IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICENT, THE MERCIFUL
BEING THE FIRST SERMON FOR THE MONTH OF JUMAADA AL-AKHIRAH,
DATED: 2ND JUMAADAL AL-AKHIRAH, 1445AH (15TH DEC., 2023CE)
TITLED: PROHIBITION OF RELYING ON MAGIC AND SATANISM
AND THE CONSEQUENCES IN THIS WORLD AND THE HEREAFTER
THE FIRST SERMON
All Praises belong to Allah, the Lord of the Universe, Who knows what is unseen, and He does not reveal His unseen to anyone, except for those of His chosen servants whom He is pleased with. I praise Him, the Almighty and thank Him for the blessing of Faith, and I testify that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah alone. He has no partner. A testimony that I save up as a treasure for the Day of Reckoning. I testify also that our Prophet Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. His Lord chose him as a mercy to the universe. May the blessings and peace of my Lord be upon him, his family and companions, and whoever follows his Sunnah with righteousness until the Day of Judgment.
Thereafter…
O people! Fear Allah, your Lord, and do what He has commanded you to do, and avoid what He has prohibited for you, and know that Allah Ta’alaa has not commanded you to do anything except for the great benefit in it, and He has not prohibited anything for you except because of the huge harm in it. Indeed, to you, Allah is Most Compassionate and Most Merciful. (يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ تَتَّقُوا اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ فُرْقَانًا وَيُكَفِّرْ عَنْكُمْ سَيِّئَاتِكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ) “O you who believe! If you obey and fear Allah, He will grant you Furqan a criterion [(to judge between right and wrong), or (Makhraj, i.e. making a way for you to get out from every difficulty)], and will expiate for you your sins, and forgive you, and Allah is the Owner of the Great Bounty.” (Al-Anfaal: 29)
Dear listeners, today we take a look at a phenomenon that poses a great danger to Islaam and Muslims because of its having something to do with other than Allah Ta’alaa, and its violation of His command and the command of His Messenger – may Allaah bless him and grant him peace. This phenomenon may lead to the destruction of homes and the separation of families and divorce between husband and wife, and corruption in the land. I’m talking about magic or sorcery (or juju or occultism or witchcraft, etc). And in ordr to distance muslims far from it, the subject of our khutbah today is about: Prohibition of relying on magic (charms or juju or sorcery) and Satanism and its consequences in this world and the hereafter.
The meaning of magic or sorcery (or juju or occultism or witchcraft, etc) – O Muslims – is to change something from its real nature into something else, and this is in the linguistic sense. As for meaning of magic or sorcery (or juju or occultism or witchcraft, etc) in the Sharee’ah, as Ibn Qudaamah – may Allah have mercy on him – described it in his book “Al-Mughni”: it refers to entanglement/knots, incantations and words that the magician speaks, or writes, or something he does that affects the body, heart, or mind of the bewitched person without doing it directly on him (or having to see or touch the person that is being charmed). And it has reality: There are the ones that could kill (if Allah permits), there are those that make the victim sick, and there are those takes a man away from his wife and prevents him from having intercourse with her, and some of them are those that separate a man and his wife, and those that make one of them hate the other, or that bring love between two people” (Al-Mughni: 10/104).
Is magic real or not?
Dear listeners! The scholars of the religion have differed on this issue with two views: The majority of the Ahlu-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah are of the view that magic is real. Al-Nawawi – may Allah have mercy on him – said: “What is correct is that it has a reality, and the clear majority agree on it, and the generality of scholars are of that view, and the Qur’an and the well-known authentic Sunnah point to it.” (Fath al-Bari 10/222).
They cited as evidence Allah Ta’alaa saying: (وَاتَّبَعُوا مَا تَتْلُوا الشَّيَاطِينُ عَلَى مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَلَكِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ كَفَرُوا يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَى الْمَلَكَيْنِ بِبَابِلَ هَارُوتَ وَمَارُوتَ وَمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ حَتَّى يَقُولا إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلا تَكْفُرْ فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِ وَمَا هُمْ بِضَارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلا يَنْفَعُهُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُوا لَمَنِ اشْتَرَاهُ مَا لَهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلاقٍ وَلَبِئْسَ مَا شَرَوْا بِهِ أَنْفُسَهُمْ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ) “And they followed what the Shayaatin (devils) gave out (falsely of the magic) in the lifetime of Sulaiman (Solomon). Sulaiman did not disbelieve, but the Shayaatin (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic and such things that came down at Babylon to the two angels, Harut and Marut, but neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things) till they had said, “We are only 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 Allah’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: 102).
The inference from this verse – O Muslims – is that it indicates that magic has a reality in several ways: 1- That it is something that is learned 2- And that it makes one to disbelief. 3- And that it separates a man from his wife, and all of this is not possible if it has no reality. (Al-Minhaj Sharh Saheeh Muslim 14/174).
They also cited as evidence what Al-Bukhari narrated. Al-Bukhari narrated with his chain of transmission to Issa iin Yuunus, on the authority of Hisham, on the authority of his father, on the authority of A’isha, may Allah be pleased with her, who said: “A man called Labid bin al-A’sam from the tribe of Bani Zaraiq worked magic on Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) till Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) started imagining that he had done a thing that he had not really done. One day or one night he was with us, he invoked Allah and invoked for a long period, and then said, “O `Aisha! Do you know that Allah has instructed me concerning the matter I have asked him about? Two men came to me and one of them sat near my head and the other near my feet. One of them said to his companion, “What is the disease of this man?” The other replied, “He is under the effect of magic.’ The first one asked, ‘Who has worked the magic on him?’ The other replied, “Labid bin Al-A’sam.’ The first one asked, ‘What material did he use?’ The other replied, ‘A comb and the hairs stuck to it and the skin of pollen of a male date palm.’ The first one asked, ‘Where is that?’ The other replied, ‘(That is) in the well of Dharwan;’ ” So Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) along with some of his companions went there and came back saying, “O `Aisha, the color of its water is like the infusion of Henna leaves. The tops of the date-palm trees near it are like the heads of the devils.” I asked. “O Allah’s Messenger? Why did you not show it (to the people)?” He said, “Since Allah has healed me, I disliked to let evil spread among the people.” Then he ordered that the well be filled up with earth.”
The inference is clear from this hadith, as we see, that it narrates the incident of his bewitchment – peace and blessings be upon him – starting with a change in his habit – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – to the point that it seemed to him that he had done the thing but he had not done it, and ending with the recitation of the two Mu’awwidhatain, the untying of knots, the removal of needles, and everything in between. This is from his supplication, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, then the two angels descending and discussing what happened to him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, then his going to the well with a group of his companions and informing A’isha about what happened. And her request, may Allah be pleased with her, to extract it. His saying – may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him – “Allah has healed me.” All of this only applies to what has reality and clear effect.
Dear servant of Allah! As for the second opinion, it is that magic has no reality, but rather that it is an illusion and imagination, and it has no effect on illness, divorce, substance, or anything else. Among those who held this view are: Ibn Hazm al-Zaahiri, Abu Bakr al-Jassaas from the Hanaafi school of fiqh, and Abu Ja’afar al-Astrabaadi of the Shafi’I school of fiqh, and others. Ibn Hazm says: “…Allah Ta’alaa has stated what we said, and He, the Almighty said: (فَإِذَا حِبَالُهُمْ وَعِصِيُّهُمْ يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَى) “…Then behold, their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved fast.” (Ta-Ha: 66), then Allah Ta’alaa told him that the work of those magicians was only an illusion, not reality.
After reviewing the scholars’ statements on this issue, we can bring out from this difference our saying that magic is of two types:
The first type: It is imaginary magic: This has no reality, but rather is a human being’s imagination, and only takes sight. The Holy Qur’an has referred to this type, as Allah Ta’alaa told us about the story of Allah’s Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) and the magicians of Firaoun. Allah Ta’alaa says: (قَالُوا يَامُوسَى إِمَّا أَنْ تُلْقِيَ وَإِمَّا أَنْ نَكُونَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَلْقَى * قَالَ بَلْ أَلْقُوا فَإِذَا حِبَالُهُمْ وَعِصِيُّهُمْ يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَى) “They said:”O Musa (Moses)! Either you throw first or we be the first to throw?” [Musa (Moses)] said: “Nay, throw you (first)!” Then behold, their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved fast.” (Ta-Ha: 65-66). And the Almighty said: (قَالَ أَلْقُوا فَلَمَّا أَلْقَوْا سَحَرُوا أَعْيُنَ النَّاسِ وَاسْتَرْهَبُوهُمْ وَجَاءُوا بِسِحْرٍ عَظِيمٍ) “He [Musa (Moses)] said: “Throw you (first).” So when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people, and struck terror into them, and they displayed a great magic.” (Al-A’araaf: 116). Ibn Katheer said in his interpretation: “That is: they appeared to the eyes that what they did had a reality on the outside, and it was nothing but just trickery and illusion” (Mukhtasar Tafsir Ibn Katheer 2/42).
As for the second type: It is magic that has a reality. It is what infects the heart, kills, causes illness, separates a man from his wife, makes one of them hate the other, or brings love between two. And know that a magician (or sorcerer or occultist, etc) will not be a magician or sorcerer unless he pledges to Shaytaan that he will obey him in everything, so he commands him to disbelieve in Allah verbally, such as by saying: I disbelieve in Allah, or he performs acts that are clearly disbelief, such as not doing ghusl from janabah (washing from impurity) for a long time, or going to a cave or deserted places, or places that contain filth and impurity, and makes him sit in them for a long time, and wears the Holy Qur’an on his feet and goes into the toilet with it, and writes verses of the Qur’aan with filth and menstrual blood, and reads Qur’anic verses backwards, and prays without ablution, or sacrifices to Shaytaan and does not mention the name of Allah on the slaughtered animal, and throws it in a place that his devil specifies for him, and other acts of disbelief and polytheism. (‘Zhaairatul Sihr Wa Khutuuratih ‘Alal-Mujtami’ by Dr. Muhammad Jumu’ah al-Halbuusi, p. 2; Bada’i’ al-Fawa’id by Ibn al-Qayyim 2/234, and Majmo’ al-Fatawa by Ibn Taymiyyah 19/35).
Ruling on working with magic or sorcery (or juju or occultism or witchcraft, etc)
O Muslims, there is no doubt that when Allah Ta’alaa prohibited magic or sorcery (or juju or occultism or witchcraft, etc). He prohibited it because of the religious and worldly evils it entails. It is one of the greatest sins and one of the most dangerous diseases that afflict individuals and societies. There is no disagreement among scholars regarding its prohibition, but the degrees of this prohibition vary.
Al-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, says: “Knowledge of magic or sorcery (or juju or occultism or witchcraft, etc) is forbidden and is one of the major sins according to consensus. The Prophet – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – counted it among the seven destructive sins. Some of it is disbelief and some is not disbelief, but rather, a major sin. If there is a word or action in it that leads to disbelief, then he becomes a disbeliever. Otherwise, it is not” (Sharh Saheeh Muslim by al-Nawawi, 14/176). Allah Ta’alaa says: (وَلَا يُفْلِحُ السَّاحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَى)“And the magician will not succeed wherever he goes.” (Ta-Ha: 69).
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah – may Allah be pleased with him – from the Prophet – may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him – that he said: “Avoid the seven destructive sins.” It was asked: (by those present): “What are they, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “Associating anyone or anything with Allah in worship; practising sorcery, killing of someone without a just cause whom Allah has forbidden, devouring the property of an orphan, eating of riba (usury/interest money), fleeing from the battlefield and slandering chaste women who never even think of anything touching chastity and are good believers” (Al-Bukhari).
This is why – O Muslims – our Prophet – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – warned us against going to sorcerers, fortune-tellers, and soothsayers, because these people do not achieve their intend to achieve except by serving the jinn and worshiping them instead of Allah, and they claim knowledge of the unseen, and that is disbelief, because no one knows the unseen except Allah Ta’alaa. If anyone ask them (the sorcerers or soothsayers or fortune-tellers) something, (even if) he does not believe him, his prayer will not be accepted for forty days, or he would have no reward for it.
It is narrated on the authority of Hubayra ibn Yareem, on the authority of Abdullah, he said: “Whoever goes to a fortune-teller, sorcerer, or soothsayer and asks him and believes in what he says, has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad, may Allah’s prayers and peace be upon him”.
It is narrated from Safiyya, on the authority of some of the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, on the authority of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he said: “Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him about something, his prayer will not be accepted for forty nights.” (Bukhari and Muslim).
I say all these and I ask Allah Ta’alaa to forgive me and you for every sin. And you should seek His forgiveness, indeed, He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.
THE SECOND SERMON
All praises are due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, who says in His impeccable Book: (لَا يَرْقُبُونَ فِي مُؤْمِنٍ إِلًّا وَلَا ذِمَّةً وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُعْتَدُونَ) “They do not observe toward a believer any pact of kinship or covenant of protection. And it is they who are the transgressors.” (Surat Al-Tawbah: 10.) I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, with no partner, and I bear witness that our Prophet Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him and his family.
Dear listeners, in these difficult days, our brothers in beloved Palestine and the traumatized Gaza Strip are in dire need of your support and standing with them as they are subjected to brutal aggression, displacement and violations, an inhuman disaster that has led to the lives of many innocent and defenseless civilians, including a large number of infants, children, women and the elderly. Thousands of tons of bombs and explosives are dropped on their heads round the clock, day and night.
These Zionists do not have mercy on the innocence of the fetuses and infants, nor on the crying of children and the bereaved mothers, nor do they have mercy on the elderly. And Allah, the Supreme has spoken the truth thus: (لَا يَرْقُبُونَ فِي مُؤْمِنٍ إِلًّا وَلَا ذِمَّةً وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُعْتَدُونَ). There must be rapid action and an immediate and urgent stop to these brutal acts and hostile massacres. Arab and Islamic efforts must be united and work with rational people in the world to contain this dangerous crisis, and enforce the aggressor to stop his blatant violations of international and humanitarian laws, restore the legitimate rights to their owners, and achieve justice for the oppressed Palestinian people.
O Muslims, we extend our sincere condolences to the Muslims, and to the family of Our Father Pa Olanrewaju Adepoju, who passed away last Monday. We beseech Allah to cover him with His vast mercy and grant him the highest place in paradise with the truthful ones, the prophets, the martyrs, and all the dead Muslims.
Supplication: O Allah, grant us the ability to rise up to uphold the right of our oppressed brothers, who say, “Our Lord, take us out of this village whose people are oppressive.” O Allah, be a supporter of the weak, the oppressed, , and the tortured in every place. O Allah, be their helper, supporter and protector. Oh Allah, be with our brothers in Gaza and Palestine. Oh Allah, relieve their worries and anguish, and have mercy on their children, their elders, and their women, and enlist them among the martyrs before You. Oh Allah, remove their hardship, take away for them harm and affliction. Oh Allah, repel from them and from Muslims everywhere the plots of the plotters, and the aggression of the aggressors, O Lord of the Worlds. Oh Allah, grant victory to the Palestinian resistance with a mighty, speedy and clear victory, and make their feet firm, and strengthen their hearts. Oh Allah, support them with your victory, your soldiers, your angels, and the believers. Oh Allah, grant us security in our homelands, and make this country safe, reassured, generous and prosperous, and all other Muslim countries.