Definition of Sihr
Literal meaning of Sihr
According
to Al –Layth:
“Sihr is an act which brings one closer to, and with the help of
Satan.
According to Al-Azhari:
The basic meaning of sihr is to make something appear in a form, other
than its real name.
According
to Ibn Mandhur:
When a Sihr makes something false appear to be real, or makes
something appear to people differently from its true form, it means that he has
given an object a status other than its real one.
Shamir
reported on the authority of Ibn Aisha:
Arabs have given it a name sihr because, it can transform good
health into illness.
According to Ibn Faris:
Some say that sihr is to make what is false appear to be true.
According to Muhit
al-Muhit.
Sihr is the presentation of an object in its best form, to the
extent of tempting the viewer.
Technical meaning of Sihr(according to Muslim tradition)
-According to Al-Fkhr Ar –razi:
According to Muslim
tradition, sihr is anything the cause of which is hidden, and which appears in
a form other than its real one, with the intention to distort the reality of
things and deceive.
-According to Ibn Qudama AI -
Maqdisi:
Sihr is a set of
‘uqad (knots), ruqa (incantations), and words uttered or written, or carried out
in such a way as to affect the body of the subject (al-mashur), his heart or
mind, without even coming into contact with him/her. The reality of sihr is that
there are some types that can kill, cause one to fall ill, or act as an obstacle
against a man having sexual intercourse with his wife. Other types can separate
spouses, and can make them hate or love each other.
According to Ibn Al - Qayyim:
Sihr consists of the
effects of evil souls and the reaction of the resultant forces.
Definition of Sihr
Sihr is an agreement set up between a sahir and a Satan,
which stipulates that the sahir commit certain illegal or polytheistic acts, in
return for the Satan’s assistance and obedience in fulfilling the sahir’s request.
Sihr: A serious crime
Sihr is a serious crime and is one of the kinds of disbelief. It is one of the things with which people have been tested, in the past and currently, among the nations of the past, during the Jahiliyyah 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 Quran 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.
Meaning of sihr
According to Sharie’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 Allah said concerning the magicians of Pharaoh (interpretation of the meaning):
“They said: ‘O Musa! Either you throw first or we be the first to throw?’ Musa said: ‘Nay, throw you (first)!’ Then behold! their ropes and their sticks, by their magic , appeared to him as though they moved fast. So Musa conceived fear in himself. We (Allah) 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 Quran (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 shayatin (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 Quran states. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“They followed what the Shayatin (devils) gave out (falsely of the magic) in the lifetime of Sulayman (Solomon). Sulayman did not disbelieve, but the Shayatin (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic.” [al-Baqarah 2:102]
Allah informs us that they (the shayatin) 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, Harut and Marut, 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 Allah 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 Allah’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 Allah, 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. Allah is All-Wise in all that He wills and decrees, and in all that He prescribes for His slaves. Hence Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah’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 shari’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 Allah, 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, Al-Lawh Al-Mahfooz.") [al-Qamar 54:49]
“No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but it is inscribed in the Book of Decrees (Al-Lawh Al-Mahfooz) before We bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allah.” [al-Hadid 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, Allah is the All-Knower of everything.” [al-Anfal 8:75]
“that you may know that Allah has power over all things, and that Allâh surrounds all things in (His) Knowledge.” [al-Talaq 65:12]
So Allah 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 Allah and in accordance with His prior decree. These magicians may perform their illusions, as stated in the verse quoted above (interpretation of the meaning):
“They said: ‘O Musa! Either you throw first or we be the first to throw?’ Musa 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.
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved fast.” [Ta-Ha 20:66]
And in Surah al-A’raf Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“He [Musa] 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’raf 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 taqmir, 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 Allah describes as “great” [i.e. serious, powerful] in Soorat al-A’raf (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’raf 7:116]
Reference: Majmu’ Fatawa Wa Maqalat Mutanawwi’ah by Sheikh ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz Ibn Baz, p. 65
Views of Scholars on Sihr
According to AI –Khattabi, some people denied the
existence of sihr. But sihr is a reality upon which Arabs, Persians, Indians
and some Romans agree, and these are the best and most learned among nations.
Allah says:(…teaching the people sorcery…)and commands that man should seek
refuge in Him from sihr.(…from the evil of the women who blow on
knots…).Furthermore, several hadiths were quoted from the Prophet of the existence of sihr, which only
a person without reasoning could deny.so, scholars of jurisprudence allocated
chapters in their works on the punishment of a sahir according to Islamic Law,
and this means that sihr would not be so known and could not have been
extensively discussed if it does not exist.Therefore, those who deny sihr lack
knowledge and refuting their claims is idle talk.
According to AI-Qurtubi, Sunnis hold that sihr is a
reality, while most Mu'tazilites, as well as, Abu Ishaq AI-Istrbadi who was among the companions of Ash- Shafi
deny it, claiming that it is just imagination and illusion, and an act of
turning objects into a form other than their real one. They also claim that
sihr is trickery and a form of chariatanism, according to the verse: (lt seemed
to him, under the effect of their sihr, that their ropes and stuff were
sliding).The word seemed indicates that the act of sliding was not real; it
only seemed to Moses. Hence, (it seemed to him .....).Another verse which
invalidates the reality of objects seen under the effect of sihr is: (They put
a spell upon the people’s eyes…)
There is no evidence to refute these claims, given that
we do not deny the existence of illusion (and other means of make-believe) in
sihr. However, there are further logical issues and which are indicated in the
Qur’an; that it is a science that can be learnt. This means that if sihr were
not a reality, it would not be possible to learn and Allah would not inform us
that (......they taught people sihr). Another evidence on the reality of sihr is the verse :(…
and they produced a mighty sihr).
Moreover, there is a consensus among exegetes that the
revelation of Dawn Chapter was the result of the sihr done to the Prophet
by Labid Ibn Al-A'sam as mentioned above. Once the sihr was dissolved, the
Prophet said, ‘Allah has cured me,’ “The word cure means the elimination of
an existing illness (in this case sihr), and this proves that sihr exists. It
is on this basis that scholars unanimously agree on the existence of sihr, and
it is senseless to say that they agree with the Mu’tazilites’ views which
disagree with those who speak the truth, Sihr has been widespread for a very
longtime, and people have written literature on it, and therefore, the
companions of the Prophet and their successors never denied its existence.
According to AI-Marizi, sihr is an accepted phenomenon,that is as real as any other thing, and effects the person to whom it is done; contrary to those who reject its existence on the basis that it is only a set of tricks and illusions.
All these claims which deny sihr are untrue, for Allah
has mentioned sihr in the Qur’an, stating that it is taught, it is a form of disbelief
in Allah, and may be used to separate a man from his wife. In the afore mentioned
hadith on the sihr done to the Prophet by Labid Ibn Al-A'sam, objects were interred and disinterred, which
means that actual physical objects were used to perform sihr. Moreover, how
could any thing be taught and practised, unless it were real?
AI -Mazari also stated that it is quite plausible to
accept that Allah could furnish a man’s mind with an unusual character when a man
utters fabrications, puts elements together or combines two forces in such an
order that only a sahir would know how, Those who have seen lethal substances
like poison, sickening substance like bitter medicine, and remedial medicine do
not dismiss the capabilities of the mind of sahi, possessing a knowledge of
deadly forces and a language that is damaging or conducive to the separation of
a man from his wife.
According to An -Nawawi, sihr exists. This phenomenon is
a fact confirmed by most scholars and supported by the Qur’an and the hadith.
According to Ibn
Qudama, sihr exists, and it consists of types which may kill, sicken, take away
a woman from her husband by making him unable to have sexual intercourse with
her, and separate a man from his wife.
Ibn Qudama added that it is common knowledge that on the
wedding night, a man may find out that sihr has been done to him, after being unable
to have sexual intercourse with his new wife, ,But once the sihr is neutralised
,he feels able to have sexual intercourse with his wife. The practice of sihr
has been handed down from generation to generation and cannot be disputed. Furthermore,
reports on the activities of sorcerers cannot be untrue.
Ibn Qudama also
stated in his al-Kafi that sihr is a set of enchantments, spells, knots which
affect the heart and the body, and; thus, it could sicken, kill or separate a
man from his wife, as the verse suggests:(From them they learned how they might
divide a man and his wife,)Moreover, if sihr did not exist, Allah would not
have warned us against it and advised us to be careful( from the evil of the
women who blow on knots..’)
Ibn Al-Qayyim stated in Badai Al-Fawa’id that sihr exists
and has an effect, on the basis of the verse (...Say, I seek refuge with the Lord…from
the evil of the women who blow on knots’) and on the basis of the hadith on the
sihr done to the Prophet by Labid Ibn Al -A'sam.
According to Abu
Al-'izz Al-hnafiy, scholars have disagreed on the reality of sihr and its
types. However, most of them are of the opinion that sihr may result in the death
or illness of the targeted person, without any apparent cause.
Evidence from the Quran
(…. and they follow what the Satans recited over Sulayman’s Kingdom, Sulayman disbelieved not but the Satans disbelieved, teaching the people sorcery, and that which was sent down upon Babylon’s two angels, Harut and Marut; they taught not any man, without they said, ‘We are but a temptation; do not disbelieve.’ From them they learned how they might divide a man and his wife, yet they did not hurt any man there by, save by the leave of Allah, and they learnt what they hurt them and did not profit them, knowing well that whosoever buys it shall have no share in the world to come; evil then was that they sold themselves for; if they had but known.)
(Moses said, ‘What do you say this to the truth, when it
has come to you? Is this a sorcery? But sorcerers donot prosper…)
(Then when they had cast ,Moses said, ‘What you have
brought is sorcery; Allah will assuredly bring it to naught ,Allah sets not
right the work of those who do corruption .Allah verifies the truth by His words,
though sinners be averse… ’)
(and Moses conceived a fear within him. We said unto him,
‘Fear not; surely thou art the uppermost. Cast down what is in thy right hand,
and it shall swallow what they have fashioned only the guile of a sorcerer, and
the sorcerer prospers not, wherever he goes.’)
(And We revealed to Moses: ‘Cast thy staff.’ And lo, it
forthwith swallowed up their lying invention, So the truth cam to pass, and
false was proved what they were doing. So they were vanquished there, and they
turned about, humbled. And the sorcerers were cast down, bowing themselves.
They said,’We believe in the Lord of al-Alamin (Jinn and mankind), the Lord of
Moses and Harun)
(Say: ‘I take refuge with the Lord of the daybreak from
the evil of what He has created, from the evil of darkness when it gathers,
from the evil of the women who blow on knots, from the evil of an envier when
he envies. ’)
According to Al-Qurtubi, (...from the evil of the women
who blow on knots) implies female sorcerers (sahirat) who blow on thread knots while
making their spells.
Ibn Kathir stated that according to scholars of exegesis,
Mujahid ,‘Ikrima, al- Hasan, Qatada and Dhahak,(…from the evil of the women who
blow on knots)refers to sawahir( female sorcerers).
Ibn Jarir At- tabari stated that according to Al-Qasimiy
and scholars of exegesis,(….from the evil of the women who blow on knots)refers
to the female sorcerers who blow on threaded knots during their spell.
Verses on sihr and Sahara are profuse and known even to those with little knowledge of Islam.
Evidence from the Sunna
The Meaning of the Hadith
The above hadith refers to the sihr that was done to the
Prophet.The Jews hired Labid Ibn Al-A’sam, one of the most skilled
sorcerers among the Jews, to perform sihr on the Prophet in return for three dinars.
To begin his work, it is believed that Labid obtained tufts of the Prophet’s
hair from a young female servant who used to go to the Prophet’s house .He tied the hairs to a knot, using
his spell on it, and dropped it in a well. According to different narrations of
the hadith, it appears that this sihr belongs to the category: causing sexual
inability, As a result, the Prophet imagined himself capable of having sexual intercourse
with one of his wives, but when he approached her, he could not do it.
Nevertheless, this type of sihr didnot affect his brain or his behaviour, but
was only con fined to sexual performance.
Scholars disagreed as to the duration of this sihr. Some
hold that it lasted for forty days, while others hold different opinions. The
hadith also indicates that the Jews performed a sihr with intent to kill the
Prophet ,given that there are some lethal types of sihr , but Allah
saved him, and reduced it to the least harmful type; ar-rabt.
Rebuttal of Views which reject the above tradition
According to al -Mazarl, al-Mubtadiun have rejected the
above hadith on the grounds that it would undermine the status of Prophethood
and cast doubts over its authenticity. Furthermore, accepting such hadith would
weaken the credibility of the Islamic Law, They also argued that when the
Prophet said the angel Gabriel had come to him, he had only imagined
him, and that he had only imagined the Divine Inspiration.
According to al-Mazari, this is completely untrue,
because the proof of the Message, which is the miracle of receiving Divine
Inspiration, is indicative of the Prophet’s truthfulness and his infallible
character in conveying the Message. Therefore, believing in something that has
been invalidated by evidence is wrong.
According to Abu AI-Jank AI-Yusufi, the Prophet’s illness,
resulting from the effect of sihr done to him did not affect the status of his Prophethood.
This is because illness without any deleterious effect in this life befell
Messengers at large, and would even increase their status in the next life, Therefore,
the fact that the Prophet imagined, as a result of the illness caused by sihr, that he
had done something of life’s daily routine activities which he had not really
done; and the fact that he completely recovered from such illness through the support
of Allah Who revealed the site where the
sihr was buried, means that the Message would not be affected by this at all,
as it was a normal illness, like any other illness.
In fact, the act of sihr did not affect this reasoning, but
only his perception, So, the Prophet imagined doing things, such as touching one of his wives, which
he had not really done; and in terms of illnesses, such acts of imagination are
not harmful to a person’s health.
Surprisingly,
there are some who believe that the illness which befell the Prophet
as a result of sihr degraded his Message; and they liken it to the explicit
story of Moses with
the Pharaoh’s sorcerers in the Qur’an, when Moses imagined, under the influence of sihr, that
the sorcerers ropes and staff were sliding. So, Allah it encouraged Moses to be
firm, and not to fear anything, as the verse indicates;
We said unto him, ‘Fear not; surely thou art the upper
most. Cast down what is in thy right hand, and it shall swallow what they have
fashioned only the guile of a sorcerer, and the sorcerer prospers not, wherever
he goes.’)
No scholar has ever said that Moses imagination of the
sorcerers’ staff were sliding under the effect of sihr degraded his Message.
Infact, experiences such as these strengthened people’s faith in the ability of
Allah’s Messengers. This is because, Allah assisted them in defeating their
enemies and in performing wonderful miracles, and letting down the sorcerers
and the disbelievers, as indicated in the Qur’an.
Abu Hurayra reported; “The Prophet said,' Avoid the seven serious sins {As-sa’
Al-Mubiqat).”People asked, ‘What are they? ’The Prophet replied ,‘Shirk(polytheism), sihr(sorcery),unlawful
killing of a person, living on money from usury, usurping an orphan’s wealth,
retreat at the time of Jihad, and accusing innocent married women of
fornication’”.
On the basis of the above hadith, the Prophet warned that sihr must be avoided as it is
one of the most serious sins, and this is proof enough that it exists.
Ibn Abbas reported:“ The Prophet said, ‘A person who has acquired
knowledge of one of the sciences of Astrology, has acquired knowledge of one of
the branches of sihr, and the more his knowledge of Astrology is enriched, the
more expansive his knowledge of sahi becomes.”
In this hadith the Prophet refers to one of the means of learning
sihr, so that Muslims may shun it; and this is an evidence that sihr is a real
science that can be learnt .Further evidence can also be seen in the following
verse :
(From them they learned how they might divide a man and
his wife),
It is clear from the above verse and hadith that sihr is
a science like other sciences, having its own fundamentals Nevertheless, both
the verse and the hadith condemn learning of sihr. Imran Ibn Husayn reported: “The Prophet said, ‘He is not one of us who
practices tatayyur(ominousness)or has it done for him; who practices takahhun
(clairvoyance)or has it done for him; who practices sihr or has it done for
him. And whosoever has sought the services of a clairvoyant and believed in
what he has come up with, has in fact disbelieved in the Message sent to Muhammad.”
Evidence from the above hadith on sihr lies in the
Prophet’s warning against practicing sihr or seeking it from a sahir. This
shows that the Prophet would only warn against something that really existed.
Abu Musa Al
-Ash'ar reported: “The Prophet said, ‘He who drinks alcohol regularly, believes that
the power of sihr to harm an individual is independent of Allah’s intervention,
or severs relations with one’s skin will not enter Paradise.’”
The evidence on sihr from the above hadith lies in the
Prophet’s warning against believing in the power of sihr to affect an individual
independently of Allah’s. A believer should believe that sihr or similar
practices do not harm anybody or anything except with Allah’s. Leave, as the
following verse suggests: (... yet they did not hurt any man thereby, save by
the leave of Allah…)
Ibn Mas'ud
reported: “He who has hired a clairvoyant, a sahir or a soothsayer, and has
believed in what they came up with, has in fact disbelieved in the Message sent
to Muhammad..”
The Impact of Sihr in Society
Sihr is often associated with harmful intentions and manipulation. Those who engage in such practices may seek to control or inflict harm on others, leading to significant social and personal repercussions. Islamic teachings encourage believers to maintain trust in Allah’s will and seek refuge in righteous actions.
Final Thoughts
As we explore the topic of sihr in Islam, it becomes evident that it is not only a matter of belief but also one of ethics and morality. Understanding the implications of sihr helps foster a deeper appreciation of the guidance provided by the Qur’an and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him). Promoting awareness and education about the dangers of sihr while reinforcing the importance of faith in Allah’s mercy and protection is essential for every believer..
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
0 comments:
Post a Comment