Surat Al-Baqara 101-103

1. Surat Al-Baqara 101-103 Magic and Sorcery

2. وَلَمَّا جَاءهُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ عِندِ اللّهِ مُصَدِّقٌ لِّمَا مَعَهُمْ نَبَذَ فَرِيقٌ مِّنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُواْ الْكِتَابَ كِتَابَ اللّهِ وَرَاء ظُهُورِهِمْ كَأَنَّهُمْ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ {البقرة/101} وَاتَّبَعُواْ مَا تَتْلُواْ الشَّيَاطِينُ عَلَى مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَلَكِنَّ الشَّيْاطِينَ كَفَرُواْ يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ عَلَى الْمَلَكَيْنِ بِبَابِلَ هَارُوتَ وَمَارُوتَ وَمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ حَتَّى يَقُولاَ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلاَ تَكْفُرْ فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِ وَمَا هُم بِضَآرِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِ اللّهِ وَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلاَ يَنفَعُهُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُواْ لَمَنِ اشْتَرَاهُ مَا لَهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلاَقٍ وَلَبِئْسَ مَا شَرَوْاْ بِهِ أَنفُسَهُمْ لَوْ كَانُواْ يَعْلَمُونَ{البقرة/102} وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ آمَنُواْ واتَّقَوْا لَمَثُوبَةٌ مِّنْ عِندِ اللَّه خَيْرٌ لَّوْ كَانُواْ يَعْلَمُونَ{البقرة/103}

3. Analytical Approach • نبذ: النبذ • Nabatha: this term originally means to leave and throw. • وراء ظهورهم • Behind their backs: this phrase is usually said about someone that ignores and leaves something. • كأنهم لا يعلمون • As if they don’t know: comparing them to ignorance. • Final meaning: they leave the book of Allah, and leave implementing it because of their ignorance and pride, as if they don’t know that it is the book of Allah. • تتلو • Tatloo: in the Arabic language has two understanding. • Follow, and trace something or someone. • Read, recite and study something. Therefore the meaning would be they left the book of Allah and followed sorcery and magic and what the shayateen lead them to.

4. شياطين • Shayateen: plural of shaytan. The word shaytan’s root is shatana, which means to be far and away. • Are they demons or humans? What kind of Shayateen are they? • على ملك سليمان • During Sulaymans period or time.

5. السحر • What does the word سحر mean? • The word linguistically means anything subliminal. It originally means changing something from reality to falsehood. As if the magician or sorcerer had flipped reality to delusion. • Al-Qurtubi said: it means delusion, by making tricks, which makes people see other than it’s reality. As someone seeing a mirage, seeing it as water. • Al-aloosy said: hidden tricks, that may seem like miracles.

6. فتنة: • Fitnah: originally means to test. Usually said about gold when exposed to fire to test it’s quality. • Aljassas: fitnah is to see thing’s reality during good and bad situations. Arabs say to put something in fitnah to mean expose something on fire to test it’s quality.

7. فلا تكفر • Don’t turn to kufr: in this ayah it giving a euphemism about magic and sorcery.

8. General Meaning • Allah Almighty in this verse speaks about the Jews that had previously left the book of Allah (i.e. Torah), as the following generations had left the Quran, even though the prophet Mohammad was sent to confirm a foretold prophecy in their book. Yet, they left the book of Allah behind their backs, and followed delusions. They also followed what was taught by Harot and Marot, who never taught anything in magic until after they would say we are a trial do not use it for kufr/disbelief/mischief. Yet, those delusions were later used to create mischief, delusions and seperations between the husband and wife.

9. Reason for revelation • Ibn Aljawzee narrated two different reasons for the revelation of these verses: • The Jews used to ask the prophet –صلى الله عليه وسلم – about the Torah. And for every question he gave them an answer. So they asked him about magic سحر and debated with him about, and this verse was revealed • When prophet Solomon was mentioned in the Quran, the Jews mocked at the prophet and said: don’t you see how strange Mohammad is?! He claims that the son of David was a prophet, by God he was only a magician. So this verse was revealed to reply to them.

10. Other recitations • ”ولكن الشياطين كفروا“، بتشديد النون، ونصب الشياطينَ • Others recited it • ولكنَ الشياطينُ، بتخفيف النون من ”لكن“ و رفع الشياطينُ • وما أنزل على الملكين، • قرأ الجمهور الملكين، بفتح الكاف واللام مثنى مَلَك • وقرأ ابن عباس وسعيد بن جبير ”مَلِكين، مثنى مَلِك. • ”هاروتَ وماروتَ“ قرأ الجمهور بفتح التاء، وقرأ الحسن والزهري برفعها ” هاروتُ وماروتُ“

11. لطائف التفسيرHidden wisdoms in the verse • Abu Hayyan pointed out a wisdom in the verses, that is using the two methods of cautioning and bringing glad tidings. The ayat cautioned those that do magic, wrong doing, and brought glad tidings to those that do the opposite in taqwa and belief. • The verses connect between shayateen and magic, which is what people usually believe in shayteen, as if they have super powers. These verses are to confirm that they do not have super powers. And magic is delusion and not under their powers. • In one of the verses the word Kufr is used to mean magic.

12. Rulings in the verses • Is سحر a delusion or reality? • Majority of the scholars said that it is reality and that it has effect on people. • Yet, other scholars from the Mu’tazilites said that it is mere delusion. They considered magic as in different ways: • Delusion and tricks • Future telling • Through spreading out rumors or backbiting or even using lies to change relations. • tricks by using things that have effect on certain things, such as using certain poisons to cause certain hallucinations

13. Mu’tazalite’s Evidences • قوله تعالى: ” يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِن سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَى {طه/66}“ • قوله تعالى: ” سَحَرُواْ أَعْيُنَ النَّاسِ وَاسْتَرْهَبُوهُمْ وَجَاءوا بِسِحْرٍ عَظِيمٍ {الأعراف/116}” • قوله تعالى: ” إِنَّمَا صَنَعُوا كَيْدُ سَاحِرٍ وَلَا يُفْلِحُ السَّاحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَى {طه/69}“ • They said these verses say that there is delusion. Which is evident in the words يخيل which means imagine, سحروا أعين الناس they deluded peoples eyes, and the last verse is saying that magicians are never successors no matter what

14. Discussing the evidences of both parties • Majority of the scholars depended on a group of evidences in considering سحر having reality: • قوله تعالى: ” سَحَرُواْ أَعْيُنَ النَّاسِ وَاسْتَرْهَبُوهُمْ وَجَاءوا بِسِحْرٍ عَظِيمٍ {الأعراف/116}“ • قوله تعالى: ” فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِ وَمَا هُم بِضَآرِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِ اللّهِ .... {البقرة/102}“ • } وَمِن شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ {الفلق/4} • They said the first verse said that they have come with great magic, and the second ayah says that they came with great magic to the point that they were actually capable of changing the relationship between the husband and wife, which is why it’s saying that magic will not have an effect till God Almighty wills to have so, and the fourth verse is teaching us how to seek refuge in Allah Almighty in those that blow in knots in witchcraft.

15. باب السحر من صحيح البخاريThe book of سحر from Al-Bukhari • باب السِّحْرِ     وَقَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى ‏{‏وَلَكِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ كَفَرُوا يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَى الْمَلَكَيْنِ بِبَابِلَ هَارُوتَ وَمَارُوتَ وَمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ حَتَّى يَقُولاَ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلاَ تَكْفُرْ فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِ وَمَا هُمْ بِضَارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلاَ يَنْفَعُهُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُوا لَمَنِ اشْتَرَاهُ مَا لَهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلاَقٍ‏}‏‏.‏ وَقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى ‏{‏وَلاَ يُفْلِحُ السَّاحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَى‏}‏‏.‏ وَقَوْلِهِ ‏{‏أَفَتَأْتُونَ السِّحْرَ وَأَنْتُمْ تُبْصِرُونَ‏}‏‏.‏ وَقَوْلِهِ ‏{‏يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَى‏}‏‏.‏ وَقَوْلِهِ ‏{‏وَمِنْ شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ‏}‏ وَالنَّفَّاثَاتُ السَّوَاحِرُ‏.‏ ‏{‏تُسْحَرُونَ‏}‏ تُعَمَّوْنَ‏.‏ • 5822 ـ حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُوسَى، أَخْبَرَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ يُونُسَ، عَنْ هِشَامٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ قَالَتْ سَحَرَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي زُرَيْقٍ يُقَالُ لَهُ لَبِيدُ بْنُ الأَعْصَمِ، حَتَّى كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ يَفْعَلُ الشَّىْءَ وَمَا فَعَلَهُ، حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ أَوْ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ وَهْوَ عِنْدِي لَكِنَّهُ دَعَا وَدَعَا ثُمَّ قَالَ ‏"‏ يَا عَائِشَةُ، أَشَعَرْتِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَفْتَانِي فِيمَا اسْتَفْتَيْتُهُ فِيهِ، أَتَانِي رَجُلاَنِ فَقَعَدَ أَحَدُهُمَا عِنْدَ رَأْسِي، وَالآخَرُ عِنْدَ رِجْلَىَّ، فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا لِصَاحِبِهِ مَا وَجَعُ الرَّجُلِ فَقَالَ مَطْبُوبٌ‏.‏ قَالَ مَنْ طَبَّهُ قَالَ لَبِيدُ بْنُ الأَعْصَمِ‏.‏ قَالَ فِي أَىِّ شَىْءٍ قَالَ فِي مُشْطٍ وَمُشَاطَةٍ، وَجُفِّ طَلْعِ نَخْلَةٍ ذَكَرٍ‏.‏ قَالَ وَأَيْنَ هُوَ قَالَ فِي بِئْرِ ذَرْوَانَ ‏"‏‏.‏ فَأَتَاهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي نَاسٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ فَجَاءَ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ يَا عَائِشَةُ كَأَنَّ مَاءَهَا نُقَاعَةُ الْحِنَّاءِ، أَوْ كَأَنَّ رُءُوسَ نَخْلِهَا رُءُوسُ الشَّيَاطِينِ ‏"‏‏.‏ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَفَلاَ أَسْتَخْرِجُهُ قَالَ ‏"‏ قَدْ عَافَانِي اللَّهُ، فَكَرِهْتُ أَنْ أُثَوِّرَ عَلَى النَّاسِ فِيهِ شَرًّا ‏"‏‏.‏ فَأَمَرَ بِهَا فَدُفِنَتْ‏.‏ تَابَعَهُ أَبُو أُسَامَةَ وَأَبُو ضَمْرَةَ وَابْنُ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ عَنْ هِشَامٍ‏.‏ وَقَالَ اللَّيْثُ وَابْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ عَنْ هِشَامٍ فِي مُشْطٍ وَمُشَاقَةٍ‏.‏ يُقَالُ الْمُشَاطَةُ مَا يَخْرُجُ مِنَ الشَّعَرِ إِذَا مُشِطَ، وَالْمُشَاقَةُ مِنْ مُشَاقَةِ الْكَتَّانِ‏.‏

16. Volume 7, Book 71, Number 658: Narrated 'Aisha: • A man called Labid bin al-A'sam from the tribe of Bani Zaraiq worked magic on Allah's Apostle till Allah's Apostle started imagining that he had done a thing that he had not really done. One day or one night he was with us, he invoked Allah and invoked for a long period, and then said, "O 'Aisha! Do you know that Allah has instructed me concerning the matter I have asked him about? Two men came to me and one of them sat near my head and the other near my feet. One of them said to his companion, "What is the disease of this man?" The other replied, "He is under the effect of magic.' The first one asked, 'Who has worked the magic on him?' The other replied, "Labid bin Al-A'sam.' The first one asked, 'What material did he use?' The other replied, 'A comb and the hairs stuck to it and the skin of pollen of a male date palm.' The first one asked, 'Where is that?' The other replied, '(That is) in the well of Dharwan;' " So Allah's Apostle along with some of his companions went there and came back saying, "O 'Aisha, the color of its water is like the infusion of Henna leaves. The tops of the date-palm trees near it are like the heads of the devils." I asked. "O Allah's Apostle? Why did you not show it (to the people)?" He said, "Since Allah cured me, I disliked to let evil spread among the people." Then he ordered that the well be filled up with earth.

17. What is the difference between magic and miracles • Miracles break the rules of nature • Miracles are done by prophets and messengers as a sign of their honesty. • Miracles are done by prophets with the challenge for others to bring or imitate it. • Miracles are pious. And are a sign of piety. • Note: Miracles happening to prophets are معجزة, miracles happening to pious people are called كرامة, they are to be kept between the pious one and Allah Almighty. • Magic does not break the rules of nature, but depends on it. • Magic are not done by prophets or even pious ones • Magic can be done by other magicians, the subliminal things in it can be revealed by knowledge, or even experience. • Magic is evil, and a sign of mischief

18. Is learning سحر permissible? • Majority of scholars said that learning سحر is harram, for a number of evidences: • عَنْ اَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏ اجْتَنِبُوا السَّبْعَ الْمُوبِقَاتِ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، وَمَا هُنَّ قَالَ ‏"‏ الشِّرْكُ بِاللَّهِ، وَالسِّحْرُ، وَقَتْلُ النَّفْسِ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ اِلاَّ بِالْحَقِّ، وَاَكْلُ الرِّبَا، وَاَكْلُ مَالِ الْيَتِيمِ، وَالتَّوَلِّي يَوْمَ الزَّحْفِ، وَقَذْفُ الْمُحْصَنَاتِ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ الْغَافِلاَتِ ‏"‏‏.‏ Al-Bukhari narrated: Volume 4, Book 51, Number 28: Narrated Abu Huraira: • The Prophet said, "Avoid the seven great destructive sins." The people enquire, "O Allah's Apostle! What are they? "He said, "To join others in worship along with Allah, to practice sorcery, to kill the life which Allah has forbidden except for a just cause, (according to Islamic law), to eat up Riba (usury), to eat up an orphan's wealth, to give back to the enemy and fleeing from the battlefield at the time of fighting, and to accuse, chaste women, who never even think of anything touching chastity and are good believers. • The scholars holding this opinions said that magic is harram based on this hadith whether one was practicing it or learning it

19. Other scholars said learning سحر in itself is allowed because learning in general is allowed, based on the verse • هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ إِنَّمَا يَتَذَكَّرُ أُوْلُوا الْأَلْبَابِ {الزمر/9} • Therefore this verse is differencing between those ignorant and knowledgeable ones. And that without knowledge we wont be able to tell the difference between magic and miracles. • Yet, the other scholars replied that we to tell the difference between magic and miracles is not by learning miracles, and that the hadith is clear to particularize different sciences.

20. The difference between shyateen and Jinn • ما الفرق بين الجن، والشيطان ؟ وهل الشياطين تلد؟ وكيف تتكاثر الجان، والشياطين؟ • الاجابـــةلا شك أن الجن يتوالدون، ويتكاثرون، وأنهم يموتون كما يموت الإنس، وأن فيهم رجال، ونساء يتزوجون من بعضهم، وهم أرواح بدون أجساد ظاهرة؛ ولهذا لا نراهم، وهم يروننا، ولهم أحكام تختص بهم، وهم مُكلفون بالعبادات التي كُلف بها الإنس، ومَرَدَتُهم يُقال: لهم شياطين الجن؛ حيث أنهم كُفار بالله، واليوم الآخر، وحيث أنهم هم الذين يضلون الإنس، ويدعونهم إلى الكفر، وهم الذين يُلابسون البشر، ويُداخلون جسد الإنسان من الرجال، والنساء، كما قال تعالى: لَا يَقُومُونَ إِلَّا كَمَا يَقُومُ الَّذِي يَتَخَبَّطُهُ الشَّيْطَانُ مِنَ الْمَسِّومنهم إبليس الذي كان من الجن، ففسق عن أمر ربه، وقد أخبر بأن الله خلقه من النار مع أن الله خلق الجن من النار، فدل على أن الشياطين هم مردة الجن، لكن إبليس ـ لعنه الله ـ سأل النظرة بقوله: قَالَ رَبِّ فَأَنْظِرْنِي إِلَى يَوْمِ يُبْعَثُونَ قَالَ فَإِنَّكَ مِنَ الْمُنْظَرِينَفأخَّره الله، وأبقاه لحكمة: هي الابتلاء والامتحان، وأمر الإنس أن يستعيذوا بالله من الشيطان الرجيم، فإنه تعالى: هو الذي يحفظهم، ويُعيذهم من شر شياطين الجن والإنس. والله أعلم. انظر [عبد الله بن عبد الرحمن الجبرين، http://ibn-jebreen.com/ftawa.php?view=vmasal&subid=1717&parent=786 ) • Ibn Jebreen gave a brief answer that clarifies the difference between Jinn and Shayateen. He said: “With no doubt the Jinn increase in numbers through

21. Is there such a thing Jinn haunting ones body?

22. What do these ayat tell us? • What are the wisdoms behind such rulings