Is love before marriage better?

Is love before marriage better?

What is more stable in Islam, a love marriage or an arranged marriage?

Praise be to Allaah.  

The issue of this marriage depends on the ruling on what came before it. If the love between the two parties did not transgress the limits set by Allaah or make them commit sin, then there is the hope that the marriage which results from this love will be more stable, because it came about as the result of the fact that each of them wanted to marry the other. 

If a man feels some attraction towards a woman whom it is permissible for him to marry her, and vice versa, there is no answer to the problem except marriage. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "We do not think that there is anything better for those who love one another than marriage." (Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 1847; classed as saheeh by al-Busayri and by Shaykh al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 624) 

Al-Sindi said, as noted in Haamish Sunan Ibn Maajah: 

The phrase "We do not think that there is anything better for those who love one another than marriage" may be understood to refer to two or to more than two. What this means is that if there is love between two people, that love cannot be increased or made to last longer by anything like marriage.  If there is marriage as well as that love, that love will increase and grow stronger every day." 

But if that marriage comes about as a result of an illicit love relationship, such as when they meet and are alone together and kiss one another, and other haraam actions, then it will never be stable, because they committed actions that go against sharee'ah and because they have built their lives on things that will have the effect of reducing blessings and support from Allaah, for sin is a major factor in reducing blessings, even though some people think, because of the Shaytaan's whispers, that falling in love and doing haraam deeds makes marriage stronger.   

Moreover, these illicit relationships that take place before marriage will be a cause to make each party doubtful about the other. The husband will think that his wife may possibly have a similar relationship with someone else, and even if he thinks it unlikely, he will still be troubled by the fact that his wife did do something wrong with him. And the same thoughts may occur to the wife too, and she will think that her husband could possibly have an affair with another woman, and even if she thinks it unlikely, she will still be troubled by the fact that her husband did something wrong with her. 

So each partner will live in a state of doubt and suspicion, which will ruin their relationship sooner or later. 

The husband may condemn his wife for having agreed to have a relationship with him before marriage, which will be upsetting for her, and this will cause their relationship to deteriorate. 

Hence we think that if a marriage is based upon an illicit premarital relationship, it will most likely be unstable and will not be successful. 

With regard to arranged marriages where the family chooses the partner, they are not all good and not all bad. If the family makes a good choice and the woman is religious and beautiful, and the husband likes her and wants to marry her, then there is the hope that their marriage will be stable and successful. Hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) urged the one who wants to get married to look at the woman. It was narrated from al-Mugheerah ibn Shu'bah that he proposed marriage to a woman, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "Go and look at her, because that is more likely to create love between you." (Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1087; classed as hasan by al-Nasaa'i, 3235) 

But if the family make a bad choice, or they make a good choice but the husband does not agree with it, then this marriage is most likely doomed to failure and instability, because the marriage that is based on lack of interest usually is not stable.

 And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A

Love which ends in marriage – is it haraam?

Is love that ends in marriage haraam?.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: The relationship that develops between a man and a non-mahram woman, which people call "love" is a combination of haraam things that transgress shar'i and moral limits. 

No wise person will doubt that this relationship is haraam, because it involves a man being alone with a non-mahram woman, looking at her, touching her, kissing, and speaking words filled with love and admiration, which provokes desire. 

This relationship may lead to things that are more serious than that, as is happening nowadays. 

We have mentioned a number of these haraam things in the answer to question no. 84089. 

Secondly: 

Studies have shown that most of the marriages that are based on prior love between a man and woman fail, whereas most marriages that are not based on haraam relationships, which people call "traditional marriages", succeed. 

In a field study done by a French sociologist, the conclusion was: 

Marriage is more likely to succeed when the two parties did not fall in love before marriage. 

In another study of 1500 families, undertaken by Professor Isma'eel 'Abd al-Baari, the conclusion was that more than 75% of love marriages ended in divorce, whilst the rate among traditional marriages – those which were not based on prior love – was less than 5%. 

We can mention the most important causes of this outcome: 

1-    Emotion blinds one to seeing faults and dealing with them, as it is said: "Love is blind". One or both parties may have faults that make them unsuitable for the other, but those faults only become apparent after marriage.

2-    The lovers may think that life is an unending journey of love, so we see that they only speak of love and dreams, etc. They never speak about the problems of life and how to deal with them. This notion is destroyed after marriage, when they are confronted with the problems and responsibilities of life.

3-    The lovers are not used to debate and discussion, rather they are used to sacrifice and compromise in order to please the other party. Often they have arguments because each party wants to compromise and please the other. Then the opposite happens after marriage, and their arguments lead to a problem, as each one is used to the other agreeing with him or her, without any argument.

4-    The image that each lover has of the other is not a true image, because each party is being kind and gentle and trying to please the other. This is the image that each is trying to present to the other during the so-called "love" phase, but no one can carry on doing that throughout his or her life, so the true image appears after marriage, and leads to problems.

5-    The period of love is usually based on dreams and exaggerations that do not correspond with the reality that appears after marriage. The lover may think that he is going to bring her a piece of the moon, and he will never be happy unless she is the happiest person in the world, and so on.

But in return, she is going to live with him in one room and on the ground, and she has no requests or demands so long as she has won him, and that is sufficient for her. As one of them said, "A small nest is sufficient for us" and "A small morsel is sufficient for us" and "I will be content if you give me a piece of cheese and an olive"! This is exaggerated emotional talk, and both parties quickly forget it after marriage, and the woman complains about her husband's miserliness, and his failure to meet her needs. Then the husband begins to complain about having too many demands and too many expenses. 

For these reasons and others, we are not surprised when each party says after marriage that they were deceived and that they rushed into it. The man regrets not marrying So and so who was suggested to him by his parents, and the woman regrets not marrying So and so whom her parents approved of, but in fact they rejected him because of her wishes. So the result is this very high rate of divorce for marriages which people thought would be examples of the happiest marriages in the world! 

Thirdly: 

The reasons mentioned above are real, and have happened in real life, but we should not ignore the real reason for the failure of these marriages, which are based on disobedience to Allaah. Islam can never approve of these sinful relationships, even if the aim is marriage. Therefore they cannot escape the just divine punishment, as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

"But whosoever turns away from My Reminder (i.e. neither believes in this Qur'aan nor acts on its teachings) verily, for him is a life of hardship"

[Ta-Ha 20:124] 

A hard and difficult life is the result of disobeying Allaah and turning away from His Revelation. 

And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

"And if the people of the towns had believed and had the Taqwa (piety), certainly, We should have opened for them blessings from the heaven and the earth"

[al-A'raaf 7:96]  

Blessings from Allaah are a reward for faith and piety, but if there is no faith or piety, or only a little thereof, the blessing will be reduced or even non-existent. 

And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

"Whoever works righteousness — whether male or female — while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter)"

[al-Nahl 16:97] 

A good life is the fruit of faith and righteous deeds. 

Allaah indeed spoke the truth when He said (interpretation of the meaning): 

"Is it then he who laid the foundation of his building on piety to Allaah and His Good Pleasure better, or he who laid the foundation of his building on the brink of an undetermined precipice ready to crumble down, so that it crumbled to pieces with him into the fire of Hell. And Allaah guides not the people who are the Zaalimoon (wrongdoers)"

[al-Tawbah 9:109] 

The one whose marriage is based on this haraam foundation must hasten to repent and seek forgiveness and seek a righteous life that is based on faith, piety and righteous deeds. 

May Allaah help us all to do that which He loves and which pleases Him. 

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A

Better to be a Lion in India than a Monkey elsewhere!!! !!

In a poor zoo of India, a lion was frustrated as he was offered not more than 1 kg meat a day. The lion thought its prayers were answered when one US Zoo Manager  visited the zoo and requested the zoo management to shift the lion to the US Zoo. The lion was so happy and started thinking of a central A/c environment, a goat or two every day and a US Green Card also. On its first day after arrival, the lion was offered a big bag, sealed very nicely for breakfast. The lion opened it quickly but was shocked to see that it contained a few bananas. Then the lion thought that may be they cared too much for him as they were worried about his stomach as he had recently shifted from India . The next day the same thing happened. On the third day again the same food bag of bananas was delivered. The lion was so furious, it stopped the delivery boy and blasted at him, 'Don't you know I am the lion...king of the Jungle..., what's wrong with your management?, what nonsense is this?, why are you delivering bananas to me?' The delivery boy politely said, 'Sir, I know you are the king of the jungle but  ... Did you know that you have been brought here on a monkey's visa!!! Moral of Story: Better to be a Lion in India than a Monkey elsewhere!!! !!

Dont Investigate Into Your Husband / Wife Past..

Many men & women insist upon knowing everything about their husband's or wife's past. If a man or a woman was not always a practicing Muslim, then he or she might ask him/her about women/men he/she previously liked- for example, how do they look? they will then insist to their spouses that whatever he/she says will not have any affect on him/her whatsoever!! When a man/woman answers questions about their past, he/she makes a huge mistake, one that he/she will pay a dear price for any acknowledgement of a past relationship will cause his/her married life to be poisoned by JEALOUSY. Noble brothers/sisters in Islam, beware of investigating into your husband's/wife's past. Instead of asking about your spouse past, contemplate the saying of Allah: "O you who believe! ask not about things which, if made plain to you, may cause you trouble" (5:101). And the Prophet (SAW) said: "It is from the goodness of one's Islam that he leaves alone that which does not concern him" Instead of living in your spouse's past and investigating its particulars, enjoy the present life that you are sharing with your husband or wife.

What Grudge can do.......PLZ - must READ

I wouldn't go so far as to beg you to read it, but it definitely is worth the read, if only to demonstrate the value of speaking at the right time....................things left unsaid have a tendency of creating a situation leading to a snowballing effect, which you will appreciate while reading the fairly long piece below.   Sometimes it is better to be silent, but not in times like these......................     This is for all the single, married, divorced, widowed individuals, who take life for granted. Please I BEG YOU, read this story up until the end, it is such an opener.  You never know…………………….! Just two years after our marriage, hubby brought up the idea of asking Mother to move from the rural hometown and spend her remaining years with us. Hubby's father passed away while he was still very young. Mother endured much hardship and struggled all on her own to provide for him, see him through to a university degree. You could say that she suffered a great deal and did everything you could expect of a woman to bring hubby to where he is today. I immediately agreed and started packing the spare room, which has a balcony facing the South to let her enjoy the sunshine and plant greenery. Hubby stood in the bright room, and suddenly just picked me up and started spinning round and round. As I begged him to put me down, he said: "Lets go fetch mother." Hubby is tall and big sized and I love to rest on his chest and enjoy the feeling that he could pick me up at any moment put the tiny me into his pockets.  Whenever we have an argument and both refuses to back down, he would pick me up and spin me over his head continuously until I surrender and beg for mercy. I became addicted to this kind of panic-joy feeling. Mother brought along her countryside habits and lifestyle with her. For example; I am so used to buying flowers to decorate the living room, she could not stand it and would comment: "I do not know how you young people spend your money, why do you buy flowers for? You also can't eat flowers!" I smiled and said: "Mum, with flowers in the house, our mood will also become better." Mother continues to grumble away, and hubby smiled: "Mum, this is a city-people's habit; slowly you will get use to it." Mother stopped saying anything. But every time thereafter, whenever I came home with flowers, she would ask me how much it costs. I told her and she would shake her head and express displeasure. Sometimes, when I come home with lots of shopping bags, she would ask each and every item how much they cost, I would tell her honestly and she would get even more upset about it. Hubby playfully pinched my nose and said: "You little fool, just don't tell her the full price of everything would solve it." There begins the friction to our otherwise happy lifestyle. Mother hates it most when hubby wakes up early to prepare the breakfast. In your view, how could the man of the house cook for the wife? At the breakfast table, mother facial expression is always like the dark clouds before a thunderstorm and I would pretend not to notice. She would use her chopsticks and make a lot of noise with it as her silent protest. As I am a dance teacher in the Children's Palace and am exhausted from a long day of dancing around, I do not wish to give up the luxury of that additional few minutes in the comfort of my bed and hence I turned a deaf ear to all the protest mother makes. From time to time, mother would help out with some housework, but soon her help created additional work for me. For example: she would keep all kinds of plastic bags accumulating them so that she sell them later on, and resulted in our house being filled with all the trash bags; she would scrimp on dish washing detergent when helping to wash the dishes and so as not to hurt her feelings, I would quietly wash them again. One day, late at night, mother saw me quietly washing the dishes, and "Bam" she slams her bedroom door and cried very loudly in her room. Hubby was placed in a difficult position, and after that, he did not speak to me for that entire night. I pretended to be a spoilt child, tried acting cute, but he totally ignored me....... I got mad and asked him: "What did I do wrong?" Hubby stared at me and said: "Can't you just give in to her once? We couldn't possibly die eating from a bowl however unclean it is, right?" After that incident, for a long period of time, mother did not speak to me and you can feel that there is a very awkward feeling hanging in the house. During that period of cold war, hubby was caught in dilemma as to who to please. In order to stop her son from having to prepare breakfast, mother took on the "all important" task of preparing breakfast without any prompting. At the breakfast table, mother would look at hubby happily eating his breakfast and cast that reprimanding stare at me for having failed to perform my duty as a wife. To avoid the embarrassing breakfast situation, I resorted to buying my own breakfast on my way to work. That night, while in bed, hubby was a little upset and asked me: "LD, is it because you think that mum's cooking is not clean that's why you chose not to eat at home?" He then turned his back on me and left me alone in tears as feeling of unfairness overwhelmed me. After some time, hubby sighed: "LD, just for me, can you have breakfast at home?" I am left with no choice but to return to the breakfast table. The next morning, I was having porridge prepared by mother and I felt a sudden churn in my stomach and everything inside seem to be rushing up my throat. I tried to suppress the urge to throw up but I could not. I threw down the bowl, rushed into the washroom, and vomited everything out. Just as I was catching my breath, I saw mother crying and grumbling very loudly in her dialect, hubby was standing at the washroom doorway staring at me with fire burning in his eyes.. I opened my mouth but no words came out of it, I really did not mean it. We had our very first big fight that day; mother took a look at us, then stood up and slowly made her way out of the house.. Hubby gave me a final stare in the eye and followed mother down the stairs. For three days, hubby did not return home, not even a phone call.. I was so furious, since mother arrived; I had been trying my best and putting up with her, what else do you want me to do? For no reason, I keep having the feeling to throw up and I simply have not appetite for food, coupled with all the events happening at home, I was at then low point in my life. Finally, a colleague said: "LD, you look terrible; you should go and see a doctor." The doctor confirmed that I am pregnant. Now it became clear to me why I threw up that fateful morning, a sense of sadness floated through that otherwise happy news. Why didn't hubby, and mother who had been through this before, thought of the possibility of this being the reason that day? At the hospital entrance, I saw my hubby standing there. It had only been three days, but he looked haggard. I had wanted to turn and leave, but one look at him and my heart soften, I couldn't resist and called out to him. He followed my voice and finally found me but he pretended that he doesn't know me; he has that disgusted look in his eyes that cut right through my heart. I told myself not to look at him anymore, and hail a cab. At that moment, I have such a strong urge inside me to shout to my hubby: "Darling, I am having your baby!" and have him lift me up and spin me around in circles of joy. What I wanted didn't happen and as I sat in the cab, my tears started rolling down. Why? Why our love couldn't even withstand the test of one fight? Back home, I lay on the bed thinking about my hubby, and the disgusted look in his eyes.. I cried and wet the corner of the blanket. That night, sound of the drawers opening woke me up. I switched on the lights and I saw hubby with tears rolling down his face. He was removing the money. I stared at him in silence; he ignored me, took the bank deposit book and some money and left the house. Maybe he really intends to leave me for good. What a rational man, so clear-cut in love and money matters. I gave a few dried laugh and tears starting streaming down again. The next day, I did not go to work. I wanted to clear this out and have a good talk with hubby. I reached his office and his secretary gave me a weird look and said: "Mr. Tan's mother had a traffic accident and is now in the hospital." I stood there in shock. I rushed to the hospital and by the time I found hubby, mother had already passed away. Hubby did not look at me, his face was expressionless. I looked at mother's pale white and thin face and I couldn't control the tears in my eyes.. My god, how could this happen? Throughout the funeral, hubby did not say a single word to me, with only the occasional disgusted stare at me.. I only managed to find out brief facts about the accident from other people. That day, after mother left the house, she walked in dazed toward the bus stop, apparently intending to go back to her old house back in the countryside. As hubby ran after her, she tried to walk faster and as she tried to cross the street, a public bus came and hit her...I finally understood how much hubby must hate me, if I had not thrown up that morning, if we had not quarreled, if....In his heart, I am indirectly the killer of his mother. Hubby moved into mother's room and came home every night with a strong liquor smell on him. And me, I am buried under the guilt and self-pity and could hardly breathe. I wanted to explain to him, tell him that we are going to have our baby soon, but each time, I saw the dead look in his eyes, all the words I have at the brink of my mouth just fell back in. I had rather he hit me real hard or give me a big and thorough scolding though none of these events happening had been my fault at all. Many days of suffocating silence went by and as the days went by, hubby came home later and later. The deadlock between us continues, we were living together like strangers who don't know each other. I am like the dead knot in his heart. One day, I passed by a western restaurant, looking into the glass window, I saw hubby and a girl sitting facing each other and he very lightly brushed her hair for her, I understood what it meant. After recovering from that moment of shock, I entered the restaurant, stood in front of my hubby and stared hard at him, not a tear in my eyes. I have nothing to say to him, and there is no need to say anything. The girl looked at me, looks at hubby, stands up and wanted to go, hubby stretched out his hand and stopped her. He stared back at me,challenging me. I can only hear my slow heart beat, beating, one by one as if at the brink of death. I eventually backed down, if I had stood that any longer, I will collapse together with the baby inside me. That night, he did not come home; he had chosen to use that as a way to indicate to me: Following mother's death so did our love for each other. He did not come home anymore after that. Sometimes, when I returned home from work, I can tell that the cupboard had been touched - he had returned to take some of his stuff. I no longer wish to call him; the initial desire to explain everything to him vanished. I lived alone; I go for my medical checkups alone, my heart breaks again and again every time I see a guy carefully helping his wife through the physical examination. My office colleagues hinted to me to consider aborting the baby, I told them No, I will not.. I insisted on having to this baby, perhaps it is my way of repaying mother for causing her death. One day, I came home and I saw hubby sitting in the living room. The whole house was filled with cigarette smoke. On the coffee table, there was this piece of paper. I know what it is all about without even looking at it. In the two months plus of living alone, I have gradually learned to find peace within myself. I looked at him, removed my hat and said: "You wait a while, I will sign." He looked at me, mixed feelings in his eyes, just like mine. As I hang up my coat, I keep repeating to myself "You cannot cry, you cannot cry..." my eyes hurt terribly, but I refused to let tears come out from there. After I hung up my coat, hubby's eyes stared fixed at my bulging tummy. I smiled, walked over to the coffee table and pulled the paper towards me. Without even looking at what it says, I signed my name on it and pushed the paper to him. "LD, are you pregnant?" Since mother's accident, this is the first time he spoke to me. I could not control my tears any further and they fell like raindrops. I said: "Yes, but its ok, you can leave now." He did not go, in the dark, we sat, facing each other. Hubby slowly moved over me, his tears wet the blanket. In my heart, everything seems so far away, so far that even if I sprint, I could never reach them. I cannot remember how many times he repeated "sorry" to me. I had originally thought that I would forgive him, but now I can't. In the western restaurant, in front of that girl, that cold look in his eyes, I will never forget, ever. We have drawn such deep scars in each other's heart. For me, it's unintentional; for him, totally intentional. I had been waiting for this moment of reconciliation, but I realized now, what had gone past is gone forever and could not repeated. Other than the thought of the baby inside me that would bring some warmth to my heart, I am totally cold towards him, I no longer eat anything he buys for me, I don't take any presents from him and I stopped talking to him. >From the moment I signed on that piece of paper, marriage and love had vanished from my heart. Sometimes, hubby will try to come into the bedroom, but when he walks in, I will walk out to the living room. He had no choice but to sleep in mother's room. At night, from his room, I can hear light sounds of groaning, I kept quiet. This used to be his trick; last time, whenever I ignore him, he would fake illness and I will surrender and find out what is wrong with him, he would then grab me and laugh. He has forgotten that last time I cared for him and am concerned because there was love, but now, what is there between us? Hubby's groaning came on and off continuing but I continuously ignored him. Almost everyday, he would buy something for the baby, infant products, children products and books that kids like to read. Bags and bags of it stacked inside his room till it is full. I know he is trying to use this to reach out to me, but I am no longer moved by his actions. He has no choice but to lock himself in his room and I can hear his typing away on his computer keyboard, maybe he is now addicted to web surfing but none of that matters to me anymore. It was sometime towards the end of spring in the following year, one late night, I screamed because of a sudden stomach pain, hubby came rushing into the room, its like he did not change and sleep, and had been waiting for this moment. He carried me and ran down the stairs, stopped a car, holding my hand very tightly and kept wiping the sweat off my brow, throughout the journey to the hospital. Once we reached the hospital, he carried me and hurried into the delivery suite. Lying on the back of his skinny but warmth body, a thought crossed my mind: In my lifetime, who else would love me as much as he did? He held the delivery suite door opened and watch me go in; his warm eyes caused me to manage a smile at him despite my contraction pain. Coming out of the delivery room, hubby looked at our son and me, eyes tear with joy and he kept smiling. I reached out and touched his hand. Hubby looked at me, smiling and then he slowly collapsed onto the floor. I cried out for him in pain... He smiled, but without opening that tired eyes of his... I had thought that I would never shed any tear for him, but the truth is, I have never felt a deeper pain cutting through my body at that moment. Doctor said that by the time hubby discovered he had liver cancer, it was already in terminal stage and it was a miracle that he managed to last this long. I asked the doctor when he first discovered he had cancer. Doctor said about 5 months ago and consoled me saying: "Prepare for his funeral." I disregarded the nurse's objection and rushed home, I went into his room and checked his computer, and a suffocating pain hitsme. Hubby's cancer was discovered 5 months ago, his groaning was real, and I had thought that... the computer showed over 200 thousand words he wrote for our son: "Son, just for you, I have persisted, to be able to take a look at you before I fall, is my biggest wish now... I know that in your life, you will have many happiness and maybe some setbacks, if only I can accompany you throughout that journey, how nice would it be. But daddy now no longer has that chance. Daddy has written inside here all the possible difficulties and problems you may encounter during your lifetime, when you meet with these problems, you can refer to daddy's suggestion.... Son, after writing these 200 thousand words, I feel as if I have accompanied you through life journey. To be honest, daddy is very happy. Do love your mother, she has suffered, she is the one who loves you most and also the one who loves me most..." From play school to primary school, to secondary, university, to work and even in dealing with questions of love, everything big and small was written there. Hubby has also written a letter for me: "My dear, to marry you is my biggest happiness, forgive me for the pain I have caused you, forgive me for not telling you my illness, because I want to see you be in a joyful mood waiting for the arrival of our baby...My dear, if you cried, it means that you have forgiven me and I would smile, thank you for loving me...These presents, I'm afraid I cannot give them to our son personally, could you help me to give some of them to him every year, the dates on what to give when are all written on the packaging... " Going back to the hospital, hubby is still in coma. I brought our son over and place him beside him. I said: "Open your eyes and smile, I want our son to remember being in the warmth of your arms..." He struggled to open his eyes and managed a weak smile. Our son still in his arms was happily waving his tiny hands in the air. I press the button on the camera and the sound of the shutter rang through the air as tears slowly rolled down my face.... A fatal misunderstanding and the person who loves me the most in this world is gone forever..."Cruel misunderstandings one after another disrupted the blissful footsteps to our family. Our originals intend of having Mother enjoy some quiet and peaceful moments in her remaining years with us went terribly wrong as destiny's secret is finally revealed at a price, every thing became too late."............ This is a true story. LEARNING POINT - DO NOT EVER HOLD ON TO OFFENCES!!! I am totally speechless, this story brought tears to my eyes as I read through each line eager to know what would happen next. It truly showed the devastating power of grudges and anger! Simple humility and communication would have resolved most of the problems in that story, as well as patience........ This story has really touched my heart and life as a whole and it has stimulated a paradigm shift. Though it is very sad, it is also very refreshing to know that from today, I can consciously start to live a life free of grudge. People please let's live a life devoid of grudge. Communication is key.

Is witchcraft real? Is it permissible to seek treatment from practitioners of witchcraft

Is witchcraft real? Is it permissible to seek treatment from practitioners of witchcraft

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"?.

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

The effect of sihr on the marital relationship

Can sihr (magic, witchcraft) have an affect on the marital relationship?

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

What you mention about him being put off and feeling stressed whenever he remembers you may be due to him having been affected by sihr (witchcraft). Hence he should use ruqyahs that are prescribed in sharee'ah, or he should go to a righteous person who adheres to the Sunnah, to perform ruqyah for him.

Wife practising witchcraft on her husband

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

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

How to deal with sihr (magic/witchcraft)

What is the way to deal with sihr (magic/witchcraft)?

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 Al-Mufsidoon.

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

Ways of treating sihr

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?

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 Al-Mufsidoon.

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

It is possible for witchcraft to come between a man and his wife?

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

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

--
Aisha

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