Was Magic Cast on the Prophet ﷺ?

Authored by: Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amrpuri

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ experienced magic being cast upon him. This is narrated by Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her):

سحر رسول اللہ ﷺ رجل من بنی زریق یقال لہ: لبید بن الأعصم، حتی کان رسول اللہ ﷺ یخیل الیہ أنہ یفعل الشیء وما فعلہ، حتی اذا کان ذات یوم أو ذات لیلۃ، وھو عندی، لکنہ دعا و دعا، ثم قال: یا عائشۃ! أشعرت أن اللہ أفتانی فیما استفتیتہ فیہ، أتانی رجلان فقعد أحدھما عند رأسی والآخر عند رجلی، فقال أحدھما لصاحبہ: ما وجع الرجل، فقال: مطبوب، قال: من طبہ؟ قال: لبید بن الأعصم، قال: فی أی شیء؟ قال: فی مشط و مشاطۃ وجف طلع نخلۃ ذکر، قال: وأین ھو؟ قال: فی بئر ذروان، فأتاھا رسول اللہ ﷺ فی ناس من أصحابہ، فجاء، فقال: یا عائشۃ! کأن ماء ھا نقاعۃ الحناء، أو کأن رؤوس نخلھا رؤوس الشیاطین، قلت: یا رسول اللہ! أفلا استخرجہ؟ قال: قد عافانی اللہ، فکرھت أن أثور علی الناس فیہ شرا، فأمربھا، فدفنت.​

"A man from the tribe of Banu Zuraiq, named Labid bin al-A’sam, cast a spell on the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ began to imagine that he was doing things which he had not done. One day or one night, while he was with me, he repeatedly invoked Allah. Then he said, 'O Aisha! Did you know that Allah has answered me concerning that which I asked Him? Two men came to me, one of them sat near my head and the other near my feet. One of them asked the other: What is the disease of this man? The other replied: He has been bewitched. The first asked: Who has bewitched him? The other replied:

Labid bin al-A’sam. The first asked: In what did he use it? The other replied: In a comb and the hair gathered on it and the outer skin of pollen of a male date palm. The first asked: Where is it? The other replied: In the well of Dhi Arwan.' Then the Prophet ﷺ went to the well with some of his companions. He came back and said: 'O Aisha, its water was like the infusion of henna leaves and its date-palms were like the heads of devils.' I said: 'O Allah's Messenger! Did you take it out?' He said: 'No, Allah has cured me, and I was afraid that it might bring evil among the people.' Then he ordered that the well be filled up."

(Authentic references: Sahih Bukhari: 2/858, Hadith: 5766; Sahih Muslim: 2/221, Hadith: 2189)

This consensus-based hadith is a definitive proof that magic was indeed cast on the Prophet ﷺ. It should be noted that magic is an ailment like any other and can affect prophets as well. Nowhere in the Quran or Hadith is it mentioned that prophets are immune to magic.

This hadith is unanimously regarded as "authentic" except by the Mu'tazila sect, who reject not only this hadith but also numerous other authentic hadiths.

As stated by Imam Na’im bin Hammad al-Khuza'i (d. 228H):

المعتزلۃ تردون ألفی حدیث من حدیث النبی ﷺ أو نحو ألفی حدیث.​

"The Mu'tazila reject around two thousand hadiths of the Prophet ﷺ."

(Sunan Abi Dawood, under Hadith: 4772, and its chain is authentic)

Some contemporary Mu'tazila have raised intellectual and scriptural objections to this hadith. Let's examine these objections academically:

Objection 1:The narrator, Hisham bin Urwa, is a "mudallis" (one who conceals defects in the chain of narration).

Response:

  1. Hisham bin Urwa is unanimously regarded as "trustworthy". The criticism by Imam Malik's narrator Ibn Khurash himself is "weak", hence his statement is rejected.
  2. Although Hafiz Ibn Hajar listed him among the first category of "mudallis", his being a "mudallis" is not proven. The statement (Ma'rifah 'Uloom al-Hadith by al-Hakim: p. 104, 105) attributing this is not reliable as the integrity of its narrator Abdullah bin Ali bin al-Madani is not established.
  3. Hisham bin Urwa has explicitly mentioned hearing directly from his father in Sahih Bukhari (1/450, Hadith: 3175) and Musnad Ahmad (6/50).
  4. The narrations of "mudallis" in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are presumed to be based on direct hearing.
Objection 2:

Famous Mu'tazili Habib ur-Rahman Kandhlavi writes: "No one other than Hisham narrates this story, and Hisham's mind deteriorated after 132H."

Response:

This is a fabricated accusation. The statement attributed to Hafiz Aqili is not found. None of the early scholars accused him of confusion. Furthermore, the narrations in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are considered from before any alleged confusion.

Objection 3:

Habib ur-Rahman Kandhlavi states: "None of Hisham's well-known students, including Imam Malik, narrates this story, nor any resident of Madinah. All narrators from Hisham are Iraqis."

Response:

This is a false claim. Hisham's narrations have been reported by two of his Madani students:

  1. Anas bin Iyad al-Madani (Sahih Bukhari: 6391)
  2. Abdulrahman bin Abi Zinad al-Madani (considered trustworthy by the majority) (Sahih Bukhari: 5763)
Objection 4:
Famous hadith rejector Shabbir Ahmad Azhari Mirathi states: "None of the narrations mention that Urwa heard this hadith from Lady Aisha."

Response:

When a narrator’s meeting with his teacher is established and the narrator is not a "mudallis", then his "an" (from) narration is considered connected by the scholars of hadith. Urwa's meeting and listening from Lady Aisha are well-established. See Sahih Bukhari: 3277, Sahih Muslim: 2418.

This hadith is regarded as authentic by scholars of hadith. The allegations by hadith rejectors are baseless.

Contradiction with the Quran:

Some argue that this hadith contradicts the Quran. Our response is that an authentic hadith, by consensus, does not contradict the Quran. They should identify the verse that suggests prophets cannot be affected by magic. The disbelievers' claim that prophets cannot be affected by magic led them to accuse Prophet Muhammad ﷺ of sorcery.

The Quran provides evidence of magic affecting Prophet Musa (Moses):


قَالَ بَلۡ اَلۡقُوۡا ۚ فَاِذَا حِبَالُہُمۡ وَ عِصِیُّہُمۡ یُخَیَّلُ اِلَیۡہِ مِنۡ سِحۡرِہِمۡ اَنَّہَا تَسۡعٰی

(Ta-Ha: 66)

"It appeared to him, due to their magic, that their ropes and staffs were moving."

Similar expressions are used in the hadith indicating that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was made to imagine things.

As scholars of hadith, we understand this hadith as indicating that magic affected the Prophet ﷺ in worldly matters without impacting his religious duties.

Scholarly Consensus:​

Alam al-Rabbani Sheikh al-Islam Thani Allama Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya stated:

"This hadith is authentic among the scholars of hadith and is accepted among them without any dispute. It has been criticized by some people of rhetoric and others who rejected it harshly, claiming it contradicts the status of prophethood and casts doubt upon it. However, this argument is refuted by those knowledgeable in the hadith sciences as the scholars have agreed upon its authenticity. The story is well-known among the scholars of Tafsir, hadith, history, and jurisprudence."

(Bada'i al-Fawaid, 2/223)

Conclusion:

The hadith is authenticated and widely accepted by hadith scholars. The objections raised by some contemporary figures are unfounded. The narrative of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ being affected by magic does not contradict Islamic beliefs as understood by the majority of scholars.
 
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