Islamic ruling concerning sorcery

It should be made clear beforehand that the word magic is used to mean different things. Concerning the Islamic Shariah, one should distinguish between the magician who seeks the help of the Devil, and performs acts of disbelief, and the magician whose trade consists of charlatanism and tricks. Although all types of magic are forbidden in Islam, the first type is considered kufr, and anyone who practices it, is a disbeliever. The proof for this ruling is in the Words of Allah:

”Solomon did not disbelieve, but the devil disbelieved, teaching men magic and such things that came down at Babylon to the two angels, Harut and Marut, but neither of these two angels taught anyone till they had said, ‘We are for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning magic from us)’. And from them, people learn that by which they cause separation between a husband and his wife, but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah’s leave. And they learn that which harms them and profits them not. And indeed they knew tht the buyers of it (magic) would have no share in the Hereafter. And how vile was the price for with they did sell their souls, if they but knew!” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:102).

This verse shows that:

1. Learning magic is kufr (disbelief). Notice that the simple act of learning renders a person a disbeliever, even if it were for ‘good’ purposes such as to annul other magic spells.
2. Magic brings only harm and no benefit, and anything that brings only harm is forbidden.
3. The buyers of magic would have no share in the Hereafter, ie they will eternise in hell, and only those who have disbelieved will eternise in hell.

Nowadays, it can be seen that many Muslims versed into handbooks of magic, lured by the powers they might unveil, taking the matter lightly, and thinking it is only a minor sin. They do not realise that in fact they are slowly walking from the realm of Islam to the realm of disbelief!

”And the magician will never be successful, no matter whatever amount of skill he may attain!” (Surah Ta Ha, 20:69)

It is the consensus of the Muslim scholars, and the four schools of thought that if a Muslim who practiced magic has committed acts or spoken words of disbelief, then he should be killed, as he is considered a renegade. It was the punishment adopted by the companions of the Prophet s.a.w. such as Umar Ibn al-Khattab r.a., and Uthman Ibn Affan r.a. If the magician has caused the death of a person by way of magic, then he also should be killed, even if his magic does not involve disbelief, because this is the punishment of any killer. All other magicians should not be killed, but they should be reprimanded according to the harm they may cause.

As for the magician who is already non-Muslim, most of the scholars see that he should not be killed unless he causes the death of another person, because he is already a disbeliever and his magic does not change his status, while Imam Abu Hanifah makes no difference between him and the magician who was a Muslim. However, if a person who was practising magic comes out and declares his repentance, and proves that he has abandoned magic for quite a while, his repentance should be accepted and he should be spared, as Allah informed us that Pharaoh's magicians repented and Allah accepted their repentance.

(Extracted from: Weekly Gulf Times dated 6th April, 2007)