Wednesday 4 May 2011

Correct ruling on one who practices magic or witchcraft

Correct ruling on one who practices magic or witchcraft
What is the correct ruling on one who practices magic or witchcraft?

 

Praise be to
Allaah.

Magic
in all its forms in haraam according to all divinely-revealed laws,
and there is scholarly consensus that magic and learning magic are haraam. 

Magic
goes against that which the Messengers brought and it opposes the purpose
for which the Books were revealed. 

Most
of the scholars were of the view that the one who practices magic is
a kaafir whom the authorities are obliged to execute. 

Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Sulaymaan
did not disbelieve, but the Shayaateen (devils) disbelieved, teaching
men magic…”

[al-Baqarah
2:102] 

“but
neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things) till they
had said, ‘We are for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this magic
from us)’”

[al-Baqarah
2:102] 

This
proves that that magic is kufr 

Most
of the Shaafa’i fuqahaa’ were of the view that the one who practices
magic is not a kaafir unless he believes that magic is permitted or
he believes something like the people of Babylon believed, that practicing
magic would bring them closer to the seven stars [which they used to
worship]. 

This
is subject to further debate; there is no evidence to suggest that (describing
the one who practices magic as a kaafir) is conditional upon his believing
that to be permissible. 

The
correct view is that the one who practices magic is a kaafir, whether
he believes it to be haraam or not. Simply doing magic is kufr. This
is the apparent meaning of the evidence, and there are no other texts
to contradict this. 

Once
it is proven that a person is guilty of practicing magic, then he must
be killed. This was proven from a group of the Sahaabah, but it is not
for individuals to carry out this hadd punishment without the command
of the ruler or his deputy, because carrying out the hadd punishments
without the authority of the ruler may lead to mischief, and destroy
any sense of security in the society, and undermine the position of
the ruler. 

 

Shaykh Sulaymaan al-‘Alwaan

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