Nullifiers of Islam

"Nushrah" means undoing magic, and the apparent meaning of Al-Hasan's statement is that it is absolutely prohibited, because no one can undo magic except someone who has knowledge of magic. His words, thus, refer to undoing magic with magic, which is a practice of the devil. Ibn Al-Qayyim spoke in detail about this issue, and the summary of what he said is that treating the enchanted person with permissible medicine and recitation of the Qur'an is something permissible; but treating him with similar magic is unlawful.

1-فتح المجيد شرح كتاب التوحيد، مطبعة السنة المحمدية، القاهرة، مصر، الطبعة: السابعة، 1377هـ - 1957م. 2-القول المفيد على كتاب التوحيد، دار ابن الجوزي، المملكة العربية السعودية، الطبعة: الثانية, محرم، 1424هـ. 3-الملخص في شرح كتاب التوحيد، دار العاصمة الرياض، الطبعة: الأولى 1422هـ - 2001م. 4-الجديد في شرح كتاب التوحيد، مكتبة السوادي، جدة، المملكة العربية السعودية، الطبعة: الخامسة، 1424هـ - 2003م. 5-التمهيد لشرح كتاب التوحيد، دار التوحيد، تاريخ النشر: 1424هـ.

Sorcery is one of the most serious social diseases, because it leads to certain evils and malicious results, including murder, usurping money of the ‎people unlawfully, and separating between a man and his wife. Moreover, some activities of sorcery can only be achieved by means of polytheism and drawing close to the devils. The divine, effective cure for such a disease is its all-at-once extermination by killing the sorcerers so that the community would maintain its virtues, purity, and uprightness. This is exactly what the honorable Companions (may Allah be pleased with him) did, as proven by these traditions.

موطأ الإمام مالك، مالك بن أنس ، المحقق: بشار عواد معروف - محمود خليل، الناشر: مؤسسة الرسالة، سنة النشر: 1412 هـ. سنن أبي داود-المحقق: محمد محيي الدين عبد الحميد-الناشر: المكتبة العصرية، صيدا – بيروت. التاريخ الكبير، محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري، الطبعة: دائرة المعارف العثمانية، حيدر آباد - الدكن، طبع تحت مراقبة: محمد عبد المعيد خان. معجم لغة الفقهاء، محمد رواس قلعجي - حامد صادق قنيبي، الناشر: دار النفائس للطباعة والنشر والتوزيع، الطبعة: الثانية، 1408 هـ - 1988. ملخص في شرح كتاب التوحيد، للشيخ صالح الفوزان دار العاصمة الرياض، الطبعة: الأولى 1422هـ- 2001م. الجديد في شرح كتاب التوحيد، للشيخ محمد بن عبد العزيز القرعاوي، مكتبة السوادي، جدة، المملكة العربية السعودية، الطبعة: الخامسة. 1424هـ/2003م. فتح المجيد شرح كتاب التوحيد، عبد الرحمن بن حسن، المحقق: محمد حامد الفقي، الناشر: مطبعة السنة المحمدية، القاهرة، مصر، الطبعة: السابعة، 1377هـ/1957م. التمهيد لشرح كتاب التوحيد، للشيخ صالح آل الشيخ، دار التوحيد، تاريخ النشر : 1424هـ. شمس العلوم ودواء كلام العرب من الكلوم، نشوان بن سعيد الحميرى، المحقق: د حسين بن عبد الله العمري - مطهر بن علي الإرياني - د يوسف محمد عبدالله، الناشر: دار الفكر المعاصر، بيروت - لبنان، دار الفكر، دمشق - سورية، الطبعة: الأولى، 1420 هـ - 1999 م. مختار الصحاح، زين الدين أبو عبد الله محمد بن أبي بكر الرازي ،المحقق: يوسف الشيخ محمد، الناشر: المكتبة العصرية، الدار النموذجية، بيروت - صيدا-الطبعة: الخامسة، 1420هـ / 1999م. سلسلة الأحاديث الضعيفة والموضوعة وأثرها السيئ في الأمة، محمد ناصر الدين، الألباني، دار النشر: دار المعارف، الرياض، الممكلة العربية السعودية، الطبعة: الأولى، 1412 هـ / 1992 م. السنن الكبرى، أحمد بن الحسين أبو بكر البيهقي، المحقق: محمد عبد القادر عطا، الناشر: دار الكتب العلمية، بيروت - لبنات، الطبعة: الثالثة، 1424 هـ - 2003 م. كتاب التوحيد للإمام محمد بن عبد الوهاب تحقيق: دغش العجمي.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) gave a warning to those members of his Ummah who practices certain acts by saying: "He is not one of us." Those acts include: First: "Who seeks omens, or has it done for him." Seeking omens is tatyyur in Arabic, and it comes from the word 'tayr' (bird). They used to release birds before taking any course of action. If the bird flew to the right, they would feel optimistic and go ahead with their plan, but if it flew to the left, they would feel pessimistic and abandon their plan. It is not permissible for a person to do this by himself or appoint someone to do it on his behalf. Falling under this is being pessimistic due to anything heard or seen, including birds, animals, people with deformities, specific numbers or days, etc. Second: "Who practices soothsaying, or has it done for him." Whoever claims to know the unseen, through the stars or anything else, or comes to someone who claims knowledge of the unseen, like a soothsayer or diviner, and believes what he says, based on his claim to know the unseen, has thus disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). Third: "Who practices sorcery, or has it done for him." Such is a person who performs magic by himself or asks another person to perform magic for him to bring benefit or cause harm to someone, or he ties a knot by connecting a string and practicing magic on it by reciting prohibited talismans and blowing on it.

1. It is obligatory to rely upon Allah and believe in His decree and predestination. A person is prohibited from seeking omens, practising magic or soothsaying, or asking others to practice them for him.
2. Claiming to know the unseen is an act of Shirk (polytheism) that contradicts the monotheistic belief.
3. It is prohibited to believe soothsayers or go to them. Also falling under this is what is known as palm reading, coffee reading, and horoscopes and looking at them, even if only for the sake of merely getting information.

مسند البزار = البحر الزخار (9/ 52) (3578). شرح السنة للبغوي (12/ 182). مجموع الفتاوى (35/ 173). القول المفيد على كتاب التوحيد، لابن عثيمين (1/ 543). التمهيد لشرح كتاب التوحيد، لصالح آل الشيخ (ص315). الجديد في شرح كتاب التوحيد، لمحمد القرعاوي (ص242). الملخص في شرح كتاب التوحيد، لصالح الفوزان (ص217).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) points out that if a person acquires knowledge of the stars and planets and uses their movements and entry and exit as guidance for earthly events, like the birth of someone or his demise or illness, or any other future incident, he has thus learned part of magic, and the more he acquires of it, the more magic he learns.

1. The Hadīth prohibits astrology, which is telling about the future based on the conditions of the stars, for this falls under the claim of knowing the unseen.
2. The prohibited astrology belongs to the types of sorcery that contradict monotheism. But it is permissible to look at the stars to determine the directions, the Qiblah, or the commencement of seasons and months.
3. The more a person learns about astrology, the more branches of magic he learns.
4. There are three benefits from the stars Allah has mentioned in His Book: an adornment for the sky, signs to serve as guidance, and missiles for stoning the devils.

سنن أبي داود (6/ 50) (3905). سنن ابن ماجه (4/ 670) (3726). مسند أحمد (3/ 454) (2000). الجديد في شرح كتاب التوحيد، للقرعاوي (ص230). الملخص في شرح كتاب التوحيد، للفوزان (ص206).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) offered the Fajr prayer in Al-Hudaybiyah, a village close to Makkah, after rainfall at night. After he made taslīm and finished the prayer, he turned towards the people and asked them: Do you know what your Almighty Lord has said? They replied: Allah and His Messenger know best. He said: Allah Almighty clarified that people fall under two categories upon rainfall: believers in Allah Almighty and disbelievers in Him. Those who say, "We have had rainfall out of Allah's bounty and mercy," ascribing the rainfall to Allah, are believers in Allah, the Creator, and the Disposer of the affairs of the universe, and they disbelieve in the stars. And those who say, "We have had rainfall due to such and such star," are disbelievers in Allah and believers in the stars. But this is minor disbelief, as they attribute rainfall to a star, while Allah did not make it a cause of rainfall, neither in terms of the Shariah nor in terms of destiny. But as for those who ascribe rainfall and other earthly occurrences to the rise and decline of the stars, believing that they are the actual doer, they have fallen into major disbelief.

1. It is recommended to say after rainfall: We have had rainfall out of the grace and mercy of Allah.
2. Those who attribute the blessing of rainfall and other things to the stars, believing that they create and bring them into existence, fall into major disbelief. But as for those who attribute rainfall to the stars in believing that they are a mere cause, they fall into minor disbelief, because the stars are not a Shar‘i or material cause for rainfall.
3. A blessing can be a cause of disbelief if it is denied or a cause of belief if recognized.
4. We are forbidden from saying "We have had rainfall due to such and such star," even if it refers to time, to block the means to polytheism.
5. Our hearts should be attached to Allah Almighty regarding bringing blessings and warding off afflictions.

صحيح البخاري (1/ 169) (846)، صحيح مسلم (1/ 83) (71)، البحر المحيط الثجاج في شرح صحيح الإمام مسلم بن الحجاج (2/ 484)، المفهم لما أشكل من تلخيص كتاب مسلم (1/ 260).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) warned against abandoning the obligatory prayers and informed us that what stands between a man and falling into Shirk (polytheism) and disbelief is the abandonment of prayer. Prayer is the second pillar of Islam and is of great significance in this religion. Whoever abandons it out of denial of its obligation has become a disbeliever by consensus among the Muslims, and whoever abandons it altogether out of negligence or lethargy is a disbeliever, a ruling the Companions are reported to have agreed upon unanimously. But if a person abandons it sometimes and performs it at other times, he is subject to this stern warning.

1. The Hadīth stresses the significance of prayer and its observance, for it is the distinguishing feature between disbelief and belief.
2. It gives a severe warning against abandoning and neglecting the prayers.

صحيح مسلم (1/ 88) (82)، المفهم لما أشكل من تلخيص كتاب مسلم (1/ 271)، البحر المحيط الثجاج في شرح صحيح الإمام مسلم بن الحجاج (2/ 622).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) pointed out that the covenant and pledge between the Muslims and the disbelievers and hypocrites is prayer. So, whoever abandons it has become a disbeliever.

1. The Hadīth shows the great status of the prayers and that they are the distinguishing feature between the believer and the disbeliever.
2. The rulings of Islam are established based on the outward circumstances of people, regardless of their inward circumstances.

سنن النسائي (1/ 231) (463)، سنن الترمذي (4/ 365) (2621)، سنن ابن ماجه (2/ 181) (1079)، مسند أحمد (38/ 20) (22937)، فيض القدير (4/ 395)، ذخيرة العقبى في شرح المجتبى (6/ 192) (6/ 193).