Magic in Islam: Reality and Prohibition

Magic (sihr) occupies a unique place in Islamic theology and law: it is simultaneously affirmed as a real phenomenon — not a superstition or metaphor — and absolutely prohibited as one of the gravest sins in Islam. Wahid Abdussalam Bali opens his practical guide on the subject by establishing both of these points from the Islamic primary sources, providing the theological foundation necessary for understanding the subsequent treatment of protection, diagnosis, and legitimate treatment.

The Quranic affirmation of magic's reality is unambiguous. Surat al-Baqarah recounts the story of the angels Harut and Marut, who were sent to the people of Babylon and who taught them magic — warning them first: 'We are only a trial, so do not disbelieve.' The Quran then states: 'And they learned from them what causes separation between a man and his wife, but they could not harm anyone through it except by permission of Allah' (Al-Baqarah 2:102). This verse establishes several important theological points: magic is real and operates through specific mechanisms; it can affect real harm including the dissolution of marriages; but its effects are subordinate to Allah's permission and control.

Further confirmation of magic's reality comes from the famous event in which the Prophet himself, peace be upon him, was affected by a spell cast by a Jewish man named Labid ibn al-A'sam. The hadith, recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari, describes the Prophet experiencing confusion and distorted perceptions as a result of the spell, until Allah revealed the location of the physical object used to cast it (a hair and comb buried in a well), and the Prophet sent Ali ibn Abi Talib to retrieve it. This event — affirmed by the most authentic hadith collection in Islam — establishes that even the Prophet was not immune to the effects of magic, that its effects are real, and that it operates through physical objects.

The prohibition of magic in Islam is absolute and severe. The Prophet placed sihr among the seven gravest (mubiqat) sins: 'Avoid the seven deadly sins: shirk, magic, killing a soul Allah has forbidden except in truth, consuming usury, consuming the wealth of orphans, fleeing from battle, and slandering chaste believing women.' The placement of magic alongside shirk — the most serious of all sins — indicates the gravity with which Islam views involvement in magical practice. The scholars have unanimously agreed that practicing magic is major sin (kabira), and many have held that it constitutes kufr (disbelief) because it necessarily involves dealings with devils and may require explicit acts of polytheism.

Bali examines the mechanisms by which magic operates according to Islamic theology. Magic does not involve supernatural power independent of Allah; rather, it operates through the use of jinn (supernatural beings created from smokeless fire), who are employed by the magician through specific rituals that typically involve acts of worship directed toward the jinn or toward Shaytan. This is the theological reason that magic constitutes shirk: the magician must typically direct acts of veneration toward other than Allah in order to obtain the services of the jinn he employs. The jinn then act upon the target of the spell in ways that produce the intended effects.

The chapter concludes with a warning against seeking information from magicians, fortune-tellers, and diviners, even with the intention of obtaining protection from magic. The Prophet warned: 'Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him about something, his prayer will not be accepted for forty days.' Bali emphasizes that seeking help against magic from magicians — regardless of one's intention — is itself prohibited, and that the only legitimate means of protection and treatment are those that the Quran and Sunnah have provided.