Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … From these ahadith it is understood that, by the command of Allah Ta’ala, magic can have an effect, and this effect did occur upon the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

The statement of Allah Ta’ala is: {وَمَا ھُمْ بِضَارِّیْنَ بِہٖمِنْاَحَدٍاِلَّابِاِذْنِاللّٰہِ} … “And the magicians do not harm anyone except by Allah’s permission.” (Surah al-Baqarah: 102) According to this verse, harm can reach anyone according to the will of Allah Ta’ala; Allah Ta’ala has not specified anyone in particular.

Some innovators (bid‘atis) have denied those ahadith in which it is mentioned that magic had an effect on the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Their view is that this is not befitting the station of Prophethood, that it opens the door to doubt, and renders the Shari‘ah unreliable.

But all these ideas are rejected. We are in need of proofs and evidences: when the statements of Allah Ta’ala and His Messenger mention the infallibility (‘ismah), truthfulness, and veracity of the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, we accept them; and when these same evidences mention those afflictions that could befall the Noble Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, then we must accept those as well.

In reality, the matter is that just as other human afflictions can befall the Prophets and Messengers, or may befall them, in the same way, they can also be affected by magic. Just as in the court of Pharaoh, Musa (alayhis salam) was affected by magic. The statement of Allah Ta’ala is: {قَالَ بَلْ
اَلْقُوْا فَاِذَا حِبَالُھُمْ وَعِصِیُّھُمْیُخَیَّلُ اِلَیْہِ مِنْ سِحْرِھِمْ اَنَّھَا تَسْعٰی (۶۶) فَاَوْجَسَ فِیْ نَفْسِہٖخِیْفَۃً مُّوْسٰی} (67) “Musa (alayhis salam) said: No, you throw first. Now it so happened that Musa (alayhis salam) began to think that their ropes and sticks, due to their magic, were running about. So Musa (alayhis salam) felt fear in his heart.” (Surah Ta Ha: 66)

Similarly, the Jews performed magic upon the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, the effects of which the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam felt. Even so, no blemish came upon the station of Prophethood, because the work of Prophethood was not affected by this. Allah Ta’ala protected His Prophet, and did not allow revelation or the fulfillment of the duty of Messengership to be affected by magic.

Just as the enemies caused the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam considerable physical harm at the time of the Battle of Uhud, in the same way, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam also suffered financial loss, he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would also fall ill, once he was injured due to falling from a horse, he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was given poison and suffered pain from it, he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would become distressed due to people not believing, in the same way, he sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was also affected to some extent by magic. In any case, we are dependent upon the Noble Qur’an and authentic ahadith, and we base our beliefs upon them alone.

In some narrations, it is mentioned that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam sent Sayyiduna Ali radi Allahu anhu to extract the object of magic, and in some it is mentioned that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam himself went. The way to reconcile and harmonize these narrations is that first the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam sent Sayyiduna Ali radi Allahu anhu, and then the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam himself followed after him. In this way, Sayyiduna Ali radi Allahu anhu extracted the object from the well, and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam witnessed it and destroyed it, and then instructed Sayyiduna Ali radi Allahu anhu to bury it.

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did not take revenge on Labid ibn A‘sam, nor did he punish him. It is possible that, to avoid discord, he was not punished, because this person was from the tribe of Banu Zurayq, which was a branch of the Khazraj tribe, and before Islam, many treaties had been made between the Ansar and the Jews. Therefore, taking retaliatory action could have caused some evil to spread. This is similar to when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam explained the reason for not killing the hypocrites: ((Lā yataḥaddathu al-nāsu anna Muḥammadan yaqtulu aṣḥābahu.)) … “Lest people begin to say that Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) kills his own companions.” Another reason is that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did not take revenge for his own self.

It is also possible that, until that time, no specific punishment had been revealed regarding the magician.