Imam
Ahmad narrates, on the authority of Muhammad Ibn J'afar,
on the authority of `Awf Ibn Hayyaan Ibn Al-'Alaa`, who
said: "Qutun Ibn Qabeesah informed us from his
father that he heard the Prophet (saas ) say:
"Verily, al-'iyaafah,1
at-tarq2 and at-tiyarah3
are all acts of sorcery.
Because
the Muslims at the beginning of Islam had recently come
from the Jahiliyyah (Days of Ignorance), they
still carried with them many of the customs and
superstitions of that time; Islam ordained for them
freedom from such ignorant superstition which Revelation
and common sense reject and for which no practical
evidence can be produced. Such beliefs and practices
include: Al-'iyaafah, which is the belief that
one's fortune is affected by the flights of birds, their
species or their cries; at-tarq, which is to draw
lines in the soil or sand and throwing stones in order
to supposedly reveal secrets of the unseen; and at-tiyarah,
which is to believe in omens and portents. The Messenger
of Allah (saas ) has made plain that these three are
acts of sorcery and it is confirmed that practising
magic, learning it and teaching it are all prohibited
and it is incumbent upon every Muslim to avoid it and to
declare his innocence of any such beliefs and practices
and their adherents.
Benefits
Derived From This Hadith
1.
Evidence that al-'iyaafah, at-tarq and at-tiyaarah.
2. The
prohibition of magic.
Relevance
of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter
That it
proves that the three above-mentioned practices are acts
of sorcery.
Relevance
of This Hadith to the Subject of
Tawheed
That it
proves that these three practices are acts of magic, and
magic is built upon a foundation of Shirk.
..ooOOoo..
It is
reported on the authority of Ibn `Abbas (ra ) that he
said: "Allah's Messenger (saas ) said:
"Whoever
learns a part of astrology, has learnt a part of
magic. Those who learn more accumulate more
(sin)."
Because
knowledge of the unseen is for Allah (swt ) Alone, the
Prophet (saas ) negated all attempts to uncover it,
including astrology, according to which belief, one may
know the future by understanding the supposed influence
produced by the movement of the stars and the planets on
peoples' lives. And He (saas ) has made clear that
learning such things is an act of sorcery, and that the
more a person learns, the more he is guilty of sin.
Benefits
Derived From This Hadith
1.
Evidence that the study of astrology is a kind of magic.
2. That
magic is of more than one kind.
Relevance
of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter
That it
proves that the study of astrology is a kind of magic.
Relevance
of This Hadith to the Subject of Tawheed
That the
Hadith proves that the study of astrology is a type of
sorcery and sorcery is founded upon Shirk.
Important
Note
Attempting
to uncover the secrets of the physical unknown using
practical methods such as the working of the Universe,
biology, physics etc. are not considered acts of magic;
rather, they are a fulfillment of the Command of Allah (swt
) and His Prophet (saas ) to seek knowledge.
..ooOOoo..
An-Nasaa`i
reports on the authority of Abu Hurairah (ra ) that he
said:
"Whoever
tied a knot and blew on it has committed an act of
sorcery, and whoever commits an act of sorcery has
committed an act of Shirk, and whoever wore an
amulet will be left to its control."
The
Prophet (saas ) tells us in this Hadith that anyone who
makes knots in ropes and then blows upon them is guilty
of practising magic; and He (saas ) makes it clear that
he who practises magic has committed Shirk;
likewise, anyone who wears an amulet or talisman,
believing that it will protect him from harm, he will be
abandoned to its protection, which is, of course,
non-existent; whereas he who gives his heart to Allah (swt
) and is filled with confidence in Him, Most High, and
depends upon Him Alone, this will suffice him. And
whoever depended upon Allah's creatures - sorcerors and
others - he will attain only evil - in this life and in
the Hereafter because he has placed his faith in other
than Allah (swt ), while Allah (swt ) is Sufficient for
His slaves.
Benefits
Derived From This Hadith
1. The
forbiddance of practising magic.
2. That
blowing on knots is a form of magic.
3.
Evidence that the sorceror is a mushrik.
4. The
prohibition of wearing anything as a means of
protection, or a provider, or a granter of wishes, etc.
5. That
whoever depends upon other than Allah (swt ) is
abandoned.
6. That
whoever depends upon Allah (swt ), this will suffice
him.
Relevance
of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter
That the
Hadith proves that the wearing of amulets or the like
and blowing upon knots are acts of sorcery.
Relevance
of This Hadith to the Subject of
Tawheed
That the
Hadith proves that magic is
Shirk.
..ooOOoo..
It is
reported on the authority of Ibn Mas'ood (ra ) that the
Messenger of Allah (saas ) said:
"Shall
I not tell you what al-'adhdhah4
is? It is an-nameemah."
In order
to focus the attention of his Companions on what he was
saying, because of the great love and affection that he
had for them, he used the form of a question, which he
then proceeded to answer himself: He (saas ) asked them
about al-'adhdhah; then he explained to them that
it is an-nameemah, which means to carry tales
about someone behind his back by quoting something he
said about a person to that person, the result of which
is to sow discord between those two people and to fill
their hearts with enmity.
Benefits
Derived From This Hadith
1. That
asking questions is a part of the Islamic way of
teaching.
2. The
prohibition of an-nameemah, and that it is a
major sin.
Relevance
of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter
That the
Hadithproves that an-nameemah is a kind
of sorcery, because it produces the same effect as
magic, or worse causing division among the people.
Relevance
of This Hadith to the Subject of
Tawheed
That the
Hadith proves that an-nameemah is a kind of
sorcery, and, as we have seen, sorcery is a form of Shirk.
Important
Note
The
person who is guilty of an-nameemah is not
considered a disbeliever, nor is it ordered that he be
killed, but the sorceror is guilty of kufr
because he is depending upon other than Allah (swt ) to
supply his wants and needs, while the tale-bearer is
not, but because of its similarity in some respects to
sorcery, it is incumbent upon every Muslim to avoid it.
..ooOOoo..
It is
reported by Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority of Ibn
`Umar (ra ) that the Messenger of Allah (saas ) said:
"Verily,
some eloquence (can be so beautiful); it constitutes
sorcery.
In this
Hadith, the Prophet (saas ) has compared excessive
eloquence and expressiveness with words to magic, for
the eloquent man may on occasions succeed in making the
false appear true or vice versa. He (saas ) distorts the
truth by throwing dust in peoples' eyes, robbing some of
their rights by deception and falsehood. The truth of
this may be seen by anyone who visits a court of law and
watches a lawyer at work.
Benefits
Derived From This Hadith
1. The
forbiddance of some eloquence, i.e. that which attempts
to make truth appear as falsehood and vice versa.
2.The
derogatory comparison of some eloquence with magic.
Relevance
of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter
That it
defines some eloquence as comparable to sorcery because
it deflects the heart as does sorcery.
Relevance
of This Hadith to the Subject of
Tawheed
That it
compares excessive eloquence to sorcery, and as we have
seen, sorcery is an act of Shirk.
Important
Note
It is not
to be understood from this Hadith that the capacity of
expressiveness with words constitutes kufr, but
that since some forms of eloquence result in corruption
and usurpation of rights, they are in some ways
comparable to sorcery, and therefore it is incumbent
upon us to abstain from them.
Footnotes
1.
Al-'Iyaafah: Foretelling events by the flight of birds.
2.
At-Tarq: Drawing lines in the earth to predict events.
5.
An-Nameemah: Tale-bearing, such as one's saying:
"Such-and-such a person says you are
untruthful." - even though what that person says
may be true, it is still considered to be carrying
tales.