The Reality of Magic and the Ruling on Those Who Deny It ❖
Author: Dr. Rida Abdullah Pasha ḥafiẓahullāh
Question:
Is magic real or is it a fabrication?
Magic is real, and it is obligatory to believe in it, because it has been mentioned in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Whoever does not believe in it has committed disbelief (kufr). Magic is mentioned in more than fifty verses of the Qur’an. Here are a few of them:
﴿وَاتَّبَعُوا مَا تَتْلُو الشَّيَاطِينُ...﴾
[al-Baqarah: 102]
“And they followed what the devils used to recite during the reign of Solomon. Solomon did not disbelieve, but the devils disbelieved — teaching people magic...”
﴿إِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يَا عِيسَى...﴾
[al-Māʾidah: 110]
“When Allah said: O Jesus, son of Mary! Remember My favor upon you and upon your mother... and when you healed the blind and the leper by My permission, and when you brought forth the dead by My permission... the disbelievers among them said: ‘This is nothing but clear magic.’”
﴿وَلَوْ نَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ كِتَابًا...﴾
[al-Anʿām: 7]
“Even if We had sent down to you a Book written on parchment, and they touched it with their hands, the disbelievers would still say: ‘This is nothing but clear magic.’”
﴿قَالَ الْمَلَأُ مِن قَوْمِ فِرْعَوْنَ...﴾
[al-Aʿrāf: 109]
“The chiefs of Pharaoh’s people said: Indeed, he is a knowledgeable magician.”
﴿قَالُوا أَرْجِهْ وَأَخَاهُ...﴾
[al-Aʿrāf: 111–113]
“They said: Delay him and his brother, and send in the cities gatherers to bring every skilled magician to you.”
﴿قَالَ أَلْقُوا...﴾
[al-Aʿrāf: 116]
“He said: Throw (your sticks)! Then they bewitched the eyes of the people and struck terror into them, and brought a great magic.”
﴿وَأُلْقِيَ السَّحَرَةُ سَاجِدِينَ﴾
[al-Aʿrāf: 120]
“And the magicians fell down in prostration.”
And many other verses affirm the reality of magic, for example:
Even the Jews cast magic upon the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
The story of Prophet Mūsā (عليه السلام) and the magicians of Pharaoh is well known and repeatedly mentioned.
Whoever denies magic — after the proof has been established that it is affirmed in the Noble Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah — has committed kufr (disbelief). It becomes obligatory for such a person to repent.
والله أعلم
Author: Dr. Rida Abdullah Pasha ḥafiẓahullāh
Question:
Is magic real or is it a fabrication?
❖ Answer:
Magic is real, and it is obligatory to believe in it, because it has been mentioned in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Whoever does not believe in it has committed disbelief (kufr). Magic is mentioned in more than fifty verses of the Qur’an. Here are a few of them:
✦ Magic is Real, and Denying It Is Kufr
﴿وَاتَّبَعُوا مَا تَتْلُو الشَّيَاطِينُ...﴾
[al-Baqarah: 102]
“And they followed what the devils used to recite during the reign of Solomon. Solomon did not disbelieve, but the devils disbelieved — teaching people magic...”
﴿إِذْ قَالَ اللَّهُ يَا عِيسَى...﴾
[al-Māʾidah: 110]
“When Allah said: O Jesus, son of Mary! Remember My favor upon you and upon your mother... and when you healed the blind and the leper by My permission, and when you brought forth the dead by My permission... the disbelievers among them said: ‘This is nothing but clear magic.’”
﴿وَلَوْ نَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكَ كِتَابًا...﴾
[al-Anʿām: 7]
“Even if We had sent down to you a Book written on parchment, and they touched it with their hands, the disbelievers would still say: ‘This is nothing but clear magic.’”
﴿قَالَ الْمَلَأُ مِن قَوْمِ فِرْعَوْنَ...﴾
[al-Aʿrāf: 109]
“The chiefs of Pharaoh’s people said: Indeed, he is a knowledgeable magician.”
﴿قَالُوا أَرْجِهْ وَأَخَاهُ...﴾
[al-Aʿrāf: 111–113]
“They said: Delay him and his brother, and send in the cities gatherers to bring every skilled magician to you.”
﴿قَالَ أَلْقُوا...﴾
[al-Aʿrāf: 116]
“He said: Throw (your sticks)! Then they bewitched the eyes of the people and struck terror into them, and brought a great magic.”
﴿وَأُلْقِيَ السَّحَرَةُ سَاجِدِينَ﴾
[al-Aʿrāf: 120]
“And the magicians fell down in prostration.”
And many other verses affirm the reality of magic, for example:
- [Yūnus: 2, 76–77, 79–81]
- [Hūd: 7]
- [al-Ḥijr: 15]
- [al-Isrāʾ: 47, 101]
- [Ṭāhā: 57–58, 63, 66, 70–71, 73]
- [al-Anbiyāʾ: 3]
- [al-Muʾminūn: 89]
- [al-Furqān: 8]
- [al-Shuʿarāʾ: 34–38, 40–41, 46, 153]
- [al-Naml: 13]
- [al-Qaṣaṣ: 36, 48]
- [Sabaʾ: 43]
- [al-Ṣāffāt: 15]
❖ Additional Evidence:
Even the Jews cast magic upon the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
The story of Prophet Mūsā (عليه السلام) and the magicians of Pharaoh is well known and repeatedly mentioned.
❖ The Sharʿī Ruling:
Whoever denies magic — after the proof has been established that it is affirmed in the Noble Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah — has committed kufr (disbelief). It becomes obligatory for such a person to repent.
والله أعلم
