Literal meaning of Sihr

- According to Al-Layth:

Sihr is an act which brings one closer to, and with the help, of Satan.

- According to Al-Azhari:

The basic meaning of sihr is to make something appear in a form other than its real one

- According to Ibn Mandhur:

When a sahir makes something false appear to be real, or makes something appear to people appear differently from its true form, it means that he has given an object a status other than its real one

- Shamir reported on the authority of Ibn 'A'isha:

Arabs have given it the name sihr because, it can transform good health into illness

- According to Ibn Faris :

Some say that sihr is to make what is false appear to be true.

- According to Muhit al-Muhit.

Sihr is the presentation of an object in its best form, to the extent of tempting the viewer

Technical meaning of Sihr (according to Muslim tradition)

- According to Al-Fakhr Ar-razi:

According to Muslim tradition, sihr is anything the cause of which is hidden, and which appears in a form other than its real one, with the intention to distort the reality of things and deceive. 

- According to Ibn Qudama AI-Maqdisi:

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 or 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.

- According to Ibn Al-Qayyim: Sihr consists of the effects of evil souls and the reaction of the resultant forces.

Definition of Sihr

Sihr is an agreement set up between a sahir and a Satan, which stipulates that the sahir commit certain illegal or polytheistic acts, in return for the Satan's assistance and obedience in fulfilling the sahir’s request.

Definition of Jinn

The word jinn in Arabic refers to something that is concealed and hidden.

Al-Jawhari said: Al-Jaan is the father of the jinn, the plural of which is Jeenaan. It says in Al-Qaamoos Al-Muheet: Jannahu Al-Layl means the night covered him. Everything that is concealed from you is Junna Anka (concealed from you). Jinn Al-layl means the darkness of the night. Al-Mijannah refers to the land where there are many jinn. Al-Jaan is the plural of Al-Jinn.

It says in Lisaanul-'Arab: Janana means to cover or conceal. Everything that is concealed from you is Junna 'Anka (concealed from you). Jannahu Al-layl means the night covered him.... The jinn are so called because they are concealed and hidden from view. Hence the foetus is called Al-Janeen because he is concealed in his mother's womb.

Abu 'Umar ibn 'Abd Al-Barr said: According to the scholars of Arabic language, there are different categories of jinn:

1 - When they mention the jinn in general terms, they use the word Jinni.

2 - If the jinn is one of those who live in houses with people, they call him 'Aamir (dweller), the plural of which is 'Ummaar (spirits).

3 - If the jinn is one of those who interact with children, they call them Arwaah (spirits).

4 - If the jinn is wicked then he is a Shaytaan (devil)

5 - If he is worse than that, they call him Maarid (demon)

6 - If he is worse than that and is strong, they call him 'Ifreet, the plural of which is 'Afaareet.

Evidence of the Existence of Jinn and Demons

A - Evidence from the Qur'an

Evidence from the Qur'an of the existence of Jinn and demons is numerous and known. Suffice it to say that there is one whole chapter on the Jinn (Chapter 62), and that statistically, the words Jinn occurs twenty two times, Jan (another variant of Jinn) occurs seven times, Satan occurs sixty eight times, and Satans (demons) occurs seventeen times.

1. (And We turned to thee a company of Jinn giving ear to the Qur'an.) (36:29)

2. (Company of Jinn and mankind, did not Messengers come to you from among you, relating to you My signs and warning you of the encounter of this your day?) (6:130)

3. (0 tribe of Jinn and of men, if you are able to pass through the confines of heaven and earth, pass through them! You shall not pass through except with an authority.) (45:33)

4. (Say: 'It has been revealed to me that a company of the Jinn gave ear, then they said, "We have indeed heard a Qur'an wonderful....") (62:1)

5. (But there are certain men of mankind who would take refuge with certain men of the Jinn, and they increased them in vileness.) (62:6)

6. (Satan only desires to precipitate enmity and hatred between you in regard to wine and arrow-shuffling, and to bar you from the remembrance of Allah, and from salat. Will you then desist?) (5:91)

7. (0 believers, follow not the steps of Satan; for whosoever follows the steps of Satan, assuredly he bids to indecency and dishonour.) (24:21)

B - Evidence from the Sunnah

Ibn Mas'ud (RA) narrated: "One night, we were in the company of the

Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessing upon him) and we lost him. We searched for him in the valleys and the hills and wondered: 'He has either been taken away (by Jinn) or has been killed. We spent the worst night that people could ever spend.' At dawn, we saw him coming from the side of Hira'. We said: 'O Messenger of Allah, we lost you and searched for you, but we could not find you and we spent the worst night that people could ever spend.' The Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) replied: 'There came to me a representative of Jinn, so I went with him and recited the Qur'an to them.' The Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) proceeded: Then I went with him and he showed us their tracks and the traces of their embers.' The Jinn asked the Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) about their means of subsistence, to which he replied: 'Every bone on which the name of Allah is recited is your provision. The time it falls in your hand it shall be covered with flesh, and the dung of (camels) is fodder for your animals.'

The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessing upon him) said: 'Do not perform istinja (washing one's genitals prior to wudu) with these (things) for these are the food of your brothers (the Jinn). Reported by Muslim (04/170, in Sharh An-Nawawi)

Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (RA) reported: "The Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) said to me, 'I gather you like sheep and the wilderness. So whenever you are with your sheep or in the wilderness and you want to announce azan for salat, raise your voice when doing so, as whoever hears it, be they a human being, Jinn or any other creature, will be a witness for you on the Day of Resurrection." Reported by Malik (01/168), Al-Bukhari (6/343 Fath Al Bari), An Nasa-i (02/12) and Ibn Majah (1/239)

Ibn 'Abbas (RA) reported: "The Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) set out on a journey with the intention of going to Suq 'Ukaz ('Ukaz Market), along with some of his companions.   At the same time, a barrier was established between the demons and the news from heaven, so that fire was hurled at them. The demons went back to their own kind, who asked them, 'What is wrong with you?' They replied, 'A barrier has been placed between us and the news from heaven, and fire has been thrown at us.' They said, ‘The thing which has been put up as a barrier between you and the news from heaven must be something which has happened recently. Go eastward and westward and see what has put a barrier between you and the news from heaven.' Those who went towards Tuhama came across the Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) at a place called Nakhla, on the way to Suq 'Ukaz, where the Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) was performing the Dawn Prayer (salat al-Fajr) with his companions. When a group of Jinn heard the Qur'an being recited, they listened to it and said, 'By Allah, this is the thing which has put a barrier between us and the news from heaven.' They went back to their own kind and said, 'O our people; verily we have heard a wonderful recital (Qur'an) which shows the true path; we believed in it and would not ascribe partners to our Lord.' Subsequently, Allah % revealed the following verses to his Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him): (Say: It has been revealed to me that a group of Jinn heard...) (62:1). In fact, what was revealed to him was the words of the Jinn." Reported by Al-Bukhari (2/253, in Fath Al-Bari) and Muslim (4/168, in Sharh An-Nawawi) 

‘Aisha (RA) reported: "The Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) said, 'Angels were created out of light, Jinn were created from fire and Adam was created out of what has been described to you." Reported by Imam Ahmad (6/153-68) and Muslim (18/123, in Sharh An-Nawawi)

Saffiyya bintu Huyay (RA)narrated: "The Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him)  said, 'Satan circulates in the body of mankind like blood." Reported by Al-Bukhari (4/282, in Fath Al-Bari) and Muslim (14/155, in Sharh An-Nawawi) 

'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar (RA) reported: "The Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) said, 'When you eat, use you right hand, and when you drink, use your right hand, because Satan eats and drinks with his left hand.'" Reported by Muslim (13/191, in Sharh An-Nawawi) 

Abu Hurayra (RA) reported: "The Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) said, 'Any newborn at the time of delivery is kicked by Satan, and cries as a result, except the son of Mariam (Jesus) and his mother."' Reported by Al-Bukhari (8/212) and Muslim (15/120, in Sharh An-Nawawi) 

'Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud (RA) reported: "Asked on his opinion of a man who has slept through the night till morning (after sunrise and missed salat al-Fajr), the Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) said, 'That is a man on whose ears (or ear) Satan has urinated.'" Reported by Al-Bukhari (3/28, in Fath Al-Bari) and Muslim (6/64, in

Sharh An-Nawawi)

Abu Qatada (RA) reported: "The Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) said, 'A good dream (vision) is from Allah (‘Azza wa Jalla) and a bad dream (al-hulm) is from Satan. Therefore, if you see something you dislike in a dream, spit three times on your left side, seek refuge in Allah (‘Azza wa Jalla)  from Satan, so it would not harm you. "' Reported by Al-Bukhari (12/283, in Fath Al-Bari) and Muslim (15/16, in Sharh An-Nawawi)

Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (RA) reported: "The Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) said, 'When you yawn, put your hand on your mouth to stop Satan from entering.’" Reported by Muslim (18/122, in Sharh An-Nawawi) and Ad-Darami (1/321)

With the foregoing in mind, it appears that there is no doubt that the Jinn and Satans exist, and only an obstinate person who follows his desires without any guidance from Allah, would dispute such reality.

Evidence on the Existence of Sihr

A - Evidence from the Qur'an

(...and they follow what the Satans recited over Sulayman's Kingdom. Sulayman disbelieved not but the Satans disbelieved, teaching the people sorcery, and that which was sent down upon Babylon's two angels, Harut and Marut; they taught not any man, without they said, 'We are but a temptation; do not disbelieve.' From them they learned how they might divide a man and his wife, yet they did not hurt any man thereby, save by the leave of Allah, and they learnt what they hurt them and did not profit them, knowing well that whosoever buys it shall have no share in the world to come; evil then was that they sold themselves for; if they had but known.) (2:102)

(Moses said, 'What do you say this to the truth, when it has come to you? Is this a sorcery? But sorcerers do not prosper.) (11:77)

(Then when they had cast, Moses said, 'What you have brought is sorcery; Allah will assuredly bring it to naught. Allah sets not right the work of those who do corruption. Allah verifies the truth by His words, though sinners be averse.') (11:81-82)

(and Moses conceived a fear within him. We said unto him, 'Fear not; surely thou art the uppermost. Cast down what is in thy right hand, and it shall swallow what they have fashioned only the guile of a sorcerer, and the sorcerer prospers not, wherever he goes.') (20:67-69)

(And We revealed to Moses: 'Cast thy staff.' And lo, it forthwith swallowed up their lying invention. So the truth cam to pass, and false was proved what they were doing. So they were vanquished there, and they turned about, humbled. And the sorcerers were cast down, bowing themselves. They said, 'We believe in the Lord of al-'Alamin (Jinn and mankind), the Lord of Moses and Harun.) (7:117-122)

(Say: 'I take refuge with the Lord of the daybreak from the evil of what He has created, from the evil of darkness when it gathers, from the evil of the women who blow on knots, from the evil of an envier when he envies.') (Chapter 113)

According to Al-Qurtubi, (...from the evil of the women who blow on knots) implies female sorcerers (sahirat) who blow on thread knots while making their spells. Tafsir Al-Qurtubi (20/257)

Ibn Kathir stated that according to scholars of exegesis, Mujahid, Ikrima, al-Hasan, Qatada and Dhahak, (...from the evil of the women who blow on knots) refers to sawahir (female sorcerers). Tafsir Ibn Kathir (4/573)

Ibn Jarir At-Tabari stated that according to Al-Qasimiy and scholars of exegesis, (...from the evil of the women who blow on knots) refers to the female sorcerers who blow on threaded knots during their spell. Tafsir Al-Qasimiy (10/302)

Verses on sihr and sahara are profuse and known even to those with little knowledge of Islam.

B - Evidence from the Sunnah

‘Aisha (RA) reported: "A man known as Labid Ibn al-A'sam from the tribe of Band Zurayq performed sihr on Allah's Messenger (Peace and Blessing upon him) till Allah's Messenger (Peace and Blessing upon him) started imagining that he had done something which he had not really done. One day or one night while he was with me, he invoked Allah (‘Azza wa Jalla) 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 sihr (mashur)'. The first one asked, 'Who did it?' The other replied, 'Labid Ibn 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 pollen of a male date palm.' The first one asked, 'Where is that?' The other replied, '(That is) in the well of Daman!" So Allah's Messenger (Peace and Blessing upon him), along with some of his companions went there and returned saying, 'O 'Aisha, the colour 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 Messenger? Why don't you show it (to the people)?' He said, 'Since Allah (‘Azza wa Jalla) has cured me, I would not like to let evil spread among people.' Then he ordered that the well be filled up with earth." Reported by Al-Bukhari (10/222, in Fath Al-Bari) and Muslim (14/174, in Sharh An-Nawawi), the Book of Salam, Chapter on Sihr.

Abu Hurayra (RA) reported: "The Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) said: 'Avoid the seven serious sins (As-sa' Al-Mubiqat)" People asked, 'What are they?' The Prophet Peace and Blessing upon him)  replied, 'Shirk (polytheism), sihr (sorcery), unlawful killing of a person, living on money from usury, usurping an orphan's wealth, retreat at the time of Jihad, and accusing innocent married women of fornication'" Al-Bukhari (in FathAl-Bari 5/393) and Muslim (in Sharh An-Nawawi 2/83)

On the basis of the above hadith, the Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) warned that sihr must be avoided as it is one of the most serious sins, and this is proof enough that it exists. 

Ibn 'Abbas (RA) reported: "The Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) said: 'A person who has acquired knowledge of one of the sciences of Astrology, has acquired knowledge of one of the branches of sihr, and the more his knowledge of Astrology is enriched, the more expansive his knowledge of sihr becomes." Abu Dawud (No.3905), Ibn Majja (No.3726) 

In this hadith the Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) refers to one of the means of learning sihr, so that Muslims may shun it; and this is an evidence that sihr is a real science that can be learnt. Further evidence can also be seen in the following verse:

(From them they learned how they might divide a man and his wife...) (2:102).

It is clear from the above verse and hadith that sihr is a science like other sciences, having its own fundamentals. Nevertheless, both the verse and the hadith condemn learning of sihr. 

‘Imran Ibn Husayn (RA) reported: "The Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) said, 'He is not one of us who practices tatayyur (ominousness) or has it done for him; who practices takahhun (clairvoyance) or has it done for him; who practices sihr or has it done for him. And whosoever has sought the services of a clairvoyant and believed in what he has come up with, has in fact disbelieved in the Message sent to Muhammad (Peace and Blessing upon him).'" Al-Haythmi stated in Al-Majma’ (5/20): Tradition reported by Al-Bazar and the chain of transmission includes authorites which fulfil the requirements of transmitting authentic traditions.

Evidence from the above hadith on sihr lies in the Prophet's warning against practicing sihr or seeking it from a sahir. This shows that the Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) would only warn against something that really existed.

Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari (RA) reported: "The Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) said, 'He who drinks alcohol regularly, believes that the power of sihr to harm an individual is independent of Allah's if intervention, or severs relations with one's kin will not enter Paradise.'" Reported by Ibn Hibban

The evidence on sihr from the above hadith lies in the Prophet's warning against believing in the power of sihr to affect an individual independently of Allah's. A believer should believe that sihr or similar practices do not harm anybody or anything except with Allah's Leave, as the following verse suggests: (...yet they did not hurt any man thereby, save by the leave of Allah.) (2:102)

Ibn Mas'ud (RA) reported: "He who has hired a clairvoyant, a sahir or a soothsayer, and has believed in what they came up with, has in fact disbelieved in the Message sent to Muhammad (Peace and Blessing upon him). Al Mundiri stated in At-Targhib (4/53): Tradition transmitted by Al-Bazzar and Abu Ya'la through a very good suspended chain of transmission.

Views of Scholars on Sihr

According to Al-Khattabi, some people denied the existence of sihr. But sihr is a reality upon which Arabs, Persians, Indians and some Romans agree, and these are the best and most learned among nations. Allah says: (...teaching the people sorcery...) (2:102) and commands that man should seek refuge in Him from sihr. (...from the evil of the women who blow on knots...) (Chapter 113). Furthermore, several hadiths were quoted from the Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) of the existence of sihr, which only a person without reasoning could deny, so, scholars of jurisprudence allocated chapters in their works on the punishment of a sahir according to Islamic Law, and this means that sihr would not be so known and could not have been extensively discussed if it does not exist.

According to Al-Qurtubi, Sunnis hold that sihr is a reality.

Moreover, there is a consensus among exegetes that the revelation of Dawn Chapter was the result of the sihr done to the Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) by Labid Ibn Al-A'sam as mentioned above. Once the sihr was dissolved, the Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) said, 'Allah has cured me'. The word cure means the elimination of an existing illness (in this case sihr), and this proves that sihr exists. It is on this basis that scholars unanimously agree on the existence of sihr. Sihr has been widespread for a very long time, and people have written literature on it, and therefore, the companions of the Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) and their successors never denied its existence. Tafsir Al-Qurtubi: 2/461

According to Al-Marizi, sihr is an accepted phenomenon, that is as real as any other thing, and effects the person to whom it is done; contrary to those who reject its existence on the basis that it is only a set of tricks and illusions.

All claims which deny sihr are untrue, for Allah has mentioned sihr in the Qur'an, stating that it is taught, it is a form of disbelief in Allah and may be used to separate a man from his wife. In the aforementioned hadith on the sihr done to the Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) by Labid Ibn Al-Asam, objects were interred and disinterred, which means that actual physical objects were used to perform sihr.

According to An-Nawawi, sihr exists. This phenomenon is a fact confirmed by most scholars and supported by the Qur'an and the hadith.

According to Ibn Qudama, sihr exists, and it consists of types which may kill, sicken, take away a woman from her husband by making him unable to have sexual intercourse with her, and separate a man from his wife.

Ibn Qudama added that it is common knowledge that on the wedding night, a man may find out that sihr has been done to him, after being unable to have sexual intercourse with his new wife. But once the sihris neutralised, he feels able to have sexual intercourse with his wife. The practice of sihr has been handed down from generation to generation and cannot be disputed. Furthermore, reports on the activities of sorcerers cannot be untrue.

Ibn Qudama also stated in his al-Kafi that sihr is a set of enchantments, spells, knots which affect the heart and the body, and; thus, it could sicken, kill or separate a man from his wife, as the verse suggests: (From them they learned how they might divide a man and his wife.) Moreover, if sihr did not exist, Allah would not have warned us against it and advised us to be careful (from the evil of the women who blow on knots.') (Chapter 113)2

Ibn Al-Qayyim stated in Bada’I Al-Fawa'id that sihr exists and has an effect, on the basis of the verse (...Say, I seek refuge with the Lord... from the evil of the women who blow on knots') and on the basis of the hadith on the sihr done to the Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon him) by Labid Ibn Al-A'sam.

According to Abu Al-'izz Al-Hanafiy, scholars have disagreed on the reality of sihr and its types. However, most of them are of the opinion that sihr may result in the death or illness of the targeted person, without any apparent cause.

Shaykh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:

All nations believe in the jinn, and they have many stories which would take too long to tell. No one denies the existence of the jinn except a few small groups of ignorant philosophers and doctors and their ilk. As for the elite of the people, it is narrated that they either believed in the jinn or no opinion was narrated from them concerning the matter.