How to protect yourself against witchcraft 

The doctors say that prevention is better than cure. We say: The best cure for witchcraft is to protect yourself from it before it happens. If the evil witch who has sold his soul to the Shaytan seeks the help of the Shaytan to achieve his evil aims, Islam has told us how the Muslim may protect himself and his family from the Shaytan. The Muslim must follow the means described below in order to protect himself from the evil of witchcraft and its practitioners.

Strengthening oneself with faith

The Muslim must strengthen himself and affirm his belief in Tawhid. In this manner he strengthens his faith and dispels fear of anything other than Allah from his heart, and reinforces the belief that benefit and harm are both in the hand of Allah alone. The Muslim should understand that these means are like the movements of the wind, which are in the hand of their Controller and Creator, and cannot cause any harm or bring any benefit except by Allah’s Leave. Allah says concerning the witches:

(But they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah's leave.) (Al-Baqarah 2:102) 

And Allah says:

(And if Allah touches you with harm, there is none who can remove it but He; and if He intends any good for you, there is none who can repel His Favour.) (Yunus 10:107)

Whoever is a slave to Allah, following His commands at times of hardship and of ease, focusing all his fear on Allah, is included in the Verse in which Allah

says:

(Is not Allah Sufficient for His slave?) (Al-Zumar 39:36)

Attaining complete submission and servitude to Allah ('Ubudiyyah) brings complete protection, and the Shaytan has no authority over them, as Allah says:

(Certainly, you shall have no authority over My slaves.) (Al Hijr 15/42)

The one who is strong in faith, protected by Allah and under His care, is rarely affected by witchcraft. The witches themselves know that their spells can ortly affect those who are weak.

Regularly reciting the Adhkar for morning and evening

One of the greatest means of protecting oneself against witchcraft is to persist in regularly reciting the Adhkar for morning and evening. They prevent against witchcraft before it happens, protecting one against it and warding off its evil, and remedying it if it does happen. Ibn Al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

Among the most effective divinely-prescribed remedies for witchcraft, indeed the only thing that works, for the effects of evil souls and warding off their effects can only be by means of that which opposes and resists them, namely Dhikr, the Qur'anic Verses and Du'as which cancel out their actions and effects. The stronger they are the further they will spread. This is like the meeting of two armies, each of which has its equipment and weapons with it; whichever of them overpowers the other and subdues it will emerge the victor.

If the heart is filled with remembrance of Allah and has Du'as, Dhikrs, prayers for refuge and a Wird which it never fails to recite, in which the person focuses with his heart and mind, this will be one of the greatest means of warding off witchcraft before it strikes and it is one of the greatest remedies for it after it has struck. The witches know that their witchcraft can only fully have an effect on hearts which are weak and easily influenced, those that are ruled by whims and desires and attached to trivial matters. Hence those who are usually affected are women, children and those who are ignorant and those who live in remote regions, or whose faith, trust in Allah and belief in Tawhid are weak, and who do not have a Wird, Du'as and prayers for refuge which they recite regularly. In conclusion, their influence usually affects those who are weak and easily influenced, and are inclined towards trivial things.

They said: The victim is the one who allows witchcraft to affect him, for we find his heart is attached to things on which he focuses a great deal, so they control his heart by means of the things towards which he is inclined. The evil souls are only able to gain control over souls which are ready to be overpowered because their hearts are already inclined towards something that is convenient for those evil souls and because they are devoid of spiritual strength and are not prepared to resist. So you find them empty, with no strength or means to fight, inclined towards something convenient, so they overpower them and are able to influence them by witchcraft and other means.

Imam Ahmad and Al-Tirmidhi narrated a lengthy Hadith from Al-Harith Al-Ash'ari, in which the Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon Him) said:

"... and I enjoin you to remember Allah, for this is like a man who is being pursued by the enemy, then he comes to a strong fortress and saves himself from them. Similarly a man cannot save himself from the Shaytan except by means of Dhikr." Narrated by Ahmad in Al-Musnad, 408/202; Al-Tirmidhi, no.2867. This is a Sahih Hadith.

Eating 'Ajwah dates on an empty stomach

'Ajwah: a kind of date grown in Madinah

Al-Bukhari narrated in his Sahih from 'Amir ibn Sa'd that his father said: The Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon Him) said:

"Whoever eats 'Ajwah dates every morning will not be harmed by poison or witchcraft all that day until night comes." Fath Al-Bari, 10/249.

Someone else said: "Seven dates." And according to another report:

"Whoever eats seven 'Ajwah dates in the morning, will not be harmed that day by poison or witchcraft."

Whoever persists in eating 'Ajwah dates on an empty stomach, with the proper intention and with trust in Allah and the words of the Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon Him) will be as it were inoculated against witchcraft, and neither witchcraft nor poison will harm him. Some of the scholars explained that one of the characteristics of dates is that they are "hot", and that this is sufficient to ward off disease, but the Prophet (Peace and Blessing upon Him) mentioned specific protection against witchcraft. It seems, and Allah knows best, that dates contain something unknown to us that protects against poison and witchcraft. We believe in the word of the truthful one (the Prophet #§), even if we do not know how that works. There is no doubt that the dates of Madinah possess special qualities, but if dates of Madinah are not available, then any dates will do Insha Allah.

One of the greatest means of protecting oneself against the evil of witchcraft is not going to witches

Because no benefit can come from them for the one who has been harmed, and the one who has nothing wrong with him will not be safe from their harm. The devils who work with the witch know full well that the Muslim man or woman who knocks at the door of the witch is weak in faith and does not put his or her trust in Allah, so it is easy for them to possess them.