Kayf Tatakhallas min al-Sihr
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- Dar Al-Muta'allim
Kayf Tatakhallas min al-Sihr (How to Rid Oneself of Sorcery) is a contemporary treatise on Islamic creed and jurisprudence by Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Tayyar, dedicated to addressing the phenomenon of magic (sihr), charlatanry, and the lawful Islamic methods for nullifying it .
Background and Purpose
The author composed the treatise as an advisory work for Muslims in response to the spread of sorcery, charlatanry, and the practice of seeking cures or needs from soothsayers and magicians . The book aims to clarify the creedal dangers of magic, delineate the boundaries between prohibited practices and legitimate remedies, and provide guidance on identifying practitioners of magic and dismantling spells in accordance with the Quran and the Sunnah .
Contents and Structure
The book is organized into several topical discussions :
- Definition and Reality of Magic: The author defines magic linguistically as that which is subtle and hidden in its cause, and technically as knots, incantations, and spoken or written formulas that affect the victim's body, heart, or mind without direct physical contact . He adduces textual proofs from the Quran and the Sunnah establishing the reality of magic according to the doctrine of the Ahl al-Sunnah, explicitly refuting the Mu'tazilah and others who denied its physical reality and considered it mere illusion .
- Legal Rulings on Sorcerers: The treatise details the consensus of the four Sunni legal schools on the death penalty for the practitioner of magic . It addresses whether repentance waives the prescribed penalty (hadd), noting the scholarly disagreement and recording the position in the Hanbali and Maliki schools that the practitioner is executed without being asked to repent . It also reviews the juristic disagreement regarding a sorcerer from among the People of the Book (Ahl al-Kitab), stating that such a practitioner is subject to execution if their magic causes death or harm .
- Categories of Magic and Public Performances: The book outlines categories of real and spirit-assisted magic, distinguishing them from illusionary magic (sihr al-takhyil) . It prohibits watching magic-based circus acts, sleight-of-hand illusions, or shows involving simulated life and death, citing the prohibition against attending falsehood and polytheistic claims .
- Identifying Signs of Sorcerers: The author enumerates practical signs by which charlatans and magicians can be recognized, such as asking for the patient's name and their mother's name, demanding personal clothing or effects, writing unreadable talismans (talasim) and segmented letters, slaughtering animals without mentioning Allah's name, or ordering the patient to remain in dark rooms (al-hijbah) and avoid touching water .
- Dispelling Magic (Nushrah): The treatise examines the ruling on counter-magic, prohibiting the use of sorcery to undo sorcery and citing Ibn al-Qayyim's distinction between forbidden diabolic nushrah and lawful nushrah accomplished through Quranic recitation, lawful supplications, and ruqyah .
- Methods of Neutralization: The author outlines legitimate remedies, including turning directly to Allah in supplication, discovering and destroying the concealed magical object (whether through true dreams, physical search, or extracting the jinni), bodily evacuation (istifrāgh) such as cupping (hijamah), and legitimate incantations (al-ruqyah al-shar'iyyah) .
- Societal Impact and Causes of Prevalence: The work concludes by analyzing the harm of magic on individuals—such as inducing illness, causing marital discord, and provoking obsessive doubts—as well as its destructive effects on community cohesion . It attributes the contemporary prevalence of sorcerers to widespread ignorance of creed (tawhid) and religious rulings, alongside the absence of Islamic legal enforcement against practitioners in many regions .
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