Sihr
Sihr (Arabic: سحر) is the arabic word for magic or witchcraft. Sihr is so called because its means are hidden or secret, and because the practitioners of sihr deal with things in secret which enable them to perform illusions to confuse the people and deceive their eyes, and to cause them harm or steal their money, etc., in a secretive manner so that in most cases nobody realizes what is happening. Hence the last part of the night is called sahar, because at the end of the night people are unaware and they do not move about much. And the lungs are also called sahr, because they are hidden inside the body.
“They said: ‘O Moosa! Either you throw first or we be the first to throw?’ Moosa said: ‘Nay, throw you (first)!’ Then behold! their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved fast. So Moosa conceived fear in himself. We (Allaah) 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.’” [Ta-Ha 20:65-69]
Although witchcraft originally spread from Babylon, however it was practiced more by the pharaohs in Egypt. Since Qur’an tells us about its origin, the True name for Witchcraft (Black Magic) is ‘Sihr’ – an Arabic word, having the following literal meanings.
Al-Layth: “Sihr is an act which brings one closer to, and with the help, of Satan (demon/devil)”
Ibn-Mandhur: “When a Sahir (witch) makes something false appear to be real, or makes something appear to people different than its true form, it means that he has given an object a status other than its own (real status), that is called Sihr”
Ibn-Faris: “Some say that Sihr is to make what is false appear to be true”
Shamir, on authority of Ibn-Aisha: “Arabs have given it the name Sihr because; it can transform good health into illness”
Ibn-Al-Qayyim: “Sihr consists of the effects of evil souls (demons) and the reaction of the resultant forces”
The latest and most appropriate meaning comes from Ibn Quddama Al-Maqdisi in Al-Mughni stating:
“Sihr is a set of uqad (knots), ruqa (incantations), and words uttered or written, or carried out in such a way as to affect the body of the subject (al-mashur), his heart and mind, without even coming into contact with him/her. The reality of Sihr is that there are some types that can kill, cause one to fall ill, or act as an obstacle against a man having sexual intercourse with his wife. Other types can separate spouses, and can make them hate or love each other.”
Sihr is a serious crime and is one of the kinds of kufr. It is one of things with which people have been tested, in the past and currently, among the nations of the past, during the Jaahiliyyah and in this ummah. Sihr may involve things that the magician does when tying knots on which he blows,
“And from the evil of those who practise witchcraft when they blow in the knots” [al-Falaq 113:4]
And it may involve other things which they manage to do through the shayaateen (devils), so they do things that may affect a man’s reason or make him sick; they may cause division between a man and his wife, resulting in her looking ugly to him, or by making her hate her husband or be put off by him. This is blatant kufr as the Qur’aan states.
“They followed what the Shayaateen (devils) gave out (falsely of the magic) in the lifetime of Sulaymaan (Solomon). Sulaymaan did not disbelieve, but the Shayaateen (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic” [al-Baqarah 2:102]
The more ignorance increases, the less there is knowledge and awareness of faith, the less attention the authorities pay to this matter – the more the practitioners of sihr and trickery increase and spread in the land, to take the people’s wealth and confuse them and do other things. When knowledge prevails and faith increases, and the Islamic authorities are powerful, the number of these evil people shrinks and they move from one land to another, seeking a place where their falsehood will be accepted and they will be able to engage in their trickery and corruption.
Among the most important means of warding off the danger of sihr before it happens is seeking protection through the adhkaar (dhikr) prescribed in Islam, making du’aa’ and reciting prayers seeking refuge that were narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). These include:
Reciting Aayat al-Kursiy [al-Baqarah 2:255] after every prescribed prayer, after reciting the adhkaar which are prescribed after the salaam.
Reciting Aayat al-Kursiy when going to sleep.
Reciting “Qul huwa Allaahu ahad”, “Qul a’oodhu bi Rabb il-Falaq” and “Qul a’oodhu bi Rabb il-Naas” [i.e., the last three soorahs of the Qur’aan] following every prescribed prayer, and reciting these three soorahs (three times) at the beginning of the day after Fajr prayer, and at the beginning of the night after Maghrib prayer.
Reciting the last two aayahs of Soorat al-Baqarah at the beginning of the night.
Seeking refuge in the perfect words of Allaah from the evil of that which He has created, night and day and when stopping to rest anywhere, be it in the city, in the desert, in the air or on the sea.
The Muslim should say at the beginning of the day and the beginning of the night (three times): “Bismillaah alladhi laa yadurr ma’a ismihi shay’un fi’l-ardi wa laa fi’l-samaa’i wa huwa al-samee’ al-‘aleem (In the name of Allaah with Whose name nothing on earth or in heaven can cause harm, and He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing).” According to saheeh reports, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) urged us to recite this, and this is a means of keeping safe from all evil.
These adhkaar and prayers for refuge are among the greatest means of warding off the evil of sihr (witchcraft) and other evils, for the one who recites them regularly with sincerity and faith, putting his trust in Allaah and depending upon Him, and being content with that.