Incantations and Amulets with Quranic Ayahs – Permanent Committee
Question:
There are some people
who write amulets for sick, insane, and psychiatric patients including in them
parts of the Qurýan and Sunnah we never vouch for the sound creed of such
people. We advised them against doing so, but they refused to listen, saying:
We write only what is in the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger
(sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam), which is not prohibited. Some of these amulets
are worn by the patients themselves, or by an impure woman such as a
menstruating woman, or a woman in her postnatal, or an insane, an under age
child who does not know how to clean himself. Is this permissible?
Answer:
The Prophet
(sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) permitted incantations with Qur’anic recitation,
and supplications, as long as they do not include Shirk, or meaningless words.
Muslim narrated in his Sahih that Auf bin Malik said: We used to use
incantations in the pre-Islamic era, so we asked the Messenger of Allaah
(sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam): What formula should we recite for that purpose?
He said: Let me hear what you
say. There is no harm in incantations as long as they do not include Shirk in
them. [2]
Scholars have
unanimously agreed on the permissibility of incantations provided they meet the
above condition, and believing that it has no effect without the Will of
Allaah.
It is rather, Shirk
according to the Hadith which is narrated by Imam Ahmad in which Imran bin
Husain, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet (sallallaahu
alaihi wa sallam) saw a man wearing a
copper bangle on his arm, and he asked him: What is this? He said: I am wearing
it for cephalic weakness. The Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said:
Remove it, for it will not increase you in anything except weakness, and if you
should die while you are wearing it, you would never be successful. [3]
In another version
narrated by Ahmad, the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) said:He who wears an amulet commits Shirk. [4]
It is also narrated by
Ahmad and others that Ibn Mas’ud, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: I heard
the Messenger of Allaah saying: Verily, incantations amulets and Tiwalah [5] are Shirk. [6]
If
the worn amulet contains Qur’anic words, then it is, prohibited according to
the preponderant opinion for three reasons:
1.
The general
prohibition of wearing any kind of amulets according to the Prophetic
traditions with no exception.
2.
Leaving no excuse for
wearing amulets that contain other than Qur’anic formulas.
3.
Amulets that are worn
are usually subject to disrespect by taking them into washrooms, or wearing
them during intercourse or the like.
As for writing a Surah
or a Verse on a slate or on a sheet, and washing the writing with water and
saffron, to drink that water for the hope of gaining blessings, knowledge,
wealth, good health, or the like, we have never heard that such was done by the
Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam) for himself or for someone else. He neither permitted any of his
Companions to do so, nor did he give the permission to his Ummah to do so, even
though the needs for doing so are existent.
Based on the above, it
is better to avoid doing so, and be content with what is authentically approved
of incantations of Qur’anic recitation, the beautiful Names of Allaah, the
authentic supplications, or the like, whose meaning are clear and they are free
from the blemishes of Shirk.
One should seek
nearness to Allaah by doing only the permissible things for the hope of gaining
reward, relief, and gaining beneficial knowledge. This should be sufficient,
and he who is content with what Allaah has legitimized, Allaah renders him free
from the need of someone else. It is only Allaah Who grants success.
[1] The term
incantations is used throughout the book to refer to a recitation formula for
healing, whereas amulet is the written formula for the same purpose.
[2] Muslim no. 2200
[3] Ibn Majah no. 3531
and Ahmad 4:445
[4] Ahmad 4:154, Abu
Ya’la no. 1759 and Al-Hakim 4:417
[5] Tiwalah, a spell
which is used to make a man love his wife, or the other way round.
[6] Abu Dawud no.
3883, Ahmad 1:381 and Al-Hakim 4:418
Permanent Committee
for Research and Verdicts
Fatawa Islamiyah Vol. 1 Page 34
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