Question :
A question was asked on the subject of magic and the learning of it.
Fatwa in Brief: Magic is disbelief; it evicts its
practitioner from the faith.
Shaykh Ibn Baz, Majmu‘ al-Fatawa, 2/118-122
Response:
The magician is to be judged as a non-believer if s/he
genuinely believes that magic possesses independent
power, separate from the Will of God the Almighty.
Practicing magic to harm people is haram, even if the
practioner believes that it only works through the will
of God Almighty. Scholars disagree as to whether magic
is illegal if it is used to prevent harm, together with
the conviction that it works through the power of God
Almighty.
Commentary:
[Thus stated the above comments may be summarized in
three points]
1.
The
belief that magic possesses independent power, separate
from that of God
Almighty, is disbelief. This is agreed upon.
2.
Practicing magic with the intention of hurting people is
illegal, when it is practiced in the belief that
it works through the power of God
Almighty, since it goes against the Islamic principle of
cause no harm and accept no harm.
3.
Scholars disagree as to whether the practice of magic
remains illegal, if this is done to benefit others, and
in the belief that it will succeed through God
Almighty’s
will.
Al-Qurtubi
asked: Is the magician to be judged if he lifts a spell
from someone affected by it? According to al-Bukhari,
Sa‘id ibn al-Masib (r.a.) replied that “this is
permissible” and so agreed al-Mazari. Al-Hasan al-Basri
classified magic as legally disliked, though not
prohibited (makruh); while al-Sha‘bi said that
there is no harm in “al-nashra”, a religiously
valid formula to treat someone who is suffering the
ill-effects of magic.
His
Excellence Shaykh ‘Abd al-Muhsin al-‘Abikan declared
that treating magic through the use of magic is valid;
and he pointed out that a number of Imams and scholars
accept this practice to undo the bad effects of magic
spells. Among these are included Sa‘id ibn al-Masib, al-Hasan
al-Basri, Imam Ahmad, Ibn al-Jawzi, Imam al-Bukhari and
some of the Hanbali jurists, all of whom discuss this
matter in their works.
When Shaykh al-‘Abikan was asked whether he would follow
his own fatwa, if the person afflicted by magic
was his relative, he replied: “Yes, if it was necessary
that the spell be lifted in order that my relative be
cured, I would not hesitate [to ask a magician to treat
him/her]. This is because I am totally at ease with this
ruling, and assure you that it is correct, and in no way
problematic [in terms of the principles of Islam]”.
The methods used in magic are known to professionals and
practitioners of the trade. Magic can also be worked by
someone with a powerful personality, when dominating a
person weaker than them. It can involve the use of
spirits (jin), enchantments and the burning of
incense; or it can be performed through sleight of hand,
or with chemical substances, such as those which allow
flames to burn while not inflicting damage to one’s
skin. And God Almighty knows best.
Dr. Yassir ‘Abd al-‘Azim
