Muslim and Sufi magic and ritual

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.

Photo credits on this page

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

Lal Shahbaz Qalandar: Fassifarooq, CC BY-SA 4.0, source

Abu Ma'shar al-Balkhi: User:Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 3.0, source

Azazel: Louis Le Breton, Public domain, source

Curse of Ham: Ксенофонтов Иван Степанович. Ksenofóntov Iván Stepánovich (1817-1875), Public domain, source

Ahmad al-Buni: Khalili Collections, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo, source

Jabir ibn Hayyan: Unknown author, Public domain, source

Axis mundi: Unknown author, Public domain, source

Divine retribution: John Martin, Public domain, source

Alchemy in the medieval Islamic world: An Islamic artist 739H/1339, probably in Baghdad, Public domain, source

Cosmic egg: James Basire, 1730–1802 (engraver), Public domain, source

Talisman: Sasha India, CC BY 2.0, source

Yellow badge: Edited version of original photo by Rama, CC BY-SA 3.0, source

Muslim and Sufi: magic in this belief world