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.”
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 the 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. From al-Lu’lu’ al-Makeen min Fataawaa Ibn Jibreen, p. 19
It is not permissible to use witchcraft for any purpose whatsoever. Witchcraft or magic is falsehood, and all kinds of falsehood are kufr and evil doing. 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
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.”
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).
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. Reference: Masaa’il wa rasaa’il, Muhammad Mahmoud al-Najdi, p.23
It is not permissible to seek the help of the jinn in finding about what the problem is and how to treat it, 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 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 All-Wise, All-Knowing’” [al-An’aam 6:128]
The meaning of the phrase ‘We benefited one from the other’ is that the men venerated the jinn and submitted to them and sought help from them, and the jinn served them by doing what they wanted and bringing them what they asked for. That includes informing them of the type of sickness and its causes, because the jinn can come to know of things that humans cannot; but they may tell lies, because they cannot be trusted, and it is not permissible to believe them. And Allaah knows best. Al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Iftaa’
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.
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]
There are many ahaadeeth which state that this is haraam, such as the hadeeth narrated from Safiyah bint Abi ‘Ubayd from one of the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who narrated that he said: “Whoever goes to a soothsayer and asks him about something and believes him, his prayer will not be accepted for forty days.” (Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh).
Qusaybah ibn al-Mukhaariq said: “I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: ‘Al-‘ayaafah, al-tiyarah and al-turuq [kinds of augury] are all part of al-jabt [witchcraft or idolatry].’” This was narrated by Abu Dawood with a saheeh isnaad.
Abu Dawood said: Al-‘ayaafah, al-khatt and al-turuq are all kinds of augury, whereby a bird is released and is watched to see whether it flies to the right or to the left. If it flies to the right it is taken as a good omen and if it flies to the left it is taken as a bad omen. Al-Jawhari said: al-jabt is a word which may be applied to idols, soothsayers, magicians, astrologers etc.
It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever seeks knowledge from the stars is seeking one of the branches of witchcraft…” Narrated by Abu Dawood with a saheeh isnaad.
It was narrated that Mu’aawiyah ibn al-Hakam said: “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, I am still close to the time of Jaahiliyyah [i.e., I am new in Islam]. Allaah has brought Islam to us, but there are among us men who go to soothsayers (fortune tellers).’ He said, ‘Do not go to them.’ I said, ‘And there are men among us who practise augury [watch birds for omens].’ He said, ‘That is something which they make up. Do not believe them.’” (Narrated by Muslim).
It was narrated from Abu Mas’ood al-Badri that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade the price of a dog, the fee of a prostitute and the payment of a soothsayer. (Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim).
It was reported that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “Some people asked the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about soothsayers. He said, ‘They are nothing.’ They said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, sometimes they say something and it comes true.’ The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ‘That is a word of truth that the jinn snatches and whispers into the ear of his familiar, but they mix a hundred lies with it.’” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari and Muslim).
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever comes to a soothsayer and believes what he says, or has intercourse with a woman in her back passage, has nothing to do with that which has been revealed to Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).” (Narrated by Abu Dawood).
… The scholars have stated that it is haraam to deal with such matters or to go to find out about them or to believe in them. It is haraam to pay them money, and anyone who is suffering from any of these things must hasten to repent from it. And Allaah knows best. Fataawa al-Imaam al-Nawawi, 230.
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.
Black Magic and Satanic Possession
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 or (Beri 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 Al Ikhlaas, Surah 113 Al Falaq, Surah 114 Al Nass; the verses which mention magic recite three times each, 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 popularly known as Ajwa (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.
Allaah is the Best of protectors and the Most Merciful of those who show mercy. He is the One who cures and there is no one else who can cure.