❖ Ruling on Amulets, Talismans, and Charms in Islam: Clarifying the Prohibition and Innovation ❖
📚 Source: Fatāwā Arkān-e-Islām
❖ Question:
What is the Islamic ruling on hanging amulets, charms, and similar objects?
✔ Answer:
Alḥamdulillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā baʿd!
❖ Categories of Amulets and Their Rulings:
The issue of amulets (taʿwīdhāt) and charms (talisman/gandā) can be classified into two primary categories:
➊ Amulets Containing Qur’anic Verses
◈ If an amulet contains verses from the Qur’an, scholars—both early and later—have differed in their rulings:
📌 Those Who Permit It:
– They rely on verses such as:
﴿وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ القُرءانِ ما هُوَ شِفاءٌ وَرَحمَةٌ لِلمُؤمِنينَ﴾
“We send down in the Qur’an that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers.”
(Sūrah al-Isrāʾ: 82)
﴿كِتـبٌ أَنزَلنـهُ إِلَيكَ مُبـرَكٌ﴾
“[This is] a blessed Book which We have revealed to you…”
(Sūrah Ṣād: 29)
– Based on such verses, they argue that the blessings (barakah) of the Qur’an allow it to be written and hung as an amulet for the purpose of healing or protection.
📌 Those Who Prohibit It:
– Opposing scholars hold that:
❌ Such practice is not proven from the Prophet ﷺ,
❌ Nor was it recognized as a legitimate Sharʿī means of removing harm.
– According to them, rulings regarding acts of healing and protection are taqwīfiyyah (i.e., dependent solely on explicit Sharʿī evidence).
✅ The Preferred View:
– The stronger opinion is that even Qur’anic amulets should not be hung, regardless of their content.
– It is also impermissible to:
➤ Place such amulets under a sick person’s pillow
➤ Or hang them on walls or beds
✅ What is permissible:
Making duʿāʾ for the ill and reciting the Qur’an for ruqyah is authentically established and in accordance with the Sunnah.
➋ What is permissible:
◈ If the amulets contain words other than the Qur’an or indecipherable symbols, then:
❌ Using them is strictly forbidden under all circumstances.
◈ Such writings often include:
– Unknown symbols
– Illegible scripts
– Charms created through letter patterns or knots that cannot be understood
📌 These types of talismans and charms are considered:
– Bidʿah (innovation)
– Ḥarām (forbidden)
– And have no basis in Sharʿī rulings
❖ Final Notes:
✔ Healing through duʿāʾ, Qur’anic recitation, and established prophetic methods is valid and encouraged.
✖ But relying on written talismans or amulets, especially those involving mysticism or ambiguity, constitutes prohibited innovation.
ھذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
