It is the belief of some Muslims today that Sihr(sorcery/witchcraft) is not real; it is mere fiction that has no impact and effect on mankind. They go extreme in displaying their “over taqwa” syndrome by submitting their mothers names to the public space and dare anyone who believes in the efficacy of Sihr to enchant/cast them under a spell.
Sihr however could be defined as performances of magic( sleight of hand), just as a deceit or camouflage. But the intended Sihr in this discourse is to cast someone under a spell, or to be enchanted and bewitched. And the word Sihr will be used in this article to mean this latter definition.
This will take us to the slight difference among the scholars on the reality and efficacy of Sihr. While the majority of the scholars of old and present hold the belief that Sihr is real and it has effect on the one enchanted; minority among the scholars hold to the opinion that Sihr is just a delusion, camouflage and allurement borne out of charlatanism.
The head of those who hold to the belief that Sihr is not real but a delusion is Abu Ishaaq Ibraheem bn Sufyaan(rahimahu Allahu) who lived in the third hijri century, he was among the salaf, he was a Shaafi’i in fiqh and not a mu’tazilite. Though, some of the Mu’tazilite were reported to reject the efficacy of Sihr; and some of them went extreme by considering those who believe in the efficacy of Sihr as kaafir. As reported by Ibn Kethir in his tafseer volume 1 page 254. Imam Jassas who wrote the famous Tafseer Ahkaam Qur’an was also of this Abu Ishaaq’s view.
The set of people who belie the reality of Sihr therefore presented their four forms of Sihr as among their evidences to support their notion.
The First Form: Sihr is an act of imagination and delusion. And this is part of what the charlatans do, they make you see that he slaughtered a bird, then he shows you this same bird flying, and this is due to his deceptive manner; the slaughtered bird isn’t the one that flew because he has 2 birds with him(while you don’t know), he has hide the slaughtered one and shown the other.
They said: And the sihr which Fir’awn has was of this kind. “Fir’awn had no Sihr, he only played with the brain of the idiots”.
The Second Form: The Soothsayer and the Fortune-teller in a way of collusion. They say some of what the soothsayers and fortune-teller do is to get informations from some people and claim they know the secrets of people. And people claim he knows such from the jinn and shaytaan, that the jinns and shayaatin relate with him and gave him information. They say this is nothing but collusion with the brain of people and it tells Sihr is not effective.
Their third form of Sihr is tale-bearing, calumniation and frustration. They said it has been narrated that a woman wants to cause frustration between a husband and wife, he went to the wife and said to her “your husband is not looking at your side again, he wants to marry another wife, but I will help you to cast a spell on him till he won’t be able to do so; but you must take 3 hairs out of his beard with a knife when he is asleep; you give me the hair and I will finish the sorcery”. The wife followed what she said and believed her. And this same woman went to the husband and told him “your wife has loved another man and she has determined to slaughter you with a knife while you are asleep so as to finish you. And I intended to give you an admonition, do not sleep deeply tonight, pretend as if you are asleep, then you will know the truthfulness of my statement”.
During the night, the husband pretended as if he is asleep, there came the wife with a knife to take 3 hairs of his beards, the husband opened his eyes and saw her with the knife close to his neck, the husband did not have an iota of doubt that she intend to kill him, he stood on her and killed his wife. When the news got to the wife’s family, they came to the husband and got him killed also.
With this narration, they claim this is how dissolution and frustration occur through calumniation and tale-bearing.
Their fourth form of Sihr is cheating and deception. They defined this is, by feeding people with some medicines that have effects in the brain, or giving him some foods that have negative effects on the intellect, like feeding him with the donkey’s cerebrum – which if man eats, it turns the brain to a dull one. And also some medicines that if man takes, it has negative effects on the intellect. People will then conclude he has been enchanted.
If you read through verywell, you should have noticed those who belie the reality and efficacy of Sihr with their forms of Sihr were discussing the act of magic, envision, tale-bearing, deception and camouflage. And all their forms did not include the intended definition of Sihr as an act of enchantment, to cast someone under a spell, to be bewitched or charmed. Because all those forms they mentioned are not works of a sorcerer but the works of common brain.
Meanwhile, Abu Ishaaq and the few people who rely on his stance further presented four Islamic evidences to buttress their points that Sihr is not real.
1: Allah’s statement:
سَحَرُوا أَعْيُنَ النَّاسِ وَاسْتَرْهَبُوهُمْ
“they deceived the people’s eyes and frightened them”
2: Allah’s statement:
يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِن سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَىٰ
“it was imaged to him on account of their magic as if they were running.”
3: Allah’s statement:
وَلَا يُفْلِحُ السَّاحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَىٰ
“and the magician shall not be successful wheresoever he may come from.”
4: They said:
“If the Sorcerer wishes to walk on water or fly on the sky, or change the sand to gold – truly, this will nullify the belief in the mu’jizaat(miracles) of the Prophets and will mix the truth with falsehood. And the Prophets won’t be differentiated from sorcerers because there is no difference between the miracles of the Prophets and the works of the magicians; all of it are in the same form”.
These are the summary of the evidences presented by Abu Ishaaq and those who are with him.
The majority of the scholars of old and present hereby gave evidences and answers to Abu Ishaaq’s evidences, to buttress the point that Sihr is real, it is different from deceptive magic and sleight of the hand and it has effect on the soul of the enchanted person.
1: Allah’s statement:
سَحَرُوا أَعْيُنَ النَّاسِ وَاسْتَرْهَبُوهُمْ وَجَاءُوا بِسِحْرٍ عَظِيمٍ
(they deceived the people eyes and frightened them, and they produced a mighty enchantment).
They argued this verse is a denotation on the establishment of Sihr and its efficacy. As Allah said: And they produced a mighty enchantment.
2: Allah’s statement
فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِ
(Even then, men learned from these two, sorcery by which they might cause a separation between a man and his wife)
And this verse denotes on the reality of Sihr because it separates between the husband and the wife, and causes hatred and enmity between the couple. This verse is a denotation that Sihr is effective and real.
3: Allah’s statement:
و ما هم بضارين به من أحد إلا بإذن الله
(And they cannot hurt with it any one except with Allah’s permission)
This is another verse which established the harm Sihr can cause in Mankind.
4: Allah’s statement:
وَمِن شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ
(And from the evil of those who blow on knots)
This verse also tells the efficacy of Sihr and Allah commanded us to seek His refuge from Sihr and those who blow on knots(the wizards and witches).
In Conclusion,
Coming to the most correct amongst the two narrated sayings, we can establish that Sihr is real and effective on the enchanted soul.
This is because, Sihr works through the instrumentality of bad Jinns who can never operate within the boundaries of the exalted spiritual status of Prophets. So, establishing Sihr cannot negate the Mu’jizaat of the Prophets. Likewise the evidences provided by Abu Ishaaq and those who rely on his view are evidences denoting on magic/sleights of the hands but not sorcery.
Sihr are effective by Allah’s wish if the possessed is weak in faith and righteous deeds, that is the sunnah of Allah and reality.
Sihr is not a natural course of action. Natural courses which are sunnah of Allah influence every being including the Prophets but not deceptions of Jinns who are agent of Sihr.
Weakness of faith could influence the potency of Sihr and the person who has genuinely sought protection with Allah with convincing faith is not influenced by Sihr. Poison for example is natural and real. Poisoning is just like being shot with gun, stabbed with knives etc and these are the natural courses. Sihr is not natural. Unnaturals cannot affect Prophets and righteous people.
All Sihr are afflicted with works of the Jinn but not all Jinn do Sihr.
Likewise, there are various kinds of Sihr established in the sunnah. Sihr junoon which affects the brain; Sihr Marad which affects the health; Sihr Tafreeq(spell of disgust); Sihr Nazeef which only affects women and causes bleeding; Sihr Faqeer(spell of poverty); Sihr Hawaatif(evil whispering); Sihr khumuul(makes the individual sins); Sihr Shalal; Sihr Akam(spell of barreness); Sihr ta’teelu zawaaj(inability to secure a spouse) and etc.
Sihr is deliberately sent to someone and it involves the use of jinn known as khadimu Sihr. Sihr is a wicked act from human with the help of a jinn. The khadimu sihr and qareen work together. If Sihr is sent to someone, it will first meet your qareen to get your information from it, if you are very strongly devoted to religion, you have strong level of eeman and righteous deeds, the qoreen will warn khaadimu Sihr that “this is a no go area, you cannot operate on this soul, he is a freind of Allah”, The Khadimu Sihr will turn back to the sender. So this type of Sihr will backfire. But if the person is weak, that is when his qoreen will give the khadimu Sihr the permission to go ahead to do whatever it wants to do. One of the Major reasons a Muslim should never joke with his adhkaar, tilaawah, adhan and nawaafil in his house, righteous deeds, Sadaqah and others.
Human are more wicked than jinn. If it is jinn possession, we do Ruqyah for the possessed. If a jinn is living in someone, that is jinn possession and there are also different types of jinn. Jinn react to ruqya but if it is Sihr, there may not be reactions.
Sihr is not that easy to break except you are lucky enough to know where it is, and you burn it. But if you don’t, you will continue praying and doing Ruqya coupled with devotions to Allah. It is Allah that made them succeed (due to your lack level of eeman and ibaadah) in the first place, and it is only Allah that can help to break it. So a need to give total devotion to Allah.
The reality in the lifestyles of the salaf is that, some of them would scared away Jinns with just their presence. It tells much of their devotion to Allah in all forms of ibaadaat.
With all these explained, it will be a childish and “foolish” act by anyone to dare a wizard, sorcerer or witch to enchant and bewitch him. No matter the level of your ibaadah, you don’t dare the evil-doers that doesn’t care the consequences of their evil acts.
We should also talk about the ruling of learning and teaching Sihr, the ruling of a sorcerer and FAQ about Sihr; this will be among the next month schedule in Shaa Allah.