Witchcraft: An Islamic Response

The young generation today is living in a fast learning world in which, information is immediately accessed at the point of their fingertips. It is also a world of entertainment and the media is the top source for the latest trends and in the young minds, this means the latest fashion, music, movies and anything materialistic. This will further detach the youths from any form of religious beliefs. The subcultures emerging from this melting pot of trends are creating worry and concern on the influences it brings to the young, when it is adopted negatively.

It is important to know what subculture means before going further. Subculture can be defined as a cultural subgroup differentiated by status, ethnic background, residence, religion or other factors that functionally unify the group and act collectively on each member. Another definition is ‘a set of people with distinct sets of behaviour and beliefs that differentiate them from a larger culture of which they are a part of.’ It is a form of expression detached from the cultural dominant mainstream in unexpected ways. Some examples of subcultures are the punk ideology, hip-hop culture and hippies lifestyle.

One of the disturbing and growing subcultures is the interest in witchcraft among the young adults. In Singapore, it cannot be said as a new subculture, though it might have been on the scene since during the seventies. It has become a disturbing issue now when it is found out, that teenagers as early as thirteen years of age are already exposed to witchcraft. What makes it more interesting and appealing to the inquisitive and secularized young people is the atheistic and pagan influences, the strong self-esteem that one may built within one self to change the course of events, believing as without any transcendence assistance. The writer believes that this growing popularity is due to the nonchalant or sometimes adventurous but attractive portrayal of witchcraft from television drama series, movies such as the Harry Potter series and fictional novels, whereby, gifted and noble borne characters with supernatural powers are able to have control over events and, as the story goes, save the world from evil creatures.

Nevertheless, to the Muslim born youths, this can be seen as a sign of declining faith(‘aqidah), disregarding Islam as the way of life and might even lead to blasphemous acts of rebellious and angry young hearts. It might seem that some are trivial popular practices such as performing séances, praying to an imaginary god while surrounded by candles, making love potions and invoking harmless spells, though there are other practices which are diabolical in essence, such as performing voodoo spells for revenge. These teens, in need to have a sense of belongingness to something binding to its members may cause social problems and this must be see to immediately before it becomes even more widespread, and later be seen as an issue of mere phases of teenage life.

Witchcraft

It is not the aim, at present, to fully study the subject of choice. Witchcraft is a very wide subject and can be discussed from various approaches of the different lines of study: sociologically, anthropologically, and even psychologically. It has a very long history tracing back to the ancient times, as a primitive ritualistic practices and had went through various eras such as medieval periods of the Western world, up to the present of new age movements, after going through the enlightenment and renaissance eras.

Witchcraft has also gone through various levels of societal acceptance, from one which has high regards to those practicing witchcraft, with titles as shamans and high priestesses to facing periods of suppression and perceived as a source of terror and evil, thus, despised by the society and avoided like the plague. There was the witch –hunt rush, which claimed hundreds of lives claimed or accused to be witches.

The term witchcraft is derived from an Old English noun, ‘wicca’ meaning ‘sorcerer’ and the verb ‘wiccian’ meaning ‘to cast a spell.’ Witchcraft has been defined as human’s ability to manipulate natural laws to their advantage. Witchcraft has always been associated with Satanism, though its followers will assertively deny any association with satanistic themes, claiming that Satan, hell and even the original sin as imaginary creations of the Christian Church.

Sorcery is an original concept of witchcraft, a web of beliefs and practices, whose purpose is to manipulate nature for the benefit of the witch or the witch’s clients and believed as a generous act of aid. This is the ritualistic practices performed by African tribes in their attempts to create remedies and causes to illnesses or when the tribe is going through some misfortunes that affect the whole community such as plagues and droughts.

Another phenomena of witchcraft is the alleged diabolism practiced by the witches. This is in the late medieval Europe period, in which it faced aggressive remonstration from the Christian churches, accusing witchcraft as a Satanic occult. The Christians were imaginative and provided illustrative descriptions of the witches’ practices and their mysterious dark gatherings that usually involves, as it is claimed, bloody sacrifices and blasphemous acts. A very popular illustration of these gatherings would be one that featured a goat-headed man, being worshipped by the witches. It is believed that this goat-headed creature is the Satan himself.

A new age phenomena has emerged during the 1800s- 1900s, which is termed as the pagan revival of the twentieth century. The Wiccans of this new age movement believes that the world is made of balanced forces, neither good nor evil, but a necessary counterparts, complimentary elements of the world. These beliefs are often mixed with mystical traditions such pagan Celtic or Norse, Greek and Roman God- worship.

It is important to note that witchcraft has often been associated with women, even though there have been a number of male witches, specially holding the high positions of a wiccan organization. Nevertheless, witchcraft is very much a female dominated religion, centred on the worshipping of a Mother- Goddess. It is no wonder that feminist movements show an interest on witchcraft, for it shows the female empowerment to nature and giving a high degree of respect to women who possessed this intuitive and instinctive powers. This surge of belief to a Mother-Goddess is of Greek and Roman ancient theme, but it seems that this idea of a goddess characterized with love, peace and fertility seems to be receiving popular acceptance.

These new age movement includes clairvoyance, astrology, spiritual practices of diverse kinds, even including yoga and witchcraft has found its place in new generation as an accepted form of occult, rather than what its predecessors faced earlier, being suppressed and tortured.

The world of witchcraft is full of symbols and sacred items. Their rituals are designed with charms, amulets, crystals and magical stones, and the new age witches sometimes used herbs and leaves as ingredients to their potions and spells. Some of the popular symbols used in witchcraft are the pentagram and pentacle, a five-pointed star used for protection, a three- pointed equinox, also the crescent moon as the symbol of the Goddess, and was claimed to be similar to Islam.

A Response

Christianity has regarded witchcraft as its main adversity and considered is as heresy. The witch-hunt craze started in the 15th century was initiated by Christian churches, though not so much for theological defense, but sometimes influenced with the socio –political situations of that time, and it was observed that the women prosecuted as witches were mostly women from the lower working class, slaves and immigrants. As discussed earlier, the churches provided descriptions of the witches’ practices and even a guidebook on how to scout for a witch and a single accusation without any eye-witness will lead to death by hang.

From the Islamic perspectives, witchcraft and sorcery is closely associated to the term sihr, which brings the meaning, one which was caused by subtle or invisible ways, or in the form of spells and incantations which have effects on the mind and body. Sihr is considered as one of the major sins of ‘aqidah for it is disbelief, syirk in Allah and associating partners with Allah SWT, it is acknowledged in the Al-Qur’an that these form of practices do exist. Stories of magic and sorcery are told during the times of Sulaiman alaihissalam and Musa alaihissalam. Sihr is forbidden and it is narrated, by Al-Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority of Abu Hurairah, that the Prophet SAW said, “Keep away from the seven destructive sins!” They said, “What are they, O Messenger of Allah?” He answered, “Associating partners with Allah; practicing sorcery; taking a life, which Allah has made forbidden except for a just cause…”

Sihr is associated with the partnership of Shaitan and its counterparts, the jinns and the belief that these creatures are the source of help and able to control events, being at the advantage of those who practices sorcery, at the same time having serve these unseen creatures. Sorcery is usually used for evil acts of revenge or having evil intentions to make the victims’ lives difficult and disturbed. To be initiated to sorcery will usually require blasphemous and abominable acts, and performing any form of sihr is an act of kufr! In the opinions of the salaf and the great scholars of the past, those who practice sorcery deserves capital punshment. This is to protect other people from the vicious acts of the sorcerers. Among its consequences are destroying the relationship between husband and wife, among members of the family, losing one’s consciousness and unable to think and act sensibly and makes one suffer terrible pain.

A person with strong faith and belief in Allah will know that everything done was because of Allah and only He has the power to decide and do as He wills. Victims of sorcery should seek refuge only from Allah SWT. Regard those who perform sorcery as swindlers and disbelievers of Allah.

Here are some verses and traditions of the Prophet that are related to the subject of sorcery and withcraft.

“Say: None in the heavens and the Earth knows the Ghaib (unseen) except Allaah.” (An-Naml 27: 65)

The Prophet SAW said: “Whoever visits a soothsayer and believes in what he says has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad.” (Abu Dawood)

On the authority of Aisah (raa): Allah Messenger was bewitched such that he thought that he had done something but had not really done it and he said to her one day: “Two angels came to me and one sat by my head and the other at my feet and one said: ‘What ails this man?’ The other said: ‘Sorcery has been done against him.’ The other said: ‘And who is the sorcerer?’ The other said: ‘Lubaid ibn Al-A’sam with a comb and and object in the well of Dhi Arwaan.”
“And the sorcerer will never succeed no matter what they achieve.” (Taha 20: 69)

From the contemporary perspective and issue at hand, which is the problem of teenagers being influenced to witchcraft, they will need a different approach, not the capital punishment of the Islamic rulings in the past. The approach may include reaching out to the youths affected and to try and bring them back to the basics of Islamic ‘aqidah, to have strong foundations of faith and to show them the grave consequences and the mean acts resulted from performing witchcraft.

To conclude, witchcraft is indeed an act performed since ancient times and not only in the western world, even during the Islamic civilizations, witchcraft and sorcery was widely practiced by those who have weak hearts and lead an ignorant life. The reason Rasulullah himself was inflicted by evil sorcery was to point out that it really exists and its only cure would be to seek refuge with Allah SWT with zikr and reciting the Qur’an.

References
1. Encyclopedia of Religions, Second edition
2. Spellbound: A Time Tour of Myth and Magic
3. Ahkam al-Sihr and Al-sahrat fi al-Qur’an al-Karim, Imam Al-Razi, Darul al-Fikri al-Labnani, Beirut, 1991
4. Sorcery, Imâm al-Madîna al-Munawarrah ‘Alî Abd-ur-Rahmân al-Hudhaifî, 12th July 2005, Islamic Network website, retrieved on 11th September 2006.
5. Curing Magic, Shaikh Mashhoor Hasan Salmaan, 16th February 2006, Islamic Network website, retrieved on 11th September 2006.
6. Defiance and Despair: Subcultural and structural linkages between delinquency and despair in the life courseJohn Hagen, Social Forces, Proquest, September 1997.
7. Way of treating sihr, 12th November 2005, World of Islam website, retrieved on 11th September 2006.