The word magic has many definitions, the most inclusive used by Muslim scholars is that magic is any phenomenon that has invisible causes or that is seen or imagined differently from its reality, due to disguise or trickery. Other scholars define magic more narrowly as the art of producing in nature, with the help of the demons, things beyond the power of men. In fact, there are many types of magic, some are all illusions and trickery, others are real and occur with the help of the devil.
Real magic
It is defined as the magic that has a concrete physical reality. It is also called sorcery or witchcraft, and it is one of two types:
1. Magic by direct influence:
In this type of magic, the sorcerer inflicts harm on his victims with the help of the Devil. The sorcerer establishes a union with the devil with whom he has signed a pact. Other factors may be used by the sorcerer to exert influence on the bewitched. Among these factors:
* The spirit and mood of the person. A person who feels sad, may also feel fatigued, and a scared person might come down with a stomach ache. So by influencing the mood of his victim, the sorcerer may inflict harm on his body.
* The power of suggestion. If a person who has just finished eating a meal, hears that it was contaminated with urine or feces, he might vomit or have an awful stomach ache as a result of this suggestion, even if in fact his meal was perfectly clean.
* The evil eye. The power to bewitch has been attributed to those who possess the evil eye.
Although these factors might help the magician, the truth is that the real magician inflicts harm with the help of the devil.
2. Magic by way of talismans:
Some magicians pretend that through the ‘spirits of the celestial bodies, and the secrets of magic symbols and numbers’ they can achieve great influence on others. The crafts that give them this power are called talismans. In reality the talisman is what the magician prepares with the help of the devils, on a piece of paper or cloth, or on a stone, metal, wood, wax or clay, in a specific way and at a specific time, for the purpose to harm a person or a group of persons in their health or property. Some talismans are worn, others are thrown into the wind, or buried in cemeteries, or dropped in wells. Making a talisman requires a great deal of preparation from the magician. Muhammad Muhammad Jaafar describes in his book As-sihr these preparations: “The sorcerer prepares special kinds of incense, and gathers necessary information about his victim. Then he draws a magic circle prior to the magic operation on which he draws magic symbols, and recites special incantations to invoke the devils, and wears special clothes.”
The magic of imagination
The magician may influence the imagination of the bewitched, to the point of making him believe that what he has imagined is true. The magician may rely on hypnotic suggestions, or other powers of suggestions. This is often used by some mediums who gather with other persons to invoke the spirit of a dead person. People may think that they see or hear the dead person but in fact it is all in their imagination.
Optic illusions are often used to bewitch others. This type of magic was used by Pharaoh’s sorcerers, when they threw their sticks, they looked like moving snakes, as described in the Qur’an: “So when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people, and struck terror into them and they displayed a great magic.” (Qur’an 7:116). The sorcerers bewitched the eyes of people by giving the illusion that the sticks were moving through the subterfuge of some optic illusion, and this was a great magic as described by the Qur’an.
The magic of tricks
This type of magic relies on tricks that the magician has learned. Learning sleight of hand, using the properties of special metals, and chemistry, along with a good amount of lies are all part of the trade of this magician. This type of magic is performed in circuses and on television for the purpose of entertainment, but is sometimes used by charlatans for evil purposes.
Astrology
The roots of astrology go back to the Babylonians who worshipped the stars. Nowadays, magicians who use talismans based on astrology, fall into three categories:
* Those who worship the heavenly bodies, offer prayers to them and ask them favours.
* Those who use special calculations and allocate to each word a number, that they pretend is related to the positions of the stars. They then perform calculations taking into account the name of the person, his date and place of birth, and claim that this allows them to know his future.
* Those who study the movements of the heavenly bodies, and their conjunctions, believing that this has an influence on the natural phenomena such as rain, wind, volcanoes or earthquakes.
Anybody who is dealing in these practices is dealing in magic, for the Prophet, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam, said: “Whoever acquires knowledge about astrology, has acquired knowledge about magic.” (Related by al-Bukhari)
The case of the diviners, fortune-tellers, and psychics
It is human nature to seek the knowledge of the future whether it concerns the fate of the individual, or of the entire humankind. This curiosity has been satisfied by the revelations that Allah has sent down through His Messengers. The Noble Qur’an informed us about the Unseen: the world of the angels, and the world of the jinn, the signs of the Last Hour, the Day of Judgment, and other future events. Some people, however are not satisfied, and seek to know more about the Unseen. This is where the diviners, psychics and fortune-tellers come to play. But how can they know the future while Allah said: “He (Allah) alone knows the Unseen, nor does He make anyone acquainted with His secrets.” (Qur’an 72:26), and He said: “None in the heavens and the earth knows the Unseen except Allah, nor can they perceive when they shall be resurrected.” (Qur’an 27:65)? Obviously most of what they forecast is pure lies, but sometimes their predictions are accurate. Is it pure coincidence? To answer this question, let us examine how these fortune-tellers arrive to their predictions.
Diviners are of two types: Those who use a certain art they pretend it helps them unveil the secrets of the Unseen. Such arts include reading the palm of the hand, the tarot, crystal-ball gazing, casting bones or stones, and using astrology. The second type of diviners seek the help of the jinn whom they befriend and who gather for them news from the heavens and the earth.
The first type of diviners use their craft for the sole purpose to impress their audiences, and rely in reality on their common sense and intuition and most of the time do not give accurate predictions. It is the second type that are the real diviners because the devils from the jinn bring them knowledge about the Unseen. This was described in the Qur’an where the jinn said: “And we pried into the secrets of heaven, but we found it filled with stern guards and flaming fires. We used indeed to sit there in hidden stations, to steal a hearing, but any who listens now will find a flaming fire watching him in ambush.” (Qur’an 72:8,9) Allah also said: “And We have guarded them (the heavens) from every accursed Satan. But any that gains a hearing by stealth, is pursued by a fiery comet, bright to see.” (Qur’an 15:17,18). Although the heavens are guarded, the devils try nonetheless to steel the news and are sometimes successful. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, said: “The angels in the clouds speak a command that is in the sky, and the devils hear it. They then coo it into the ears of the diviner, and he adds a hundred lies to it.” (Related by al-Bukhari)
The extent of the magician’s power
Real magic is the craft of the sorcerer who gets help from the devil. The power of the sorcerer is drawn from his union with the devil. The more united and close his relationship is, the more powerful he becomes. A sorcerer can gain such a power as to enable him to fly in the air, walk on water, inflict disease or even death on others, and other extraordinary things. However, most scholars agree that his power has a limit and that he cannot induce rain or other natural phenomena, nor can he resurrect the dead, nor can he turn a human into an animal, nor can he make an animal talk, and most of all a sorcerer’s spell is only realised by the will of Allah, and he can never change the destiny of a person.
Next week, insha Allah: What the sorcerer has to go through to be accepted by the Devil; Islamic ruling concerning sorcery; protection and cure for sorcery; and other related issues. |
