Fatwas on Medical Issues and the Sick>Rulings related to psychological illnesses, evil eye, and Sihr>Breaking spells of hate, love, or Sihr
Breaking spells of hate, love, or Sihr and how can a believer escape their danger
with beneficial supplications for removing Sihr
Q: What is the remedy for a person who has been cast under a spell of hate, love, or Sihr (witchcraft)? How can a Muslim escape Sihr and be immune against it? Are there special Du`a's (supplications) or Adhkar (invocations and remembrances) from the Qur'an and Sunnah that can help in this regard?
A: There are different kinds of treatment:
Firstly: To search for the tool used in working Sihr. If you know that a practitioner of Sihr has put some hair, for example, in a certain thing, such as a comb, this specific hair or object is to be removed and burnt. Doing so will make Sihr ineffective and frustrate the purpose the practitioner of Sihr designed that act to have.
Secondly: To force the practitioner of Sihr to undo the magic they practiced. The practitioners of Sihr should be forced, if their identities are known, to remove what they have done by telling them: either you remove it or you will be killed. After they remove what they have done, they should be subjected by the ruler to capital punishment according to the correct opinion maintained by scholars. Practitioners of Sihr are to be executed without giving them a chance to avoid such punishment by asking them first to repent. This is the ruling that `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) applied to practitioners of Sihr. It was reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: The Had (ordained punishment for violating Allah's Law) for the practitioner of Sihr is to strike them with the sword (i.e. execute them). Moreover, Hafsah, the Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with her), ordered that her maid who practiced Sihr against her be executed without offering her repentance.
Thirdly: To recite the Qur'an for its greatly beneficial effect in removing Sihr.
( Page No: 406)
Thus, Ayat-ul-Kursy (the Qur’anic Verse of Allah's Chair, Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:255) and the Ayahs ridding one of Sihr in the Surahs of Al-A`raf, Yunus, Ta-ha, Al-Kafirun, Al-Ikhlas, and Al-Mu`awwidhatayn (Surahs Al-Falaq and Al-Nas) should be recited over the bewitched person or over a container of water. In addition, Du`a' (supplication) should be made for the person concerned so that Allah may grant them a cure. It is recommended to use the Du`a's authentically reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him) in this regard, such as saying: Remove the affliction, O Lord of mankind, and bring about healing as You are the Healer. There is no healing but Your Healing; a healing that leaves behind no ailment. Another example is the Du`a' which Jibril (Gabriel, peace be upon him) recited over the Prophet (peace be upon him) for healing: In the Name of Allah, I recite over you to heal you from everything that harms you, and from the evil of every soul and envious eye. May Allah cure you. In the Name of Allah, I recite over you. The foregoing Ruqyah (reciting Qur'an and saying supplications over the sick seeking healing) should be repeated three times along with reciting Surah Al-Ikhlas and Al-Mu`awwidhatayn three times. Sihr may also be treated and removed, by the Permission of Allah, by reciting the Ayahs and Du`a's mentioned above over some water and giving it to the person afflicted by Sihr to drink and bathe with the rest once or more as the case may require. This way of treatment is mentioned by many Muslim scholars such as Shaykh `Abdul-Rahman ibn Hasan (may Allah be merciful to him) in his book "Fath Al-Majid Sharh Kitab Al-Tawhid," chapter on "Maja'a fi Al-Nashrah."
Fourthly: To grind seven green lote-tree leaves, put them in some water, and recite over it the Ayahs, Surahs and Du`a's previously mentioned. The bewitched person should then drink and wash themselves with the water. This way of treatment is also good and beneficial, by the Permission of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He), for treating a man who is prevented by a sorcerous spell from having sexual intercourse with his wife.
Following are the Ayahs to be recited over water, to which have been added green lote-tree leaves, for those who are afflicted by Sihr or prevented from having sexual intercourse with their wives:
1- Surah Al-Fatihah.
( Page No: 407)
2- Ayat-ul-Kursy(from Surah Al-Baqarah)that reads: Allâh! Lâ ilâha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), Al-Hayyul-Qayyum (the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists). Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is he that can intercede with Him except with His Permission? He knows what happens to them (His creatures) in this world, and what will happen to them in the Hereafter. And they will never compass anything of His Knowledge except that which He wills. His Kursî extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them. And He is the Most High, the Most Great. [This Verse 2:255 is called Ayat-ul-Kursî ]
3- TheAyahs from Surah Al-A`rafthat read: [Fir‘aun (Pharaoh)] said: "If you have come with a sign, show it forth, if you are one of those who tell the truth." Then [Mûsâ (Moses)] threw his stick and behold! it was a serpent, manifest! And he drew out his hand, and behold! it was white (with radiance) for the beholders. The chiefs of the people of Fir‘aun (Pharaoh) said: "This is indeed a well-versed sorcerer; "He wants to get you out of your land, so what do you advise?" They said: "Put him and his brother off (for a time), and send callers to the cities to collect - "That they bring up to you all well-versed sorcerers." And so the sorcerers came to Fir‘aun (Pharaoh). They said: "Indeed there will be a (good) reward for us if we are the victors." He said: "Yes, and moreover you will (in that case) be of the nearest (to me)." They said: "O Mûsâ (Moses)! Either you throw (first), or shall we have the (first) throw?" He [Mûsâ (Moses)] said: "Throw you (first)." So when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people, and struck terror into them, and they displayed a great magic. And We revealed to Mûsâ (Moses) (saying): "Throw your stick," and behold! It swallowed up straight away all the falsehoods which they showed. Thus truth was confirmed, and all that they did was made of no effect. So they were defeated there and returned disgraced. And the sorcerers fell down prostrate. They said: "We believe in the Lord of the ‘Alamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists). "The Lord of Mûsâ (Moses) and Hârûn (Aaron)."
4- TheAyahs from Surah Yunusthat read: And Fir‘aun (Pharaoh) said: "Bring me every well-versed sorcerer." And when the sorcerers came, Mûsâ (Moses) said to them: "Cast down what you want to cast!" Then when they had cast down, Mûsâ (Moses) said: "What you have brought is sorcery; Allâh will surely make it of no effect. Verily, Allâh does not set right the work of Al-Mufsidûn (the evil-doers, corrupters). "And Allâh will establish and make apparent the truth by His Words, however much the Mujrimûn (criminals, disbelievers, polytheists, sinners) may hate it."
( Page No: 408)
5- The Ayahs fromSurah Tahathat read: They said: "O Mûsâ (Moses)! Either you throw first or we be the first to throw?" [Mûsâ (Moses)] said: "Nay, throw you (first)!" Then behold! their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved fast. So Mûsâ (Moses) conceived fear in himself. We (Allâh) said: "Fear not! Surely, you will have the upper hand. "And throw that which is in your right hand! It will swallow up that which they have made. That which they have made is only a magician’s trick, and the magician will never be successful, to whatever amount (of skill) he may attain."
6- Surah Al-Kafirun.
7- Surah Al-Ikhlas and Al-Mu`awwidhatayn (three times).
8- Reciting Islamic Du`a's such as saying three times: Remove the affliction, O Lord of mankind, and bring about healing as You are the Healer. There is no healing but Your Healing; a healing that leaves behind no ailment. Along with the previous Du`a' it is good to repeat three times: In the Name of Allah, I recite over you to heal you from everything that harms you, and from the evil of every soul and envious eye. May Allah cure you. In the Name of Allah, I recite over you.
As mentioned above, reciting the foregoing Ayahs and Du`a's directly over the bewitched person with a slight blowing of the breath on the head and chest of the patient will bring about healing by the Will of Allah.
[Issued by His Eminence Shaykh `Abdul-`Aziz ibn `Abdullah ibn Baz, may Allah be merciful to him]
