Indexed OCR Text

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 102 - 103
Jews, a large number of them refused to accept him as a prophet. In
doing this, they were, in fact, denying the Torah itself, and behaving
as if they know nothing of the prophecy, or even the Torah being a
Book of Allah. Thus, they were being guilty of infidelity (Kufr) even in
terms of the Torah itself.
Verses 102 - 103
وَاتَّبَغُوا مَا تَتْلُوا الشَّيْطِيْنُ عَلى مُلُّكِ سُلَيْمُنَّهَوَمَا كَفَرَ
سُلَيُمِنُ وَلَكِتَّ الشَّيْطِيْنَ كَفَرُوا يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ الّحْرَةِ وَمَآَ
أَنْزِلَ عَلَى الْمَلَكَيْنِ بِبَابِلَ هَارُوتَ وَ مَارُوتَ وَمَا يُعَلِّمُنِ مِنْ
أَحَدٍ حَتَّى يَقُوْلاً إِنَّمَا نَحْنٌ فِتْنَةٌ فَلَا تَكْفُرُ، فَيَتَعَلَّمُوْنَ مِنَّهُمَا
مَا يُقَّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهْ وَمَاهُمْ بِضَارِّيْنَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ
إِلَّ بِإِذْنِ اللهِ وَيَتَعَلَّمُوْنَ مَا يَضْتُهُمْ وَلَا يَنْفَعُهُمْ وَلَقَدُ عَلِمُوا
لَمِّنِ اشْتَرْهُ مَالَهُ فِى الْآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلَاقٍ، وَلَبِنُسَ مَاشَرَوُا بِهَ
اَنْفُهُمُ، لَوْكَانُوا يَعْلَمُوْنَ ا وَلَوْأَنَّهُمْ أُمَنُوْا وَاتَّقَوْا لَمَنُوْبَةٌ مِنُ
عِنْدِ اللهِ خَيْرٌوَلَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ 0
And they followed what the devils used to recite in the
reign of Sulayman (Solomon) -- it was not Sulayman
who became an infidel, but the devils did become
infidels, teaching people magic, and what had been
sent down to the two angels, Harut and Marut, in
Babylon. And these two did not teach anyone without
having said, "We are nothing but a trial, so do not go
infidel." Then, they used to learn from them that with
which they could separate man from his wife. But they
were not to bring harm through it to anyone, without
the will of Allah. And they used to learn what harmed
them and did no good to them. And they certainly knew
that he who buys it has no share in the Hereafter. And,
indeed, vile is the thing for which they sold themselves
away. Only if they knew! And had they accepted the
faith, and been God-fearing, the reward from Allah
would have always been far better. Only if they knew!
(Verses 102 - 103)

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 102 - 103
In connection with these two verses, some commentators have
reported certain Judaic traditions, which have given rise to a number
of doubts, especially in the minds of Muslims with a Western
orientation. Maulana Ashraf 'Ali Thanavi has provided very simple
and clear solutions to these exegetical problems, and we shall
reproduce them here :-
(1) The Jews were impertinent and senseless enough to attribute
magic and sorcery to a prophet -- namely, Sayyidna Sulayman
(Solomon JIale ). So, in saying that they used to learn the black arts
of the devils (Shayatin), the Holy Qur'an takes care to deny, as a pa-
renthesis, such a vile allegation against Sayyidna Sulayman WILLe.
(2) These verses condemn the Jews for indulging in black magic. In
connection with the verses, some commentators have reported a long
and well-known story about a woman called Zuhrah, which is not
based on any authentic Islamic tradition. Those scholars who have
found the story to be infringing the regulations of the Shari'ah, have
rejected it as mere fiction; but those who believe that it can be
interpreted so as to come in line with the Shari'ah, have not dismissed
it totally. For the moment we are not concerned with the question
whether the story is true or false. But what we would like to insist
upon is the fact that a proper understanding does in no way depend on
this story.
(3) The Jews knew very well that their indulgence in black magic
was not only a sin, but also involved infidelity (Kufr). They could also
see that such activities would do them no good even in this world, for
their sorcery could not harm anyone except when Allah willed it so.
Thus their practice went against their knowledge, and they made no
use of their understanding to see this discrepancy. That is why the
Holy Qur'an, to begin with, states that they "knew", and then goes on
to negate this 'knowledge' by saying, "Only if they knew!" For, if one
does neither act upon what one knows nor tries to understand it
properly, one's knowledge is no better than ignorance.
(4) There was a time when black magic had grown very popular in
the world, particularly in Babylon. Seeing its astonishing efficacy,
ignorant people began to confuse its effects with the miracles of
prophets, and to suppose that the two were identical in nature. Some

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even looked upon magicians as being holy men, and worthy of being
obeyed; still others actually started learning and practising black
magic as if it were a good deed bearing a divine sanction. 25
In short, this extraordinary veneration for magic and magicians
had become a potent source of misguidance. In order to eradicate this
misunderstanding, Allah sent down to Babylon two angels, Harut and
Marut, for informing the people as to the true nature of magic and as
to its different forms, so that they should distinguish it from the
miracles of prophets, and keep away from obeying magicians and
practising magic themselves. Just as the prophethood of prophets is
divinely confirmed through miracles, signs and rational or other
arguments, in the same way the angelical nature of Harut and Marut
was confirmed on the basis of different signs and arguments, so that
people should listen attentively to them and follow their guidance.
This particular function was not assigned to the prophets for two
reasons. Firstly, the need of the hour was to establish a distinction
between the prophets and the magicians, and, the prophets being in a
way a party to the dispute, it was proper that a third party should be
the arbitrator. Secondly, the necessary distinction between the two
could not, in a normal course, be defined without citing and reporting
the verbal formulas employed in magic. Merely to report heretical
speech is not in itself a heresy - this is a logical and rational principle,
and the Shari'ah too accepts it. So, the prophets could have been
allowed to cite these formulas; but, they being a manifestation of
divine guidance, Allah did not ask them to perform such a function,
and chose two angels for the purpose. For, Allah's commandments are
of two kinds -- those pertaining to Takwin (creation and the cosmic
order), and those pertaining to Tashri' (legislation) -, and it is quite
possible that sometimes the two may not seem to accord with each
other. The order of creation is made up of good and evil both, and it is
the angels through whom divine commandments are enforced in this
sphere. So, the angels are made to do things which, in the perspective
25. Just as there has been a sudden outburst of enthusiasm for the occult
sciences in the West since the middle of the sixties in this century,
particularly in America where even the universities have been
inundated by it.

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 102 - 103
of the cosmic order, always lead to general good, but which, in so far as
they necessarily involve some kind of partial disorder, are seen to be
evil -- for example, the growth and upkeep of a human tyrant, or of a
harmful beast, each of which is right in the context of the order of
creation, but wrong from the point of view of the order of legislation.
On the other hand, the prophets are entrusted only with the functions
of the legislative order, which are, in their general as well as
particular applications, nothing but good.
Although, in view of the ultimate purpose, this reporting of the
formulas of magic too was related to the legislative order, yet there
. was probability -- which even materialized -- that a reporting of such
formulas could give an incentive to the practice of black magic. So,
Allah preferred not to make the prophets even an indirect means of
such reprehensible activities. All the same, the prophets too were
made to serve the main purpose by announcing the basic regulations
of the Shari'ah with regard to magic, though not the details pertaining
to the minor rules derived from them, for that could have possibly
given rise to temptation. We shall explain it through an analogy. The
prophets have, for example, told us that it is forbidden to accept a
bribe, and have also explained the nature of bribery, but have not
given us the details as to how a bribe is given or taken, for a
delineation of such minute details would have served only to teach
men the different methods of giving or taking a bribe. Or, take an
example from different branches of magic. If one utters a certain
formula, one would, on getting up from the bed in the morning, find
money under his pillow or in his pocket. The Shari'ah makes it quite
clear that such a practice is not, in principle, legitimate, but does not
specify what that formula is.
In short, the two angels came down to Babylon, and started the
work assigned to them -- that is to say, they used to explain the basic
principles of magic, its different forms and the specific formulas, and
then used to dissuade the people from getting themselves involved in
these activities or with the magicians. Their work was exactly like
that of a scholar who, finding that illiterate people sometime fall into
uttering heretical words or phrases on account of their ignorance,
should collect in his speeches or writings all such phrases that have
.

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gained currency, and inform them as to what they must carefully
avoid.
Now, all sorts of people started coming to the angels for seeking
information about the nature and the specific formulas of a magic lest
ignorance should lead them into error, in the matter of doctrines or
that of deeds. In order to provide the correct teaching on this subject
and to protect the people from error, the angels were scrupulous
enough to make it a point to warn them of possible dangers in giving
them the information. They insisted on making it quite clear that in
allowing them to provide this kind of information to the people in
general, Allah intended to put His servants through a trial, for He
would see who uses this knowledge for protecting his 'Iman (faith) by
recognizing evil and avoiding it, and who falls into misguidance by
adopting evil that he has come to recognize as evil -- a choice which
can easily lead one into Kufr (infidelity) in the matter of deeds or in
that of doctrines. The angels repeatedly advised them to seek this
dangerous information only with a good intent and to remain steadfast
in this good intent, and not to misuse the knowledge so as to earn
perpetual damnation.
The angels could not be more honest and forthright. So, they
explained the basic principles of magic and even the subsidiary details
to all those who were ready to take the pledge to remain steadfast in
their faith. Of course, if anyone broke the pledge and fell into
transgression or infidelity, it was his own business, and the angels
could not be held responsible for it. Some were true to their promise,
while many did not fulfil the pledge, and made their knowledge of
magic a means of doing harm to people -- this in itself is sin and
transgression, while some modes of magic actually involve infidelity
(Kufr). Thus, through a misuse of their knowledge of magic, some
turned into sinners and others into infidels.
Let us repeat that the angels had taught magic for the purpose of
reforming the people and helping them to keep to the straight path,
but those who misused this teaching did so out of their own perversity.
An example would make the situation still more clear. Let us suppose
that a man goes to a master of the Islamic sciences, who is an expert
in the traditional branches of learning and in philosophy as well, and

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who also acts upon his knowledge, and this man requests the master
to teach him philosophy, ancient or modern, so that he may protect
himself against the doubts raised by the philosophers with regard to
Islamic doctrines, and may also be able to give a satisfactory reply to
those who raise such doubts. Apprehending that he might turn out to
be insincere, and might finally bring the knowledge of philosophy to
the aid of false and anti-Islamic ideas, the master warns him against
such an eventuality, and the man takes a pledge that he would not
misuse his knowledge. Having satisfied himself, the master gives him
a thorough training in philosophy. But the man, contrary to his
promise, begins to accept the anti-Islamic and false theorizing of
philosophers as the truth. Obviously, in such a case, the teacher can
in no way be held responsible for the way the pupil behaves.
Similarly, there can be no room for doubting the integrity of these two
angels.
Although Allah Himself knows how things were, yet one can
suppose that once the angels had done the work assigned to them,
they must have been recalled to the Heavens. (Bayan al-Qur'an)
What is Magic ? Definition and effects
Since the study of magic has been enjoying a weird currency in the
Western countries since 1968, and has sometimes been accepted as a
part of academic research, we had better consider the subject at some
length from the Islamic point of view. According to the authoritative
Arabic dictionary "Al-Qamus", the word Sihr (Magic) signifies an effect
the cause of which is not apparent, whether the cause may actually lie
in something which possesses a luminous quality (as the effect of
certain phrases), or in things with an extra-sensory reality (as the
effect produced by jinns and devils), or in the power of imagination (as
the effect of hypnotism), or in things which are sensory yet hidden (as
a magnet drawing to itself a piece of iron, when the magnet is
concealed from the onlookers; or the effect of drugs, when they have
been furtively administered; or the influence of stars and planets).
The causes at work being numerous, the forms of magic too are
numerous.
Magic and Charms
In everyday language, magic signifies those practices which

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involve the co-operation of jinns and devils, or the exercise of the
power of imagination, or the use of certain words or phrases. It is a
rationally established proposition, accepted by ancient philosophers
and by some of the modern ones as well, and equally confirmed by ob-
servation and experiment, that words and phrases in themselves pos-
sess a certain efficacy, and that when certain letters, words or phrases
are recited or written down for a specified number of times, they pro-
duce certain specific results. Similar results are obtained by employ-
ing human hair or nails or the clothes worn by the person concerned,
etc. - a practice which is usually described as the preparation of
"Charms". All such things are commonly known as magic.
Sihr or Magic: The Islamic view
But in the terminology of the Holy Qur'an and the Hadith, Sihr
(magic) refers to all those usual happenings which have been brought
about with the active help of the devils (Shayatin), won over through
certain practices likely to please them. There are several ways of
pleasing the devils. Sometimes one sings the praises of the devils, and
sometimes recites formulas of a heretical nature which deny Allah or
associate others with Him. The worship of stars and planets too
gladdens their heart, as do certain evil deeds - for example, preparing
a charm with the blood of a person killed unlawfully, or refusing to
adopt the prescribed modes of purifying one's body, or living
constantly and deliberately in a state of uncleanliness and impurity.
Just as the aid of the angels can be won only through those modes of
speech and action which they like (for example, remembrance of Allah,
fear of Him and obedience to His commandments, cleanliness and
purity, avoidance of all kinds of dirtiness, physical or otherwise, and
good deeds in general), similarly the co-operation of the devils can be
obtained through those modes of speech and action which are pleasant
to them. That is why only those are successful in the practice of black
magic who are habitually unclean and impure, avoid required
purification and remembrance of Allah, and are given to all kinds of
evil deeds - for example, it is usually during the period of
menstruation that women become effective in the practice of black
magic. So much for black magic or sorcery in the exact sense of the
term. As for sleights of hand, mesmerism, hypnotism, or the tricks of

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jugglers, they are sometimes described as magic only by an extension
of the meaning of the word, or metaphorically. (Ruh al-Ma'ani)
Kinds of Magic
In his "Mufradat al-Qur'an", Imam Raghib al-Isfahani says that
there are several kinds of magic. Firstly, there are sleights of hand,
like those of jugglers, which deceive the eyes of the onlookers, but have
no further substance. Then, there are ways of influencing the imagina-
tion of others through the concentration of one's own powers of
thought so that they begin to see or feel things which do not really ex-
ist as happens in mesmerism or hypnotism. Such a result is sometimes
obtained with the help of the devils (Shayatin) too. In speaking of the
magicians of the Pharaoh, the Holy Qur'an says: CETTE:"They
cast a spell on the eyes of the people" (7:116). Or, in another place:
C& J !: "Through their magic Moses came to think that they
(ropes turned into serpents) were running about" (20:66). Obviously,
this piece of magic had to do with influencing of the imagination. The
second of these verses employs a verb which has the same root as the
noun Khayal (thought), and hence clearly states that the ropes and the
wands cast down by the magicians had neither turned serpents nor
made any movement, but the imagination of Sayyidna Musa (Moses
>lue ) had been affected so as to see them running about in the
shape of serpents. The Holy Qur'an also indicates the other way of in-
fluencing men's imaginations which involves the help of the devils
(Shayatin):"
هَل ◌ُنِئْكُمُ عَلى مَنْ تَزِّلُ الْتَّبْطِيُّهُ تَُّ عَلَى كُلِّ أَفٍَ أَنِ
Shall I tell you on whom the devils descend? They descend on
all those who are slanderers and sinners." (26:222)
Still another kind of magic is that which can change the very
nature of a thing - for example, turning a man into a beast or into a
stone. Scholars like Imam Raghib al-Isfahani and Abu Bakr al-Jașļāș
deny that magic can totally change the nature of a thing, but confine
the efficacy of magic only to influencing the imagination and to
deceiving the eyes of the onlookers. This is also what the Mu'tazilah
thought of the matter. But most of the scholars hold that neither the
Shari'ah nor any rational argument forbids the possibility of

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 102 - 103
trans-substantiation or the changing of one thing into another, like a
living body turning into a stone. As for the well-known principle of the
classical philosophers that the change of the "essences" (Haqa'iq) is not
possible, it concerns the "essences" of the three categories - the
Impossible, the Possible and the Necessary -- , for, rationally speaking,
it just cannot be that something impossible should become possible, or
that something possible should become impossible. And as to the Holy
Qur'an putting down the magic of the Egyptian sorcerers as only an
impact on the imagination, it does not necessarily mean that all the
forms of magic should be no more than an influencing of the
imagination. Moreover, certain scholars have seen an argument in
favour of the possibility of trans-substantiation through magic in a
saying of Ka'b al-Ahbar, reported by Imam Malik in his Muwatta' on
the authority of Qa'qa' ibn Hakim: "Were it not for these phrases
which I recite regularly, the Jews would have changed me into a
donkey." "A donkey" is, no doubt, a usual metaphor for "a fool." But it
is not proper to turn away, unecessarily, from the literal meaning to a
metaphorical one. So, the sentence means just what it says - that if
the recitation of the phrases had not protected him, the Jewish
sorcerers would have changed him into a donkey. The saying, thus,
establishes two things. Firstly, it is possible to change a man into a
donkey; secondly, the phrases he used to recite had the property of
making the magic of the sorcerers lose its efficacy. On being asked
what these phrases were, the scholar Ka'b al-Ahbar taught his
listeners the following words of prayer:
اعوذ بالله العظيم الذى ليس بشئ أعظم منه وبكلمات اللّه التّامّات التی
لا يجاوز هن برّ ولا فاجر وباسماء الله الحسنى كلها ما علمت منها ومالم
اعلم من شرّما خلق وبرء وذرء . (اخرجه فى المؤطا باب التعوذ عندالنوم)
"I seek the protection of Allah the Great, greater than whom
there is none; and I seek the protection of the perfect words of
Allah which no man, virtuous or wicked, can even transcend;
and I seek the protection of all the Beautiful Names of Allah,
those of them which I know and those which I do not know,
from the evil of everything which Allah has created, to which

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He has given existence, and which He has spread (over the
earth or the universe)."
To sum up, all the three forms of magic are possible, and can
manifest themselves in actual fact.
Miracles
Now, let us turn to another important aspect of the question.
Through prophets and saints certain events come into manifestation
which normally and habitually never happen, and are hence
designated as Kharq al-'Adah (contrary to the habitual). The Islamic
term for the miracles of prophets is Mu'jizat, and for those of saints,
Karamat. The effects produced by such miracles are in appearance
sometimes similar to those produced by magic. This external
resemblance leads some ignorant people to confuse the one with the
other, and they begin to have a reverence for magicians which is
totally out of place. So, one must understand the difference between
the two clearly.26
26. Editorial Note on uru :Mu'jizah or Miracle: For all the unusual
events and unprecedented happenings the English language has but
one word, 'Miracle' which makes it impossible for the reader in that
language to mark the subtle difference in various forms of miracles.
Briefly, therefore, the different forms of miracles with their distinct
objections are explained here. It is hoped that this will help the readers
have a clearer conception of Mu'jizah.
These terms are used in Arabic language to define and differentiate
the unprecedented happenings and here each of them is explained, so as
to clearly differentiate them. Qualitatively, there is, apparently no
difference in all of them.
Mu'jizah is the unusual event which occurs at the hands of a prophet.
It is purely an act of Allah. A prophet's own volition has no part in the
working of it. For those who witness a Mu'jizah it is compulsory to believe
in it.
Karamah (Lis) -- another mode of unusual happenings -- is also an act
of Allah; it appears at the hands of a Man of Allah (Aus). The basic
difference in Mu'jizah and Karamah is that one who performs Mu'jizah,
addresses himself as a prophet, a Man of Allah has no such claim. In
both Mu'jizah and Karamah the usual cause and effect link is absent.
Things happen but without any cause; and there is usually a total
transformation of the nature and behaviour of objects in Mu'jizah and
Karamah. What is required is a generalized belief in them. Allah chooses
whoever He wills for Mu'jizah and Karamah. No degree of stringent
discipline can give the power to make the unusual happen.
Continued

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The Difference between Miracle and Magic
The miracles of prophets and saints are different from magic,
firstly, in their respective natures, and, secondly, with regard to the
signs and indications attendant upon each. As for the difference in
their natures, it lies in the fact that the results produced through
magic depend on the law of causality as much as do the ordinary and
usual events in the physical world, the only distinction being that the
causes are in the latter case quite clear or easily observable, while in
the former they are different for a common man to detect. Where the
causes are evident, the effects are immediately referred back to them,
and the events thus produced are not considered to be astonishing, but
where the causes are hidden or obscure, the events produced by them
arouse wonder and amazement, and those who are ignorant of the
causes readily come to believe that the things have happened in
contravention of the habitual laws of the physical universe.27 What
these people do not realize is that such happenings are as much due to
certain causes as the habitual events - the cause in the case of
extraordinary happenings often being the activity of a jinn or a devil
(Shaytan). For example, a letter suddenly falls in front of a man, and
on reading it he finds that the letter has been written just this day and
is coming from a distance of ten thousand miles. Now, the onlookers
would call it a "supernatural" event, for they do not know that Allah
has given the power of doing such things to jinns and devils. Once one
Continued
Irhas ( 0,1 ) is also a kind of Karamah. It heralds the coming of a
prophet. It usually occurs at the hands of the one who is closely related
to the prophet: the unprecedented happenings in the the life of Mariam,
mother of prophet 'Isa >JI ale or the various unusual events that began
occurring to and around Aminah -- the blessed mother of our Holy
Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ; for instance, she had no pangs of birth, towards
the close of the birth period she used to hear stranger voices greeting
her, although she saw no one. It is compulsory to believe in such events
of Irhas as have been mentioned in the Qur'an and believe in a general
manner, that Irhas is usually associated with the coming of a prophet.
27. In the West, they describe such events as being "supernatural",
although the Latin word Natura, which is the equivalent of the Greek
word Phusis, does, at least in its original sense, cover all that has been
created, whether it lies in the domain studied by empirical science or
beyond it.

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comes to understand the means through which things of this nature
take place, one would no longer see them as "supernatural", or even as
being contrary to "habit". In short, all the results obtained through
magical practices are, in fact, due to the operation of physical causes,
but in the eyes of common people they acquire the illusory appearance
of "supernatural" events, simply because the operative causes are
hidden from them.
On the other hand, miracles happen directly under divine
command without the intervention of physical causes. For example,
the Holy Qur'an tells us how the tyrant Namrud (Nimrod) threw
Sayyidna Ibrahim (Abraham >JIe ) into a blazing fire, and how
Allah commanded the fire to grow cold for him, but not so cold as to do
him harm -- and the fire obeyed the command, and, instead of
scorching him, provided a place of safety. This was a direct divine act,
and hence a miracle. Now, we sometimes hear of men who, having
applied certain chemicals to their body, can enter a fire without being
scorched. This is not a miracle, for the operative cause is of a physical
nature - that is, the chemicals. These chemicals are not known to
people in general, and they are deluded into believing such a
performance to be a "supernatural" event going beyond the realm of
"the habitual". The Holy Qur'an itself leaves no doubt as to a miracle
being directly an act of Allah Himself. In the Battle of Badr, the Holy
Prophet & took up a handful of pebbles, and threw them at the army
of the infidels, which blinded their eyes. Referring to this miracle, the
Holy Qur'an says:وَمَا رَمَيْتَ إِذْرَمَيْتَ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ رَمى :"When you threw (the
pebbles), it was not you who threw, but Allah who threw (them)"
(8:17). The statement is explicit enough, and means that the
miraculous result produced by a handful of pebbles was not the work
of the Holy Prophet , but the act of Allah Himself.
Miracle and Magic: How to distinguish between them?
Having explained the difference between the nature of a miracle
and that of magic, we must now turn to another important question --
the results produced by each of them being in appearance the same,
how is the common man to know the difference between the two? In
fact, Allah has given to each certain characteristic features which can
help the common man to distinguish miracles from magic. Firstly,

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miracles are manifested through those whom everyone knows to be
clean in body, pure in deeds and God-fearing. On the contrary, magic
shows its effectiveness through those who are unclean in body, dirty in
deeds, shunning the worship of Allah and His remembrance. This is a
distinction which everyone can observe with his own eyes. Secondly,
Allah has so ordained things that if a man pretends to be a prophet
and claims to perform miracles, and yet tries to practise magic, his
magic is never effective, but he can be effective in magic so long as he
does not lay a claim to prophethood.
Magic and Prophets
As to the question whether magic can have an effect on prophets,
we shall say that it can. As we have explained above, magic operates
through physical causes, and prophets are not immune to the
influence of physical causes. Just as they feel the effects of hunger and
thirst, fall ill and get healed through the operation of apparent
physical causes, in the same way they can be affected by the hidden
operations of magic, which are no less physical. Let us add that being
affected by magic does in no way go against the dignity of the station
of prophethood -- no more than would thirst or hunger. Authentic
ahadith report that the Holy Prophet was affected by the magic
spell cast by the Jews, that he came to know of it through revelation,
and that he took certain measures to free himself of its effects. The
Holy Qur'an too tells us how Sayyidna Musa (Moses >JI- )
experienced the effects of magic when the sorcerers cast a spell on his
eyes, and the ropes and the sticks thrown by them began to look like
running serpents, so that he was really frightened (20:66,67).
Injunctions of the Shari'ah with regard to Magic
As we have already said, Sihr (magic), in the terminology of the
Holy Qur'an and the Hadith, refers only to those practices in which
one seeks the help of jinns and devils (Shayatin) by gaining their
pleasure through the adoption of certain phrases or actions that
involve infidelity (Kufr) and association (Shirk) or sin and
transgression, and thus brings about certain extraordinary and
unusual events. The magic of Babylon, mentioned in the Holy Qur'an,
was just this, and it is this form of magic which it condemns as
infidelity or Kufr (Jassās). According to Abu Mansur, the most valid and
correct view in this respect is that each and every form of magic does

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not, unconditionally and absolutely, constitute infidelity, but only that
form which employs actions or speech contrary to the tenets of faith
('Īman). (Ruh al-Ma'ani)
As everyone knows, the Holy Qur'an and the Hadith repeatedly
enjoin upon the Muslims to consider the Shayatin as one's enemies, to
hate them and to curse them. Seeking to please them and to win their
friendship, in contravention of such clear commandments, is in itself a
sin. Moreover, they are pleased only when one indulges in Kufr
(infidelity) or Shirk (association), and thus forfeits one's faith ('Iman)
altogether, or at least in disobedience and transgression, displeasing
Allah and His angels by wallowing in dirt and impurity -- which
becomes an additional sin. And if one makes use of magic for doing
some harm to a human being unlawfully, it is still one more sin.
Thus, what the Holy Qur'an and the Hadith call Sihr can never be
free either of infidelity in the matter of faith, or at least of infidelity in
the matter of actions. If, in order to please the Shayatin, one adopts
actions or speech involving infidelity or association, one would be
committing an act of real infidelity in the matter of faith; and even if
one manages to avoid infidelity and association in speech or action,
but indulges in other sinful activities, one would not remain free from
infidelity in the matter of actions. This is what the Holy Qur'an
means when, in the present verses, it designates magic as Kufr.
To sum up, when magic employs actions or speech involving
infidelity (such as seeking the help of Shayatin, or believing the stars
and the planets to be effective in themselves, or claiming prophethood
by presenting the results of magical procedures as miracles, etc), such
a magic, according to the consensus, constitutes infidelity; and when
magic does not involve acts of infidelity but only the commission of
sinful acts, such a magic is a major sin.
Now, let us add some subsidiary injunctions with regard to magic.
(1) Since magic is not usually free from infidelity in the matter of faith
or in that of action, it necessarily follows that it is forbidden to
learn or teach or practice it. Some jurists, however, allow one to
learn magic for the purpose of protecting Muslims from harm, but
one must not try to learn more than is necessary.

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(2) If in preparing charms and amulets the help of Jinns and Shayatin
has been sought, they too come under the category of Sihr, and are
thus forbidden. If the words employed in the charms are vague,
and one does not exactly know what they mean but suspects that
they are invocations addressed to idols or Shayatin, even such
charms are forbidden.
(3) As for the other forms of magic beside the Sihr, like that of
Babylon, condemned by the Holy Qur'an and the Hadith, if they
involve Kufr and Shirk in some way, they too are forbidden.
(4) If there is a form of magic which employs words or actions or other
elements to which the Shari'ah does not object, then it is
permissible on condition that it is not used for a purpose which the
Shari'ah forbids.
(5) It is permissible to use the verses of the Holy Qur'an, or the Divine
Names or the words of the Hadith in preparing charms and
amulets, or as a recitation or invocation for gaining divine help in
order to attain a desired end. But if such a use of the sacred texts
or words is made for a reprehensible purpose, like doing harm to
someone without an excuse, even that is forbidden. (Shami, Fatawa Qadi
Khăn)
A doctrinal point
Verse 102 says: "They could not thus do any harm to anyone,
except with the permission of Allah". This shows that causes in
themselves and by themselves cannot produce the effects one usually
associates with them, and it is Allah who creates the effects as much
as the causes. (Bayan al-Qur'an)
Verse 104
يَآَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ امَنُؤَّا لَا تَقُوْلُوا رَاِنَا وَقُوُلُوا انْظُرُنَا وَاسْمَعُوراه
وَلِلْكُفِرِيْنَ عَذَابٌ أَلِيُمُّ
O those who believe, do not say "Ra'ina", but say
"Unzurna", and listen. And for the unbelievers there is a
grievous punishment. (Verse 104)
Among other perversities, some of the Jews invented a new
mischief. When they presented themselves before the Holy Prophet

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, they would address him with the word Ra'ina, which, in Arabic,
means "be mindful of us", but is, in Hebrew, a curse. The latter is
what they intended, but the Arabs, not knowing Hebrew, could not see
the point, and some Muslims too, with the Arabic sense of the word in
mind, began to address the Holy Prophet & in the same manner to the
great glee of the Jews who had thus found a way of insulting him
openly, and had even tricked the Muslims into joining them. In order
to frustrate the design of the Jews, the Holy Qur'an commands the
Muslims to use the word Unzurna instead of Ra'ina, for the meanings
of the two words are the same in Arabic. The verse also announces a
dire punishment to the Jews for showing disrespect to the Holy
Prophet y and for trying to be clever with him.
The verse describes the insolent Jews as K firin (infidels), which
means that being intentionally disrespectful t
rds a prophet even in
an indirect manner constitutes infidelity.
The verse shows that if a perfectly legitimate action on one's part
provides room for others to commit illegitimate actions, even the
legitimate action no longer remains lawful for one. For example, if a
permissible action on the part of a scholar is likely to lead the ignorant
into error and to induce them to do impermissible things, that
permissible action will then become forbidden for him, provided that
the action concerned is not essential according to the Shari'ah and is
not included among its objects. The Holy Qur'an and the Hadith
provide many instances of this nature. For example, before the advent
of Islam the Quraysh had, in rebuilding the Ka'bah, made certain
modifications in the design set by Sayyidna Ibrahim (Abraham de
JI). A hadith reports that the Holy Prophet A wished to demolish
the present structure, and to build it again according to the Abrahamic
pattern, but he did not do so, for such an action could have led
ignorant people into misunderstanding and error.
In the vocabulary of the Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence, such
injunctions are described as still. : Sadd al-Dhara'i: "removing the
means (to error)" and are accepted by all the jurists -- those of the
Hanbali school being very particular about them. (Qurțubi)
Verse 105
مَا يَدُّ الَّذِيْنَ كَفَرُواْ مِنْ آَهُلِ الْكِتْبِ وَلَا الْرِكِيْنَ آَن ◌ُنَزَّلَ

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 105
عَلَيْكُمْ بِنْ خَيْرٍ مِنْ تَّتِكُمْ وَاللهُ يَخْتَصُ بِرَحُمَتِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ«
وَاللَّهُ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ )
Those who disbelieve from among the people of the
Book, or idolaters, do not like that any good should
come to you from your Lord. But Allah chooses for His
grace whom He wills. And Allah is the Lord of great
bounty. (Verse 105)
The previous verse told us how the Jews behaved towards the
Holy Prophet ; the present verse speaks of their behaviour towards
Muslims in general. Some of the Jews used to assure the Muslims of
their sincerity towards them, and to pretend that they would very
much have liked the Muslims to have received from Allah religious
doctrines and commandments superior to what they themselves had
received, so that they too could accept them, but unfortunately Islam
did not seem to be a better religion. The Holy Qur'an refutes their
claim to be the well-wishers of the Muslims, and declares that the
infidels, whether they be the Jews or the associators, are so jealous of
Muslims that they can never like the idea of their receiving from Allah
any kind of blessing whatsoever. Of course, this jealousy can do no
harm to the Muslims, for Allah is Beneficent and All-Powerful, and
can shower his special blessings on whomsoever He chooses.
These Jews used to make two claims -- firstly, that Judaism was a
better religion than Islam; secondly, that they were the well-wishers of
the Muslims. They could not establish the first of these claims on the
basis of any valid argument, and it remained an empty assertion.
Moreover, the difference between Islam and Judaism does not
primarily depend on the question of one being better than the other.
For, when something new comes to abrogate something older, the
latter is automatically given up -- and Allah has sent Islam to
abrogate all the earlier religions. The fact being so obvious, the Holy
Qur'an says nothing in refutation of the first claim, and takes up only
the second. The mushrikin (associators) have been mentioned here
along with the Jews for the sake of emphasis, and to point out that
Jews cannot be the well-wishers of Muslims any more than mushrikin
can -- the two being alike in their hatred of Muslims.

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 106 - 107
Verses 106 - 107
مَا نَنْسَخُ مِنْ أَلِةٍ أَوْنُنْسِهَا نَأْتِ بِخَيْرٍ مِنُّهَا أَوُ مِثْلِهَاءَلَمْ تَعْلَمُ
أَنَّ اللّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْئٍ قَدِيُّه ◌َلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَهُ مُلُكُ
السَّمُوتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَمَا لَّكُمْ ◌ِنُ دُوْنِ اللّهِ مِنْ وَلِيٍ وَلَا نَصِيْرٍ!
Whenever We abrogate a verse or cause it to be forgot-
ten, We bring one better than it or one equal to it. Do
you not know that Allah is powerful over everything? Do
you not know that to Allah alone belongs the kingdom of
the heavens and the earth? And, you have none, other
than Allah, to protect or help you. (Verses 106 - 107)
At first, Muslims used to pray with their faces turned towards the
Baytul-Maqdis at Jerusalem; later on, Allah commanded them to turn
towards the Ka'bah. Similarly, certain other injunctions were abrogat-
ed altogether, or replaced by others. This provided the Jews and some
of the associators too with an occasion to taunt the Muslims, and to
say that such changes were made by the Holy Prophet himself and
not by Allah. Their purpose was to sow the seed of doubt in the mind
of the Muslims with regard to the Holy Qur'an being a book revealed
by Allah. They used to argue that if everything that Allah revealed
was good, as the Muslims affirmed, why should one injunction be re-
placed by another? For, it would only mean that one of the two injunc-
tions must be good, and the other evil, but no divine revelation can
possibly be evil. Putting these two premises together, the Jews tried to
draw the conclusion that the Holy Qur'an could not be a revealed
book.
The present verse refutes this line of argument, and, in effect,
points out that abrogation does not mean replacing good with evil, or
vice versa, which should imply the possibility of the presence of evil in
divine revelation, but that everything that Allah reveals to His
prophets is good, and that what has been abrogated is good as much as
what abrogated it.
The verse declares that if Allah chooses to abrogate an injunction
contained in a certain verse, while retaining the verse itself as a part
of the Holy Qur'an, or chooses to remove a verse from the memories of

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Surah Al-Baqarah 2 : 106 - 107
men altogether, there is nothing objectionable in it, for Allah alone
knows the wisdom that lies in His choice, and He makes these changes
for the good of men. In fact, He always sends another verse or
injunction better than, or at least equal to, what He has abrogated.
Allah being omnipotent and omniscient, He possesses the authority to
change His commandments as He likes, and He also knows what is
good for men at a particular time, and makes these changes according
to this knowledge. Men have no friend or helper except Allah. As
friend, Allah keeps their good in view while laying down injunctions.
As helper, He protects those who obey His commandments against the
hostility of their foes - but if the obedient are to receive blessings in
the other world greater than the harm they have to suffer in this
world, the apparent domination of their foes does not really matter.
What is Naskh? (Abrogation)
Verse 106 speaks of Allah abrogating certain verses, or making
men forget certain others. The first phrase of the verse, thus covers all
the possible forms in which a verse of the Qur'an can be abrogated.
The Arabic word in the text is Naskh, which has two lexical meanings -
- (1) to write, and (2) to abolish, to repeal. According to the consensus
of all the commentators, the word has been employed in this verse in
the second sense -- that is, the repeal or abrogation of an injunction.
So, in the terminology of the Holy Qur'an and the Hadith, Naskh (¿)
signifies the promulgation of an injunction in place of another --
whether the later injunction merely consists in the repeal of the earli-
er or, substitutes a new regulation in its place. The other form of
Naskh mentioned in this verse is that sometimes Allah made the Holy
Prophet and the blessed Companions forget a certain verse alto-
gether. The commentators have cited several instances of this kind of
Naskh, and the purpose in such cases has usually been to repeal a cer-
tain regulation.
The kinds of abrogation
Making laws and repealing them to promulgate new ones in their
stead is a regular and well-known practice in human governments and
institutions. But in the case of man-made laws abrogation takes place
sometimes because the law-makers do not understand the situation
properly while making a certain law, and have to change it when they

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realize their mistakes, and sometimes because when a law is promul-
gated, it is in accord with the prevailing situation, but when quite un-
foreseen changes alter the situation, the law too has to be changed.
But these two forms of abrogation are out of the question in the case of
divine injunctions.
There is, however, a third form too. The lawmaker makes a law,
knowing fully well that the circumstances are going to change in such
a way that the law will no longer be suitable for the new situation; so,
when the situation changes as he already knew, he changes the law
too, and promulgates a new one which he had thought of at the very
start. For example, a physician prescribes a medicine for a patient in
view of his present conditions, but he knows that when the patient has
been using it for two days, his condition will change and require a new
medicine -- with this realization, he prescribes a medicine suitable for
that day, but two days later, when circumstances have changed, he
prescribes a new one. The physician can easily give the patient
written instructions for the whole course of the treatment, with all the
changes in the medicines duly indicated. But this would be putting
too much burden on the already feeble patient, and there would also
be the danger of some harm through a possible error or
misunderstanding.
This is the only form of abrogation which can occur, and has been
occurring in divine injunctions and in divine books. Every new
Shari'ah and every new revealed Book has been abrogating many
injunctions of the earlier Shari'ah and of the earlier Book. Similarly,
within the same Shari'ah, too, it has always happened that a certain
law was in force for a time, but Divine Wisdom chose to abrogate it
and to promulgate another in its place. A hadith reported by Muslim
says: لم تكن نبوة قط الا تناسخت :"There has never been a prophethood which
did not abrogate some injunctions." This is a principle which it should
not be difficult to understand. It was only some malicious and
ignorant Jews who confused the divine abrogation of injunctions with
the two forms of the repeal of man-made laws, and began, in their
impudence, to taunt the Holy Prophet @ - in reply to which, as we
have said, these two verses were revealed. (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir etc.)
As for the Muslims, it was probably in their desire to avoid giving
occasion to the enemies of Islam for such taunts that some from among