Medicine and Spells

‘Urwa b. ‘Amir told that when taking omens was mentioned in the presence of God’s messenger he replied that the best type was the good omen, adding that a Muslim is not turned back from anything because of an omen. He told them that when any of them saw anything he disliked he should say, “O God, Thou alone bringest good things, Thou alone avertest evil things, and there is no might or power but in God.” Abu Dawud transmitted it in mursal form.

Mu'awiya b. al-Hakam told that he said, “Messenger of God, there were things we used to do in the pre-Islamic period. We used to visit kahins.” He replied, “Do not visit kdhins” He said, “We used to take omens.” He replied, “That is an idea a man has, but it must not turn you aside from your purposes.” He said, “Among us there were men who practised divination by drawing lines on the ground.” He replied, “There was a prophet who drew lines, so if anyone does it in the same way as he did, that is allowable.” Muslim transmitted it.

A man of the Ansar who was a companion of the Prophet told me that while they were sitting one night along with God’s messenger, a star was thrown and shone brightly. He asked them what they used to say in the pre-Islamic period when something of that nature was thrown, and they replied, “God and His messenger know best. We used to say that a great man had been born that night, or that a great man had died." Then God’s messenger said, “It is not thrown because of anyone’s death or life; but when our Lord whose name is blessed decrees a matter the bearers of the Throne extol Him, then the inhabitants of heaven who are next to them extol Him till the extolling reaches the inhabitants of this lowest heaven. Then those who are near the bearers of the Throne ask them what their Lord has said and they tell them what He said. Then the inhabitants of the heavens ask one another till it reaches this lowest heaven. The jinn then snatch a hearing and pass it on to their friends and have [flames] thrown at them. Now what they bring as it came is true, but they mix things with it and make additions." Muslim transmitted it.

Qatada said God most high created these stars for three purposes; He made them an adornment for the sky, missiles for the devils, and signs by which people find their way. If anyone explains them differently he makes a mistake, squanders what is allotted to him, and occupies himself with something he does not know. Bukhari transmitted it without a full isnad. Razln’s version has, “occupies himself with what does not concern him, what he has no knowledge of, and what prophets and angels are incapable of knowing.” On the authority of ar-Rabi’* there is something to the same effect with the addition, “I swear by God that God has not set in a star anyone’s life, provision, or death. They are only speaking lies against God and attributing causes to the stars.”* Ar-Rabi’ b. Ziyad, Qatada's authority.

“If anyone acquires a section of the science of the stars for a purpose other than what God has mentioned he has acquired a branch of magic. The astrologer is a kahin, the kahin is a magician, and the magician is an infidel.” Razin transmitted it.

“Why do you not teach this one the spell for skin eruptions as you taught her writing?” Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Umama b. Sahl b. Hunaif told that ‘Amir b. Rabi'a saw Sahl b. Hunaif bathing and said, “I swear by God that I have seen no skin to compare with what I have seen to-day, not even that of a secluded girl.” Sahl fell to the ground and people went to God’s messenger and said to him, “Messenger of God, can you do anything for Sahl b. Hunaif? We swear by God that he cannot raise his head ” He asked if they suspected anyone, and when they replied that they suspected ‘Amir b. Rabl‘a.God’s messenger summoned ‘Amir, and speaking roughly to him, said, “Why does one of you kill his brother? Why did you not invoke a blessing? Bathe on his behalf ” ‘Amir then washed on his behalf his face, hands, elbows, knees and toes, and inside his lower garment, collected the water in a vessel and poured it over him, so he recovered and went away with the people none the worse.*It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna. Malik transmitted it, and in his version he said, “The evil eye is real. Perform ablution for him.” He therefore did so.* The trouble was due to the words of praise which were not qualified by any reference to what God might will, and accordingly attributed to the evil eye.

"We have taken your oath of allegiance, so go home." Muslim transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Abbas told that God’s messenger took good omens but not evil ones, and that he liked a pleasing name. It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

God’s messenger led us in the morning prayer at al-Hudaibiya after rain which had fallen during the night, and when he finished he turned to the people and said, “Do you know what your Lord has said?” On their replying that God and His messsenger knew best he told them that He had said, “This morning there were among my servants one who believes in me and one who disbelieves. The one who said, ‘We have been given rain by God’s grace and mercy' is the one who believes in me and disbelieves in the star, but the one who said, ‘We have been given rain by such and such a rainy star’ is the one who disbelieves in me and believes in the star.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

“If anyone acquires any knowledge of astrology he acquires a branch of magic of which he gets more as long as he continues to do so.” Ahmad, Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

“If anyone resorts to a kahin and believes him m what he says, or has intercourse with his wife when she is menstruating, or has intercourse with his wife through her anus, he has nothing to do with what has been sent down to Muhammad.” Ahmad and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

“If God were to withhold rain from his servants for five years and then send it, a section of mankind would be infidels saying they had been supplied with water through the agency of the rainy star al-Mijdah*.”Nasa’i transmitted it.* The word comet from a root meaning to stir up, and the plural is used as a general name for stars which are said to stir up rain, the singular used here may refer to the Hyades, but other explanations are also given. As rainy seasons were connected with particular times at which certain stars rose, the rain was attributed to them.

“No spell is to be used except for the evil eye or a scorpion sting.” Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud transmitted it, and Ibn Majah transmitted it on the authority of Buraida.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri told that God’s messenger used to seek refuge in God from jinn and the evil eye in men till the Mu’awwidhatan* came down, after which he made use of them and abandoned everything else. Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a hasan gharib tradition.* Qur’an, 113 & 114.

My people sent me to Umm Salama with a bowl of water. Whenever anyone was smitten by the evil eye or anything else he sent her a basin, and she took out some hairs of God’s messenger which she kept in a little silver bell.* She moved it about for him in the water and he drank some of it. I looked into the little bell and saw some red hairs. Bukhari transmitted it.* Mirqat, iv, 515, says that although the word means a bell, it may here be used of a small box in the shape of a bell. This is the kind of bell that would be used on a tambourine.

“Truffles are a kind of manna, and their juice is a remedy for the evil eye. The 'ajwa dates come from paradise, and they are a remedy for poison.” Abu Huraira said that he took three, five, or seven truffles, pressed them, put their juice in a bottle and applied it as an eye-lotion to a slavegirl of his who was blear-eyed, and she recovered. Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a hasan tradition.

“Make use of the two remedies: honey and the Qur’an.” Ibn Majah and Baihaqi, in Shu'ab al-lman, transmitted the two traditions, Baihaqi saying the correct view is that the second goes no farther back than Ibn Mas'ud.

I had myself cupped like that in the middle of my head for a reason other than poison and suffered some loss of memory till I was recommended to use Fatihat al-Kitab in the prayer. Razin transmitted it.* An attempt was made to poison the Prophet after the conquest of Khaibar in 7 A.H., but when he had taken a mouthful of the poisoned meat he spat it out realizing that it was poisoned.

“Cupping before food is best; it increases the intelligence, increases the memory and increases the memory of one who has a good memory. He who has himself cupped should choose Thursday, doing it in the name of God most high; but avoid cupping on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Get yourselves cupped on Monday and Tuesday, but avoid cupping on Wednesday for it is the day when Job was smitten with affliction. Tubercular leprosy and leprosy make their appearance only on Wednesday or Tuesday night.” Ibn Majah transmitted it.