The Islamic Ruling on Magic and Magicians

The seventh kind of apostasy is magic, the practice of magicians. It is two types: genuine and illusionary.

The first type, genuine magic, consists of the magician blowing on tied knots, murmuring phrases and words over them, seeking assistance from the devils within these words, the hanging of charms, and writing the names of devils on talismans. This is what genuine
magic is, and it is something that has an effect on the targeted person, either by him being killed, becoming sick, or his mind being affected.

The second type, illusionary magic, is when things are manipulated in a way that causes someone to think that what he sees is actually that way, while it is not true. A man is made to think that the magician has done the following things:

* He turned a rock turned into an animal;

* He killed someone and then brought him back to life, by cutting his head off and then replacing it;

* He pulled a car along by his hair or teeth;

* A car ran him over and did not harm him;

* He entered into a fire;

* He ate fire;

* He stabbed himself with some piece of iron;

* He stabbed himself in the eye with an iron skewer;

* Or that he ate a piece of glass.

All of these are kinds of fake tricks that have no truth in them, and they are like the magic of Fir'awn's magicians. Allah, the Most High, has said:

"He (Moosaa) was made to believe from their magic that they (the magicians' sticks) were (snakes) moving about."

[4] And Allah, the Most High, has said:

"They put magic on the eyes of the people and sought to frighten them."

[5]This is illusionary magic

[6]. They call it al-qamrah, a trick that the magician does to the people's eyes. When the qamrah wears off, things return to their normal states.

Magic is disbelief, and the proof is the statement of Allah, the Most High:

"However, the devils disbelieved, teaching the people magic."

[7] Both learning and teaching magic are disbelief in Allah, the Mighty and Majestic. It is also one of the kinds of apostasy. The magician is an apostate. If he was first a believer and then practiced magic, then he has apostated from the Religion of Islam

[8]. He is to be killed without requesting him to repent according to some of the scholars, since if he repented openly, he is known as a person who deceives the people, and the knowledge of magic would still remain in his heart even after
he has repented.

Allah the Majestic and Exalted sent down two angels from the heavens, teaching the people magic, as a trial and a test for the people

[9]. When they came to those who desired to learn magic, they advised
them, saying to them:
"We are merely a tribulation, so do not disbelieve."

[7]Meaning: "Do not learn magic." So this proves that learning magic is disbelief.