Q. Could you please explain what magic is, and how Islam views it? It is said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was once under the effect of magic. Is this true?

K. Habib

A. Magic is the use of certain devices or tactics or material to affect people’s minds so as to see what is unreal and believe it to be reality. Some people resort to it in order to have influence on others and make them do their bidding. Magic is emphatically forbidden. To learn it is forbidden, and to practice it is considered similar to disbelief in God.

Magic is mentioned on several occasions in the Qur’an, but always with disapproval and condemnation. The Qur’an mentions that Pharaoh, who opposed the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him), had under his command a large group of magicians, and it describes their tricks as ‘great magic. But it also makes clear that there was no substance to what they did. It was simply pure deception, making people see what was not there. Hence, in the challenge put by Pharaoh to Moses, victory was clearly to Moses, because God transformed his staff into a large snake, but this was a real snake, not imaginary, and it ate all that the magicians produced by their false tricks, which was only a matter of false deception.

There are reports about the Prophet being under a magic spell for a brief period of time, when he could imagine things that did not happen. But this is untrue. God says in the Qur’an: “The wrongdoers say: ‘The man you follow is certainly bewitched.’ See to what they liken you. They have certainly gone astray and are unable to find a way back (to the truth).” (17: 47-48 & 25: 8-9) This statement, repeated twice in the Qur’an, makes clear that only wrongdoers make such a claim about the Prophet, and that they are in error and cannot find a way back to the truth. This is a very clear denial by none other than God.

Nursing Grievances

Q. A recently married woman finds herself appealing to God against her mother-in-law, because of the latter’s ill-treatment of her. Sometimes she wonders whether she is committing a sin by doing so. Please advise.

(Name and address withheld)

A. Sometimes relations between a woman and her mother-in-law are so strained that they cannot have a peaceful family life. When they live together under the same roof with strained relations, the situation can be very troublesome indeed, particularly if the woman finds her husband totally inclined to his mother’s side, or the mother thinks that her son has been taken away from her. What is important in such a situation is that each one should try her utmost to reduce the chances of friction, and to make herself understood by the other. If this does not work, then each woman should try hard not to aggravate the situation. She should pray for a better family life, and try to overlook mistakes by the other lady. It is often the case that we misjudge the other person when we look at her actions from a negative angle.

Having said that, I should add that I cannot give an answer to the question about committing a sin by wishing someone ill. If that person has committed something that has serious repercussions, then it is natural to feel aggrieved. If one feels herself victim of injustice, it is right to appeal to God to lift that injustice. On the other hand, it is always good to forgive other people’s mistakes. This will earn rich reward from God.