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EveryJaadu

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 AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
KindTraditionRiteCharmOracleSubstanceBeingFigureTextIllusionBelief
PurposeProtectionHealingSeeing and foretellingLuck and prosperityLove and attractionCursing and harmCleansing and purificationSpeaking with spirits and the deadChange and initiationBinding and oathsPower and authorityWonder and entertainment
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
OccasionWeddings and betrothalFestivalsBirth and childhoodDeath and remembranceHarvest, farming and weatherNew yearInitiation and coming of ageIllness and misfortuneJourneys and voyagesEveryday use
StandingLivingRevivedFadingHistoricalLegendaryPerformed
OrderBest knownA to ZNewestLiving first
馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey and 5 moreEvil eye A curse caused by an envious look and the charms used to block itBelief 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living 馃嚫馃嚘 Saudi Arabia and 5 moreIslamic exorcism乇賯賷丞 A rite to expel spirits through Quranic recitation and negotiationRite 路 Healing 路 Cleansing and purification Living 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreHamsa禺賲爻丞 A palm-shaped amulet used across North Africa and the Middle East for protection.Charm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living 馃嚨馃嚫 Palestine and 1 moreRachel's TombQever Ra岣l; Qabr R膩岣ツ玪 A shared holy site near Bethlehem revered by Jews, Christians, and MuslimsTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living 馃嚫馃嚘 Saudi Arabia and 1 moreDhikr匕賽賰賿乇 Islamic remembrance of God through repeated recitation and prayerRite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living 馃嚠馃嚪 Iran and 4 moreJinn噩賽賳賾 Supernatural beings in Islamic and pre-Islamic Arabian belief, capable of shapeshifting and living in society.Being 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living 馃嚜馃嚫 Spain and 5 moreIbn Arabi賲丨賷賷 丕賱丿賷賳 兀亘賵 毓亘丿 丕賱賱賴 賲丨賲丿 亘賳 毓賱賷 亘賳 毓乇亘賷 丕賱丨丕鬲賲賷 丕賱胤丕卅賷 A medieval Andalusian mystic and philosopher whose teachings shaped Sufi metaphysics across the Islamic world.Text 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Living 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreTalisman An object believed to channel specific forces for protection, healing, or influence.Charm 路 Protection 路 Healing Historical 馃嚠馃嚪 Iran and 2 moreBibliomancy Divination by opening a book at random and reading the first passage foundOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Living 馃嚠馃嚪 Iran and 2 moreDiv丿蹖賵 Monstrous creatures of Persian and West Asian lore, later adapted into Islamic and regional mythologiesBeing 路 Cursing and harm Legendary 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 3 moreGematria讙讬诪讟专讬讛 A numeric writing system that assigns numerical values to words and phrases for interpretation.Text 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Living 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreSacred dance Movement used in worship to honour deities, heal communities, or connect with the spirit world.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living 馃嚠馃嚪 Iran and 2 moreJabir ibn Hayyan噩丕亘賽乇 亘賽賳 丨賻賷賾丕賳 A legendary Islamic alchemist and philosopher whose writings shaped medieval magic and chemistryText 路 Power and authority 路 Wonder and entertainment Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreAzazel注讝讗讝诇 A desert place and fallen angel linked to the Yom Kippur scapegoat ritualFigure 路 Cursing and harm 路 Cleansing and purification Historical 馃嚬馃嚪 TurkeyHamsa (sample)Khamsa An open hand with an eye, hung on doors.Charm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 1 moreQareen賯乇賷賳 A spiritual companion or double assigned to every human in Islamic beliefBeing 路 Cursing and harm 路 Power and authority Living 馃嚠馃嚪 Iran and 4 moreAstrology in the medieval Islamic world毓賱賲 丕賱賳噩賵賲 (Ilm an-Nuj奴m) The study of celestial influences on earthly affairs within the medieval Islamic traditionTradition 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Historical 馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey and 1 moreTalismanic shirtt谋ls谋ml谋 g枚mlek A worn textile inscribed with sacred verses and symbols for protection in the Muslim worldCharm 路 Protection Historical 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreAmulet A portable object worn or carried to ward off harm and invite protection.Charm 路 Protection 路 Healing Living 馃嚠馃嚪 Iran士Ilm al-岣r奴f毓賽賱賿賲 丕賱賿丨購乇購賵賮 A system of Arabic numerology that assigns numerical values to letters to reveal hidden meanings in the Quran.Belief 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 4 moreAngel诪诇讗讱 A supernatural messenger or intermediary spirit found in many religious traditions.Being 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living 馃嚡馃嚨 Japan and 3 moreBahamut亘賴賲賵鬲 A cosmic fish or bull that supports the earth in medieval Islamic cosmographyBeing 路 Power and authority Legendary 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreSolomon's shamir砖指讈诪执讬专 A legendary worm or stone used to carve stone without iron toolsBeing 路 Power and authority Legendary 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreDivine retribution Supernatural punishment by a deity in response to anger or wrongdoingBelief 路 Cursing and harm Historical 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 4 moreAlchemy in the medieval Islamic world The study of matter and spirit by scholars in the early Islamic CaliphateTradition 路 Change and initiation 路 Power and authority Historical 馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 2 moreReligious restrictions on the consumption of pork A dietary rule found in several faiths that bars people from eating pig meat.Belief 路 Cleansing and purification Living 馃嚠馃嚩 Iraq and 3 moreUmayyad tradition of cursing Ali A state policy to denounce Ali during communal prayers under the Umayyad CaliphateRite 路 Cursing and harm 路 Binding and oaths Historical 馃嚫馃嚘 Saudi Arabia and 2 moreBay'ah亘賷毓丞 An oath of loyalty and obedience given to a political or spiritual leader in Islamic traditionRite 路 Binding and oaths 路 Power and authority Living 馃嚬馃嚪 TurkeyKhirqa禺乇賯賴 An initiatory cloak in Sufism that passes spiritual lineage and blessings from teacher to student.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living 馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelShekhinah砖职讈讻执讬谞指讛 The divine presence of God dwelling among people in Jewish and Islamic thoughtBelief 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living 馃嚠馃嚪 Iran and 5 moreKhidr丕賱禺囟乇 A Qur'anic guide and saint believed to hold hidden wisdom and aid those in need.Being 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Power and authority Living 馃嚞馃嚙 United KingdomUwaisi兀購賵賻賷賿爻 A Sufi method of spiritual transmission between master and disciple without physical contact.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreTariqa胤乇賷賯丞 A Sufi spiritual path and the community that follows itTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Living 馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey and 2 moreHadra丨囟乇丞 A collective Sufi ritual of remembrance and chanting to experience Divine PresenceRite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living 馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreMawlid賲賵賱丿 An annual festival commemorating the birth of the Prophet MuhammadTradition 路 Power and authority Living 馃嚜馃嚞 EgyptBarakah亘乇賰丞 A spiritual blessing power in Islam and Arabic ChristianityBelief 路 Protection 路 Power and authority Living 馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey and 4 moreSufi whirlingSemazen A spinning meditation practiced by Sufi dervishes to reach spiritual connection through music and movement.Rite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Living 馃嚲馃嚜 Yemen and 2 moreQueen of Sheba诪址诇职讻址旨转 砖职讈讘指讗 (Hebrew), 賲賱賰丞 爻亘兀 (Arabic), 釆曖實釄メ壈 釄翅墸 (Ge式ez) A legendary queen from ancient Arabia or Ethiopia who visited King Solomon.Figure Legendary 馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey and 3 moreSufi whirlingSemazen A spinning meditation practiced by Sufi dervishes to reach spiritual connection with Allah.Tradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Love and attraction Living 馃嚲馃嚜 Yemen and 1 moreSimthud Durar爻賲胤 丕賱丿賾乇乇 A poem praising the Prophet Muhammad, recited in ritual gatherings across the Indian Ocean.Text 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living 馃嚲馃嚜 Yemen士An膩q兀賳丕賯 亘賳鬲 丌丿賲 A monstrous daughter of Adam in Islamic extra-Quranic traditionFigure 路 Cursing and harm Historical

Photo credits on this page

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

The weekly digest

Every Monday: seven entries you may not know, what is on the calendar this week, and one rite drawn step by step.