is an enemy to you, so
take (treat) him as an enemy. He only invites his
Hizb (followers) that they may become the dwellers of
the blazing Fire"
[Faatir 35:6]
Iblees does not need anyone to whisper to him,
because he is the source of all evil.
The believer can be saved from his plots and traps
by obeying his Lord and adhering to His religion, for
the Shaytaan has no power over those who believe, as
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"So when you want to recite the Qur'aan, seek
refuge with Allaah from Shaytaan (Satan), the outcast (the
cursed one).
Verily, he has no power over those who believe and
put their trust only in their Lord (Allaah).
His power is only over those who obey and follow
him (Satan), and those who join partners with Him
(Allaah, i.e. those who are Mushrikoon, i.e., polytheists)"
[al-Nahl 16:98-100]
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
(www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
We know that in Ramadaan the devils (we seek
refuge with Allaah from them) are chained up. And I would
like to know whether the practitioners of sihr
(magic, witchcraft) _ may the curse of Allaah be upon them
_ practise their craft in this month?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Yes, the devils may whisper to man in Ramadaan,
and the practitioners of witchcraft may practise their
craft during Ramadaan, but that undoubtedly happens to
a lesser extent than at times other than Ramadaan.
It was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "When Ramadaan begins,
the gates of Paradise are opened, and the gates of Hell
are closed, and the devils are chained up." Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 3277; Muslim, 1079. According to
al-Nasaa'i: "The most evil jinn are chained up."
This does not mean that the devils have no influence
at all, rather it indicates that they become weaker
in Ramadaan and are not able to do what they are able to
do at times other than Ramadaan.
It may be interpreted as meaning that the ones who
are chained up are the most evil devils, not all of them.
Al-Qurtubi said: If it is said, how come we see many
evil actions and sins being committed in Ramadaan, for if
the devils were chained up, that would not happen?
The answer is that (evil actions) are reduced on the
part of those who fast meeting all the conditions of
fasting and paying attention to the etiquette of fasting.
Or some of the devils _ namely the most evil ones _
are chained up, not all of them, as previously mentioned
in some reports.
Or it may mean that evil actions are reduced in
Ramadaan, which is something that we can see. Even though
evil actions happen in Ramadaan, they are less than at
other times. Even if all of the devils were to be chained up,
that does not mean that no evil action would happen,
because there are other causes of evil action besides the
devils, such as evil souls, bad habits and the human devils.
From Fath al-Baari.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
My friend told me that iblis (shaitan) used to be an
angel. My wife says that this is not true. Could you please
give me some information.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Iblees was definitely not one of the angels. This
is indicated by three things: the clear texts of the
Qur'aan, the physical attributes of Iblees and the attitude of Iblees.
1 _ With regard to the clear statements of the
Qur'aan, Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And (remember) when We said to the angels:
`Prostrate yourselves unto Adam.' So they prostrated
themselves except Iblees (Satan). He was one of the jinn"
[al-Kahf 18:50]
Al-Hasan al-Basri said: Iblees was never one of the
angels, not even for an instant. He is the father of the jinn, just
as Adam (peace be upon him) is the father of mankind.
This was narrated by al-Tabari with a saheeh isnaad
as stated by Ibn Katheer in his Tafseer, 3/89.
2 _ With regard to his physical attributes, Allaah
stated that He created him from fire. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"He created man (Adam) from sounding clay like the
clay of pottery.
And the jinn He created from a smokeless flame of fire"
[al-Rahmaan 55:14, 15]
and it was narrated in Saheeh Muslim (2996) from
the hadeeth of `Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with
her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "The angels were created from light, the
jinn were created from smokeless fire, and Adam was
created from that which has been described to you."
So it is clear that there is a difference between the
physical nature of the angels and that of Iblees, and he is
definitely not one of them.
3 _ With regard to his attitude, Iblees disobeyed
Allaah by not prostrating to Adam, but we know from the
Qur'aan that it is impossible for the angels to disobey
Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"…angels stern (and) severe, who disobey not,
(from executing) the Commands they receive from Allaah,
but do that which they are commanded"
[al-Tahreem 66:6]
Some reports which are not saheeh have been
narrated from some of the salaf, suggesting that Iblees was
the best of the angels, that he was one of the keepers
of Paradise, etc. Imaam Ibn Katheer commented on that
by saying:
Many reports to that effect have been narrated from
the salaf, but most of them come from the
Isra'eeliyyaat (reports narrated from Jewish sources) which
were narrated to be examined. Allaah knows best about
the true status of many of them. There are some which
can be rejected out of hand because they go against the
truth that we have before us. In the Qur'aan there is
sufficient information that we have no need of earlier
reports, because hardly any of them are free from
alterations, additions and subtractions, and many things have
been fabricated in them. The earlier nations did not
have scholars to examine these reports and eliminate
those which are not sound, as this ummah has its imams
and scholars who have great knowledge and are pious
and righteous, who wrote down the hadeeth and examined
it and showed what is sound and what is not, and what
is fabricated, identifying the fabricators, liars and
those narrators who were unknown, and other Islam & Muslims
of narrators. All of that was to protect the status of
the Prophet, the Seal of the Prophets and the leader
of mankind (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), lest any lie be attributed to him and lest anything
be attributed to him that he did not say or do. May Allaah
be pleased with them and make them please and make
the Paradise of al-Firdaws their abode.
Tafseer al-Qur'aan il-`Azeem, 3/90.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
My husband has told me that in his country, many
people including shiekhs have gone to talk with the jinn. He
told me that when someone has an ailment they go to the
jinn for help. I have told my husband that I believe that this
is Haraam, but he says that it is halaal because the
shiekhs do that. Could you please give me some evidence
(daleel) about this matter?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
1 _ Seeking the help of the jinn or turning to them
to fulfil one's desires to cause harm or bring benefit is
shirk or associating others in worship with Allaah, because
it is a kind of mutual benefitting whereby the jinni
responds to the human's requests and fulfils his needs in return
for the human's veneration of the jinni, turning to him
and asking for his help to do what he wants.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings):
"And on the Day when He will gather them (all)
together (and say): `O you assembly of jinn! Many did you
mislead of men,' and their Awliyaa' (friends and helpers)
amongst men will say: `Our Lord! We benefited one from the
other, but now we have reached our appointed term which
You did appoint for us.' He will say: `The Fire be your
dwelling place, you will dwell therein forever, except as
Allaah may will. Certainly your Lord is AllWise, AllKnowing.'
And thus We do make the Zaalimoon (polytheists
and wrongdoers) Awliyaa' (supporters and helpers) of
one another (in committing crimes), because of that
which they used to earn"
[al-An'aam 6:128]
"And verily, there were men among mankind who
took shelter with the males among the jinn, but they
(jinn) increased them (mankind) in sin and transgression"
[al-Jinn 72:6]
If a human seeks the help of a jinni to cause harm
to another person, or seeks his help for protection from
the evil of a person whose evil he fears, all of that is shirk.
Whoever is like this, his prayer and his fasting are
both invalid, because Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"If you join others in worship with Allaah, (then)
surely, (all) your deeds will be in vain, and you will certainly
be among the losers"
[al-Zumar 39:65]
If a person is known for that, then the funeral prayer
is not to be offered for him if he dies, his funeral is not to
be attended, and he is not to be buried in the
Muslim graveyard.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 1/407, 408
2 _ The Standing Committee was asked a similar
question, which said:
I would like to inform you that in Zambia there is a
Muslim men who claims that he has jinn with him, and the
people go to him and ask him to heal their diseases, and this
jinn prescribes medicine for them. Is that permissible?
The answer is:
It is not permissible for that man to use the services
of the jinn, and it is not permissible for the people to go
to him, seeking treatment for their diseases through
advice from the jinn, or to fulfil any needs in this manner.
Treating disease by means of human doctors and by
using permissible medicines means that there is no need
for that. This should be enough to free us from the control
of these charlatans.
It was narrated in a saheeh hadeeth that the
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him
about something, his prayers will not be accepted for forty
days." (Narrated by Muslim)
The four authors of al-Sunan, and al-Haakim in a
saheeh hadeeth, narrated that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever goes to
a fortuneteller and believes what he said has disbelieved
in that which was revealed to Muhammad."
This man and his companions from among the jinn are
to be regarded as fortunetellers and soothsayers. It is
not permissible to ask them anything or to believe them.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah, 1/408, 409).
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
(www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
We need to make da'wah, but one of us is focusing
on treating those who are affected by the jinn.
Is it permissible to neglect da'wah in order to do this
deed? How should those who are affected by evil whispers
from the jinn be treated? Is it permissible to accept
payment for this reading?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn `Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked this question and he said:
Calling people to Allaah (da'wah) is a communal obligation (fard kafaayah); if sufficient people
undertake to do it, the rest are then absolved of the obligation. If
a person finds that he has to do it and no one else can
take his place, then it takes priority over reading Qur'aan
over one who is affected by the jinn. That is because the
results of da'wah are certain whereas the results of
reading Qur'aan over one who is affected by the jinn may not
be certain. How many people have had Qur'aan recited
over them and have not benefited.
So if this man realizes that he has to do da'wah and
no one else can take his place, then he must do da'wah
even if that means he does not recite Qur'aan over one who
is affected the jinn.
But if it is the matter of fard kafaayah, then you
should look and decide what is in people's best interests. If it
is possible to combine the two _ which seems to be the
case _ by devoting a day for one and day for the other
whilst continuing to engage in da'wah, that is better, so that
he may benefit his Muslim brothers who are suffering
from this affliction and so that the work of calling people
to Allaah may continue at the same time.
With regard to the correct treatment of those who
are affected by the jinn, that varies from one case to
another, but the best is to recite Qur'aan over the person, such
as the words (interpretation of the meaning):
"O assembly of jinn and men! If you have power to
pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, then
pass beyond (them)! But you will never be able to pass
them, except with authority (from Allaah)!
Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you
both (jinn and men) deny?
There will be sent against you both, smokeless flames
of fire and (molten) brass, and you will not be able to
defend yourselves.
Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you
both (jinn and men) deny?"
[al-Rahmaan 55:33-36]
Because this reminds them [the jinn] that they cannot
flee from Allaah. You should also recite
al-Mi'wadhatayn [the last two Soorahs of the Qur'aan] and
Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad [al-Ikhlaas 112] and
Aayat al-Kursiy [al-Baqarah 2:255]. You may also preach to them as Shaykh
al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah used to do, telling them, "It is haraam
for you to harm the Muslims or to beat them," etc.
With regard to accepting payment for that: if he does
not take money that is better, but if he takes it
without stipulating payment beforehand that is acceptable. If
those for whom he is reading do not carry out their
duties towards the reader and he insists that he will only
read for them if he is given something in return, there is
nothing wrong with that, as this is what the people of the
raiding party sent out by the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) did. It was narrated that Abu
Sa'eed (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "A group of
the companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) set out on a journey and traveled until
they stopped in (the land of) one of the Arab tribes. They
asked them for hospitality but they refused to welcome
them. The chief of that tribe was stung by a scorpion and
they tried everything but nothing helped them. Some of
them said, `Why don't you go to those people who are
camped (near us), maybe you will find something with them.'
So they went to them and said, `O people, our chief has
been stung by a scorpion and we have tried everything
but nothing helped him. Can any of you do anything?'
One of them said, `Yes, by Allaah, I will recite ruqyah for
him, but by Allaah we asked you for hospitality and you
did not welcome us, so I will not recite ruqyah for you
until you give us something in return.' Then they agreed
upon a flock of sheep.' Then he went and spat drily and
recited over him Al-hamdu Lillaahi Rabb
il-`Aalameen [Soorat al-Faatihah]. (The chief) got up as if he was released
from a chain and started walking, and there were no signs
of sickness on him. They paid them what they agreed to
pay. Some of them (i.e. the companions) then suggested
to divide their earnings among themselves, but the one
who performed the ruqyah said, `Do not divide them until
we go to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) and tell him what happened, then wait and see
what he tells us to do.' So they went to the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and told
him what had happened. The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked, `How did
you know that it (al-Faatihah) is a ruqyah?' Then he
added, `You have done the right thing. Share out (the flock
of sheep) and give me a share too.' And the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) smiled."
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2276; Muslim, 2201)
See Liqa' al-Baab al-Maftooh, 44. (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Since epilepsy is caused by jinn, how do we explain
the black woman who came to the Prophet (saaws)
asking for him to invoke Allah for her cure of her illness
of epilepsy and coming uncovered, but there was no
mention of jinn possession? Or is there a mistake in
translation and it wasn't really epilepsy?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Epilepsy in most cases is caused by the jinn, and in
some cases by some defect in the body, brain or nerves, or
mood swings, or some weakness in the physical structure.
All of these may cause loss of consciousness or
unbalanced behaviour. The black woman's epilepsy may have
been caused by the jinn, but there was no need to mention
the cause, which is why the narrators only mentioned
what needs to be done when epilepsy occurs, for
whatever reason, of making du'aa' and performing ruqyah,
or bearing it with patience and seeking the reward
from Allaah.
Shaykh `Abd al-Kareem al-Khudayr
The hadeeth about the black woman is narrated in
Saheeh al-Bukhaari (5652) and Saheeh
Muslim (2576). In some versions of the hadeeth there is an indication that
her epilepsy was caused by the jinn. For example, in a
version narrated by al-Bazzaar, she said, "I am afraid that the
evil one may cause me to become uncovered." Al-Haafiz
Ibn Hajar said: "It may be understood from some of
the different versions of the hadeeth that what Umm
Zafar was suffering from was the kind of epilepsy caused
by the jinn and not that which results from dysfunction
in the brain."
Fath al-Baari, hadeeth no. 5652.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Is there anything in Islam that is called the Qareen? I
would like to know whether I have a Qareen. What does
Islam say about this, or does it not exist at all?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah. Yes, there is something which
is called the qareen, which Allaah has caused to
accompany every human being. This qareen pushes a person to
do evil things and to disobey Allaah, with the exception
of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), as will be explained below.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"His companion (qareen) will say: `Our Lord! I did
not push him to transgression, (in disbelief, oppression,
and evil deeds), but he was himself in error far astray.'
Allaah will say: `Dispute not in front of Me, I had
already in advance sent you the threat.
The Sentence that comes from Me cannot be
changed, and I am not unjust to the slaves'"
[Qaaf 50:27-29]
Ibn Katheer said: " `His companion (qareen) will
say' _ Ibn `Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him),
Mujaahid, Qutaadah and others said: this refers to the devil who
is appointed to accompany him. `Our Lord! I did not
push him to transgression' means, he will disown that
person on the Day of Judgement, and will say, `Our Lord! I
did not push him to transgression' meaning, I did not
lead him astray.
`but he was himself in error far astray' means, he
was misguided in himself, receptive to falsehood and
resistant to the truth _ as Allaah says elsewhere (interpretation
of the meaning):
`And Shaytaan (Satan) will say when the matter has
been decided: "Verily, Allaah promised you a promise of
truth. And I too promised you, but I betrayed you. I had
no authority over you except that I called you, and
you responded to me. So blame me not, but blame
yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me. I deny your
former act in associating me (Satan) as a partner with
Allaah (by obeying me in the life of the world). Verily, there is
a painful torment for the Zaalimoon (polytheists
and wrongdoers)."'
[Ibraaheem 14:22]
The phrase `Dispute not in front of Me' refers to
what Allaah will say to the human and his companion
from among the jinn, when they dispute before Him, and
the human says, `O Lord, this one led me astray from
the Reminder after it had come to me' and the devil will
say, `Our Lord! I did not push him to transgression,
(in disbelief, oppression, and evil deeds), but he was
himself in error far astray' _ i.e., from the path of truth.
Allaah will say, `Dispute not in front of
Me' meaning, in My presence. `I had already in advance sent you
the threat' means, I sent the warning on the lips of
the Messengers, and I sent down the Books, so proof
and evidence was established against you.
`The Sentence that comes from Me cannot be
changed' _ Mujaahid said, this means I have passed My judgement.
`and I am not unjust to the slaves' means, I do not
punish anyone for the sin of another, and I only punish a
person for his sin after proof has been established against him."
Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 4/227
It was narrated that `Abd-Allaah ibn Mas'ood said:
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: "There is no one among you but
a companion from among the jinn has been assigned
to him." They said, "Even you, O Messenger of
Allaah?' He said, "Even me, but Allaah helped me with him
and he became Muslim (or: and I am safe from him), so
he only enjoins me to do that which is good."
According to another report, "… There is assigned to
him a companion from among the jinn and a companion
from among the angels."
Narrated by Muslim, 2814
Al-Nawawi included this in a chapter which he
called: Baab Tahreesh al-Shaytaan wa Ba'thihi Saraayaahu
li Fitnat il-Naas wa anna ma'a kulli insaanin
Qareen (Chapter on the evil of the Shaytaan and his sending
his troops to tempt the people, and the fact that there is
a jinn-companion with every human being).
Al-Nawawi said:
"Fa aslamu (and I am safe from him) or
fa aslama (and he became Muslim). These are two well known
versions. One means `and I am safe from his evil and
his temptation.' The other means that `the qareen
became Muslim and became a believer, so he does not tell me
to do anything but good'.
There was some scholarly dispute as to the form of
the word. Al-Khattaabi said that the word was Fa
aslamu (and I am safe from him); al-Qaadi `Iyaad said that it
was fa aslama (and he became Muslim), which is more
correct, because the hadeeth says, `so he only enjoins me to
do that which is good'.
They also disputed as to the meaning of the word
fa aslama. Some said that it meant that he (the
qareen) submitted and surrendered, as it was narrated
elsewhere than in Saheeh Muslim, fa astaslama
[he gave up and surrendered]. It was also suggested that it means that
he became a Muslim and a believer. The latter is the
apparent meaning. Al-Qaadi said: Note that the ummah
is unanimously agreed that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) was protected from the
Shaytaan in physically, mentally and with regard what he said.
This hadeeth contains a warning against the temptation of
the qareen and his whispers and temptations. We know
that he is with us so we should beware of him as much
as possible.
Sharh Muslim, 17/157, 158
It was narrated from `Abd-Allaah ibn `Umar that
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: "If anyone of you is praying, he
should not let anyone pass in front of him; if that person
insists then he should fight him for there is a qareen with him."
Narrated by Muslim, 506.
Al-Shawkaani said:
"The phrase `for there is a qareen with
him'—according to al-Qaamoos [an Arabic-language dictionary] the
word qareen refers to a companion; the Shaytaan
always accompanies man and never leaves him. This is what
is referred to here."
Nayl al-Awtaar, 3/7
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Can the disbelievers give you evil eye?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Yes, the evil eye may be given by a kaafir. The
evidence for that is the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
"And verily, those who disbelieve would almost
make you slip with their eyes (through hatred) when they
hear the Reminder (the Qur'aan)…"
[al-Qalam 68:51]
Al-Saddi said: "[This means] they would harm you
with their eyes (evil eye)." Tafseer
al-Baghawi, 8/202.
This is also indicated by the general meaning of the
words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him): "The (evil) eye is real." Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 5740; Muslim, 2187.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
I read one question about someone having trouble
while making wudoo .I have similar problem, or even
worst. When ever I want to pray I feel gas coming out of me,
if I go to toilet for urine I spend more than 30 min but
urine and other liquid keep on coming from my private
part during salaat I have excessive desire to go to toilet, I
have to repeat my ablution again and again this situation
is really embarrassing me, it makes salaat very difficult
for me and this really had affect my faith. I am sure is not
a kind of illness because I have seen many doctors but
no improvement, and also this problem comes only when
I want to pray.
Some people said it could be a jinn which has entered
my body.
Please tell me how can I do my salaat easily, can I
pray more than one salaat with the same wudoo even
when these things are coming out of me. If this is cause by
Jinn how can I get ride of it?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Urinary incontinence and similar conditions where
liquid etc, is passed involuntarily and one cannot control
it, should not be given any attention, rather the person
should pray according to his situation, even if that liquid etc.
is emitted during prayer, because it is too difficult to
avoid it. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship"
[al-Hajj 22:78]
But if he fears that his body or clothes may
become contaminated, he should wrap it (i.e. the private part)
with a cloth or similar, and pray after doing wudoo', and
he should not pay attention to anything that comes out
that he cannot control. This is an ordinary kind of
sickness, which is very common, and it is not caused by the
jinn. Tahaarah (purity) is essential so you have to renew it
(i.e., renew wudoo') for each obligatory prayer.
Shaykh `Abd al-Kareem al-Khudayr (www.islam-qa.com)
20177: How was the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) bewitched?
Question:
How was the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) bewitched, when Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Allaah will protect you from mankind"
[al-Maa'idah 5:67]? How could he have been bewitched when he
was receiving Revelation from His Lord and conveying
that to the Muslims? How could he convey it if he
was bewitched, and the kaafirs and mushrikeen said:
"You follow none but a man bewitched"[al-Furqaan
25:8 _ interpretation of the meaning]
We hope that you could explain this and clear up
these doubts.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
It was proven in a saheeh hadeeth that this witchcraft
took place in Madeenah, when the Revelation and the
Message had become well-established and clear, and after
the evidence of Prophethood and the truthfulness of
the Message had been confirmed, and after Allaah
had supported His Prophet against the mushrikeen
and humiliated them. Then a Jewish person called Labeed
ibn al-A'sam came to him and did some kind of
witchcraft against him, using a comb and the hairs stuck to it
and the skin of pollen of a male date palm. He _ the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) _ started
to imagine that he had done something with his wife
when he had not done it, but his reason, feelings and ability
to distinguish matters remained with him with regard to
the things he was telling the people, praise be to Allaah.
So he continued to speak to the people of the truth
which Allaah had revealed to Him. But he felt that
something was affecting him with regard to his wives, as
`Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: "He used
to imagine that he had done something in the house with
his wife when he had not done it. So Revelation came to
him from his Lord via Jibreel (peace be upon him),
telling him what had happened. So he sent someone to take
that thing [the material used for witchcraft purposes] out
of the well of one of the Ansaar, and he destroyed it."
Then the effects of that left him, praise be to Allaah, and
Allaah revealed to him the two soorahs of seeking refuge
with Allaah (al-Mi'wadhatayn, the last two soorahs of
the Qur'aan). He recited them and all harm left him.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Those who seek refuge can never seek refuge
with anything like them." Nothing resulted from this
witchcraft that could have harmed the people or undermined
the Message or Revelation. Allaah protected him from
the people with regard to the matter of receiving
and conveying the Message.
But with regard to the kinds of harm that befell
the Messengers, he (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) was not protected from them, rather some such
things befell him too. He was wounded on the day of Uhud,
and his helmet was smashed on his head and his cheek
was cut, some of the rings from his chain mail pierced
his cheeks, he fell in one of the holes that were there,
and they subjected him to intense persecution in Makkah.
He suffered some of the things that the Messengers
before him had suffered, and that were decreed for him, by
means of which Allaah raised him in status and multiplied
his hasanaat (reward for good deeds). But Allaah
protected him from them, so that they were not able to kill him
or to prevent him from conveying the Message; they
were not able to prevent him from fulfilling his obligation
to convey the Message, so he conveyed it and fulfilled
the mission with which he had been entrusted. May the
peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him, and praise be
to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds.
See Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah
li Samaahat al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, may Allaah have
mercy on him, 8/149.
(www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
What are the prescribed means of warding off sihr
before it happens?.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Among the most important means of warding off
the danger of sihr before it happens is seeking
protection through the adhkaar (dhikr) prescribed in Islam,
making du'aa' and reciting prayers seeking refuge that
were narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him). These include:
1 _ Reciting Aayat al-Kursiy [al-Baqarah 2:255]
after every prescribed prayer, after reciting the adhkaar
which are prescribed after the salaam.
2 _ Reciting Aayat al-Kursiy when going to sleep. This
is the greatest aayah in the Qur'aan, in which Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Allaah! Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to
be worshipped but He), Al-Hayyul-Qayyum (the Ever
Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists).
Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him
belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the
earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with
His Permission? He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them
in the Hereafter. And they will never compass anything
of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His
Kursiy extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels
no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is
the Most High, the Most Great"
[al-Baqarah 2:255]
3 _ Reciting "Qul huwa Allaahu ahad",
"Qul a'oodhu bi Rabb il-Falaq" and
"Qul a'oodhu bi Rabb il-Naas"
[i.e., the last three soorahs of the Qur'aan] following
every prescribed prayer, and reciting these three soorahs
(three times) at the beginning of the day after Fajr prayer, and
at the beginning of the night after Maghrib prayer.
4 _ Reciting the last two aayahs of Soorat al-Baqarah
at the beginning of the night. These are the aayahs in
which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"The Messenger (Muhammad) believes in what has
been sent down to him from his Lord, and (so do) the
believers. Each one believes in Allaah, His Angels, His Books,
and His Messengers. (They say,) `We make no
distinction between one another of His Messengers' — and they
say, `We hear, and we obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness,
our Lord, and to You is the return (of all).'
Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope. He
gets reward for that (good) which he has earned, and he
is punished for that (evil) which he has earned. `Our
Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error, our Lord!
Lay not on us a burden like that which You did lay on
those before us (Jews and Christians); our Lord! Put not on
us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Pardon
us and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are
our Mawlaa (Patron, Supporter and Protector) and give
us victory over the disbelieving people"
[al-Baqarah 2:285-285]
And it was narrated in a saheeh report that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Whoever recites Aayat al-Kursiy at night will
have ongoing protection from Allaah and no devil will
come near him until morning comes." And it was also
narrated in a saheeh report that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Whoever recites the last two aayahs of Soorat al-Baqarah at
night, that will suffice him." The meaning _ and Allaah
knows best _ is that that will be sufficient protection for
him against all evil.
5 _ Seeking refuge in the perfect words of Allaah
from the evil of that which He has created, night and day
and when stopping to rest anywhere, be it in the city, in
the desert, in the air or on the sea. The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever
stops to rest and says, `A'oodhu bi kalimaat Allaah
il-taammah min sharri ma khalaq (I seek refuge in the perfect
words of Allaah from the evil of that which He has
created),' nothing will harm him until he moves on from that place."
6 _ The Muslim should say at the beginning of the
day and the beginning of the night (three times):
"Bismillaah alladhi laa yadurr ma'a ismihi shay'un fi'l-ardi wa
laa fi'l-samaa'i wa huwa al-samee' al-`aleem (In the
name of Allaah with Whose name nothing on earth or in
heaven can cause harm, and He is the All-Hearing,
All-Knowing)." According to saheeh reports, the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) urged us to recite this, and this is a means of keeping
safe from all evil.
These adhkaar and prayers for refuge are among
the greatest means of warding off the evil of sihr
(witchcraft) and other evils, for the one who recites them
regularly with sincerity and faith, putting his trust in Allaah
and depending upon Him, and being content with that.
They are also some of the most effective weapons
for warding off sihr after it has happened, along with
humbly beseeching Allaah constantly and asking Him to
remove the harm and relieve the distress. Among the du'aa's
which have been narrated from the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) to treat diseases such as sihr
and other things is the ruqyah by means of which he
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to treat
his companions: "Allaahumma Rabb al-naas, adhhib
il-ba's, washfi anta al-Shaafi laa shifaa'a illa shifaa'uka
shifaa'an laa yughaadir saqaman (O Allaah, Lord of
mankind, remove the harm and heal him, for You are the
Healer and there is no healing except Your healing, with a
healing which does not leave any disease behind)." There is
also the ruqyah by means of which Jibreel treated the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):
"Bismillaah urqeeka min kulli shay'in yu'dheeka, wa min sharri
kulli nafsin aw `aynin haasid Allaah yashfeek,
bismillaah urqeek (In the name of Allaah I perform ruqyah for
you, from every thing that is harming you, from the evil
of every soul or envious eye may Allaah heal you, in
the name of Allaah I perform ruqyah for you)." This
should be repeated three times. And Allaah knows best.
Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat al-Shaykh `Abd al-`Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), vol.
8 (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
How can we known the sorcerers and charlatans, and
those who use the Qur'aan as a remedy? Is it permissible to
ask the Muslim jinn for help? Could you send me some
of the du'aa's that are narrated from the Prophet for the
one who is suffering poverty or who is finding it hard to
make a living? Can you tell me about the magic which
causes poverty, and is it possible to avoid it and rid oneself of it?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah. The sorcerer and charlatan may
be recognized by a number of things, among the
most important of which is: his claim to know the unseen;
even if he does not state that clearly, you will find that he
speaks of matters of the unseen which may all be lies
and falsehood. Some of what he says may come true but
most of it will be lies, but the lies will be overlooked
because of the few things that come true. Similarly, there will be
a lack of righteousness, for you will not find them to
be keen to worship. They are often exposed, especially
in their lies, and in matters that have to do with women.
It often comes to light that they have committed
haraam actions involving women, such as being alone with
them, or touching women using the excuse of healing.
Shaykh Sa'd al-Humayd.
Another sign of the fortunetellers, sorcerers
and soothsayers is that they will ask for the name of the
person who has come to them; they often use bukhoor
(incense) and strange materials; they may write Qur'aan
with impure substances and menstrual blood; they may ask
a person to offer a sacrifice to someone other than
Allaah; they use large rings; they may not do ghusl after
janaabah (impurity following sexual activity); they may
mutter strange and mysterious words; they may use secret
signs and charms; they may pretend to recite Qur'aan in
the beginning to deceive the person who has come to them.
We ask Allaah to protect us from their tricks, for He
is the Best of protectors and the Most Merciful of those
who show mercy.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
I have divorced my wife and married another one, at
the time of intercourse I felt something strange like
black magic (siher) was done to me. I have consulted a
SHIKH and he gave me a strange prescription. My questions are:
why couldn't I have intercourse with my new wife ?
What is the ruling on that SHAIKH who is not using Quran
to cure people from black magic (siher) ? I need
your FATWA
jazakum Allah khyara
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The answer is: If your old wife admitted doing this or
it is definitely proven that she did it, then she has
committed a great evil, indeed it is kufr and misguidance,
because what she did was forbidden sihr (witchcraft or
magic), and the one who does that is a kaafir, as Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"They followed what the Shayaateen (devils) gave
out (falsely of the magic) in the lifetime of
Sulaymaan (Solomon). Sulaymaan did not disbelieve, but
the Shayaateen (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic
and such things that came down at Babylon to the two
angels, Haaroot and Maaroot, but neither of these two
(angels) taught anyone (such things) till they had said, `We
are for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this magic
from us).' And from these (angels) people learn that by
which they cause separation between man and his wife, but
they could not thus harm anyone except by Allaah's
Leave. And they learn that which harms them and profits
them not. And indeed they knew that the buyers of it
(magic) would have no share in the Hereafter. And how bad
indeed was that for which they sold their ownselves, if they
but knew" [al-Baqarah 2:102]
This aayah indicates that witchcraft is kufr and that
the one who practices it is a kaafir. Those who
practice witchcraft learn that which harms them and does
not benefit them. One of their aims is to separate man
and wife, and they will have chance before Allaah on the
Day of Resurrection _ i.e., they will have no hope of
salvation. According to a saheeh hadeeth narrated from
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him), he said, "Avoid the seven things which
will lead to doom." He was asked, "What are they,
O Messenger of Allaah?" He said: "Associating
anything with Allaah; witchcraft; killing a soul whom Allaah
has forbidden us to kill unlawfully; consuming riba
(usury, interest); consuming the orphan's wealth; fleeing
the battlefield; and slandering chaste but innocent
believing women."
With regard to the shaykh who gave you the remedy,
it appears that he is a practitioner of witchcraft like
the woman, because no one knows about actions of
witchcraft except others who do the same. He is also one of
the fortune-tellers and soothsayers who are known for
their claims to know many matters of the unseen. The
Muslim must beware of them and not believe their claims to
know the unseen, because the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever comes to a
fortune-teller and asks him about anything, his prayers will
not be accepted for forty days." (Narrated by Muslim in
his Saheeh). And the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever comes to a
fortune-teller or soothsayer and believes what he says has
disbelieved in that which was revealed to Muhammad (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him)." So you have to
repent and regret what you have done, and tell the head of
the organization and the head of the court about this
shaykh and your old wife, so that the court and organization
will take action to deter them. If something like this
happens to you again then ask the scholars of sharee'ah to tell
you of the remedy prescribed in sharee'ah. If what
happened to you has now gone, then praise be to Allaah,
otherwise let us know so that we can tell you of the
remedy prescribed in sharee'ah. May Allaah bless you and us
with understanding of Islam and steadfastness in our
religion, and may He keep us safe from that which goes against
it, for He is the Most Generous, Most Kind.
And peace be upon you and the mercy of Allaah and
His blessings.
Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-`Allaamah `Abd al-`Azeez
ibn `Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on
him), vol 4, p. 431 (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
What is the correct ruling on one who practices magic
or witchcraft?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Magic in all its forms in haraam according to all
divinely-revealed laws, and there is scholarly consensus that
magic and learning magic are haraam.
Magic goes against that which the Messengers
brought and it opposes the purpose for which the Books
were revealed.
Most of the scholars were of the view that the one
who practices magic is a kaafir whom the authorities
are obliged to execute.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Sulaymaan did not disbelieve, but the
Shayaateen (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic…"
[al-Baqarah 2:102]
"but neither of these two (angels) taught anyone
(such things) till they had said, `We are for trial, so
disbelieve not (by learning this magic from us)'" [al-Baqarah
2:102]
This proves that that magic is kufr
Most of the Shaafa'i fuqahaa' were of the view that
the one who practices magic is not a kaafir unless he
believes that magic is permitted or he believes something like
the people of Babylon believed, that practicing magic
would bring them closer to the seven stars [which they used
to worship].
This is subject to further debate; there is no evidence
to suggest that (describing the one who practices magic as
a kaafir) is conditional upon his believing that to
be permissible.
The correct view is that the one who practices magic is
a kaafir, whether he believes it to be haraam or not.
Simply doing magic is kufr. This is the apparent meaning of
the evidence, and there are no other texts to contradict this.
Once it is proven that a person is guilty of
practicing magic, then he must be killed. This was proven from
a group of the Sahaabah, but it is not for individuals
to carry out this hadd punishment without the command
of the ruler or his deputy, because carrying out the
hadd punishments without the authority of the ruler may
lead to mischief, and destroy any sense of security in
the society, and undermine the position of the ruler.
Shaykh Sulaymaan al-`Alwaan (www.islam-qa.com)
13378: The jinn
Question:
Who are the jinn? How did Allaah create them?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The jinn are part of the creation of Allaah. He
created them from fire before He created Adam, as Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And indeed, We created man from dried (sounding)
clay of altered mud.
And the jinn, We created aforetime from the
smokeless flame of fire"
[al-Hijr 15:26-27]
Just as Adam had descendents, so Iblees had
descendents too, as Allaah says of Iblees (interpretation of
the meaning):
"Will you then take him (Iblees) and his offspring
as protectors and helpers rather than Me while they
are enemies to you? What an evil is the exchange for
the Zaalimoon (polytheists, and wrongdoers, etc)"
[al-Kahf 18:50]
Allaah created the jinn and mankind to worship
Him. Whoever obeys Him will enter Paradise and
whoever disobeys Him will enter Hell:
"And I (Allaah) created not the jinn and mankind
except that they should worship Me (Alone).
I seek not any provision from them (i.e. provision
for themselves or for My creatures) nor do I ask that
they should feed Me (i.e. feed themselves or My creatures).
Verily, Allaah is the All Provider, Owner of Power,
the Most Strong"
[al-Dhaariyaat 51:56 _ interpretation]
All of the jinn, like mankind, are accountable.
Among them there are believers and kaafirs, those who
obey Allaah and those who disobey Him, as Allaah tells
us that they said:
"`There are among us some that are righteous, and
some the contrary; we are groups having different
ways (religious sects)'"
[al-Jinn 72:11 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
The jinn will be rewarded or punished in the
Hereafter just like mankind. Allaah tells us that they said:
"`And of us some are Muslims (who have submitted
to Allaah, after listening to this Qur'aan), and of us
some are AlQaasitoon (disbelievers those who have
deviated from the Right Path)'. And whosoever has embraced
Islam (i.e. has become a Muslim by submitting to Allaah),
then such have sought the Right Path.'
And as for the Qaasitoon (disbelievers who deviated
from the Right Path), they shall be firewood for Hell"
[al-Jinn 72:14-15 _ interpretation of the meaning]
The jinn and mankind will all be brought to account
on the Day of Resurrection before the Lord of the
Worlds. None of them will be able to postpone that or flee from it.
"O assembly of jinn and men! If you have power to
pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, then
pass beyond (them)! But you will never be able to pass
them, except with authority (from Allaah)!"
[al-Rahmaan 55:33 _ interpretation of the meaning]
Whoever among the jinn or mankind tries to flee
from the Reckoning will never be able to do so, as Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"There will be sent against you both, smokeless
flames of fire and (molten) brass, and you will not be able
to defend yourselves
[al-Rahmaan 55:35]
When the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) was in Makkah, a group of the jinn came
to him; they heard the Qur'aan and were moved by it:
"And (remember) when We sent towards
you (Muhammad) a group (three to ten persons) of the
jinn, (quietly) listening to the Qur'aan. When they stood in
the presence thereof, they said: "Listen in silence!" And
when it was finished, they returned to their people, as warners"
[al-Ahqaaf 46:29 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
Some of the jinn believed when they heard the
Qur'aan, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say (O Muhammad): `It has been revealed to me that
a group (from three to ten in number) of jinn listened
(to this Qur'aan). They said: "Verily, we have heard
a wonderful Recitation (this Qur'aan)!
It guides to the Right Path, and we have believed
therein, and we shall never join (in worship) anything with
our Lord (Allaah)"'"
[al-Jinn 72:1-2]
Both Adam and Iblees fell into sin, but Adam regretted
it and repented, and Allaah accepted his repentance:
"Then Adam received from his Lord Words. And his
Lord pardoned him (accepted his repentance). Verily, He is
the One Who forgives (accepts repentance), the
Most Merciful"
[al-Baqarah 2:37 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
But Iblees refused and was arrogant, so he was one of
the disbelievers:
"And (remember) when We said to the angels:
`Prostrate yourselves before Adam.' And they prostrated
except Iblees (Satan), he refused and was proud and was one
of the disbelievers (disobedient to Allaah)"
[al-Baqarah 2:34 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
Whoever disobeys Allaah out of pride and
arrogance, among the jinn and mankind, is following the
Shaytaan and will be gathered with him in the Fire of Hell if
he does not repent, as Allaah said to Iblees:
"(Allaah) said: `The truth is — and the truth I say
That I will fill Hell with you [Iblees (Satan)] and those
of them (mankind) that follow you, together'"
[Saad 38:84-85 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
The friends of the Most Merciful (Allaah), among
the jinn and mankind, co-operate in righteousness and
piety, and the friends of the Shaytaan, among the jinn
and mankind, co-operate in sin and transgression. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And so We have appointed for every Prophet
enemies — Shayaateen (devils) among mankind and jinn,
inspiring one another with adorned speech as a delusion (or
by way of deception). If your Lord had so willed, they
would not have done it; so leave them alone with
their fabrications"
[al-An'aam 6:112]
The jinn used to have places near the heavens where
they would sit to eavesdrop (on the inhabitants of the
heavens), but when Allaah sent His Messenger Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) they were no
longer allowed to do that. Whoever among them tries to listen
is burned with a flaming fire, as Allaah tells us that the
jinn said:
" `And we have sought to reach the heaven; but found
it filled with stern guards and flaming fires.
And verily, we used to sit there in stations, to (steal)
a hearing, but any who listens now will find a flaming
fire watching him in ambush'" [al-Jinn 72:8-9
_ interpretation of the meaning]
The jinn are with us on this earth, but by the mercy
of Allaah they see us and we do not see them, as Allaah
says of Iblees and his tribe (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, he and Qabeeluhu (his soldiers from the jinn
or his tribe) see you from where you cannot see them"
[al-A'raaf 7:27]
Whoever can see you when you cannot see him, and he
is your enemy, is more dangerous. So you must
always beware of him and protect yourself from the devils
among the jinn and mankind.
From Usool al-Deen al-Islami, by Shaykh
Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem al-Tuwayjri. (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
I am having a problem with Jinn. I hve been able
to perceive Jinn in diferent ways all my life. I never
seemed to be bothered by this until recently. I saw a Jinn in
our apartment in the first days we moved in. Off and on
I would pick up on a little activity from this jinn or
even jinns like doors opening by themselves· seeing it·
hearing them ect... However· things seem to be changing a
lot. Now something is happening everyday and things
which are making me uncomfortable in my home to the
point where I do not want to live here anymore. The
Jinn(s) open doors· shout my name startling me out of
sleep· knock over objects· appear as a cat· are messing with
my computer and phones· I see it's shadows and even
more. It is very freaky. I am really not sure what to do about
this proble. I am hoping moving out of this house will
help the situation...? But in the mean time I have tried to
recite Al-Baqarah· Al-Iklas· Al-Falaq· An Nas and even play
a recording of the recitation in my house. The activity
stops when I do so but as soon as I stop the recording the
Jinn makes it presence known in some way or other (most
of the time). Sometimes· my recording will be shut off
and my cmputer reset in the middle of the
recitation...which apparently has happened too many times. Jinn even
appear to me in dreams very often. I do not know how to end
this situation but I wouls seriously appreciste answers
or suggestions soon.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The questioner is mistaken in saying that she has seen
a jinn, because the jinn can see but they cannot be seen
by us.
Al-Shaafa'i said:
"Whoever is of sound character and claims to have
seen the jinn, his testimony is no longer valid, because
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
`Verily, he and Qabeeluhu (his soldiers from the jinn
or his tribe) see you from where you cannot see them'
[al-A'raaf 7:27]
_ unless he is a Prophet."
(Ahkaam al-Qur'aan, 2/195, 196)
Ibn Hazm said:
"The jinn are real, and they are creatures created by
Allaah. Among them are kaafirs and believers. They can see
us but we cannot see them. They eat, have children and
die. Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings):
`O you assembly of jinn and Mankind!' [al-An'aam 6:130]
`And the jinn, We created aforetime from the
smokeless flame of fire' [al-Hijr 15:27]
`"And of us some are Muslims (who have submitted
to Allaah, after listening to this Qur'aan), and of us
some are AlQaasitoon (disbelievers those who have
deviated from the Right Path)'. And whosoever has embraced
Islam (i.e. has become a Muslim by submitting to Allaah),
then such have sought the Right Path.
And as for the Qaasitoon (disbelievers who deviated
from the Right Path), they shall be firewood for
Hell"'[al-Jinn 72:14-15]
`Verily, he and Qabeeluhu (his soldiers from the jinn
or his tribe) see you from where you cannot see
them'[al-A'raaf 7:27]
`Will you then take him (Iblees) and his offspring
as protectors and helpers rather than Me'[al-Kahf
18:50]
`Whatsoever is on it (the earth) will
perish'[al-Rahmaan 55:26]
`Everyone shall taste death'[Aal `Imraan 3:185]."
(al-Muhallaa, 1/34/35)
Hence what the questioner has seen may be just
her imagination or an illusion, or it may be jinn appearing
in a form other than that with which Allaah has created them.
Secondly:
With regard to the jinn harming humans, this is proven
to happen and it does happen. Protection against that
is attained by reciting Qur'aan and adhkaar
(dhikr) prescribed in sharee'ah.
Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said:
"Undoubtedly the jinn can have a harmful effect
on humans, and they could even kill them. They may harm
a person by throwing stones at him, or by trying to
terrify him, and other things that are proven in the Sunnah
or indicated by real events. It was reported that
the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) gave permission to one of his Companions to go to
his wife during one of the military campaigns _ I think it
was the campaign of al-Khandaq _ as he was a young
man who had recently got married. When he reached his
house, he found his wife standing at the door, and he objected
to that. She said to him, `Go inside,' so he went inside
and found a snake curled up on the bed. He had a spear
with him, so he stabbed it with the spear until it died, and
at the same instant as the snake died the man also died.
It was not known which of them died first, the snake or
the man. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) heard of that, he forbade killing the
harmless kinds of snakes that are found in houses, apart from
those which are maimed or are streaked and malignant.
This indicates that the jinn may attack humans, and
that they may harm them, as is known from real-life
events. There are numerous reports which indicate that a
man may come to a deserted area, and a stone may be
thrown at him, but he does not see anybody, or he may hear
voices or a rustling sound like the rustling of trees, and
other things that may make him feel distressed and scared.
A jinn may also enter the body of a human, either
because of love or with the intention of harming him, or for
some other reason. This is indicated in the
aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
`Those who eat Ribaa will not stand (on the Day
of Resurrection) except like the standing of a person
beaten by Shaytaan (Satan) leading him to
insanity'[al-Baqarah 2:275]
In such cases, the jinn may speak from inside of
that person and address the one who is reading verses
from the Qur'aan over him; the reciter may take a promise
from the jinn never to come back, and other things
concerning which there are very many reports which are
widespread among the people.
So the protection which will prevent the evil of the
jinn is for a person to recite that which is narrated in the
Sunnah as being effective in providing protection, such as
Aayat al-Kurisy, for if a person recites Aayat al-Kursiy at
night, he will continue to have protection from Allaah, and
no shaytaan will come near him until morning. And
Allaah is the Protector.'"
(Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn `Uthaymeen,
1/287-288)
The Sunnah mentions adhkhaar (dhikr) by means of
which one may gain protection from the shayaateen
(devils). These include:
Seeking refuge with Allaah from the jinn:
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And if an evil whisper from Shaytaan (Satan) tries
to turn you away (O Muhammad) (from doing good),
then seek refuge in Allaah. Verily, He is the All Hearer, the
All Knower"[Fussilat 41:36]
"And if an evil whisper comes to you from
Shaytaan (Satan), then seek refuge with Allaah. Verily, He is
All-Hearer, All-Knower" [al-A'raaf
7:200]
It was narrated from Sulaymaan ibn Sard that two
men were trading insults in the presence of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon them), until the face
of one of them turned red. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "I know a word which, if
he were to say it, what he is suffering from would go
away: `A'oodhu Billaahi min al-Shaytaan il-rajeem (I seek
refuge with Allaah from the accursed Shaytaan).'"
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3108; Muslim,
2610)
2 _ Reciting al-Mi'wadhatayn (the last two Soorahs
of the Qur'aan, al-Falaq and al-Naas).
It was narrated that Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may
Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to
seek refuge with Allaah from the jinn and from the evil
eye until the Mi'wadhatayn were revealed, and when
they were revealed he started to recite them and not
anything else."
(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2058; he said it is hasan
ghareeb. Also narrated by al-Nasaa'i, 5494; Ibn Maajah, 3511.
The hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani (may
Allaah have mercy on him) in Saheeh al-Jaami', 4905).
3 _ Reciting Aayat al-Kursiy
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: "The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) put me in charge of guarding the zakaah of
Ramadaan. Someone came to me and started grabbing handfuls
of the food. I took hold of him and said, `I will take you
to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him).' He said, `I will teach you some words
by means of which Allaah will benefit you.' I said,
`What are they?' He said, `When you go to your bed, recite
this aayah (interpretation of the meaning): "Allaah! Laa
ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but
He), Al-Hayyul-Qayyoom (the Ever Living, the One
Who sustains and protects all that exists)…" [al-Baqarah
2:255] _ until he completed the aayah. Then Allaah will
appoint a guard for you who will stay with you and no
shaytaan (devil) will come near you until morning.' The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) asked me, `What did your prisoner do last night?' I
said, `O Messenger of Allaah, he taught me something,
and claimed that Allaah would benefit me by it.' He
said, `What was it?' I said, `He taught me to recite Aayat
al-Kursiy when I go to bed, and said that no shaytaan
would come near me until morning, and that Allaah
would appoint a guard for me who would stay with me.'
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said, `He told you the truth, although he is an inveterate
liar. That was the Shaytaan.'"
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3101)
4 _ Reciting Soorat al-Baqarah
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Do not make your houses like graves, for the
Shaytaan runs away from a house in which Soorat al-Baqarah
is recited."(Narrated by Muslim, 780)
5 _ The last verses of Soorat al-Baqarah
It was narrated that Abu Mas'ood al-Ansaari said:
"The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: `Whoever recites the last two verses
of Soorat al-Baqarah at night, that will suffice
him.'" (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4723; Muslim, 807)
It was narrated from al-Nu'maan ibn Basheer (may
Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah inscribed a
book two thousand years before He created the heavens
and the earth, from which the last two aayahs of Soorat
al-Baqarah were revealed. If they are recited for three
nights, no shaytaan (devil)will remain in the house).
(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2882. This hadeeth was
classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami',
1799).
6 _ Reciting "Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa
shareeka lah, lahu'l-mulk wa lahu'l-hamd wa huwa `ala
kulli shay'in qadeer (There is no god except Allaah Alone
with no partner or associate; His is the Sovereignty and His
is the praise, and He is Able to do all things)" one
hundred times.
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Whoever says "Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu
laa shareeka lah, lahu'l-mulk wa lahu'l-hamd wa huwa
`ala kulli shay'in qadeer" one hundred times in the day,
will have a reward equivalent to that of freeing ten
slaves, one hundred hasanahs (good deeds) will be recorded
for him, and one hundred sayi'ahs (bad deeds) will be
erased from his record, and it will be protection for him
from the Shaytaan for that day, until evening comes. No
one could achieve any better than him except the one
who does more than he did."
(narrated by al-Bukhaari, 31119; Muslim,
2691)
7 _ Remembering Allaah often (dhikr)
It was narrated from al-Haarith al-Ash'ari that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Allaah commanded Yahyaa ibn Zakariyah (peace be upon
him) five things to follow and to enjoin upon the Children
of Israel… and he commanded them to remember
Allaah, and the likeness of that is a man who was being
pursued by the enemy, until he reached a strong fortress in
which he found protection; similarly a man cannot
find protection from the Shaytaan except by
remembering Allaah…"
(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2863; he said it is hasan
saheeh. The hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani
in Saheeh al-Jaami', 1724)
8 _ The adhaan
It was narrated that Suhayl ibn Abi Saalih said: "My
father sent me to Bani Haarithah, and there was with me a
slave of ours, or a companion of ours. Someone called out
his name from a garden, and the one who was with me
looked into the garden and did not see anything. I
mentioned that to my father, and he said, `If I had known that
this was going to happen to you, I would not have sent
you. But if you hear a voice then make the call for prayer,
for I heard Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with
him) narrating that the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "When
the Shaytaan hears the call to prayer, he runs
away fast."'"(Narrated by Muslim,
389).
The word translated here as "runs away fast" may
also mean "farting."
9 _ Reciting Qur'aan offers protection against
the Shaytaan
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And when you (Muhammad) recite the Qur'aan, We
put between you and those who believe not in the
Hereafter, an invisible veil (or screen their hearts, so they hear
or understand it not)[al-Israa' 17:45]
And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A. Sheikh
Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
In the recent years I feel I have been struck with
it. Allhamdullila that allah has given me attractive
features but see I don't want my life to be in turmoil because of
it. See not all people praise Allah for the things they
admire especially the kaafirs. Is there anyway a young
woman can protect herself from the evil eye without veiling
her face? Can wearing Quranic scripture save you from
the evil eye? And what about wearing necklaces and
charms in the shape of an eye or hands because I heard these
can protect you and are they haram? My life is so much
better now than before because before I did not practice
islam although I always was a muslim, so does this mean
that because I am a better muslim the evil eye, if I
was unfortunate enough to have it hit me has disappeared
from my soul or do I have to have Quran read over me so
it will leave me. How can I save and protect myself
from happening to me again?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah. You should know that hijaab
is obligatory, and no one has the right to choose the
rulings that they like and leave those for which they feel
no inclination, because Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"O you who believe! Enter perfectly in Islam (by
obeying all the rules and regulations of the Islamic religion)
and follow not the footsteps of Shaytaan (Satan). Verily, he
is to you a plain enemy"[al-Baqarah
2:208]
Ibn Katheer said: "Allaah commands His believing
slaves to adhere to all the rulings and laws of Islam, to
follow all the commandments and heed all the
prohibitions." (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 1/566).
The believing women are forbidden to show any of
their beauty to non-mahrams. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"… and not to show off their adornment except only
that which is apparent (like both eyes for necessity to see
the way, or outer palms of hands or one eye or dress
like veil, gloves, headcover, apron), and to draw their
veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks
and bosoms) and not to reveal their adornment except to
their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband's fathers,
or their sons, or their husband's sons, or their brothers
or their brother's sons, or their sister's sons, or
their (Muslim) women (i.e. their sisters in Islam), or
the (female) slaves whom their right hands possess, or
old male servants who lack vigour, or small children
who have no sense of feminine sex. And let them not
stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their
adornment. And all of you beg Allaah to forgive you all, O
believers, that you may be successful" [al-Noor
24:31]
Obeying Allaah's command to observe hijaab will
protect you from the evil eye by Allaah's Leave in this
world, and will protect you from the punishment of Allaah
in the Hereafter.
With regard to wearing Qur'aanic verses or certain
shapes, Imaam Ahmad narrated in his Musnad from `Uqbah
ibn `Aamir (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Whoever wears an amulet, may Allaah not fulfil his
need, and whoever wears seashells [for protection from the
evil eye] may Allaah not protect him." According to
another report, a group came to the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he accepted
the bay'ah [allegiance] of nine of them, but not from one
of them. They said, "O Messenger of Allaah, you
accepted the bay'ah of nine and not from this one." He said, "He
is wearing an amulet." Then he took it in his hand and
broke it, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) accepted his bay'ah. He said, "Whoever wears
an amulet is guilty of shirk." (From
Fataawa al-`Ayn wa'l-Hasad, p. 277)
With regard to dealing with the evil eye and
hasad (destructive envy), there is no doubt that when a
person is close to Allaah, always remembering Him (dhikr)
and reading Qur'aan, he is less likely to be affected by
the evil eye and other kinds of harm from the devils
of mankind and the jinn. The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to seek refuge with
Allaah for himself, and the greatest means of seeking refuge
that is available to the Muslim is reading the Book of
Allaah, above all the Mi'wadhatayn (the last two Soorahs of
the Qur'aan, al-Falaq and al-Naas),
Soorat al-Faatihah and Aayat
al-Kursiy [al-Baqarah 2:255].
Among the saheeh du'aa's for refuge that have
been narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) are:
"A'oodhu bi kalimaat Allaah al-taammaati min
sharri maa khalaq (I seek refuge in the perfect words of
Allaah from the evil of that which He has created)."
(Narrated by Muslim, al-Dhikr wa'l-Du'aa, 4881)
It was narrated that Ibn `Abbaas (may Allaah be
pleased with them both) said: "The Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to seek refuge with
Allaah for al-Hasan and al-Husayn. He said: `Your father
[i.e., Ibraaheem] used to seek refuge with Allaah for
Ismaa'eel and Ishaaq with these words: A'oodhu bi kalimaat
Allaah al-taammah min kulli shaytaanin wa haammah wa
min kulli `aynin laammah (I seek refuge in the perfect
words of Allaah, from every devil and every poisonous
reptile, and from every bad eye).'"(Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, Ahaadeeth al-Anbiyaa', 3120).
With regard to the meaning of laammah (translated
here as "bad"), al-Khattaabi said: "What is meant here is
every disease or harm that a person may suffer such as
insanity or mental disturbance."
It was narrated from Abu Sa'eed that Jibreel came to
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
and said: "O Muhammad, are you ill?" He said, "Yes."
He said, "Bismillaahi arqeeka min kulli shay'in
yu'dheeka, min sharri kulli nafsin aw `aynin haasid Allaahu
yashfeek, bismillaahi arqeek (In the name of Allaah I perform
ruqyah for you, from everything that is harming you, from
the evil of every soul or envious eye may Allaah heal you,
in the name of Allaah I perform ruqyah for you)."
(Narrated by Muslim, al-Salaam, 4056)
Undoubtedly, when a person persists in reciting
the adhkaar (dhikr) for morning and evening, and the
adhkaar for going to sleep, and others, this will have a great
effect in protecting him from the evil eye, because it will
be like a stronghold for him, by Allaah's Leave. So
everyone should strive to recite these adhkaar. One of the
best treatments is the use of ruqyah, which the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) permitted for protection from the evil eye and he
instructed people to use it.
It was narrated that `Aa'ishah (may Allaah be
pleased with her) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded me, or
he commanded (the people) to use ruqyah to deal with
the evil eye." (narrated by al-Bukhaari,
al-Tibb, 5297)
And it was narrated that `Aa'ishah (may Allaah be
pleased with her) said: "The man who cast the evil eye would
be commanded to do wudoo', and then the man who
was affected would wash himself with (the water)."
(Narrated by Abu Dawood, al-Tibb, 3382.
Al-Albaani said, in Saheeh Sunan Abi
Dawood, its isnaad is saheeh. No. 3282)
These are some of the du'aa's and treatments which
offer protection _ by Allaah's leave _ from the evil eye
and from destructive envy (hasad). We ask Allaah to
protect us from that. And Allaah knows best.
See Zaad al-Ma'aad by Ibn al-Qayyim, 4/162
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
What is the difference between a shaytaan (devil) and
a jinn? Do the shayaateen reproduce from males and females? Do the shayaateen interact with humans
and serve them in return for the human's disobeying his
Lord? Are there Muslim jinn who serve the Muslims as
they served Sulaymaan (peace be upon him)? If the
shayaateen or jinn are able to serve humans, then why do the
Muslim jinn not help the Muslim humans in their wars
against the kuffaar, and tell them their secrets and support
Islam? Why do the kaafir jinn not help the kaafir humans in
some way? Did any examples of such things happen at the
time of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him)? If there are any books about such matters,
please tell me about them so that I can be safe from the evil
of the shayaateen. May Allaah keep me and you safe
from their evil.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah. The shayaateen are from among
the jinn; they are the rebellious ones and the most evil
among them, just as the devils among mankind are the
rebellious ones and the most evil among them. There are among
the jinn, as is the case among mankind, devils who are
the rebellious ones and the most evil, kaafirs and
evildoers. There are also Muslims among them who are
righteous and good. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And so We have appointed for every Prophet
enemies — Shayaateen (devils) among mankind and jinn,
inspiring one another with adorned speech as a delusion (or
by way of deception). If your Lord had so willed, they
would not have done it; so leave them alone with
their fabrications"
[al-`An'aam 6:112]
The Shaytaan is the father of the jinn according to
many scholars. He is the one who disobeyed his Lord and
was too proud to prostrate to Adam, so Allaah expelled
him and banished him. Other scholars say that the
Shaytaan was one of a group of angels who were called
al-jinn; he was too proud to prostrate, so Allaah expelled him
and banished him. He became the leader of every
evildoer and wicked one, every kaafir and wrongdoer. Every
person has a shaytaan and an angel with him, as the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"There is no one among you but he has with him a
constant companion (qareen) from among the jinn and a
constant companion from among the angels." They said, "You
too, O Messenger of Allaah?" He said, "Me too, but
Allaah has helped me against him (the devil-companion) and
he has become Muslim."
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said that the Shaytaan inspires man to evil and
calls man to evil. There are times when he has control
over man's heart and can find out, by Allaah's decree, what
a person intends to do of good or evil. There are also
times when the angel has control over a person's heart. He
makes him incline towards good and calls him to good.
These are things that Allaah has enabled them to do, i.e., He
has enabled the two companions, the jinn-companion and
the angel-companion, to do these things. Even the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had
a shaytaan with him, his constant companion
(qareen) from among the jinn, as stated above, in the hadeeth
which says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said:
"There is no one among you but he has with him a
constant companion (qareen) from among the jinn and a
constant companion from among the angels." They said, "You
too, O Messenger of Allaah?" He said, "Me too, but
Allaah has helped me against him (the devil-companion) and
he has become Muslim."
The point is that every man has with him a
companion from among the angels and a companion from among
the shayateen. The believer suppresses his shaytaan
by obeying Allaah and adhering steadfastly to His
religion, so he humiliates his shaytaan until he becomes weak
and unable to stop the believer doing good or make him
fall into evil, except what Allaah wills. The sinner, by
his disobedience and evil actions, gives his shaytaan
the strength to make him do evil and encourageshim to
do evil, and discourage him from doing good. The
believer has to fear Allaah and strive against his shaytaan
by obeying Allaah and His Messenger, and seeking
refuge with Allaah from the Shaytaan. And he should strive
to help his angel by obeying Allaah and His Messenger
and heeding the commands of Allaah.
The Muslims help their brothers among the jinn to
obey Allaah and His Messenger just as they help their
human brothers. Humans may help them in some matters
without realizing it. They may help them to obey Allaah and
His Messenger by teaching and reminding other humans,
for the jinn may attend the lessons of humans in the
mosques and elsewhere and benefit from them. Humans may
also hear some things from the jinn which benefit them;
they may wake them up to pray or draw their attention to
things which may benefit them or harm them. All of this
happens even though the jinn do not make themselves visible
to humans. A jinn may make himself visible to some
people when pointing them towards something good
or something evil. This may happen, although it is
rare. Usually they do not appear to humans, although
their voices may be heard on some occasions when they
wake a person for prayer or tell him of some things.
In conclusion, the believing jinn help the believers
even though the believers may not realize it, and they
love everything good for them. Similarly, believing
humans love everything good for their believing brethren
among the jinn, and they ask Allaah to give them everything
good. They may attend lessons, and they love to listen to
the Qur'aan and knowledge, as stated above. The
believers among the jinn attend the lessons of humans, at
some times and in some lands, and they benefit from the
lessons of humans. All of this happens and is well known.
This has been clearly stated by many of the scholars whom
the jinn contacted and asked about some issues; they told
them that they had attended their lessons. All of this is
well-known, and Allaah is the One Whose help we seek.
Allaah has told us that the jinn listened to the
Qur'aan from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him). At the end of Soorat al-Ahqaaf, He
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And (remember) when We sent towards
you (Muhammad) a group (three to ten persons) of the
jinn, (quietly) listening to the Qur'aan. When they stood in
the presence thereof, they said: `Listen in silence!' And
when it was finished, they returned to their people, as warners.
They said: `O our people! Verily, we have heard a
Book (this Qur'aan) sent down after Moosa (Moses), confirming what came before it, it guides to the truth
and to the Straight Path (i.e. Islam)"
[al-Ahqaaf 46:29-30]
And Allaah revealed other aayahs in a separate
soorah, where He says:
"Say (O Muhammad): "It has been revealed to me that
a group (from three to ten in number) of jinn listened
(to this Qur'aan). They said: `Verily, we have heard
a wonderful Recitation (this Qur'aan)!" [al-Jinn 72:1]
Many books have been written on this matter. Ibn
al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) mentioned
a great deal on this topic in his books. There is also a
book by one of the scholars entitled al-Marjaan fi
Bayaan Ahkaam al-Jaan, by al-Shibli, which is a useful
book. There are other books written on this topic as well.
You can look for them and ask for them in any bookstore.
You could also read the books of Tafseer and learn from
the commentary on Soorat al-Jinn and the other aayahs
from Soorat al-Ahqaaf and elsewhere which speak of the
jinn. You can learn a lot from what the mufassireen (may
Allaah have mercy on them) said about the jinn, both the
good and the bad among them.
Kitaab Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat
Mutanawwi'ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-`Allaamah `Abd al-`Azeez
ibn `Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on
him), vol. 9, p. 373 (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Is it permissible to recite the Qur'an over a piece of
string, etc, and tie that over a child's wrist to protect him
from the evil eye or other diseases?
Alternatively, is it permissible to place Qur'anic Ayat
in a small metal capsule and tie it over the wrist of
Muslims to serve as protection from the evil eye or mishaps.
People in my community do both of this very
frequently. They get the local masjid imam to provide the service.
I do not want to do this for my child unless there is a
sound basis for it in the Shari'ah.
Please help me find out the truth.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
It is not permissible to tie this string or any other kind
of amulets. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: "Whoever hangs up an amulet,
may Allaah not fulfil his need."
And he said: "Whoever hangs up anything will
be abandoned to its care," and, "Whoever hangs up an
amulet has committed shirk."
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) commanded us to tear away these things, as stated in
the hadeeth narrated from `Imraan ibn Husayn, which
says that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) saw a man on whose hand was a bracelet of
brass. He said, "What is this bracelet?" He said, "It is to
prevent weakness." He said, "Take it off, for it will only
make you more weak." This was narrated by Ibn Maajah.
Shaykh Waleed al-Firyaan (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
What do you think about a man who used ruqyah, but
he did not think that it helped him, so he turned from that
to sihr (magic, witchcraft), and he says, I think that it is
OK so long as it does not cause any problems?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Sihr is evil and is kufr. If a sick person is not cured
by reading (Qur'aan and du'aa's), then we should note
that medicine does not guarantee a cure either, because
not every treatment produces the desired result. Allaah
may delay the healing for a long time, or the person may
die from this sickness. It is not a condition of treatment
that the person should be healed. If a person is treated
by reading Qur'aan and does not recover, that is not an
excuse for turning to sihr, because we are commanded to
take the permissible means prescribed in sharee'ah, and
we are forbidden to use haraam means. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "O slaves
of Allaah, seek treatment but do not seek treatment with
that which has been forbidden to you." And it was
narrated that he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Allaah does not make your healing in that which He
has forbidden to you."
All things are in the hand of Allaah, may He be
glorified. He is the One Who heals whomsoever He wills, and
He decrees sickness and death for whomsoever He wills,
as He says (interpretation of the meanings):
"And if Allaah touches you with harm, none can
remove it but He, and if He touches you with good, then He
is Able to do all things" [al-An'aam 6:17]
"And if Allaah touches you with harm, there is none
who can remove it but He; and if He intends any good for
you, there is none who can repel His Favour which He
causes it to reach whomsoever of His slaves He wills. And He
is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful [Yoonus 10:107]
So the Muslim must be patient and seek reward
with Allaah. He must limit himself to the means that
Allaah has permitted, and beware of that which Allaah
has forbidden, whilst also believing that the decree of
Allaah is beneficial and that His command cannot be put
back, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings):
"Verily, His Command, when He intends a thing, is
only that He says to it, `Be!' and it is! [Yaa-Seen 36:82]
"And you cannot will unless (it be) that Allaah wills
the Lord of the `Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that
exists) [al-Takweer 81:29]
And there are many similar aayaat.
Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-`Allaamah `Abd al-`Azeez
ibn `Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on
him), vol. 8, p. 112. (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Can sihr (magic, witchcraft) have an affect on the
marital relationship?
Answer:
The saahir (person who practises sihr) does things
by which he affects people with sihr. Sometimes this is
by illusion or making things appear to be something else,
as Allaah said concerning the sorcerers of Pharaoh (interpretation of the meaning):
"and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him
as though they moved fast" [Ta-Ha 20:66]
They do actions that change how things look in
people's eyes, so that they see things other than they really are,
as Allaah says in Soorat al-A'raaf (interpretation of
the meaning):
"So when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of
the people, and struck terror into them, and they displayed
a great magic" [al-A'raaf 7:116]
So they do things to bewitch people's eyes, so that
they see a rope as a snake or a stick as a moving snake,
when it is not a snake at all but only a stick or a rope.
They may also bewitch people in other ways, so that
a man becomes hateful to his wife, or vice versa. They
may do this by bewitching their eyes, or by giving them
evil potions which they get from the shayaateen, or by
tying knots on which they blow and pray to the
shayaateen instead of to Allaah, and seek their help in harming
people. So a man may imagine that his wife is not the wife
he knows, and she may appear ugly or hateful to him, or
a wife may imagine that her husband is not the
husband that she knows, and she sees him as something ugly
and terrifying, because of what these criminals have done.
So their sihr may be of two types, one of which
involves illusions and tricking the eyes, so that they do not
see things as they really are.
The other kind includes that which is called
al-sarf and al-`atf (spells aimed at creating hatred or love), which
is done by tying knots and blowing on them, and
using potions which they make by inspiration of the
shayaateen. This second kind may make a man love or hate his
wife, or a woman love or hate her husband. It may also affect
a person's relationship with people other than his or
her spouse. Hence Allaah has commanded us to seek
refuge with Him from the evil of those who blow onto
knots, and to seek refuge with Him from every evil.
Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-`Allaamah `Abd al-`Azeez
ibn `Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on
him), vol. 8, p. 80 (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
What is the treatment for someone who has been
affected by sihr (magic or witchcraft, including spells aimed
at causing hatred or love)? How can the believer
save himself from this or avoid being harmed by it? Are
there any du'aa's or dhikrs from the Qur'aan or Sunnah
for these things?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
There are different kinds of treatment:
1 _ He can look at what the saahir (person who
practices sihr) has done. For example, if he has put some of
his hair in a place, or in a comb, or somewhere else, if it
is discovered that he has put it in such-and-such a place,
it should be removed and burnt or destroyed. This
will cancel out what has been done and will foil the
intentions of the saahir.
2 _The saahir should be forced to undo what he has
done, if his identity is known. It should be said to him,
"Either you undo what you have done, or you will be
executed." After he has undone it, he should still be executed by
the authorities, because the saahir should be killed
without being asked to repent, according to the correct view.
This is what was done by `Umar, and it was narrated that
the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "The punishment of the saahir is to strike him
with the sword (i.e., execute him)." When Hafsah Umm
al-Mu'mineen (may Allaah be pleased with her) found
out that a slave woman of hers was dealing with sihr,
she killed her.
3 _ Reciting Qur'aan, for it has a great effect in
removing (the effects of) sihr. Aayat
al-Kursiy, the aayahs of sihr from Soorat
al-A'raaf, Soorat Yoonus and Soorat
Ta-Ha, Soorat al-Kaafiroon, Soorat
al-Ikhlaas and al-Mi'wadhatayn should be recited over the person who
has been affected by sihr, or into a vessel. Du'aa' should
be made for healing and good health; in particular the
du'aa' which has been narrated from the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him):
"Allaahumma Rabb al-Naas, adhhib al-ba's wa'shfi,
anta al-Shaafiy, laa shifaa'a illa shifaa'uka, shifaa'an
laa yughaadiru saqaman (O Allaah, Lord of mankind,
remove the evil and grant healing, for You are the Healer.
There is no healing except Your healing, which does not
leave any sickness)."
One may also recite the words used by Jibreel when
he treated the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) with ruqyah:
"Bismillaah urqeek, min kulli shay'in yu'dheek, wa
min sharri kulli nafsin aw `aynin haasidin Allaah
yushfeek, bismillaah urqeek (In the name of Allaah I perform
ruqyah for you, from everything that is harming you, from
the evil of every soul or envious eye may Allaah heal you,
in the name of Allaah I perform ruqyah for you)."
This should be repeated three times, as should
the recitation of "Qul Huwa Allaah
Ahad" and al-Mi'wadhatayn.
He may also recite the above into water, some of
which should be drunk by the person who has been affected
by sihr, and he should wash with the rest, one or more
times as needed. This will remove the sihr by Allaah's
Leave. This was mentioned by the scholars (may Allaah
have mercy on them), and by Shaykh `Abd al-Rahmaan
ibn Hasan (may Allaah have mercy on him) in Fath
al-Majeed Sharh Kitaab al-Tawheed, in (the chapter entitled)
Baab Ma jaa'a fi'l-Nushrah, and by others.
4 _ He can take seven green lotus leaves, grind them
up, and put them into water, then recite into it the aayahs
and soorahs mentioned above, and the du'aa's. Then he
can drink some and wash with the rest. This is also useful
for treating a man who is being kept from having
intercourse with his wife. Seven green lotus leaves should be
placed in water, the verses referred to above should be
recited into it, then he should drink from it and wash with
it. This is beneficial, by Allaah's leave.
The verses which should be recited into the water and
the lotus leaves for those who have been affected by sihr
and the one who is being prevented from having
intercourse with his wife because of sihr are as follows:
1- Soorat al-Faatihah
2- Aayat al-Kursiy from Soorat
al-Baqarah, which is as follows (interpretation of the meaning):
"Allaah! Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to
be worshipped but He), Al-Hayyul-Qayyum (the Ever
Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists).
Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him
belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the
earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with
His Permission? He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them
in the Hereafter. And they will never compass anything
of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His
Kursiy extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels
no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is
the Most High, the Most Great" (al-Baqarah 2:255)
3- The verses from Soorat al-A'raaf, which are as
follows (interpretation of the meaning):
"[Pharaoh] said: `If you have come with a sign, show
it forth, if you are one of those who tell the truth.'
Then [Moosa] threw his stick and behold! it was a
serpent, manifest!
And he drew out his hand, and behold! it was white
(with radiance) for the beholders.
The chiefs of the people of Pharaoh said: `This is
indeed a well-versed sorcerer;
He wants to get you out of your land, so what do
you advise?'
They said: `Put him and his brother off (for a time),
and send callers to the cities to collect —
That they bring to you all well-versed sorcerers.'
And so the sorcerers came to Pharaoh. They said:
`Indeed there will be a (good) reward for us if we are the victors.'
He said: `Yes, and moreover you will (in that case) be
of the nearest (to me).'
They said: `O Moosa! Either you throw (first), or
shall we have the (first) throw?'
He [Moosa] said: `Throw you (first).' So when they
threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people, and struck
terror into them, and they displayed a great magic.
And We revealed to Moosa (saying): `Throw your
stick,' and behold! It swallowed up straight away all
the falsehood which they showed.
Thus truth was confirmed, and all that they did was
made of no effect.
So they were defeated there and returned disgraced.
And the sorcerers fell down prostrate.
They said: `We believe in the Lord of the
`Aalameen (mankind, jinn and all that exists).
The Lord of Moosa and Haaroon (Aaron).'"
[al-A'raaf 7:106-122]
4- The verses from Soorat Yoonus, which are as
follows (interpretation of the meaning):
"And Pharaoh said: `Bring me every
well-versed sorcerer.'
And when the sorcerers came, Moosa said to them:
`Cast down what you want to cast!'
Then when they had cast down, Moosa said: `What
you have brought is sorcery, Allaah will surely make it of
no effect. Verily, Allaah does not set right the work
of AlMufsidoon.
And Allaah will establish and make apparent the truth
by His Words, however much the Mujrimoon may hate
(it).'" (Yoonus 10:79-82)
5- The verses from Soorat Ta-Ha, which are as
follows (interpretation of the meaning):
"They said: `O Moosa! Either you throw first or we
be the first to throw?'
[Moosa] said: `Nay, throw you (first)!' Then behold!
their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him
as though they moved fast.
So Moosa conceived fear in himself.
We (Allaah) said: `Fear not! Surely, you will have
the upper hand.
And throw that which is in your right hand! It will
swallow up that which they have made. That which they have
made is only a magician's trick, and the magician will never
be successful, to whatever amount (of skill) he may
attain'" [Ta-Ha 20:65-69]
6- Soorat al-Kaafiroon
7- Soorat al-Ikhlaas and
al-Mi'wadhatayn (i.e., Soorat
al-Falaq and Soorat al-Naas) _ to be recited three times.
8- Reciting some of the du'aa's prescribed in
sharee'ah, such as:
"Allaahumma Rabb al-Naas, adhhib al-ba's wa'shfi,
anta al-Shaafiy, laa shifaa'a illa shifaa'uka, shifaa'an
laa yughaadiru saqaman (O Allaah, Lord of mankind,
remove the evil and grant healing, for You are the Healer.
There is no healing except Your healing, which does not
leave any sickness)."
This is good, and it may also be accompanied by
the du'aa':
"Allaahumma Rabb al-Naas, adhhib al-ba's wa'shfi,
anta al-Shaafiy, laa shifaa'a illa shifaa'uka, shifaa'an
laa yughaadiru saqaman (O Allaah, Lord of mankind,
remove the evil and grant healing, for You are the Healer.
There is no healing except Your healing, which does not
leave any sickness)."
If the above verses etc. are recited directly over the
person who has been affected by sihr, then the reciter blows
on his head and chest, these are also among the means
of healing, by Allaah's Leave, as stated above.
Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-`Allaamah `Abd al-`Azeez
ibn `Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on
him), vol. 8, p. 144
(www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
I have heard many stories about the jinn
kidnapping human beings. I read a story which said that a man of
the Ansaar (may Allaah be pleased with him) went out
to pray `Ishaa' and the jinn took him prisoner and he
was lost for years. Is this possible _ I mean that the jinn
could kidnap a human being?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
With regard to the question of possibility, it is
possible, but it is very rare. Shaykh `Abd-Allaah ibn Jibreen
(may Allaah preserve him) answered this question as follows:
That is possible. It is well known that Sa'd ibn
`Ubaadah was killed by the jinn when he urinated in a hole in
which was their dwelling place, and they said, "We have
killed the leader of Khazraj Sa'd ibn `Ubaadah; we struck
him with an arrow and we did not miss his heart."
At the time of `Umar, a man was kidnapped by the
jinn and stayed with them for four years, then he came
back and told the people that some mushrik jinn had
kidnapped him, and he stayed with them as a prisoner, then
some Muslim jinn launched a campaign against them
and defeated them, and brought him back to his family.
This was mentioned in Manaar
al-Sabeel and elsewhere.
(See Manaar al-Sabeel, 2/88. The story of the
kidnapped man was reported by al-Bayhaqi (7/445-446) and
its isnaad was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
al-Irwaa', 6/150, no. 1709).Manaar al-Sabeel, 2/88. The story
of the kidnapped man was reported by al-Bayhaqi
(7/445-446) and its isnaad was classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in al-Irwaa', 6/150, no. 1709
Shaykh `Abd-Allaah ibn Jibreen (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Is sihr (magic, witchcraft) real? Does it have any
effect? What are its types?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah. Praise be to Allaah and
blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allaah, and his
family and companions and those who follow his guidance.
Sihr is a serious crime and is one of the kinds of kufr. It
is one of things with which people have been tested, in
the past and currently, among the nations of the past,
during the Jaahiliyyah and in this ummah. The more
ignorance increases, the less there is knowledge and awareness
of faith, the less attention the authorities pay to this matter
_ the more the practitioners of sihr and trickery
increase and spread in the land, to take the people's wealth
and confuse them and do other things. When
knowledge prevails and faith increases, and the Islamic
authorities are powerful, the number of these evil people shrinks
and they move from one land to another, seeking a place
where their falsehood will be accepted and they will be able
to engage in their trickery and corruption.
The Qur'aan and Sunnah have described the kinds of
sihr and the rulings on these matters.
Sihr is so called because its means are hidden or
secret, and because the practitioners of sihr deal with things
in secret which enable them to perform illusions to
confuse the people and deceive their eyes, and to cause them
harm or steal their money, etc., in a secretive manner so that
in most cases nobody realizes what is happening. Hence
the last part of the night is called sahar, because at the end
of the night people are unaware and they do not move
about much. And the lungs are also called
sahr, because they are hidden inside the body.
According to sharee'ah, the meaning of sihr is what
the magicians do to delude and confuse people, so that
the one who is watching thinks that it is real when in fact it
is not. As Allaah said concerning the magicians of
Pharaoh (interpretation of the meaning):
"They said: `O Moosa! Either you throw first or we
be the first to throw?'
Moosa said: `Nay, throw you (first)!' Then behold!
their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him
as though they moved fast.
So Moosa conceived fear in himself.
We (Allaah) said: `Fear not! Surely, you will have
the upper hand.
And throw that which is in your right hand! It will
swallow up that which they have made. That which they have
made is only a magician's trick, and the magician will never
be successful, to whatever amount (of skill) he may attain.'"
[Ta-Ha 20:65-69]
Sihr may involve things that the magician does when
tying knots on which he blows, as is referred to in the
Qur'aan (interpretation of the meaning):
"And from the evil of those who practise witchcraft
when they blow in the knots"[al-Falaq
113:4]
And it may involve other things which they manage to
do through the shayaateen (devils), so they do things
that may affect a man's reason or make him sick; they
may cause division between a man and his wife, resulting
in her looking ugly to him, or by making her hate her
husband or be put off by him. This is blatant kufr as the
Qur'aan states. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"They followed what the Shayaateen (devils) gave
out (falsely of the magic) in the lifetime of
Sulaymaan (Solomon). Sulaymaan did not disbelieve, but
the Shayaateen (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic"
[al-Baqarah 2:102]
Allaah informs us that they (the shayaateen)
committed kufr by teaching men magic. Then He says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"and such things that came down at Babylon to the
two angels, Haaroot and Maaroot, but neither of these
two (angels) taught anyone (such things) till they had
said, `We are for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this
magic from us).'"[al-Baqarah 2:102]
Then Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And from these (angels) people learn that by which
they cause separation between man and his wife, but they
could not thus harm anyone except by Allaah's
Leave"[al-Baqarah 2:102]
i.e., this magic and any harm that results from it is
subject to the prior decree and will of Allaah, for our Lord
cannot be overwhelmed and nothing can happen in His
Dominion against His Will. Nothing happens in this world or in
the hereafter except by His prior decree and His great
wisdom, as He wills. So some people may be tested by sihr,
and others may be tested by sickness, or by being
killed…etc. Allaah is All-Wise in all that He wills and decrees, and
in all that He prescribes for His slaves. Hence Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"but they could not thus harm anyone except by
Allaah's Leave"
[al-Baqarah 2:102]
i.e., by His universal (kawni) will and decree, not by
His legislative (shar'i) will [i.e., He wills that it should
happen but He does not enjoin it and He is not pleased by
such actions]. For sharee'ah does not allow such things,
indeed it forbids them, but by His universal leave He
already knows and has already decreed that So and so will
do sihr, and that So and so will be affected by sihr, just as
He already knows and has already decreed that So and
so will be killed, or afflicted with a certain sickness, or
will die in a certain land, and will receive such and
such provision, or will be rich or poor. All of that happens
by the will and decree of Allaah, as He says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, We have created all things with Qadar
(Divine Preordainments of all things before their creation
as written in the Book of Decrees AlLawh
AlMahfooz)[al-Qamar 54:49]
"No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but
it is inscribed in the Book of Decrees (AlLawh
AlMahfooz) before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy
for Allaah"
[al-Hadeed 57:22]
The evils that come at the hands of the magicians or
others do not happen because our Lord is ignorant, for He
knows all things and nothing at all is hidden from Him, as
He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Verily, Allaah is the All-Knower of
everything"[al-Anfaal 8:75]
"that you may know that Allaah has power over all
things, and that Allâh surrounds all things in
(His) Knowledge"[al-Talaaq 65:12]
So Allaah knows all things, and nothing happens in
His Dominion that He does not will, but He has
perfect wisdom and good aims in whatever He decrees
should happen to people of honour or humiliation, losing
or gaining power, sickness or health, magic and other things.
Everything that happens to people happens by the will
of Allaah and in accordance with His prior decree.
These magicians may perform their illusions, as stated in
the aayah quoted above (interpretation of the meaning):
"They said: `O Moosa! Either you throw first or we
be the first to throw?'
Moosa said: `Nay, throw you (first)!' Then behold!
their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him
as though they moved fast. [Ta-Ha 20:65-66]
It appeared to the onlooker as if these sticks and
ropes were snakes, moving fast in the valley. They were
only sticks and ropes, but the magicians, through what
they had learned, made what they demonstrated before
the people look different in their eyes to what it really was.
Allaah says (interpretation if the meaning):
"by their magic, appeared to him as though they
moved fast"
[Ta-Ha 20:66]
And in Soorat al-A'raaf Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"He [Moosa] said: `Throw you (first).' So when
they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people, and
struck terror into them, and they displayed a great magic"
[al-A'raaf 7:116]
But in fact their sticks and ropes did not change; it
was the people's sight which changed because of the sihr,
so they thought they were snakes, because of the
illusion brought about by the magicians. Some people call
this taqmeer, which is when the magician does things to
make a person not sense reality as it really is, so his eyes do
not see what is really there and things may be taken from
his shop or his home without him realizing it, i.e., he
does not know what is really happening. So he may see a
rock as a chicken or as an egg, and so on, because reality
has been changed in his eyes because of the confusion
wrought by the magician, and because his eyes have
been bewitched. There are things that the magicians do
with certain substances to make people's eyes not see what
is really happening. This is the kind of magic which
Allaah describes as "great" [i.e. serious, powerful] in
Soorat al-A'raaf (interpretation of the meaning):
"… So when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of
the people, and struck terror into them, and they displayed
a great magic"
[al-A'raaf 7:116]
From Majmoo' Fataawaa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-`Allaamah `Abd al-`Azeez
ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), p. 65
(www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Can a jinn enter the body of a human?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Imaam Shaykh al-Islam said in his
Fataawa after some introductory comments:
… For this reason, a group of the Mu'tazilah, such as
al-Jabbaa'i, Abu Bakr al-Raazi and others, denied that
the jinn enter the body of the epileptic, although they do
not deny the existence of the jinn, because that is not as
clearly mentioned in the reports narrated from the
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as
their existence is mentioned. They were mistaken in this
matter. Hence al-Ash'ari mentioned in Maqaalaat Ahl
al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah that they [Ahl al-Sunnah] believe that
the jinn may enter the body of the epileptic, as Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
`Those who eat Riba will not stand (on the Day
of Resurrection) except like the standing of a person
beaten by Shaytaan (Satan) leading him to insanity…'
[al-Baqarah 2:275]
`Abd-Allaah ibn al-Imaam Ahmad said: I told my
father that some people claim that the jinn do not enter the
body of a human. He said, O my son, they are lying, for a
jinn may speak with the tongue of a person who is lying
on his sick-bed. (Majmoo' Fataawa Shaykh al-Islam
Ibn Taymiyah, 19/12). He also said (may Allaah have
mercy on him), in vol. 24 of his Fataawa (p. 276, 277):
"The existence of the jinn is proven by the Book of
Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), and by the consensus of the
salaf and scholars of this ummah. Similarly, the fact that
the jinn can enter human bodies is also proven by
the consensus of the imaams of Ahl al-Sunnah
wa'l-Jamaa'ah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
`Those who eat Riba will not stand (on the Day
of Resurrection) except like the standing of a person
beaten by Shaytaan (Satan) leading him to insanity…'
[al-Baqarah 2:275]
In al-Saheeh it is narrated that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: `The
Shaytaan flows through the son of Adam as his blood flows…
There is no one among the imaams of the Muslims
who denies that the jinn enter the body of the
epileptic. Whoever denies that and claims that Islam denies that
is telling lies about the sharee'ah, for there is no
evidence in sharee'ah to say that this is not the case…"
From Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah
li Samaahat al-Shaykh `Abd al-`Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), p. 60 (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
What is the way to deal with sihr (magic/witchcraft)?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Whoever is affected by sihr should not treat it with
sihr, because evil cannot be removed by evil, and kufr
cannot be removed by kufr. Evil is removed by good. Hence
when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) was asked about al-nushrah (treating sihr with sihr),
he said: "This is the work of the Shaytaan." Nushrah
means removing sihr from a person who has been affected by
it by using more sihr. But if it is treated by means of
the Qur'aan and permissible medicines or good ruqyahs,
there is nothing wrong with that, but treating it with sihr is
not permitted, as previously stated, because sihr
means worshipping the shayaateen (devils). The
saahir (magician, practitioner of witchcraft) does sihr or
learns sihr only after worshipping and serving the
shayaateen, and drawing close to them by means of the things
that they like. After that, they teach him the means of
sihr. But, praise be to Allaah, there is no reason why the
person who has been affected by sihr should not be treated
by means of reciting Qur'aan and the prayers for refuge
with Allaah that are prescribed in sharee'ah, and
permissible medicines, just as patients with all kinds of
sicknesses are treated by doctors. The patient does not
necessarily recover, because not every sick person does recover.
A sick patient might be treated and then recover if
his appointed time (of death) has not yet arrived, or he
may not recover and may die from this sickness, even
though he may be been seen by the most skilled physicians
and knowledgeable doctors. When the appointed time of
death comes, no medicine or treatment will be of any
avail, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And Allaah grants respite to none when his
appointed time (death) comes" [al-Munaafiqoon
63:11]
Medical treatment is of benefit when the appointed
time has not yet come, and Allaah decrees that His slave
should be healed. The same applies in the case of one who
has been affected by sihr; Allaah may decree that he
should recover, or He may not decree that, as a test and a trial,
or for other reasons which are known to Allaah. Among
those reasons may be the fact that the one who is treating
him does not have the right treatment for this problem. It
was narrated in a saheeh report that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "For every
disease there is a medicine, and if that medicine is applied to
the disease, he will recover by Allaah's Leave." And he
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah
has not sent down any disease but He has also sent down
the cure; the one who knows it knows it and the one
who does not know it does not know it."
Among the treatments prescribed in sharee'ah is
the treatment of sihr with recitation of the Qur'aan.
The greatest soorah in the Qur'aan, which is
al-Faatihah, should be recited over the person who has been
affected by sihr. This should be repeated several times. If it
is recited by a believing, righteous reader who knows
that everything is subject to the will and decree of
Allaah, that Allaah is in control of all things, that when He
says to a thing `Be!' it is, if the reciting is based on faith,
taqwa and sincerity, and is repeated several times, then the
sihr may be removed and the person may recover by
Allaah's Leave. Some of the Sahaabah (may Allaah be
pleased with them) passed by some Bedouins whose shaykh,
i.e., their leader, had been bitten. They had done
everything they could but he had not gotten better. They said to
one of the Sahaabah, "Is there any raaqi (one who
performs ruqyah) among you?" They said, "Yes." So one of
them recited Soorat al-Faatihah over him, and he
immediately got up full of energy as if nothing had happened;
Allaah healed him of the ill-effects of that snakebite. The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"There is nothing wrong with ruqyah so long as it does not
involve shirk." He (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) performed ruqyah and had it performed for him. There
is a lot of good in ruqyah, and a great deal of benefit.
Al-Faatihah, Aayat al-Kursiy,
"Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad",
al-Mi'wadhatayn and other aayahs may be recited
over the person who has been affected by sihr, as well as
good du'aa's narrated in the ahaadeeth from the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), such as the
du'aa' he said when he performed ruqyah for a sick person
and said, "Allaahumma Rabb al-naas, adhhib il-ba's,
washfi anta al-Shaafi laa shifaa'a illa shifaa'uka shifaa'an
laa yughaadir saqaman (O Allaah, Lord of mankind,
remove the harm and heal him, for You are the Healer and there
is no healing except Your healing, with a healing which
does not leave any disease behind)." This may be repeated
three times or more. And it was also narrated from him
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that Jibreel
(peace be upon him) performed ruqyah for him and said
three times: "Bismillaah arqeeka min kulli shay'in
yu'dheeka, wa min sharri kulli nafsin aw `aynin haasid
Allaah yashfeek, bismillaah arqeek (In the name of Allaah
I perform ruqyah for you, from every thing that is
harming you, from the evil of every soul or envious eye may
Allaah heal you, in the name of Allaah I perform ruqyah for
you)." This is a great ruqyah which was narrated in a
saheeh hadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him). It is prescribed to perform ruqyah for
the one who has been bitten or stung, and the one who
has been affected by sihr, and the one who is sick. There
is nothing wrong with performing ruqyah for one who
is sick or has been affected by sihr or bitten or stung,
by reciting good du'aa's, even if they were not
transmitted from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), so long as they do not contain anything that
is haraam, because of the general meaning of the
hadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him): "There is nothing wrong with ruqyah so long as
it does not involve shirk."
Allaah may heal the sick person and the person
affected by sihr, and others, without any ruqyah and without
any action on the part of other people, because He is Able
to do all things, and He is Wise in all that He does.
Allaah says in His Holy Book:
"Verily, His Command, when He intends a thing, is
only that He says to it, `Be!' and it is!"[Yaa-Seen 36:82]
To Him be praise and thanks for all that He wills
and decrees, for He is wise in all that He does.
The sick person may not be healed if his appointed
time has come and it is decreed that he should die from
this disease. Among the things that may be used in ruqyah
are the verses which speak of sihr, which may be recited
into water. These are the verses about sihr in Soorat
al-A'raaf, where Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And We revealed to Moosa (saying): `Throw your
stick,' and behold! It swallowed up straight away all
the falsehood which they showed.
Thus truth was confirmed, and all that they did was
made of no effect.
So they were defeated there and returned disgraced
[al-A'raaf 7:117-119]
And in Soorat Yoonus (interpretation of the meaning):
"And Pharaoh said: `Bring me every
well-versed sorcerer.'
And when the sorcerers came, Moosa said to them:
`Cast down what you want to cast!'
Then when they had cast down, Moosa said: `What
you have brought is sorcery, Allaah will surely make it of
no effect. Verily, Allaah does not set right the work
of AlMufsidoon.
And Allaah will establish and make apparent the truth
by His Words, however much the Mujrimoon may hate
(it).'" [Yoonus 10:79-82]
And in Soorat Ta-Ha (interpretation of the meaning):
"They said: `O Moosa! Either you throw first or we
be the first to throw?'
Moosa said: `Nay, throw you (first)!' Then behold!
their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him
as though they moved fast.
So Moosa conceived fear in himself.
We (Allaah) said: `Fear not! Surely, you will have
the upper hand.
And throw that which is in your right hand! It will
swallow up that which they have made. That which they have
made is only a magician's trick, and the magician will never
be successful, to whatever amount (of skill) he may attain.'"
[Ta-Ha 20:65-69]
These aayahs are among the things by which Allaah
causes the ruqyah against sihr to be beneficial. If the
qaari' (reader) recites these verses into water, and also
reads Soorat al-Faatiha, Aayat
al-Kursiy, "Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad", and
al-Mi'wadhatayn into the water, then pours it over the person who he thinks has been affected by
sihr or is being prevented by magic from having
intercourse with his wife, then he will be healed by Allaah's Leave.
If seven lotus leaves are ground up and added to the
water as well, this is appropriate, as was mentioned by
Shaykh `Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Hasan (may Allaah have mercy
on him) in Fath al-Majeed, quoting from some of the
scholars in the chapter entitled Ma jaa'a
fi'l-Nushrah. It is mustahabb to recite the three soorahs, namely
Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad, Qul A'oodhu bi Rabb il
Falaq and Qul A'oodhu bi Rabb
il-Naas. The point is that these and similar treatments which are used to treat this problem
of sihr, may also be used to treat the one who is
prevented by magic from having intercourse with his wife. This
has been tried a great deal and Allaah caused it to yield
results. A person may be treated with
al-Faatihah alone and be healed, or with
Qul Huwa Allaahu Ahad and
al-Mi'wadhatayn on their own, and be healed. It is
very important that the person performing this treatment
and the person who is being treated should both have
sincere faith and trust in Allaah; they should know that He
is control of all things and that when He wills a thing
it happens, and when He does not will a thing it does
not happen. The matter is in His hand, whatever He
wills happens and whatever He does not will does not
happen. When both the reader and the one who is read over
have faith and are sincere towards Allaah, the sickness
will disappear quickly by Allaah's Leave, and both
physical and spiritual medicine will be beneficial. We ask
Allaah to help us all to please Him, for He is All-Hearing and
is ever Near.
Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh al-`Allaamah `Abd al-`Azeez
ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), p. 70
(www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Is it permissible to learn how to remove spells from
a person affected by magic?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah. If that is by doing
something permissible, such as reciting du'aa's that are
prescribed or permitted in Islam, or by using a ruqyah that
is prescribed in Islam, there is nothing wrong with that.
But if a person learns magic in order to counteract magic,
or for any other purposes, then that is not permitted and
in fact is something which nullifies a person's Islam,
because it is not possible to learn it without falling into shirk.
That happens by worshipping the shayaateen (devils),
by offering sacrifices to them and making vows to them,
and other kinds of worship, and offering sacrifices to
them and seeking to draw close to them with things that
they love, until they serve a person and do what he
wants. This is the mutual benefit which Allaah refers to in
the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
"And on the Day when He will gather them (all)
together (and say): `O you assembly of jinn! Many did you
mislead of men,' and their Awliyaa' (friends and helpers)
amongst men will say: `Our Lord! We benefited one from the
other, but now we have reached our appointed term which
You did appoint for us.' He will say: `The Fire be your
dwelling place, you will dwell therein forever, except as
Allaah may will. Certainly your Lord is AllWise,
AllKnowing.'" [al-An'aam 6:128]
Majmoo'ah Fataawa wa Maqaalaat li'l-Shaykh Ibn
Baaz, p. 118 (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
How correct is it for a sick person to visualize the
one who put the eye on him as a result of Qur'aan being
recited over him, or the raaqi asking his qareen (jinn
companion) to show the sick person who put the eye on him?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
For the sick person to visualize the one who put the
eye on him as a result of Qur'aan being recited over him,
or the qaari' (reciter) telling him to do so, is a devilish
action and is not permitted, because it is seeking the help of
the shayaateen (devils). The jinn is the one who makes
him visualize the person who afflicted him with the evil
eye, and this is haraam, because it is seeking the help of
the shayaateen, and because it creates enmity among
people and causes fear and terror to be spread among people.
It comes under the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
"And verily, there were men among mankind who
took shelter with the males among the jinn, but they
(jinn) increased them (mankind) in sin and transgression"
[al-Jinn 72:6]
And Allaah knows best.
[Translator's note: Raaqi means one who does ruqyah
i.e., reciting Qur'aan and du'aa's over the sick for the
purpose of seeking healing]
Al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah li'l-Buhooth al-`Ilmiyyah
wa'l-Iftaa' (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
i am an american lady married to an arab man and in
his town, people seem to believe that when someone
dies, especially if they suddenly got sick and passed away, it
is because some evil "sahar" or magician placed a spell
on that person in order to make every-one believe that
he/she died, and then this magician takes the "dead"
person and imprisons him/her to become a slave. what is
the ruling in islam concerning such beliefs? has this
been heard of before? could it really happen? as a
foreigner and convert to islam, i don't know what to believe in
this aspect and i am real confused. please clear this up for
me. thank you
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
What is mentioned in the question is completely
wrong. The person who dies suddenly is just like anyone
else who dies, for whatever reason: his soul leaves his
body, and the soul is a matter of the unseen which is
known only to Allaah. Some groups of innovators (followers
of bid'ah) believe that when a person dies, his soul
moves to another body. This is known as
tanaasukh (transmigration of souls), and this belief is
something which is known to be essentially false according to
the religion of Islam.
Shaykh `Abd al-Kareem al-Khudayri.
This is appalling kufr and falsehood, and is one of
the results of denying the torment of the grave. We ask
Allaah to keep us safe and sound.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
is it permissable to use witchcraft or black magic for
good purposes or stuff like using to convince your parent
about something?like marriage to someone?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Witchcraft or magic is knowledge that comes from
the shayateen and is something that they do. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"They followed what the Shayaateen (devils) gave
out (falsely of the magic) in the lifetime of
Sulaymaan. Sulaymaan did not disbelieve, but the Shayaateen
(devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic [al-Baqarah 2:102]
"And they learn that which harms them and profits
them not. And indeed they knew that the buyers of it
(magic) would have no share in the Hereafter"
[al-Baqarah 2:102]
"and the magician will never be successful, to
whatever amount (of skill) he may attain" [Ta-Ha 20:69]
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Avoid the seven sins which doom a person to
Hell." They asked, "What are they?" He said,
"Associating anything in worship with Allaah
(shirk); witchcraft;…"
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: "He is not one of us who practices
witchcraft or has it done for him."
On this basis, it is not permissible to use witchcraft
for any purpose whatsoever. Witchcraft or magic is
falsehood, and all kinds of falsehood are kufr and evildoing.
Sin cannot be a means of achieving something good. Beneficial things have to be sought through the
prescribed means which involve no sin and whose consequences
are safe. Allaah has given His slaves sufficient means in
the things that He has permitted them, so they have no
need for the things that He has forbidden. To Him be
praise and thanks for His blessings.
Shaykh `Abd al-Rahmaan al-Barraak (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
If Jinns live and die, would that mean Iblis died or is
still alive?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
It is the way of Allaah in His creation of man to test
him and try him. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"that Allaah might test what is in your breasts; and
to purify that which was in your hearts (sins), and Allaah
is AllKnower of what is in (your) breasts"
[Aal `Imraan 3:154]
One of the things with which Allaah tests us is
Iblees (may Allaah curse him). Allaah has made him one of
those who are given respite, blocking the way of good
and commanding evil, forbidding what is good and
enjoining what is evil. There are those who believe him;
many people among the sons of Adam follow him; he is
misled and he misleads others. Iblees vowed to do that, as
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And (remember) when We said to the angels:
`Prostrate yourselves unto Adam.' They prostrated themselves
except Iblees (Satan). He said: `Shall I prostrate myself to
one whom You created from clay?'
[Iblees (Satan)] said: `See this one whom You
have honoured above me, if You give me respite (keep me
alive) to the Day of Resurrection, I will surely, seize and
mislead his offspring (by sending them astray) all but a few!'
(Allaah) said: `Go, and whosoever of them follows
you, surely, Hell will be the recompense of you (all) an
ample recompense.
And befool them gradually those whom you can
among them with your voice (i.e. songs, music, and any
other call for Allaah's disobedience), make assaults on
them with your cavalry and your infantry, share with
them wealth and children (by tempting them to earn money
by illegal ways usury, or by committing illegal
sexual intercourse), and make promises to them." But
Satan promises them nothing but deceit.
Verily, My slaves (i.e. the true believers of
Islamic Monotheism) — you have no authority over them.
And AllSufficient is your Lord as a Guardian.'"
[al-Israa' 17:60-65]
"And surely, We created you (your father Adam) and
then gave you shape (the noble shape of a human being);
then We told the angels, `Prostrate yourselves to Adam',
and they prostrated themselves, except Iblees (Satan),
he refused to be of those who prostrated themselves.
(Allaah) said: `What prevented you (O Iblees) that
you did not prostrate yourself, when I commanded you?'
Iblees said: `I am better than him (Adam), You created me
from fire, and him You created from clay.'
(Allaah) said: `(O Iblees) get down from this
(Paradise), it is not for you to be arrogant here. Get out, for you
are of those humiliated and disgraced.'
(Iblees) said: `Allow me respite till the Day they are
raised up (i.e. the Day of Resurrection).'
(Allaah) said: `You are of those respited.'
(Iblees) said: `Because You have sent me astray, surely,
I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on
Your straight path.
Then I will come to them from before them and
behind them, from their right and from their left, and You
will not find most of them as thankful ones (i.e. they will
not be dutiful to You).'
(Allaah) said (to Iblees): `Get out from this
(Paradise), disgraced and expelled. Whoever of them (mankind)
will follow you, then surely, I will fill Hell with you all.'"
[al-A'raaf 7:11-18]
From the apparent meaning of these aayaat and others,
it is clear that Allaah has delayed the death of Iblees
(may Allaah curse him) until an appointed time. Allaah
has postponed his death until a day that is known to
Him, which no one else knows. Iblees asked Allaah to
give him respite, as Allaah said (interpretation of the meaning):
"[Iblees (Satan)] said: `My Lord! Give me then
respite till the Day the (dead) are resurrected.'
(Allaah) said: `Verily, you are of those allowed respite
Till the Day of the time appointed.'" [Saad 38:79-81]
The scholars differed concerning the phrase
"Till the Day of the time appointed":
· Some said that this means the Day of Resurrection,
at the second blast of the Trumpet.
· Some said that it means the decreed lifespan of Iblees.
Most of the scholars said that what is meant by
"the Day of the time appointed" is the day when all creatures
will die, at the time of the first blast of the Trumpet, not
the second blast. They said: because after the Resurrection
_ at the second blast of the Trumpet _ there will be no
more death. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And the Trumpet will be blown, and all who are in
the heavens and all who are on the earth will swoon
away, except him whom Allaah wills. Then it will be blown
a second time, and behold they will be standing,
looking on (waiting)"
[al-Zumar 39:68]
Al-Baydaawi said in his Tafseer:
"Till the Day of the time appointed" means, the
time appointed for you with Allaah, or when all people
will die, which is at the first blast of the Trumpet,
according to the majority.
(Tafseer al-Baydaawi, 3/370)
Al-Qurtubi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
his tafseer of this aayah:
Ibn `Abbaas said: What He meant by this is the first
blast of the Trumpet, i.e., when all creatures will die. Or it
was said, the appointed time, the knowledge of which
Allaah has kept to Himself and which Iblees does not know.
So Iblees will die and then be resurrected. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Whatsoever is on it (the earth) will perish"
[al-Rahmaan 55:26]
(Tafseer al-Qurtubi,10/27)
Al-Tabari narrated in his Tafseer from al-Suddi:
"[Iblees (Satan)] said: `My Lord! Give me then
respite till the Day the (dead) are resurrected.'
(Allaah) said: `Verily, you are of those allowed respite
Till the Day of the time appointed.'"
[Saad 38:79-81 _ interpretation of the meaning]
He did not give him respite until the Day of
Resurrection, but rather until the day of the time appointed, which
is the day when the first blast of the Trumpet will be
given and everyone who is in the heavens and on earth
will swoon and then die. (8/132)
Imaam al-Shawkaani said in his tafseer of this aayah:
Till the Day of the time appointed.'"
[Saad 38:79-81 _ interpretation of the
meaning]
The day which Allaah has decreed for the death of
all creatures, which is when the last blast of the
Trumpet will be sounded, or it was said the first blast. It was
said that Iblees asked to be given a respite until the Day
of Resurrection so that he might avoid death, because if
he were given respite until the Day of Resurrection, he
would not die before the resurrection; when the
resurrection came, he would thus have avoided death. But
Allaah responded in a manner that denied him his desire
and thwarted his aims, which was by giving him respite
until the day of the time appointed, which is known only
to Allaah, and no one else knows it.
(Fath al-Qadeer, 4/446)
This indicates that Iblees (may Allaah curse him) is
still alive and that he is still spreading mischief on earth
and misguiding people away from the path of Allaah. But
he is not immortal and will not live until the Day
of Resurrection, rather there is an appointed time when
he will die _ and Allaah knows best when that
appointed time will be. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Everyone shall taste death"
[Aal `Imraan 3:185]
"Whatsoever is on it (the earth) will perish.
And the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and
Honour will remain forever"
[al-Rahmaan 55:26-27]
There are also reports which indicate that Iblees
(may Allaah curse him) was alive at the time of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him):
· Iblees appeared on the day of Badr in the form
of Suraaqah ibn Maalik. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"And (remember) when Shaytaan (Satan) made their
(evil) deeds seem fair to them and said, `No one of
mankind can overcome you this day (of the battle of Badr)
and verily, I am your neighbour (for each and every
help).' But when the two forces came in sight of each other,
he ran away and said `Verily, I have nothing to do with
you. Verily, I see what you see not. Verily, I fear Allaah
for Allaah is Severe in punishment'"
[al-Anfaal 8:48]
Ibn Katheer said in his tafseer of this aayah:
He (may Allaah curse him) made attractive to them
the reason why they came and what they wanted to do.
He raised their hopes that they would not be
overwhelmed by anybody on that day, and calmed their fears that
their homes might be attacked by their enemies Banu Bakr.
He said, "and verily, I am your neighbour (for each and
every help)" _ because he appeared in the form of Suraaqah
ibn Maalik ibn Ja'sham, the leader of Banu Mudlij and
the leader of that region. All of that came from him, as
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"He (the Shaytaan) makes promises to them, and
arouses in them false desires; and Shaytaan's promises are
nothing but deceptions." [al-Nisaa' 4:120]
Ibn Juraij said: Ibn `Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said concerning this aayah: When the day of
Badr came, Iblees marched with his flags and his
troops alongside the mushrikeen, and gave the mushrikeen
the notion that no one would defeat them and that he
was their neighbour. But when the (enemies) met in
battle, and the Shaytaan saw the angelic reinforcements (on
the Muslims' side), he ran away, i.e., he turned on his
heels and fled, saying, Verily, I see what you see not…
(Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 2/318)
· He also (may Allaah curse him) appeared on the day
of Uhud. It was reported in a saheeh hadeeth that
`Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: On the day
of Uhud, the mushrikeen were defeated. Then Iblees
shouted out, `O slaves of Allaah! Beware the ones behind
you!' So the front ranks attacked the ones behind.
Hudhayfah looked and saw his father al-Yamaan. He cried out,
`O slaves of Allaah, my father, my father!' By Allaah,
they did not stop until they killed him [al-Yamaan].
Hudhayfah said, `May Allaah forgive you.' `Urwah [one of
the narrators] said: By Allaah, because of this,
Hudhayfah remained in a good state until he met Allaah [i.e.,
died]. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 3047)
· It was narrated in the saheeh ahaadeeth that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw
Iblees. It was narrated in a saheeh hadeeth that
Abu'l-Dardaa' (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) stood up, and we heard him say: "I seek refuge in
Allaah from you." Then he said: "I curse you with the curse
of Allaah" three times, and he spread out his hand as
if reaching for something. When the prayer was over,
we said, "O Messenger of Allaah, we heard you
saying something in the prayer that we have never heard you
say before, and we saw you stretching out your hand."
He said, "The enemy of Allaah Iblees came with a flame
of fire to throw in my face, and I said, `I seek refuge
with Allaah from you' three times. Then I said, `I curse
you with the complete curse of Allaah' three times, but he
did not retreat. Then I wanted to seize him. By Allaah,
were it not for the prayer of our brother Sulaymaan, he
would have been tied up this morning and the children of
the people of Madeenah would have played with
him." (Narrated by Muslim, no. 843; al-Nasaa'i, no. 1200)
It was narrated from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri that
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) prayed Subh (Fajr) prayer and he [Abu
Sa'eed] was behind him. He recited and got confused in
his recitation. When the prayer was over, he said, `If
only you could have seen me and Iblees. I grabbed him
and kept on trying to strangle him until I felt the coldness
of his saliva on these two fingers, the thumb and the
one next to it. Were it not for the prayer of my
brother Sulaymaan, he would have been tied to one of the
pillars of the mosque this morning, and the children of
Madeenah would have played with him. Whoever among you
can prevent him from coming between him and the
qiblah, let him do that." (Narrated by Ahmad, no. 11354).
· It was narrated that Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) say: "The throne of Iblees is on
the sea and he sends out his troops to spread mischief
(fitnah) among the people. The greatest of them in his sight is
the one who causes the most fitnah." (Narrated by
Muslim, 5031; Ahmad, no. 1427)
So Iblees (may the curse of Allaah be upon him) is
still alive, and he will die on the Day of the time
appointed, until which Allaah has given him a respite,
which according to the most correct scholarly view is the
Day of the first blast on the Trumpet. And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Could you please let me know the status of tariqah
- spiritual Paths- in Islam.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah. If what is meant is summoning
the spirits of jinn or others, this is not permitted, because
it can only be achieved by means of shirk. If what is
meant is nourishing the soul by believing in Allaah,
His Messengers, His angels, His Books, the Last Day and
in the divine decree, both good and bad, then this is
what Islam requires of every Muslim and asks him to
nourish this belief. And Allaah knows best.
Shaykh `Abd al-Kareem al-Khudayr (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
I was just wondering if Iblis was actually a jinn or
an angel. This particular issue recently sparked my
curiosity when it was presented to me by a person I know. If he
is an angel, then how is it he disobeyed Allah, when
Angels have no will of their own and follow only
Allah's command. If he is really a jinn, then it would better
explain his disobedience as then he actually had the choice
to obey or disobey Allah. I would appreciate a response,
even if it is a brief one.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah. Ibless _ may Allaah curse him _
is one of the jinn. He was not an angel for a single day,
not even for an instant. The angels were created noble;
they never disobey Allaah when He commands them to
do something and they do what they are commanded.
This is clearly stated in the Qur'aanic texts which indicate
that Iblees is one of the jinn and not one of the angels.
These texts include the following:
1. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And (remember) when We said to the angels:
"Prostrate yourselves unto Adam." So they prostrated
themselves except Iblees (Satan). He was one of the jinn; he
disobeyed the Command of his Lord. Will you then take him
(Iblees) and his offspring as protectors and helpers rather
than Me while they are enemies to you? What an evil is
the exchange for the Zaalimoon (polytheists, and
wrongdoers, etc)." [al-Kahf 18:50]
2. Allaah stated that He created the jinn from fire, as
He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And the jinn, We created aforetime from the
smokeless flame of fire" [al-Hijr 15:27]
"And the jinn He created from a smokeless flame of
fire" [al-Rahmaan 55:15]
And it was narrated in a saheeh hadeeth that
`Aa'ishah said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "The angels were created
from light, the jinn were created from smokeless fire and
Adam was created from that which has been described to
you." (Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh, no. 2996; also
narrated by Ahmad, no. 24668; by al-Bayhaqi in al-Sunan
al-Kubra, no. 18207 and by Ibn Hibbaan, no. 6155).
One of the attributes of the angels is that they were
created from light, and the jinn were created from fire. It
was mentioned in the Qur'aan that Iblees _ may Allaah
curse him _ was created from fire. This is what Iblees
himself said when Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted,
asked him the reason for his refusal to prostrate to Adam
when Allaah commanded him to do so. He _ may Allaah
curse him _ said:
" `I am better than him (Adam), You created me
from fire, and him You created from clay'" [al-A'raaf
7:12; Saad 38:76 _ interpretation of the
meaning]. This indicates that he was one of the jinn.
3. Allaah has described the angels in His Book, where
He says (interpretation of the meaning):
"O you who believe! Ward off yourselves and
your families against a Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men
and stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern
(and) severe, who disobey not, (from executing) the
Commands they receive from Allâh, but do that which they
are commanded"
[al-Tahreem 66:6]
"And they say: `The Most Gracious (Allaah) has
begotten a son (or children).' Glory to Him! They [whom they
call children of Allaah i.e. the angels, `Eesaa (Jesus) son
of Maryam (Mary), `Uzair (Ezra)], are but honoured
slaves. They speak not until He has spoken, and they act on
His Command"
[al-Anbiyaa' 21:26-27]
"And to Allaah prostrate all that is in the heavens and
all that is in the earth, of the moving (living) creatures
and the angels, and they are not proud [i.e. they worship
their Lord (Allâh) with humility]. They fear their Lord
above them, and they do what they are commanded"
[al-Nahl 16:49-50]
So it is not possbile for the angels to disobey their
Lord, because they are protected from sin and they are
naturally inclined to obey Allaah.
4. The fact that Iblees is not one of the angels means
that he is not compelled to obey Allaah. He has freedom
of will just as we humans do. Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning);
"Verily, We showed him the way, whether he be
grateful or ungrateful" [al-Insaan 76:3]
There are also Muslims and kaafirs among the jinn.
It says in Soorat al-Jinn (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say (O Muhammad): `It has been revealed to me that
a group (from three to ten in number) of jinn listened
(to this Qur'aan). They said: `Verily, we have heard
a wonderful Recitation (this Qur'aan)! It guides to the
Right Path, and we have believed therein, and we shall
never join (in worship) anything with our Lord (Allaah).'"
[al-Jinn 72;1-2]
In the same soorah, it states that the jinn said:
"`And indeed when we heard the Guidance
(this Qur'aan), we believed therein (Islamic Monotheism),
and whosoever believes in his Lord shall have no fear,
either of a decrease in the reward of his good deeds or
an increase in the punishment for his sins. And of us
some are Muslims (who have submitted to Allaah, after
listening to this Qur'aan), and of us some are
AlQaasitoon (disbelievers those who have deviated from the
Right Path)'…"
[al-Jinn 72:13-14]
Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
his Tafseer:
Al-Hasan al-Basri said: Iblees was not one of the
angels, not even for a single moment. He is the father of the
jinn, just as Adam (peace be upon him) is the father of
mankind. This was narrated by al-Tabari with a saheeh
isnaad (part 3/89).
Some of the scholars said that Iblees was one of the
angels, that he was the peacock of the angels, that he was the
one among the angels who strove the hardest in
worship… and other reports, most of which come from
the Israa'eeliyyaat (stories and reports from Jewish
sources), and some of which contradict the clear texts of
the Qur'aan.
Ibn Katheer said, explaining this:
A lot of these reports were transmitted from the
Salaf, and most of them come from the
Israa'eeliyyaat, which may be been transmitted in order to be examined [i.e.,
as opposed to being accepted as is]. Allaah knows best
about the veracity or otherwise of many of them. Some of
them are definitely to be rejected, because they go against
the truth which we hold in our hands. In the Qur'aan we
have sufficient so that we have no need of previous
reports, because hardly any of them are free of distortions,
with things added or taken away. Many things have
been fabricated in them, for they did not have people who
had memorized things precisely by heart (huffaaz) who
could eliminate the distortions created by extremists
and fabricators, unlike this ummah which has its
imaams, scholars, masters, pious and righteous people,
brilliant critics and men of excellent memory who recorded
the hadeeths and classified them, stating whether they
were saheeh (sound), hasan (good), da'eef (weak),
mawdoo' (fabricated), matrook (to be ignored). They identified
the fabricators and liars, and those about whom nothing
was known, and other kinds of men (i.e., narrators). All
of this afforded protection to the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the Seal of
the Messengers and the Leader of Mankind, so that
nothing would be attributed to him falsely and nothing would
be transmitted from him that he did not say or do. May
Allaah be pleased with them and make them pleased
[by rewarding them], and make the Paradise of
al-Firdaws their eternal abode. (Tafseer al-Qur'aan
il-`Azeem, 3/90).
And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A. Sheikh
Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
I spoke with this guy who´s know to e have some
powers to talk with Jinn I guess muslim ones), and he told
me some stuff about me.those people use words ,
phrases from Quran to control Jinn. What you think about
those people ? And is it ok to speek with them. and those
people ( Ahl el-Ketab ) who are they? frankly, I read books,
they mention how to make ( TAWEEZ), and how to
control Jinn, and see angles, and these books use Quran´s
words I like to know more about this... I live away from
my family for some years, I faced many problems, And
Allah helped me to solve them... I have some ( stupid )
love problem, I need to talk with someone who can really
tell me about it.. and how to solve it..
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah. It is possible to talk to the jinn,
but finding about unseen matters and what is in people's
hearts is haraam. Usually those who use words and phrases
of the Qur'aan in order to gain control over the jinn use
ways that are not Islamic. Using the jinn is a power that
was given only to Sulaymaan (peace be upon him).
Hence when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) wanted to tie up a jinn whom he had overcome
during his prayer, he remembered the du'aa' of Sulayman
and did not do that.
So you should try to advise these people and if
they respond, all well and good; otherwise the safest thing
to do is to leave them alone and not speak to them.
Ahl al-Kitaab (the People of the Book) are the Jews
and Christians.
It is OK to speak with the jinn if this happens
without you seeking it, and in fact it is mustahabb to call them
to the religion of Allaah and to adhere to His sharee'ah,
just as you call people. It is not advisable to read books or
to recite Qur'aan for this purpose, because the Qur'aan
was not revealed for such things; it was revealed to be a
light and a guide in the life of the Muslim, so that the
Muslim can follow it, obeying its commandments and
avoiding that which it forbids.
With regard to the angels, the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and other prophets saw them,
and some of the awliyaa' (close friends of Allaah) spoke
with them, as it was reported from `Imraan ibn Husayn
(may Allaah be pleased with him) that the angels used to
greet him with salaam until he started to use
branding (cauterization for medical purposes), then they
stopped. When he stopped using branding, they started to
greet him again. And Allaah knows best.
Shaykh `Abd al-Kareem al-Khudayr (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
One of the liars claims to know about thieves after
they have stolen without anybody knowing, and he does
that through means with which not many people are
familiar. For example, he calls for a dish of water, and a child
who has not yet reached puberty, who was breastfed by
his mother for two full years, and who has never been
scared by a dog. Then he starts to recite something from
the Qur'aan, and some unintelligible words, then he asks
the child, "Do you see anything in the water that is in
the dish?" The child then describes the thief in detail
and where he hid the stolen goods. What is the Islamic
ruling on this? Is it permissible to pray behind this man and
to keep in touch with him in good times and in bad _
knowing that we have tried to advise him, but he did not accept
the advice and he says that he is following the truth…
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Undoubtedly this man is a practitioner of witchcraft
or magic, and this is the work of the shayaateen
(devils), because this is beyond the capabilities of human
beings. No one knows the unseen except Allaah, and
revelation comes only to the Messengers _ and Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was the Seal of
the Prophets and there is no Prophet after him. No doubt
the Shaytaan appears to fortune-tellers and describes
the thieves to them, and tells them where stolen goods
are, whether this is seen in this dish of water or in some
other way. It is not permissible to ask these people anything
or to believe them. "Whoever comes to a fortune-teller
and believes him has disbelieved in what was revealed
to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him". (Saheeh _ narrated by Ahmad, 2/408; Abu Dawood,
3904; al-Tirmidhi, 135; Ibn Maajah, 639; al-Haakim,
1/8). On this basis it is not permissible to appoint him to lead
you in prayer, or to pray behind him, or to keep in touch
with him in good times and in bad, or to give him
anything even if he is in need, until and unless he repents.
And Allaah knows best.
From al-Lu'lu' al-Makeen min Fataawaa Ibn Jibreen,
p. 19
(www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
One of the liars claims to know the Unseen. He
recites Qur'aan over people who suffer from epilepsy and
tells them to use papers on which he has written as
incense, and he gives them amulets to wear. If a person who
comes to him for treatment is a wine-drinker, he tells him
that he drank wine the day before and that the rest of the
wine is to be found in such and such a place, and says that
he will not treat him for epilepsy until he gives up
drinking wine. Then the person admits it. Please give us a
fatwaa (ruling) on this matter. Is it permissible to sit and eat
with this person and to greet him with salaam and pray
behind him _ as he sometimes leads the people in prayer?
We have tried to advise him but he did not accept our
advice, and says that he is doing the right thing. Please give us
a fatwaa, may Allaah reward you.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah. Undoubtedly this person is a
fortune-teller who uses the shayaateen and gets close to them
by doing things that they like so that they will tell him
some concealed things. He may be offering sacrifices to
them, calling them by name, obeying them by disobeying
Allaah and eating haraam or impure things, etc. Of course this
is kufr and shirk. He must be asked to repent, and if
he repents, all well and good _ otherwise he must
be executed. It is not permissible to pray behind him or
to greet him with salaam until and unless he repents.
And Allaah knows best.
al-Lu'lu' al-Makeen min Fataawaa Ibn Jibreen, p.
20 (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
I have a question about ayn. If a man were to say to
his wife that she looks beautiful should he always
say mashaa'Allaah, or is this excessive?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
the "evil eye" is real, as the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The evil eye is real, and
if anything were to overtake the divine decree
(al-qadar) it would be the evil eye." (Narrated by Muslim, 2188,
from the hadeeth of Ibn `Abbaas).
Al-Bukhaari (5048) and Muslim (2187) narrated the
first part of this hadeeth from Abu Hurayrah.
Secondly:
the evil eye usually comes from people who are
jealous or envious (hasad).
Ibn al-Qayyim said:
Everyone who gives the evil eye is jealous, but
not everyone who is jealous gives the evil eye… then he said:
It begins when the person likes something, then his
evil soul dwells on the matter, and by continually looking
at the person who has the thing of which he feels
jealous, he directs his venom towards him. A person may put
the evil eye on himself, or he may put the evil eye on
someone else without intending to, because it is is a part of
his nature. This is the worst type of human being.
Our companions and other fuqahaa' said: if someone is
known for this, he should be detained by the imaam
(leader), who should spend on him and provide for him until
he dies. This idea is absolutely correct… (Zaad
al-Ma'aad, 4/167).
In the hadeeth, it says, "A'oodhu bi kalimaat-Illaah
it-taamah min kulli shaytaanin wa haammah wa min
kulli `aynin laammah (I seek refuge in the perfect words
of Allaah from every devil and vermin and from
every envious eye)." Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3191) from
the hadeeth of Ibn `Abbaas.
The meaning of "vermin"
(haammah) is lethally poisonous animals and insects.
The meaning of "envious"
(laammah) is that which causes harm because of jealousy
(hasad).
Thirdly:
Although it is correct that the evil eye comes from
people who feel jealous (hasad), it may also come from a
person who is not jealous but merely likes something,
because of the hadeeth: "Whoever among you sees something
in himself or in his possessions or in his brother that he
likes, let him pray for blessing for it, because the evil eye
is real." Narrated by Ibn al-Sunni in `Aml al-Yawm
wa'l-Laylah, p. 168; and by al-Haakim, 4/216. Classed
as saheeh by al-Albaani in al-Kalim
al-Tayyib, 243.
This hadeeth explains that a person may harm himself
or his wealth _ and no one feels jealous of himself _ but
he may harm himself with the evil eye by admiring
himself, so it is even more possible that he may harm his wife
in the same way.
Ibn al-Qayyim said:
And a man may put the evil eye on himself. (Zaa'd
al-Ma'aad, 4/167).
Fourthly:
a man may harm his wife with the evil eye by looking
at her and noticing her beauty and admiring her, even if
he does not actually say to her "You are beautiful." It
is mustahabb for him to say, "Allaahumma baarik
fihaa (O Allaah, bless her)."
It was reported from Abu Umaamah ibn Sahl ibn
Hunayf that his father told him that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out and
they travelled with him towards Makkah until they
reached Shi'b al-Khazzaar in al-Juhfah. Sahl ibn Hunayf
washed himself, and he was a white man with a handsome
body and skin. `Aamir ibn Rabee'ah, the brother of Bani
`Udayy ibn Ka'b, looked at him when he was washing, and
said, "I have never seen anything like this, not even the skin
of a virgin in seclusion!" (this was a metaphor for the
intense whiteness of his skin). Then Sahl suffered a seizure
(an epileptic fit, in which he fell to the ground). He
was brought to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and it was said, "O Messenger
of Allaah, do you know what has happened to Sahl?
By Allaah, he cannot raise his head and he will not
wake up." He said, "Do you accuse anyone with regard to
him?" They said, "`Aamir ibn Rabee'ah looked at him." So
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) called `Aamir and spoke angrily with
him, saying, "Would any of you like to kill his brother? If
you see something that you like, why do you not pray
for blessing for it?" Then he said to him (`Aamir), "Do
ghusl for him." So he washed his face, hands, elbows, the
soles of his feet and inside his izaar (lower garment) from
a vessel, then that water was poured over him (Sahl) _
a man poured it over his head and back from behind,
tilting the vessel. This was done to him, then Sahl went on
with the people and there was nothing wrong with him.
(Al-Musnad, 3/486. Al-Haythami said: the men of Ahmad
are the men of saheeh. Al-Majma', 5/107).
Fifthly:
When they like something, some people say
"Ma sha' Allaah laa quwwata illa
Billaah (That which Allaah wills (will come to pass)! There is no power but with
Allaah)". They take as evidence for this an aayah in
Soorat al-Kahf and a hadeeth.
The aayah in question is (interpretation of the meaning):
"It was better for you to say, when you entered
your garden: `That which Allaah wills (will come to
pass)! There is no power but with Allaah!'" [al-Kahf
18:39]. But this is not evidence
(daleel), because the subject of the aayah has nothing to do with
hasad (envy); in fact, Allaah destroyed his garden because of his
kufr and transgression.
The hadeeth in question was reported from Anas
ibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him), saying that
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said, "Whoever sees something that he
likes, and says, `Ma sha Allaah laa quwwata illa
Billaah', the evil eye will not affect him." But this hadeeth is
da'eef jiddan (very weak)!
Al-Haythami said: this was narrated by al-Bazzaar
from the report of Abu Bakr al-Hudhali, who is da'eef
jiddan (very weak). (Majma' al-Zawaa'id, 5/21).
And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A. Sheikh
Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
There is a man who claims that he deals with the
jinn, and that he is prepared to pay huge profits to anyone
who deals with him. For example, if I give him one
million, he will use mercury to deal with the jinn, and then he
will give me a profit of approximately five million
riyaals. What is your opinion of this man's claims? Is it true
that the jinn can bring money to a person who _ as he
claims _ uses them?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
In my opinion this is not permissible, because
dealing with them usually only comes after getting close to
them by means of things that they like. This is the action of
the practitioner of witchcraft who gets close to the
Shaytaan by doing things that he likes, which cancels out all
his good deeds. When he mentioned that he uses
mercury, this is deceit and taking people's money under
false pretences, and it may come under the heading of
gambling and stealing. The shayaateen work by illusions and
magic, and it is known that they do not possess any kind of
money or currency or goods. If they give anything of that sort
to a person, either it is an illusion that is not real, or else it
is something that has been stolen from other people. It
is not right to deal with them at all.
In fact, many of these fraudsters who claim that they
can make money are cheats and liars who deceive the
people and destroy their wealth and efforts; it is no more
than theft. The newspapers are full of stories like this. We
ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
There are well-known sayings among the people
about some tribes who have powers of observation and
the ability to follow tracks and know who or what made
them. It is said that some of their forefathers married some
of the jinn, and this is how they gained this power. How
true is this?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
This is not true, and I do not think that any
half-human, half-jinn person could be born, because the jinn do
not have bodies. They are spirits, even though they may
appear in different forms. These people who are known for
their tracking skills are people who are possess powers
of observation, intelligence, knowledge, experience
and skill. Allaah has created differences in tracks
and footprints, just has He has created differences
between people who may be tall or short, white or black, small
or big _ so that among one hundred thousand people
you will not find two who are the same in all respects. This
is the reason why these people can distinguish
between things, and they recognize tracks and can tell apart
things that look similar. And Allaah knows best.
Al-Lu'lu' al-Makeen min Fataawaa Ibn Jibreen, p.
15 (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
Is every practitioner of magic or witchcraft a kaafir?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The practitioner of magic is the person who uses
the shayaateen (devils) and gets close to the jinn by
doing the things they like _ such as sacrificing to them
instead of to Allaah, calling upon them alongside Allaah,
obeying them by disobeying Allaah by committing zinaa,
drinking wine, eating haraam things, neglecting prayer,
covering himself with najaasaat (impure things) and staying in
dirty places _ until the shayaateen respond to what he asks
them, with a gentle and kind approach, to do, such as
harming the people against whom he uses his magic,
causing division between a man and his wife, telling him
some unseen things, and telling him about stolen items
and where lost things are. Such a person is a
mushrik and a kaafir, because he worships both Allaah and the
Shaytaan, which is major shirk (al-shirk
al-akbar). So he is a kaafir, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning);
"Sulaymaan did not disbelieve, but the
Shayaateen (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic"
[al-Baqarah 2:102]
"but neither of these two (angels) taught anyone
(such things) till they had said, `We are for trial, so
disbelieve not (by learning this magic from us).'"
[al-Baqarah 2:102]
It was also commanded that the practitioner of
magic should be executed, because of the hadeeth: "The
hadd (prescribed punishment) for the practitioner of magic is
a blow with the sword (i.e., execution)."
(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1460; al-Daaraqutni, 3/114;
al-Haakim, 4/360; al-Bayhaqi, 8/136; see al-Silsilah
al-Da'eefah, 3/641, no. 1446)
On this basis, he is a kaafir even if he prays, fasts,
reads Qur'aan and makes du'aa', because
shirk cancels out all good deeds. And Allaah knows best.
Al-Lu'lu al-Makeen min Fataawa Ibn Jibreen, p.
11. (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
I am asking whether it is true that some one makes
what we call (Hojob) in Arabic to make other peole fail in
their lifes.
I dont know if you understand what I mean or not. I
will give you an example, I was told that some people
dont like others, so what they do,they go to specialized
people and ask them to do something by the help of the (Jin)
or whatever and make the life of that person
misery,like makes him fail in his life or ....... I dont know
whether this is available truley or not .
please give me an answer
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The correct view according to the majority of Ahl
al-Sunnah is that witchcraft or magic is real and that it
can have an effect _ if Allaah wills and decrees it _ on
the body of the one against whom it is directed, and it
could even kill him.
Imaam al-Quraafi said: "Witchcraft is real and the
person against whom it is directed could die, or his mood
and habits could be changed… This was also the view of
al-Shaafa'i and Ibn Hanbal…"
(al-Furooq, 4/149)
The Mu'tazilah and Qadariyyah did not agree with
this… but that is of no significance. Al-Quraafi and
others mentioned that the Sahaabah agreed that it (witchcraft)
is real, before there emerged anybody who denied this.
Among the evidence of Ahl al-Sunnah is:
The aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
"but the Shayaateen (devils) disbelieved, teaching
men magic and such things that came down at Babylon to
the two angels, Haaroot and Maaroot, but neither of
these two (angels) taught anyone (such things) till they had
said, "We are for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this
magic from us)." And from these (angels) people learn that
by which they cause separation between man and his
wife, but they could not thus harm anyone except by
Allaah's Leave. And they learn that which harms them and
profits them not." [al-Baqarah 2:102]
This aayah clearly indicates what is being asked
about here, which is that witchcraft is real and that
the practitioner of witchcraft can cause separation between
a man and his wife and that he can cause harm to people
by his witchcraft _ if that is decreed by the universal will
of Allaah.
The aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
"And from the evil of the witchrafts when they blow
in the knots" [al-Falaq 113:4]
`the witchcrafts when they blow in the knots' refers
to witches or female practitioners of witchcraft who tie
knots as part of their magic and blow on them. If
witchcraft were not real, Allaah would not have commanded us
to seek refuge from it.
Further proof is to be seen in the fact that witchcraft
was directed against the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) by the Jew Labeed ibn al-A'sam. This is
a saheeh hadeeth which was narrated by al-Bukhaari
and Muslim.
Further evidence is to be seen in the real-life
experiences of many people, which cannot be overlooked.
Ibn al-Qayyim said: the witchcraft which causes
people to be sick or to feel depressed, or which makes them
love or hate, exists and is well known to all people.
Many people have experienced what it can do to them."
(al-Tafseer al-Qayyim, p. 571).
Ibn Qudaamah said: "It is well known among people
that a man can be separated from his wife (by witchcraft)
when he gets married, so that he is unable to have
intercourse with her, but when the spell is lifted, then he is able
to have intercourse with her. This is so commonly
known that it cannot be denied. There are so many reports
of witchcraft that it is inconceivable that so many
people would agree on a lie."
(al-Mughni, 8/151)
There are many ways of protecting oneself
against witchcraft:
The best way is to fear Allaah, obey His commands,
put one's trust in Him, seek refuge with Allaah, and start
each morning by eating seven dates. All of these were
narrated in saheeh ahaadeeth.
There are many ways of removing the effects of
witchcraft, including:
Ruqyah [prayers, supplications], the best of which
is supplications from the Qur'aan, then du'aa's narrated
in saheeh haadeeth.
Finding the objects used for witchcraft purposes and
doing something to neutralize them.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
the Sunnah for treating this sickness _ two kinds
were transmitted from him:
One of them _ which is the best _ is to locate and
neutralize the object, as it was reported in a saheeh hadeeth that
he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked
his Lord about that, and He directed him to a well where
he found a comb, some hairs that had fallen when he
combed his hair ….…. When he removed these things from
the well, he felt better, as if he had recovered from an
illness. This is this is the best way of dealing with this
problem, and is like removing something bad from the body
by expelling it.
Cupping, induced vomiting and surgery.
Ibn al-Qayyim said _ continuing what he said in the
words quoted above: "The second kind is by physically
removing the place affected by the witchcraft, because
witchcraft has an effect on human nature and the bodily
humours, and can affect moods. If its effects are noted in any part
if the body and it is possible to remove the bad
material, this will be very beneficial." (Zaad
al-Ma'aad, 4/124, 125).
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
In the last few days a controversy has arisen
concerning the matter of jinn entering human bodies. Some say
that this is rationally impossible, because of the difference
in the essences from which they were created, as man
was created from clay and the jinn from fire. It has also
been said that the shayaateen (devils) have no power other
than waswaas (insinuating whispers) and that Allaah has
not given them any power over man. And it is said that
the recorded tapes that are in circulation (recordings of
jinn supposedly speaking through people) are no proof
of anything. What is your response to all this?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah. The fact that jinn can enter
human bodies is proven in the Qur'aan and Sunnah, and by
the consensus of Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah, and by
real-life events. No one disputes this apart from the
Mu'tazilah who give priority to their own rational analysis over
the evidence of the Qur'aan and Sunnah. We will mention
a little about this below:
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Those who eat Ribaa will not stand (on the Day
of Resurrection) except like the standing of a person
beaten by Shaytaan (Satan) leading him to insanity. That
is because they say: `Trading is only like Ribaa'…"
[al-Baqarah 2:275]
Al-Qurtubi said in his Tafseer (part 3, p. 355): "This
aayah is proof that those people are wrong who deny
that epilepsy is caused by the jinn and claim that its
causes are only physical, and that the Shaytaan does not
enter people or cause madness."
Ibn Katheer said in his Tafseer (part 1, p. 32),
after mentioning the aayah quoted above: "They will not
rise from their graves on the Day of Resurrection except
like the way in which the epileptic rises during his
seizure, when he is beaten by the Shaytaan. This is because
they will rise in a very bad state. Ibn `Abbaas said: the
one who consumes ribaa will rise on the Day of
Resurrection crazy and choking."
According to a saheeh hadeeth narrated by al-Nasaa'i
from Abu'l-Yusr, the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) used to pray: "Allaahumma innee
a'oodhu bika min al-taraddi wa'l-haram wa'l-gharaq
wa'l-harq, wa a'oodhu bika an yatakhabatani al-shaytaan `ind
al-mawt ( O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from
being thrown from a high place, old age, drowning and
burning; and I seek refuge with You from being beaten by
the Shaytaan at the time of death)." Commenting on
this hadeeth in Al-Fayd (part 2, p.148), al-Manaawi said:
"[The phrase] `and I seek refuge with You from being beaten
by the Shaytaan at the time of death' means, lest he
should wrestle with me and play with me, and damage
my religious commitment or mental state (at the time of
death) by means of his insinuating whispers which cause
people to slip or lose their minds. The Shaytaan could take
control of a person when he is about to depart this world,
and misguide him or stop him from repenting…"
Ibn Taymiyah (Majmoo' al-Fataawa,
42/276) said: "The fact that jinn can enter human bodies is proven by
the consensus of Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah. Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning): `Those who eat
Ribaa will not stand (on the Day of Resurrection) except
like the standing of a person beaten by Shaytaan
(Satan) leading him to insanity. That is because they say:
`Trading is only like Ribaa'…' [al-Baqarah
2:275]. And in as-Saheeh it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: `The Shaytaan flows
through the son of Adam as the blood flows through his veins.'"
`Abd-Allaah ibn al-Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said;
"I said to my father, `There are some people who say
that the jinn do not enter the body of the epileptic.' He
said: `O my son, they are lying; the jinn could speak
through this person.'" Commenting on this, Ibn Qudaamah
said: "What he said is well known, because a person may
suffer an epileptic seizure and speak in a language that no
one understands, and his body may be beaten with blows
that would fell a camel, but the epileptic does not feel them
at all, and he is also unaware of the words he is saying.
The epileptic and others may be dragged about, or the
carpet on which he is sitting may be pulled, and utensils may
be moved about from place to place, and other things
may happen. Anyone who witnesses such a thing will
know for sure that the one who is speaking through the
person and moving these things is not human." And he said,
may Allaah have mercy on him: "There is no one among
the imaams of the Muslims who denies that jinn may
enter the body of the epileptic and others. Anyone who
denies that and claims that Islam denies it is lying about
Islam. There is nothing in the proofs of sharee'ah to show that
it does not happen."
So the fact that jinn may enter human bodies is proven
in the Qur'aan and Sunnah, and by the consensus of Ahl
al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamaa'ah, some of whose comments we have quoted above.
As regards the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
"but they could not thus harm anyone except by
Allaah's Leave" [al-Baqarah 2:102], this is undoubtedly a
clear indication that the jinn cannot harm anyone
through witchcraft or epilepsy or through any other kind
of disturbance or misguidance, except with the
permission of Allaah. As al-Hasan al-Basri said: "Whomever
Allaah wills, He gives them power over him, and whomever
He does not will, He does not give them power over
him, and they cannot do anything to anyone except with
the permission of Allaah." The Shaytaan (who is
the disbelieving jinn) may gain power over the believers
by making them sin and by making them neglect the remembrance and Tawheed of Allaah and sincerity
in worshipping Him. But he has no power over the
righteous slaves of Allaah, as Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"Verily, My slaves (i.e. the true believers of
Islamic Monotheism) — you have no authority over them.
And All-Sufficient is your Lord as a Guardian"
[al-Israa' 17:65]
During the Jaahiliyyah the Arabs were well aware of
this and mentioned it in their poetry. For example, the
poet al-A'shaa likened his she-camel's energy to that of
one who was touched by the jinn, and said that it was the
jinn who was giving her her energy.
As regards the causes of epilepsy, Ibn Taymiyah
explained (in Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 19/39) the causes. He
said: "When the jinn touch a person with epilepsy, it may
be because of desire or love, just as happens between
one human and another… or it may _ as is usually the case
_ be because of hatred and punishment, such as when
a person has harmed them or they think that he has
harmed them deliberately, either by urinating on them or
pouring hot water on them or killing them, even if the person
did that unknowingly. There are ignorant and
wrongdoing ones among the jinn who may punish a person more
than he deserves, or they may be playing with him
and mistreating him, like foolish people among mankind."
And I say: the way to save oneself from this is to
remember Allaah and speak His Name at the beginning of all
things, as it was reported that the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to mention Allaah in
many cases, such as when eating, drinking, mounting his
riding-beast, taking off his clothes for any reason,
having intercourse and so on…
As regards treatment (of one whose body has been
entered by the jinn), Ibn Taymiyah said (Majmoo'
al-Fataawa, 19/42): "When the jinn attack a person, they should
be told of the rulings of Allaah and His Messenger,
proof should be established against them, and they should
be commanded to do what is good and told not to do what
is evil, just as should be done in the case of people, as
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): `And We never
punish until We have sent a Messenger (to give warning)'
[al-Israa' 17:15]." Then he said: "If the jinn does not
leave after being addressed in this manner, then it is
permissible to rebuke him, tell him off, threaten him and curse
him, as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) did with the Shaytaan when he came with
a falling star to throw it in his face, and the
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "I
seek refuge with Allaah from you and I curse you with
the curse of Allaah" _ three times. (Narrated by
al-Bukhaari).We may also seek help against the jinn
by remembering Allaah (dhikr) and reciting
Qur'aan, especially Aayat al-Kursi. The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever
recites it will remain under the protection of Allaah and
no shaytaan (devil) will be able to approach him until
the morning." (Narrated by al-Bukhaari). And
al-Mi'wadhatayn (the last two soorahs of the Qur'aan)
may also be recited.
As for psychiatrists who do not treat the epileptic in
the manner described, they cannot do him any good at all.
This issue may be discussed in much more detail,
but what we have said here is sufficient for those who
want to know a little about this matter, Praise be to Allaah,
the Lord of the Worlds.
Masaa'il wa rasaa'il, Muhammad Mahmoud al-Najdi,
p. 23 (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
i would like information on majic (jadoo) what are
the consequences and can people use it to kill people.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
Yes, there is sihr that can kill. When discussing
different forms of murder the scholars have mentioned that
the person who kills another by means of a kind of
sihr that usually kills should be executed
(qisaas _ retaliation), because he has killed by means of something that
usually kills. Ibn Qudaamah said in
al-Mughni (9/330): "The sixth kind: if he killed him by means of a kind of
sihr that usually kills, then he has to be executed, because he
has killed by means of something that usually kills, like
killing by use of a knife. If he killed by means of something
that does not usually kill or something that sometimes
kills and sometimes does not, then he has to pay diyah
(blood-money), but qisaas is not required, because he
intended to do harm, and it is akin to beating someone with a
stick (which may or may not kill)."
The ruling concerning the saahir (practitioner of
sihr) in al-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah (24/267) says that in the
case where he killed a person by means of his
sihr… the majority say that killing by means of
sihr may be done deliberately, in which case
qisaas is required. According to the Maalikis, evidence or a confession is
required. According to the Shaafi'is, if the person whom
the practitioner of sihr killed was his equal , then qisaas
is required if the killing was deliberate, which may be
proven by a confession on the part of the
saahir, such as his saying "I killed him by means of my
sihr", or "I killed him with this type of thing", supported by the testimony of
two reliable witnesses who have practised
sihr in the past but have now repented, who can confirm that this kind
of sihr usually kills. If it is a type that does not usually
kill, then the matter is more akin to manslaughter.
And Allaah knows best. Islam Q&A Sheikh
Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
I have read in the Holy Qur'an what a jinn is, but I
really don't understand what they really are. Can you
please send me more information on them. Peace be unto you!
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
The Qur'aan and Sunnah indicate that the jinn exist,
and that there is a purpose for their existence in this life,
which is to worship Allaah Alone, with no partner or
associate. Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings):
"And I (Allaah) created not the jinns and humans,
except they should worship Me (Alone)." [al-Dhaariyaat 51:56].
"O assembly of jinns and mankind! Did there not
come to you Messengers from amongst you, reciting unto
you My Verses…?" [al-An'aam 6:130]
The world of the jinn is an independent and
separate world, with its own distinct nature and features that
are hidden from the world of humans. Jinns and humans
have some things in common, such as the possession
of understanding and the choice between the way of
good and the way of evil. The word jinn comes from an
Arabic root meaning "hidden from sight". Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"… Verily he [Shaytaan] and his qabeeluhu [his
soldiers from the jinn or his tribe] see you from where you
cannot see them…" [al-A'raaf 7:27]
Allaah has told us in His Book the essence from
which the jinn were created. He says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"And the jinn, We created aforetime from the
smokeless flame o fire." [al-Hijr 15:27]
"And the jinns did He create from a smokeless flame
of fire." [al-Rahmaan 55:15].
According to a hadeeth narrated by `Aa'ishah, the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"The angels were created from light, the jinn were created
from fire, and Aadam was created from that which has
been described to you." (Reported by Muslim, 5314).
Types of jinn
Allaah has created different types of jinn. Among
them are some who can take on different forms, such as
dogs and snakes; some who are like flying winds with
wings; and some who can travel and rest. Abu Tha'labah
al-Khushani said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: `The jinn are
of three types: a types that has wings, and they fly
through the air; a type that looks like snakes and dogs; and a
type that stops for a rest then resumes its journey."
(Reported by al-Tahhaawi in Mushkil
al-Athaar, 4/95, and by al-Tabaraani in
al-Kabeer, 22/214. Shaykh al-Albaani said in
al-Mishkaat (2/1206, no. 4148): al-Tahhaawi
and Abu'l-Shaykh reported it with a saheeh isnaad).
The jinn and the sons of Aadam
Every individual among the sons of Aadam has a
jinn who has been appointed to be his constant
companion (qareen). Ibn Mas'ood said: "The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said,
`There is not one of you who does not have a jinn appointed
to be his constant companion.' They said, `And you too,
O Messenger of Allaah?' He said, `Me too, but Allaah
has helped me and he has submitted, so that he only helps
me to do good.'" (Reported by Muslim, 2814).
Al-Nawawi said in his commentary on Muslim (17/175): "`He
has submitted' … he became a believing Muslim. This is
the apparent meaning. Al-Qaadi said: Know that the
ummah is agreed upon the fact that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was protected
from Shaytaan, physically and mentally, and with regard to
his speech. This hadeeth contains a reference to the
warning against the fitnah (temptation, trial) and whispers of
the qareen (constant companion from among the jinn).
We know that he is with us so we should beware of him
as much as possible."
Their powers
Allaah has given the jinn powers that he has not given
to humans. Allaah has told us about some of their
powers, such as the ability to move and travel quickly. An
`ifreet from among the jinn guaranteed to the Prophet
Sulaymaan (peace be upon him) that he would bring the throne of
the Queen of Yemen to Jerusalem in a moment faster
than that needed for a man to get up from where he was
sitting. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"An `ifreet (strong one) from the jinns said: `I will
bring it [her throne] to you before you rise from your
place (council). And verily, I am indeed strong, and
trustworthy for such work.' One with whom was knowledge of
the Scripture said: `I will bring it to you within the
twinkling of an eye!' _ then when Sulaymaan saw it placed
before him, he said, `This is by the Grace of my Lord…'"
[al-Naml 27:39-40].
The food and drink of the jinn
The jinn eat and drink. Ibn Mas'ood said: "The
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: `Someone from among the jinn called me, and I
went with him and recited Qur'aan for them.' He took us
and showed us the traces of where they had been and the
traces of their fires. They asked him for food and he said,
`You can have every bone on which the name of Allaah
has been mentioned that comes into your possession, as
meat, and all the droppings as food for your animals.'
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said, `So do not use [these things] for cleaning yourselves
[after relieving oneself], for they are the food and provision
of your brothers.'" (Reported by Muslim, 450).
According to another report: "A delegation of jinn from
Naseebeen came to me, and what good jinn they are! They asked
me for food and I prayed to Allaah for them, so that
they would not pass by bones or droppings, but they
would find food on them." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 3571).
The believing jinn may eat any bone on which the name
of Allaah has been mentioned, because the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not permit
them to have anything on which Allaah's name has not
been mentioned _ those are for the kuffaar among the jinn.
The beasts of the jinn
According to the hadeeth narrated by Ibn Mas'ood,
that we have quoted above, the jinn asked the
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) for
provision, and he said to them: "…and [you can have] all
the droppings as food for your animals."
The dwelling-places of the jinn
The jinn live on this earth where we do. They are
mostly to be found in ruins and unclean places like
bathrooms, dunghills, garbage dumps and graveyards. Hence
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) taught us to take precautions when entering such
places, by reciting the adhkaar (prayers) prescribed by Islam.
One of these was reported by Anas ibn Maalik (may Allaah
be pleased with him), who said: "When the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) entered the toilet, he would say, `Allaahumma
innee a'oodhu bika min al-khubuthi
wa'l-khabaa'ith (O Allaah, I seek refuge with You from the evil ones, male
and female).'" (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 142; and
Muslim, 375). Al-Khattaabi explained that
khubuth is the plural of khabeeth (evil or dirty _ masculine form),
and khabaa'ith is the plural of
khabeethah (evil or dirty _ feminine form), and that what is meant is male and
female shayaateen.
Some jinns are Muslims and some are kaafirs
Allaah tells us that some of the jinn said
(interpretation of the meaning):
" `And some of us are Muslims, and of us some are
al-qaasitoon (disbelievers _ those who have deviated
from the Right Path). And whosoever has embraced Islam,
then such have sought the Right Path. And as for the
qaasitoon, they shall be firewood for Hell.'" [al-Jinn 72:14-15]
The Muslims among the jinn are of different levels
as regards righteousness and taqwa. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"[Some jinn said:] `There are among us some that
are righteous, and some the contrary; we are groups,
each having a different way (religious sects, etc.)'"
[al-Jinn 72:11]
The story of how the first jinn of this ummah
became Muslim was narrated by `Abd-Allaah ibn `Abbaas,
who said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) went out with a group of his Companions
heading for the marketplace of `Ukaaz. This was when
the shayaateen were prevented from getting any news
from heaven, and shooting stars had been sent against
them. The shayaateen went back to their people, who said,
`What is the matter with you?' They said, `We cannot get
news from heaven, and shooting stars were sent against
us.' Their people said, `Nothing is stopping you from
hearing news from heaven except some new event that must
have happened. Go and look in the east and the west of
the earth, and see if you can find out what it is that is
stopping you from hearing news from heaven.' Those who
went out in the direction of Tihaamah came upon the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in
Nakhlah, when he was on his way to `Ukaaz, and found him
leading his Companions in Fajr prayer. When they heard
the Qur'aan, they listened to it and said, `By Allaah, this
is what is stopping us from hearing news from
heaven.' When they went back to their people, they said,
`O our people, we have heard a wonderful Recital (the
Qur'aan). It guides to the Right Path, and we have believed
therein, and we shall never join (in worship) anything with
our Lord (Allaah). [al-Jinn 72:2 _ interpretation of
the meaning]. Then Allaah revealed to His Prophet peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) the words
(interpretation of the meaning): "Say (O
Muhammad): `It has been revealed to me that a group of jinns listened (to
this Qur'aan)…' [al-Jinn 72:1], and Allaah revealed to
him what the jinn had said." (reported by al-Bukhaari, 731).
Their reckoning on the Day of Resurrection
The jinn will be called to account on the day
of Resurrection. Mujaahid (may Allaah have mercy on
him) said, concerning the aayah (interpretation of the
meaning): "… but the jinns know well that they have indeed
to appear (before Him) (i.e., they will be brought
to account)" [al-Saffaat 37:158]: "They will be brought
to judgement." Saheeh al-Bukhaari, Baab Dhikr al-Jinn
wa Thawaabihim wa `Iqaabihim.
Protection from the harm of the jinn
Because the jinn can see us while we cannot see
them, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) taught us many ways to protect ourselves from their
harm, such as seeking refuge with Allaah from the
accursed Shaytaan, reciting Soorat al-Falaq and Soorat al-Naas
(the last two Soorahs of the Qur'aan), and reciting the
words taught by Allaah in the Qur'aan (interpretation of
the meaning): "Say: `My Lord! I seek refuge with You
from the whisperings (suggestions) of the shayaateen
(devils). And I seek refuge with You, my Lord, lest they may
attend (or come near) me.'"
[al-Mu'minoon 23:97-98]
Saying Bismillaah (in the Name of Allaah) before
entering one's home, before eating or drinking, and before
having intercourse will also keep the Shaytaan from entering
the house or partaking with a person in his food, drink
and sexual activity. Similarly, mentioning the name of
Allaah before entering the toilet or taking off one's clothes
will prevent the jinn from seeing a person's `awrah or
harming him, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said, "To put a barrier that will prevent
the jinn from seeing the `awrah of the sons of Aadam, let
any one of you say `Bismillaah' when entering the
toilet." (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 551; Saheeh
al-Jaami', 3611).
Strength of faith and religion in general will also
prevent the jinn from harming a person, so much so that if
they were to fight, the one who has faith would win.
`Abd-Allaah ibn Mas'ood (may Allaah be pleased with
him) said: "A man from among the Companions of
Muhammad met a man from among the jinn. They wrestled, and
the human knocked down the jinn. The human said to
him, `You look small and skinny to me, and your
forearms look like the front paws of a dog. Do all the jinn look
like this, or only you?' He said, `No, by Allaah, among them
I am strong, but let us wrestle again, and if you defeat me
I will teach you something that will do you good.'
The human said, `Fine.' He said, `Recite, `Allaah! None
has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever-living,
the One Who sustains and protects all that exists…'
[Aayat al-Kursi _ al-Baqarah 2:255 _ interpretation of
the meaning]. The human said, `Fine.' He said, `You
will never recite this in your house but the Shaytaan will
come out of it like a donkey breaking wind, and he will
never come back in until the next morning.'" (Reported by
al-Daarimi, 3247).
This is a brief summary about the jinn, and their
nature and characteristics. Allaah is the Best of protectors
and the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.
For more information see `Aalam al-Jinn
wa'l-Shayaateen by `Umar Sulaymaan al-Ashqar. (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
What is your view on the practice of burning a tray
of coal that emits smoke, which is used to cover every
nook and corner of the house, especially on Thursday
nights? It is believed that this practice will rid the house of
Jinns and Shaytaan. I have been told that the presence of
smoke is one element where it is the food of Jinns. Is there
a hadeeth on this practice?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
What you describe is a type of cheating or fraud,
which the believer is not permitted to believe in or to do. I
warn you against falling into the trap of Shaytan. You
should read the last two soorahs of the Qur'aan and Soorat
al-Baqarah in the house: this is the strongest
protection against Shaytan; it will expel him from your house
and protect you from his evil by the permission of Allaah.
Islam Q&A. Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
Question:
My brother after returning from a trip starting acting
very strange. He would say weird things and now doesn't
talk to anyone at all. He has been sitting outside for 2
months now. He has even spit on our mother. At first we
thought there was something psychologically wrong with
him. However when we took him to a mental doctor he
talks as if he is fine. We think he is either possessed by a
Jinn or some magic was done to him.
How can you tell if someone is possessed or if magic
was done to them?
How do you remove it? My mother is getting very
sick over this.
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah
People who have had experience with such situations
have related that the following are among the signs of a
person who is possessed by jinn (or Satan):
Strong repulsion when hearing Qur'aan or Aathaan
(call for prayers).
Episodes of losing consciousness and/or epileptic
attacks, especially when Qur'aan is recited for the
possessed person.
Frequent nightmares during sleep.
Tendency to avoid people accompanied by
out-of-the-norm behavior.
The jinn who possesses him might speak when
Qur'aan is recited for the possessed person.
Madness, as stated in the Qur'aan (interpretation of
the meaning): "Those who devour usury will not stand
except as stands one whom Satan by his touch hath driven
to [epileptic] madness…"2:275
As for a person struck by magic he might experience
the following:
Dislike of one's spouse, as indicated in the Qur'aan
by the following verse (interpretation of the meaning):
"And from these (angels) people learn that by which they
cause separation between a man and his
wife..."
(Al-Baqarah, 2:102).
Different attitude in the house from that which is
outside the house. For example, a person will feel that he
is missing his family when is outside the house but
when he goes home, love changes quickly to extreme hatred.
Inability to have sexual intercourse with one's spouse.
Frequent miscarriage for pregnant women.
Sudden change in behavior without obvious reason.
Complete loss of appetite for food.
Thinking or imagining one has done something when
in reality one has not.
Sudden obedience and/or love for a particular person.
It should be noted that if a person experiences some
of the above symptoms this does not necessarily mean
that he is either possessed by a jinn or struck by black
magic. It might be due to physiological or psychological reasons.
As for curing this condition the following steps
are recommended:
Putting one's trust in Allah with sincere belief that He
is the only cure for everything.
Reading Qur'aan and known supplications
expressing seeking refuge, the most important and effective of
which is sura 113 and 114, Al-Falaq and Al-Naas, which
were used to cure the Prophet himself. Surah 112,
Al-Ikhlaas, is recommended along with them, as well as the
opening chapter of the Qur'aan, Al-Fatihah. To cure black
magic some have successfully used seven lotus-tree leaves.
The leaves should be crushed, then mixed them with
water enough for taking a bath. The following verses from
the Qur'aan are then recited: verse Al-Kursi (2:255),
surah Al-Kafiroon (109), surah 112, 113, 114; the verses
which mention magic, which are: in surah Al-Baqarah
(2:102), Al-A'raaf (3:117-119), Yunus (10:79-82), and
Taha (20:65-69). The possessed person drinks some of
the water, and the rest is used to give him a bath.
Removing the elements of magic as was done by
the Prophet when he was struck by black magic by a
Jewish man called Lubaid Ben Al-`Aasim.
Eating seven Aa'liya Al-Barniy dates (among the
dates of Al-Madinah) first thing in the morning; if not
possible, any dates will suffice, by the will of Allaah.
Cupping—removing excess blood.
Supplications.
And we ask Allaah to cure your brother and ease
your hardship and his, as He is the One who cures and there
is no one else who can cure. Islam Q&A. Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
(www.islam-qa.com)
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