HARRY POTTHEAD’S MAGIC
Faiyaz Khan
Brisbane, Queensland
It will come as a surprise to many Muslims that the third major sin (out of 70) mentioned in the classical work of Imam Adh-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him), Al-Kaba’ir (The Major Sins) is magic. It is worth noting that in the learned Imam’s opinion magic was the third major sin in Islam, only after shirk (polytheism) and murder respectively.
In the age of Harry Potter, witches, vampire slayers and all sorts of other magical creatures and characters, we must stop and take account of what we are reading and watching. Magic has become something that is thought to be harmless and part of everyday entertainment. Like homosexuality, adultery, drug use, fornication, nudity and the like, all have become norms in our society, so much so that we do not have a second thought about these things when confronted by them.
Allah (swt) tells us in Surah al-Baqarah (chapter 2) where magic came from and how it was taught to the people: "… (the shaiyateen (satans)) taught witchcraft to the people and that which was revealed to the two angels, Harut and Marut in the city of Babylon. Yet these two angels never taught magic to anyone without saying: ‘We have been sent to tempt you; do not renounce your faith.’ In spite of this warning those people kept on learning, from the angels, the magic which could cause discord between husband and wife; although they could harm none with it except with Allah’s permission. They learned, indeed, what harmed them and did not profit them; even though they knew fully well that the buyers of magic would have no share in the happiness of the Hereafter. Surely, they sold their souls for a bad price, if they could understand it!" (Q2:102)
The above ayah (verse) makes it quite clear that whosoever indulges in magic and practices the secret arts, that person becomes a disbeliever, as the statements "do not renounce your faith" and "that the buyers of magic would have no share in the happiness of the Hereafter". In other words, to practice magic is kufr (disbelief). Imam Adh-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) stated that: "The prescribed punishment for an (unrepentant) magician is death, since magic constitutes unbelief in Allah and is a source of spreading unbelief among the people" (p.16).
The above statement of the Imam is from a hadith of the Prophet (s) who declared that: "The prescribed punishment given to a magician is a stroke with the sword" (p.17). [The Imam classified the hadith as sound].
Umar ibn al-Khattab (ra) also gave instructions during his caliphate that every magician whether male or female was to be put to death.
In Surah Al-Falaq [113:4] in the Qur’an, Allah tells us to seeks His Protection "from the evil of malignant witchcraft". Imam Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) states in his tafseer (commentary) that this ayat refers to sorcerers.
In Sayyid Qutb’s (may Allah have mercy on him) tafseer, In the Shade of the Qur’an, he states that the above ayat "refers to the various types of magic, whether by deceiving physical senses or by influencing people’s will power and projecting ideas onto their emotions and minds. Magic is the production of illusions, subject to the magician’s designs, and it does not offer any kind of new facts or alter the nature of things" (p.360).
He goes on to state that this is proven by the reference in Surah Ta Ha, of the incident where Musa (alayhis salaam) was challenged by the magicians of Egypt: "The magicians said: "O Musa! Will you throw down first or shall we?" Musa replied: "Go ahead, throw down first". Suddenly it appeared to Musa as if their cords and staffs were moving about because of their magic, and Musa conceived fear within himself. We said: "Do not be afraid! You will surely come out on top. Throw that which is in your right hand. It will swallow up every thing they have produced. What they have produced is nothing but a magician’s trick, and a magician can never succeed against a miracle no matter how skilful he may be." [20:65-69]
In his concluding remarks on the subject of magic, Sayyid Qutb states that, "It is indeed an evil from which Allah’s protection needs to be sought" (p.360).
So this would mean that if Harry Potter were a real person living in a Muslim country under Islamic Shari‘ah (Law), he would be punished for practising magic. This would apply to all other magical characters as well. It is needless to say then that all such movies, books, comics, cartoons, computer games, etc. would be banned in an Islamic state. This would shock and surprise many Muslims today. Many would see this as radical, extremist and fundamentalist!
The ruling on magic in Islam is quite clear from the Qur’anic ayat and the hadith of the Prophet (s). What more proof do Muslims need? Just because magic is being portrayed as harmless entertainment, must we also follow and make what Allah has forbidden permissible? Is magic really harmless? Is Allah not the All-Knowing and does He not want the best for us?
The matter needs to be discussed and the consequences of disobeying Allah realised by all of us. This is not a minor issue, it goes to our iman (faith) - what we believe! We cannot take this sitting down and must educate ourselves and our families about this evil and rectify the problem immediately.
Indeed Allah says in Surah At-Tahrim: "O believers! Save yourselves and your families from hellfire, whose fuel is human beings and stones …" [66:6]
References:
* Adh-Dhahabi, Muhammad bin Uthman. Al-Kaba’ir: The Major Sins.
* F. Malik Qur’an Translation. Alim software, version 6, 1986-99.
* Ibn Katheer, Tafseer Ibn Katheer: Juz Amma. Part 30. (1999) Sameh Strauch (trans.).
* Qutb, Sayyid. In the Shade of the Qur’an. Vol.30. (1998 ed.) M. Adil Salahi and Ahaur A. Shamis (trans.). New Dehli: Islamic Book Service.
SALAM Magazine
And those who strive in Our (cause),- We will certainly guide them to our Paths(29:69)
Faiyaz Khan
Brisbane, Queensland
It will come as a surprise to many Muslims that the third major sin (out of 70) mentioned in the classical work of Imam Adh-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him), Al-Kaba’ir (The Major Sins) is magic. It is worth noting that in the learned Imam’s opinion magic was the third major sin in Islam, only after shirk (polytheism) and murder respectively.
In the age of Harry Potter, witches, vampire slayers and all sorts of other magical creatures and characters, we must stop and take account of what we are reading and watching. Magic has become something that is thought to be harmless and part of everyday entertainment. Like homosexuality, adultery, drug use, fornication, nudity and the like, all have become norms in our society, so much so that we do not have a second thought about these things when confronted by them.
Allah (swt) tells us in Surah al-Baqarah (chapter 2) where magic came from and how it was taught to the people: "… (the shaiyateen (satans)) taught witchcraft to the people and that which was revealed to the two angels, Harut and Marut in the city of Babylon. Yet these two angels never taught magic to anyone without saying: ‘We have been sent to tempt you; do not renounce your faith.’ In spite of this warning those people kept on learning, from the angels, the magic which could cause discord between husband and wife; although they could harm none with it except with Allah’s permission. They learned, indeed, what harmed them and did not profit them; even though they knew fully well that the buyers of magic would have no share in the happiness of the Hereafter. Surely, they sold their souls for a bad price, if they could understand it!" (Q2:102)
The above ayah (verse) makes it quite clear that whosoever indulges in magic and practices the secret arts, that person becomes a disbeliever, as the statements "do not renounce your faith" and "that the buyers of magic would have no share in the happiness of the Hereafter". In other words, to practice magic is kufr (disbelief). Imam Adh-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) stated that: "The prescribed punishment for an (unrepentant) magician is death, since magic constitutes unbelief in Allah and is a source of spreading unbelief among the people" (p.16).
The above statement of the Imam is from a hadith of the Prophet (s) who declared that: "The prescribed punishment given to a magician is a stroke with the sword" (p.17). [The Imam classified the hadith as sound].
Umar ibn al-Khattab (ra) also gave instructions during his caliphate that every magician whether male or female was to be put to death.
In Surah Al-Falaq [113:4] in the Qur’an, Allah tells us to seeks His Protection "from the evil of malignant witchcraft". Imam Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) states in his tafseer (commentary) that this ayat refers to sorcerers.
In Sayyid Qutb’s (may Allah have mercy on him) tafseer, In the Shade of the Qur’an, he states that the above ayat "refers to the various types of magic, whether by deceiving physical senses or by influencing people’s will power and projecting ideas onto their emotions and minds. Magic is the production of illusions, subject to the magician’s designs, and it does not offer any kind of new facts or alter the nature of things" (p.360).
He goes on to state that this is proven by the reference in Surah Ta Ha, of the incident where Musa (alayhis salaam) was challenged by the magicians of Egypt: "The magicians said: "O Musa! Will you throw down first or shall we?" Musa replied: "Go ahead, throw down first". Suddenly it appeared to Musa as if their cords and staffs were moving about because of their magic, and Musa conceived fear within himself. We said: "Do not be afraid! You will surely come out on top. Throw that which is in your right hand. It will swallow up every thing they have produced. What they have produced is nothing but a magician’s trick, and a magician can never succeed against a miracle no matter how skilful he may be." [20:65-69]
In his concluding remarks on the subject of magic, Sayyid Qutb states that, "It is indeed an evil from which Allah’s protection needs to be sought" (p.360).
So this would mean that if Harry Potter were a real person living in a Muslim country under Islamic Shari‘ah (Law), he would be punished for practising magic. This would apply to all other magical characters as well. It is needless to say then that all such movies, books, comics, cartoons, computer games, etc. would be banned in an Islamic state. This would shock and surprise many Muslims today. Many would see this as radical, extremist and fundamentalist!
The ruling on magic in Islam is quite clear from the Qur’anic ayat and the hadith of the Prophet (s). What more proof do Muslims need? Just because magic is being portrayed as harmless entertainment, must we also follow and make what Allah has forbidden permissible? Is magic really harmless? Is Allah not the All-Knowing and does He not want the best for us?
The matter needs to be discussed and the consequences of disobeying Allah realised by all of us. This is not a minor issue, it goes to our iman (faith) - what we believe! We cannot take this sitting down and must educate ourselves and our families about this evil and rectify the problem immediately.
Indeed Allah says in Surah At-Tahrim: "O believers! Save yourselves and your families from hellfire, whose fuel is human beings and stones …" [66:6]
References:
* Adh-Dhahabi, Muhammad bin Uthman. Al-Kaba’ir: The Major Sins.
* F. Malik Qur’an Translation. Alim software, version 6, 1986-99.
* Ibn Katheer, Tafseer Ibn Katheer: Juz Amma. Part 30. (1999) Sameh Strauch (trans.).
* Qutb, Sayyid. In the Shade of the Qur’an. Vol.30. (1998 ed.) M. Adil Salahi and Ahaur A. Shamis (trans.). New Dehli: Islamic Book Service.
SALAM Magazine
And those who strive in Our (cause),- We will certainly guide them to our Paths(29:69)
