Sihr — Rawzat

Sihr Is Real: The Quranic Evidence

Surah al-Baqara 2:102 — The foundational passage: Allah addresses sihr directly:

“And they followed what the devils recited during the reign of Solomon. Solomon did not disbelieve, but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic and what was revealed to the two angels at Babylon, Harut and Marut. But the two angels do not teach anyone unless they say: ‘We are a trial — so do not disbelieve [by practicing magic].’ And [yet] the people learn from them that by which they separate a man from his wife. But they do not harm anyone through it except by permission of Allah. And the people learn what harms them and does not benefit them. But the Children of Israel certainly knew that whoever bought it [i.e., practiced magic] would have no share in the Hereafter.”

This passage establishes: (1) Sihr is real and has real effects; (2) It was taught by Harut and Marut as a trial — to test whether people would use knowledge for harm; (3) Its most noted effect is separating spouses; (4) It cannot harm anyone except by Allah’s permission — all effects are within divine decree; (5) Practicing magic constitutes disbelief (kufr) in the sight of Allah.

Surah al-Falaq — Divine protection from magic:

“Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of daybreak / From the evil of that which He created / And from the evil of darkness when it settles / And from the evil of the blowers in knots / And from the evil of an envier when he envies.” (113:1-5)

“The blowers in knots” (al-naffathat fi-l-‘uqad) refers specifically to the practice of blowing over knotted cords — a method of sihr described in the hadith about the Prophet’s own experience with magic. This surah was revealed specifically as a cure for the sihr performed on the Prophet.

The Prophet’s Experience with Sihr

The hadith of Labid ibn al-A’sam: The most detailed account of the Prophet being affected by sihr is narrated in both Bukhari and Muslim (the two most authentic hadith collections):

A Jewish man named Labid ibn al-A’sam performed sihr on the Prophet (SAW) using a comb, hair clippings from the Prophet, and knotted string — buried in a well called Dhi Arwan (or Dharwan) at Banu Zuraiq. The sihr caused the Prophet to believe he had done things he had not done (specifically, intimate things with his wives). This continued for some time.

Allah revealed Surah al-Falaq and Surah al-Nas in response. The angel Jibril (as) came to the Prophet, told him the location of the sihr, and the Prophet recovered it and untied the knots — with each untied knot, the Prophet felt relief. (Bukhari)

Implications of this hadith: The Prophet being affected by sihr does not imply any deficiency in his prophethood — the sihr affected his perception in worldly matters, not the divine revelation he received. Allah protected the revelation absolutely; the sihr only temporarily affected his perception in private life. The incident also demonstrates: (a) sihr is real enough to affect the best of Allah’s creation; (b) Allah always provides a cure; (c) the Quranic surahs are the ultimate protection.

Categories of Sihr

Sihr of separation (sihr al-tafriq): The most commonly practiced form — causing enmity between spouses, families, or friends. The Quran specifically mentions this as the primary harm of what Harut and Marut taught. Signs: sudden inexplicable hatred between previously loving spouses, constant fighting over minor things, one spouse suddenly finding the other physically repulsive.

Sihr of love binding (sihr al-mahabbah or al-tiwala): Attempting to create unnatural attraction or binding between two people. The Prophet said: “Al-tiwala is sihr.” (Ahmad, Ibn Maja) This includes love potions and spells designed to make a specific person love or be obsessed with another.

Sihr of illness (sihr al-marad): Causing physical illness — the sorcerer’s work can manifest as chronic unexplained illness, physical pain without medical cause, or sudden serious illness following an enemy’s contact.

Sihr of blocking (sihr al-rabt or al-‘aqd): Specifically targeting a man’s ability to be intimate with his wife, or more broadly blocking a person from achievement, marriage, or livelihood.

Qareen manipulation: Some forms of sihr involve the qareen — the jinni companion that accompanies every human being. Sorcerers who work with jinn may influence a person’s qareen to cause harm.

The Prohibition on Practicing Sihr

One of the seven major sins: The Prophet (SAW) said: “Avoid the seven destructive sins.” The companions asked what they were. He said: “Associating partners with Allah, magic (sihr), killing unjustly, consuming interest, consuming the property of orphans, fleeing from battle, and slandering chaste believers.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

Sihr is second only to shirk in this list.

Practicing sihr is kufr: The majority of scholars hold that engaging in sihr — going to a sorcerer to have magic performed, performing it oneself — constitutes kufr (disbelief) because it necessarily involves seeking the assistance of shayateen and making a pact with them. “But the two angels do not teach anyone unless they say: We are a trial — so do not disbelieve.” (2:102)

Seeking a sorcerer is prohibited even for removing sihr: A dangerous mistake in Muslim communities: going to a sorcerer (sahir) to undo magic that has been cast is forbidden. The Prophet said: “Whoever goes to a ‘arraf [fortune-teller/sorcerer] and asks him about something — his prayer will not be accepted for forty days.” (Muslim) And: “Whoever goes to a fortune-teller or soothsayer and believes what he says has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad.” (Abu Dawud)

The trap of counter-magic: Sorcerers who offer to “remove” magic are typically doing so by performing counter-magic — which involves the same jinn-pacts and prohibited means. Using sihr to remove sihr trades one spiritual illness for another, often worse.

Protection and Cure: The Prophetic Method

The five shields against sihr:

1. Morning and evening adhkar: The comprehensive morning and evening remembrances (azhkar) the Prophet prescribed include verses and phrases specifically protective against all forms of harm. The person who maintains these daily is surrounded by divine protection. “Whoever says upon rising: ‘A’udhu bi-kalimat Allahi al-tammat min sharri ma khalaq’ — three times — nothing will harm him until evening.”* (Muslim)

2. Ayat al-Kursi before sleep: “Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi when going to sleep — a guardian from Allah will remain with him and no shaytan will approach him until morning.” (Bukhari) Ayat al-Kursi (2:255) asserts Allah’s absolute authority over creation, which is the ultimate defense against any force that operates without divine sanction.

3. The three Quls: Surah al-Ikhlas (112), Surah al-Falaq (113), Surah al-Nas (114) — recited three times each after Fajr and Maghrib prayers. The Prophet said these three are sufficient protection “for everything.” (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi)

4. Ruqyah: If sihr has already been cast, the cure is ruqyah — Quranic recitation directly over the affected person, with the intent of healing. Specific ruqyah for sihr includes:

Surah al-Fatiha (seven times)
Surah al-Baqara in full (especially the last two verses — 2:285-286)
Ayat al-Kursi
Surah al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq, al-Nas
Blowing over the person gently

5. Seeking the sihr’s source: If the location of the sihr’s physical medium (knots, objects) can be found — based on dreams, revelation, or investigation — destroying it (without reading it or handling it inappropriately) helps remove the effect. The Prophet untied the knots himself.

6. Surah al-Baqara in the home: The Prophet said: “Do not make your houses into graves — indeed the shaytan flees from a house in which Surah al-Baqara is recited.” (Muslim) Regular recitation of Surah al-Baqara in the home prevents sihr from taking hold in the domestic space.

Recognizing Sihr and Distinguishing It from Illness

Caution in diagnosis: Not every illness, misfortune, or relationship difficulty is sihr. The vast majority of human suffering has natural causes — medical, psychological, social, or spiritual — that do not involve magic. Over-attribution of problems to sihr can lead people away from seeking proper medical care, cause unfounded suspicion of innocent parties, and trap them in cycles of dependency on (often fraudulent) “raqis” (ruqyah practitioners).

When sihr may be suspected (alongside medical investigation):

Sudden severe change with no apparent natural cause
Symptoms appearing specifically at night or only in certain places
Clear evidence of malicious intent from a known party
Repeated dreams of snakes, black dogs, or threatening figures
Medical investigation yielding no diagnosis despite persistent symptoms

Fraudulent ruqyah practitioners: A major community problem is fake raqis (ruqyah practitioners) who exploit vulnerable people by claiming to diagnose and cure sihr — often charging large sums, demanding multiple sessions, and sometimes engaging in un-Islamic practices. Legitimate ruqyah costs nothing, requires no repeated sessions, and involves only Quranic recitation.

Sihr — Black Magic in Islam: Quranic Reality, Prohibition, and Protection