Before we delve into the discussion of supernatural; Jadoo, Sihr and Blackmagic etc., it is imperative for us to strike a balance. While these occurrences are very real and dangerous, they must be approached with caution. An increasingly large group of society have become overwhelmed, to put it lightly, by the supernatural. Almost every negative or uncomfortable experience is now attributed to witchcraft. A simple flu is suddenly Nazr. A regular marital spat is Jinn. Bad behaviour is evil-eye. Some even reach the extent of calling in the Amil when their child is clearly suffering an addiction or behavioural issues.
The bitter truth is, all evil is not the result of Jadoo or Nazr!!!
Sometimes a flu is just a flu.
Sometimes rebellion is just puberty.
Sometimes a marital argument is because of not understanding your spouse’s preference.
And very often, the root cause is something far more basic — a lack of Noor (divine light) in our lives.
Salaah, Quran Tilawah, Ta’leem, Khidmah within the home, love, kindness. All these are sources of divine light. They bring joy and goodness to a person and a home. Television, music, quarrelling, immodesty, nudity, Janabat (being without Whudu or Ghusl), Gheebah (backbiting), Hasad (jealousy). These are sources of darkness. They strip the home of barakah and invite unrest.
It is therefore far more prudent to first look at the disobedience of Allah Ta’ala which occurs within our homes before playing the blame game. Before jumping on the convenient bandwagon and blaming Jadoo and Jinn, lets rid ourselves of Haraam within the home, and invite the Nur of Allah Ta’ala into our homes.
إِنَّ أَهْلَ السَّمَاءِ لَيَتَرَاءَوْنَ الْبَيْتَ الَّذِي يُقْرَأُ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ وَيُصَلَّى فِيهِ كَمَا يَتَرَاءَى أَهْلُ الدُّنْيَا الْكَوْكَبَ الَّذِي فِي السَّمَاءِ
“Indeed, the inhabitants of the heavens gaze upon the homes in which the Qur’an is recited and Salaah is performed, just as the inhabitants of the earth gaze at the stars in the sky.” [Musannaf Abdur Razzaq:5999]
The Reality
Nevertheless, the reality of Sihr, Jadoo, Nazr etc. is undeniable. Consider the following incident from Bukhari Sharif narrated by Aisha (Radiyahllahu Anha):
A man by the name of Labid Bin A’sam from Banu Zuraiq did blackmagic on Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam). It was so severe that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) began hallucinating; thinking he (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) did something when he hadn’t, and vice-versa. Until one day, or one night (the narrator doubts) Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) was with me (Aisha (Radiyahllahu Anha)) and he said, “O Aisha! Allah Ta’ala has given me an answer regarding what I had asked him. Two men (Angels in the form of men) came to me, one sat by my head side and the other near my feet. The following conversation ensued;
Angel 1: What is he (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) suffering with?
Angel 2: He has been bewitched (Sihr was done on him).
Angel 1: Who bewitched him?
Angel 2: Labid Bin A’sam.
Angel 1: How/Upon what was the Sihr carried out?
Angel 2: On the hair stuck to a comb and a dried spadix from a male date palm.
Angel 1: Where is it hidden?
Angel 2: In the well of Zarwan.”
Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) then went to the well with a group of Sahabah (Radiyahllahu Anhum). He (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) returned and described (the well thus), “The water of the well was as if it was infused with Henna. And the fruit of the date palms around the well were like the heads of Shayateen.”
Aisha (Radiyahllahu Anha) asked Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam), “will you not expose him?”
He (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) replied in the negative saying, “Allah Ta’ala has cured me, and I dislike spreading evil among people.” Nabi (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) then commanded that the items of Sihr be buried. [1]
This narration clearly establishes that even the Nabi of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) experienced the effects of Sihr.
On another occasion, Amir ibn Rabiah admired the appearance of Sahl ibn Ḥunayf (Radiyahllahu Anhuma), commenting on how flawless his skin was. Sahl (Radiyahllahu Anhu) immediately collapsed. Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) became upset and said, “You have killed your brother (meaning caused him great harm). Why didn’t you invoke the blessing of Allah Ta’ala (say Mashallah or Barakallah)? Take a bath for him.”
So Sayyiduna Aamir ibn Rabi’ah -who was the one who cast the gaze of admiration which had this effect- washed his face, hands, elbows, knees, feet and the inner part of his pants. The water was collected in a bowl which was poured on Sahl (Radiyahllahu Anhu) after which he [regained consciousness and] was able to walk again. [2]
This Hadith proves the harms of Nazr (the evil-eye).
In another Hadith the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) spells it out,
الْعَيْنُ حَقٌّ وَلَوْ كَانَ شَيْءٌ سَابَقَ الْقَدَرَسَبَقَتْهُ الْعَيْنُ
Evil-eye is a reality. And if there was anything which could change a persons fortune it would be the evil-eye. [Muslim:2188]
There are numerous Ahadith which deal with the topic of Sihr, Nazar, Jinn and other paranormal aspects. An exhaustive study is not the objective of this article.
We must, however, acknowledge that these happenings can affect a person’s marriage and family life too. Witch-craft has become increasingly common. Ulama have reported first hand incidents where Sangomas (Southern African witch-doctors) have confessed to being approached by Muslims, to cast spells on those they have a beef with! Divorced couples getting back at their spouse, custody battles, love gone wrong, and the infamous ‘bring back your lost lover’. You name it, and chances are people have resorted to Sihr to try and achieve it.
Many women are known to sabotage a marriage because they eyed the boy for their own daughters. Others themselves carry out Sihr on a happy couple, simply because their own or their children’s marriages failed. Jealousy is often the catalyst for people who employ Sihr in marital settings.
When it comes to Nazr, the scope of being affected is large. We innocently dress our young children in the cutest of outfits and go out with them. We soak up the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ of people and graciously accept it. This opens the doors of Nazr on our children. How many a childless couple envy your beautiful little girl. How many unmarried individuals will (sometimes even unintentionally) cast an evil-eye on your busy little boy. These are uncomfortable but necessary realities.
In conclusion, it is in our best interests to live our lives, as shielded from the public eye as possible. That ‘one for the Gram’ we take when enjoying our holiday. The string of statuses we post from a family function. The cute pics of our newborns we forward on groups. The aesthetic anniversary snaps we upload. How necessary are they!? Will we enjoy our moments any less without broadcasting them!? The only real ‘benefit’ we get is jeopardising our marriages, families and children, exposing them to the evils which lurk behind the screens.
Insha Allah, in the next article we will discuss actions that unknowingly expose us to harm, and the practical steps we can take to truly evil-proof our marriages and families.
[1] صحيح البخاري – البغا (5/ 2174)
5430 – حدثنا إبراهيم بن موسى أخبرنا عيسى بن يونس عن هشام عن أبيه عن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت
: سحر رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم رجل من بني زريق يقال له لبيد بن الأعصم حتى كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم يخيل إليه أنه يفعل الشيء وما فعله حتى إذا كان ذات يوم أو ذات ليلة وهو عندي لكنه دعا ودعا ثم قال ( يا عائشة أشعرت أن الله أفتاني فيما استفتيته فيه أتاني رجلان فقعد أحدهما عند رأسي والآخر عند رجلي فقال أحدهما لصاحبه ما وجع الرجل ؟ فقال مطبوب قال من طبه ؟ قال لبيد بن الأعصم قال في أي شيء ؟ قال في مشط ومشاطة وجف طلع نخلة ذكر . قال وأين هو ؟ قال في بئر ذروان ) . فأتاها رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم في ناس من أصحابه فجاء فقال ( يا عائشة كأن ماءها نقاعة الحناء أو كأن رؤوس نخلها رؤوس الشياطين ) . قلت يا رسول الله أفلا استخرجته ؟ قال ( قد عافاني الله فكرهت أن أثور على الناس فيه شرا ) . فأمر بها فدفنت
[2] موطأ مالك ت الأعظمي (5/ 1372)
3459/ 734 – مَالِكٌ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ بْنِ سَهْلِ بْنِ حُنَيْفٍ؛ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَبَاهُ يَقُولُ: اغْتَسَلَ أَبِي، سَهْلُ بْنُ حُنَيْفٍ، بِالْخَرَّارِ. فَنَزَعَ جُبَّةً كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِ. وَعَامِرُ بْنُ رَبِيعَةَ يَنْظُرُ. قَالَ: وَكَانَ سَهْلٌ رَجُلاً أَبْيَضَ حَسَنَ الْجِلْدِ، قَالَ، فَقَالَ لَهُ عَامِرُ بْنُ رَبِيعَةَ: مَا رَأَيْتُ كالْيَوْمِ. وَلاَ جِلْدَ عَذْرَاءَ. فَوُعِكَ سَهْلٌ مَكَانَهُ. وَاشْتَدَّ وَعْكُهُ. فَأُتِيَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأُخْبِرَ: أَنَّ سَهْلاً وُعِكَ. وَأَنَّهُ غَيْرُ رَائِحٍ مَعَكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ. فَأَتَاهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأَخْبَرَهُ سَهْلٌ بِالَّذِي كَانَ مِنْ شَأْنِ عَامِرٍ. فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم: «عَلاَمَ يَقْتُلُ أَحَدُكُمْ أَخَاهُ؟ أَلاَّ بَرَّكْتَ. إِنَّ الْعَيْنَ حَقٌّ. تَوَضَّأْ لَهُ». فَتَوَضَّأَ لَهُ عَامِرٌ. فَرَاحَ سَهْلٌ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم لَيْسَ بِهِ بَأْسٌ.