Muslim and Sufi: magic in this belief world

Ruqyah, the talisman, the djinn, and the debate over what Islam permits.

In Islam, the Quran is held to be a source of protection and healing, and the faith has a long, debated relationship with talismans, amulets, the djinn and divination. The practice of ruqyah, Quranic recitation for protection or relief, is widely accepted when it uses the Quran and prayer alone. This page covers the range of practice, from Sufi shrines to Salafi critics, and the legal and social stakes. Practice varies from country to country, and between Sunni, Shia and Sufi communities.

What is accepted

Muslim scholars generally accept supplication and recitation of the Quran and the prophetic prayers for protection. The existence of the djinn, beings of smokeless fire, is stated in the Quran, and the evil eye is mentioned in hadith. Protection from the eye and from harm by recitation is common, and recitation for sickness is a regular practice of both laity and imams. The Quran's last two chapters, the Mu'awwidhatayn, are widely recited for protection, and many Muslims keep a Quranic verse in the home or the car.

What is disputed

Writing verses on amulets, using names and letter squares as in the sciences of huruf and awfaq, consulting astrologers, and visiting shrines for intercession divide scholars. Salafi and reformist movements condemn such practices as shirk, associating others with God. Sufi traditions and many popular practices defend them. The Maghreb has a long tradition of written talismans, and West African marabouts supply them. The djinn are discussed by scholars such as Ibn Taymiyya, and by popular preachers, and many Muslims believe that possession by a djinn can occur and that recitation is the proper response.

Law and punishment

Treatment of sorcery varies. In Saudi Arabia, people have been executed for sorcery or witchcraft, and the law there treats it as a serious crime. Elsewhere, courts prosecute fraudulent healers, and in Indonesia and Malaysia the bomoh and dukun are both consulted and criticised. Women are often healers, clients and accused, though men hold most formal religious authority. Many Muslims, especially in South Asia, West Africa, Indonesia and Turkey, visit tombs of saints to ask for help, while others, including Salafis and many modernists, regard this as wrong.

Diaspora and the market

Muslim communities in Europe and North America run ruqyah services, and websites sell talismans. Some exploit the fear of djinn or the evil eye, charging high sums, and abuse in the name of exorcism has been reported in several countries. Scholars note that practice differs sharply by region, class and school of thought. Some Muslims also see the line between permitted and forbidden as clear in principle but hard to keep in daily practice, and think that what matters is that practice does not replace worship of God alone.

Muslim and Sufi on EveryJaadu

The entries written up so far, best known first.

RegionSouth Asia Southeast Asia East Asia Central Asia and the Caucasus Middle East North Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Europe North America Latin America and the Caribbean Oceania

KindTradition Rite Charm Oracle Substance Being Figure Text Illusion Belief

PurposeProtection Healing Seeing and foretelling Luck and prosperity Love and attraction Cursing and harm Cleansing and purification Speaking with spirits and the dead Change and initiation Binding and oaths Power and authority Wonder and entertainment

WhoShamans Folk healers Priests and ritual specialists Witches, sorcerers and cunning folk Diviners and readers Mediums and the possessed Ceremonial magicians and alchemists Households and ordinary people Stage magicians Scholars and sceptics

OccasionWeddings and betrothal Festivals Birth and childhood Death and remembrance Harvest, farming and weather New year Initiation and coming of age Illness and misfortune Journeys and voyages Everyday use

StandingLiving Revived Fading Historical Legendary Performed

OrderBest known A to Z Newest Living first

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreMantraमन्त्रम् A sacred sound or phrase repeated to focus the mind and invoke spiritual powerText · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living

🇹🇴 Tonga and 5 moreTabootapu A cultural prohibition that marks something as forbidden or sacredBelief · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇳🇬 Nigeria and 1 moreBoriBòòríí A traditional Hausa spirit possession system and healing practice in West AfricaTradition · Healing · Luck and prosperity Living

🇲🇦 Morocco and 1 moreGnawa musicڭْناوة or كْناوة Moroccan ritual music blending West African heritage with Islamic practice for healing and tranceTradition · Healing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreRelic An object or body part kept to honor a holy person and mark their connection to the divineCharm · Protection · Healing Living

🇵🇸 Palestine and 1 moreRachel's TombQever Raḥel; Qabr Rāḥīl A shared holy site near Bethlehem revered by Jews, Christians, and MuslimsTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Protection Living

🇵🇭 PhilippinesPhilippine mythology The indigenous myths and spirits of the Philippines, shaped by centuries of trade and colonial contact.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living

🇩🇲 Dominica and 1 morePrayer beads Beaded strings used to count prayers and mantras across many world religionsSubstance · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreIbn Arabiمحيي الدين أبو عبد الله محمد بن علي بن عربي الحاتمي الطائي A medieval Andalusian mystic and philosopher whose teachings shaped Sufi metaphysics across the Islamic world.Text · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Change and initiation Living

🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreSacred dance Movement used in worship to honour deities, heal communities, or connect with the spirit world.Tradition · Protection · Healing Living

🇸🇳 Senegal and 5 moreMaraboutmurābiṭ A Muslim religious leader and teacher in West Africa, often linked to Sufi brotherhoods.Tradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇮🇳 India and 5 morePilgrimage A journey to a sacred site for spiritual growth or religious dutyTradition · Healing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇮🇩 Indonesia and 4 moreKejawènꦏꦗꦮꦺꦤ꧀ (Kajawèn) A Javanese tradition blending animism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam into a path of inner harmony.Tradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 1 moreDhikrذِكْر Islamic remembrance of God through repeated recitation and prayerRite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living

🇮🇳 India and 3 moreSpirit An invisible force or soul found in many cultures, linked to gods, humans, and nature.Being · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living

🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago and 4 moreTrinidad Orisha A syncretic Afro-Caribbean faith blending Yoruba spirit work with Christian and other traditions in Trinidad.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Healing Living

🇮🇱 Israel and 4 moreAngelמלאך A supernatural messenger or intermediary spirit found in many religious traditions.Being · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Protection Living 🇮🇳 India and 5 moreWestern Sufism Adaptations of Islamic mysticism in Europe and North AmericaTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living

🇹🇷 Turkey and 3 moreSufi whirlingSemazen A spinning meditation practiced by Sufi dervishes to reach spiritual connection with Allah.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Love and attraction Living

🇮🇳 IndiaFakirفقير An Islamic ascetic who seeks spiritual neediness and devotion to God.Tradition · Power and authority · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreTariqaطريقة A Sufi spiritual path and the community that follows itTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Change and initiation Living 🇬🇧 United KingdomUwaisiأُوَيْس A Sufi method of spiritual transmission between master and disciple without physical contact.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living 🇮🇱 IsraelShekhinahשְׁכִינָה The divine presence of God dwelling among people in Jewish and Islamic thoughtBelief · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living

🇮🇳 IndiaChillaچله A forty-day solitary retreat of fasting and meditation in Sufi traditionRite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living 🇾🇪 Yemen and 1 moreSimthud Durarسمط الدّرر A poem praising the Prophet Muhammad, recited in ritual gatherings across the Indian Ocean.Text · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇹🇷 TurkeyKhirqaخرقه An initiatory cloak in Sufism that passes spiritual lineage and blessings from teacher to student.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living

🇩🇿 AlgeriaHezzabحزّاب A Quran reciter who leads daily collective chanting in Algerian mosques.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇩🇿 AlgeriaMawsimموسم Annual Maghrebi festival blending Sufi veneration with social and economic gatheringTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Luck and prosperity Living

🇲🇦 Morocco and 1 moreTweezaتويزة A North African Sufi tradition of communal labor and mutual aidTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇮🇷 Iran and 2 moreSuperstitions in Muslim societies Beliefs in supernatural forces and charms found across the Islamic worldTradition · Protection · Healing Living 🇩🇿 AlgeriaWezeeaوَزِيعَة A Kabyle custom of communal slaughter and meat sharing for social solidarityRite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Luck and prosperity Living 🇮🇳 IndiaTawajjuh A Sufi practice of transmitting spiritual energy from a master to a studentTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living

🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreKhidrالخضر A Qur'anic guide and saint believed to hold hidden wisdom and aid those in need.Being · Seeing and foretelling · Power and authority Living

🇹🇷 Turkey and 2 moreHadraحضرة A collective Sufi ritual of remembrance and chanting to experience Divine PresenceRite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 2 moreNa'atنعت Urdu and Bengali verses praising the Islamic prophet MuhammadText · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living

🇩🇿 Algeria and 5 moreZawiyaزاوية A Sufi building and institution for worship, education, and community life in the Islamic world.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Healing Living

🇹🇷 Turkey and 4 moreSufi whirlingSemazen A spinning meditation practiced by Sufi dervishes to reach spiritual connection through music and movement.Rite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Change and initiation Living

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Mantra: Markrosenrosen, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Tagalog religion: The original uploader was Rodsan18 at English Wikipedia . ( Original t, CC BY 2.5, source
Sunda Wiwitan: Greenland4, Public domain, source
Bed of nails: Herbert Ponting, Public domain, source
Prayer beads: ja:利用者:pack372sd, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Egungun: Ìṣẹ̀ṣeAssembly, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Ibn Arabi: Omar.Hafez, CC0, source
Taboo: Jonathan McIntosh, CC BY 2.0, source
Bori: Tremearne, A. J. N. (Arthur John Newman), 1877-1915, Public domain, source
Marabout: Jan Broekhuijse, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Pilgrimage: Ali Mansuri, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Angel: Unknown author, CC0, source
Chilla: Indischer Maler um 1630, Public domain, source
Khirqa: Unknown author, CC0, source
Hezzab: Elph, Public domain, source
Mawsim: Beghdadi Walid, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Tweeza: Demeester, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Superstitions in Muslim societies: Unknown author, CC0, source
Gnawa music: Lucyin, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Relic: MathieuGuy, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Spirit: Jastrow, Public domain, source
Sacred dance: Jorge Barrios, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Khidr: Unknown author, Public domain, source
Dhikr: Eugène Baugnies, Public domain, source
Rachel's Tomb: Lane-Poole, Stanley, Public domain, source
Hadra: Zeinebtakouti, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Sama: myself, Public domain, source
Zawiya: Schneders, CC BY-SA 4.0, source