Dr. Fiaz Maqbool Fazili–
“Someone has done black magic on our family.” “There is an evil eye in this house.” “Jinn are troubling the bride.” “The couple cannot have children because of a spell. “Such statements are increasingly heard in our communities, especially during the marriage season when families already face emotional, social and financial pressures. The question is not whether Islam recognizes the evil eye (ayn), magic (sihr) or the existence of jinn. Islamic scripture certainly addresses these subjects. The more important question is: how do we distinguish genuine religious belief from superstition, fraud, psychological illness and ordinary medical disease? That distinction can mean the difference between healing and harm.
Faith, healing and modern medicine must go together, an appeal for awareness, faith and responsible healing. In 2010, Prof Mushtaq Margoob valley’s top most internationally acclaimed mental health expert drew the attention of the common man, the medical fraternity, and religious clerics to a truth that medical progress had long overshadowed: traditional healing persists worldwide, especially in Africa and South Asia, where faith healers—not physicians—are the first contact for the sick. This gives spiritual healing a pivotal role in mental health. The balance between inner and outer life, a shared insight of Sufi mystics and psychiatrists, points to what the West now increasingly recognizes—that spirituality is integral to health and well-being. Mental health professionals must therefore be sensitive to the spiritual dimensions of care. Building on Prof. E. Hoch’s earlier work, Margoob’s study documents the evolving role of spiritual healers—pirs and faqirs—in chronic mass trauma interventions in Kashmir.
Today I write not only as a physician but revisiting the very sensitive issue as a student of the interaction between medicine and Islam, where marriage or life can be at stake . My years in Madinah exposed me to extensive discussions about envy, evil eye, jinn, magic and Ruqyah. They convinced me that our communities need neither blind rejection of faith nor blind acceptance of every claim made in its name. We need knowledge and balance.
Muslims commonly quote the prophetic saying: “Al-’Ayn Haqq” (the evil eye is real). Authentic hadith literature affirms the reality of the evil eye and permits Ruqyah in such circumstances. However, acknowledging the unseen does not mean attributing every illness, family dispute, infertility, anxiety attack, depression or unusual behaviour to jinn or black magic. Islam never asks believers to abandon ordinary causes.A Muslim can pray and visit a doctor. A person can perform Ruqyah and consult a psychiatrist. A family can make dua while seeking medical investigation. Dua and dawa are not enemies. One of the most dangerous trends today is discouraging people from medical treatment after spiritual intervention. While some individuals may feel immediate relief after Ruqyah, persistent symptoms require professional assessment. Many patients who are labelled “possessed” are eventually found to have psychiatric or medical conditions that need treatment. Faith should complement medicine, not replace it.
Marriage season is at its peak, this is when anxiety meets superstition. Our elders often advised newly married couples to avoid unnecessary movement, excessive exposure and late-night wandering during the vulnerable days surrounding marriage. Such customs may have contained practical wisdom by protecting couples from fatigue, accidents, stress and social pressures. But today many harmless traditions have evolved into alarming superstitions. People are told that particular colors attract evil, that objects must be buried at specific locations, that nails should be placed at the corners of a house, or that mysterious substances should be burned, swallowed or hidden under pillows. Before accepting such practices, we should ask a simple question: Where is the evidence in the Qur’an and Sunnah? A practice does not become Islamic merely because it sounds religious.
A worrying development is the growing industry of self-proclaimed jinn specialists and miracle healers, and the rise of self-styled exorcists.Recently, a family approached me regarding a young man who began behaving unusually shortly after marriage. Before seeking medical help, they had consulted several religious figures and self-styled exorcists. The instructions they received ranged from harmless supplications to practices of questionable religious legitimacy. This is where community education becomes essential.Genuine Ruqyah is not a theatrical exorcism. It is not a business built on fear. It is not an excuse to frighten vulnerable people, physically restrain them, demand money, identify supposed enemies, or claim special knowledge of the unseen.The Prophet saw permitted Ruqyah, but that permission should not be misused to justify every practice marketed in the name of spiritual healing.
Exorcism can become dangerous when it delays or obstructs appropriate medical care. An incident I witnessed in Masjid an-Nabawi remains unforgettable. During Ramadan, after offering Tahajjud prayers, I noticed a crowd gathered around an individual believed to be under spiritual attack. People were loudly reciting Quranic verses while physically restraining the person.As a physician, my immediate concern was not possession, but the individual’s medical condition. Could this have been a seizure? Hypoglycaemia? A panic attack, cardiac emergency, or neurological disorder? When I attempted to assess the patient medically, I was pushed away.That experience reinforced an important lesson: a religious response should never prevent a medical response. Before declaring possession, the patient must first be medically assessed and stabilized.A collapse is a medical emergency until proven otherwise. Convulsions need medical evaluation. Sudden confusion requires urgent assessment. Suicidal thoughts demand immediate professional intervention. Reciting Qur’an, azkar ,ruqayah beside a patient is commendable, but it is not a substitute for checking whether the patient is breathing.
Another highly sensitive issue is infertility. Many couples are led to believe that their inability to conceive is the result of jealousy, the evil eye, black magic, or the influence of jinn. Such assumptions can be emotionally damaging and may delay timely medical intervention. In reality, infertility has numerous scientifically established causes affecting both men and women, including hormonal imbalances, ovulatory disorders, endometriosis, tubal abnormalities, sperm-related factors, and age-related decline in fertility. Telling a couple that “someone has done magic” may not only deepen their distress but also create unnecessary suspicion and tension within families, while preventing a proper medical diagnosis. Prayer, patience, and permissible Ruqyah can offer valuable spiritual support, but they should complement, not replace, a thorough medical evaluation. An unexplained health condition should never become the basis for accusations against innocent individuals.
Black Magic, claims of the unseen, and the need for caution, this piece intends to educate not replacement for medical or spiritual remedies.Islam unequivocally prohibits the practice of sihr (magic) and warns believers against engaging in occult practices or seeking supernatural knowledge through impermissible means. The Qur’an describes magic as a source of trial and deception, and records the warning of the two angels at Babylon:”But neither of these two taught anyone without saying, ‘We are only a trial, so do not disbelieve.’” (Qur’an)The Qur’an further affirms that knowledge of the unseen (al-ghayb) belongs exclusively to Allah:”Say, ‘None in the heavens and the earth knows the unseen except Allah.’” (Qur’an)Likewise, Allah commands:”With Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him.” (Qur’an) These verses establish an important theological principle: human beings cannot independently access hidden realities, identify occult causes with certainty, or determine who may have allegedly harmed another through magic, except through evidence that is clear, observable, and verifiable. The Prophet saw similarly warned against seeking knowledge from fortune-tellers, soothsayers, and others who claim access to hidden matters. He said:”Whoever goes to a fortune-teller and asks him about something, his prayer will not be accepted for forty nights.” (Sahih Muslim,)In another narration, he said:”Whoever approaches a fortune-teller and believes what he says has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad saw .” (Musnad Ahmad; Sunan Abu Dawud; graded authentic by several scholars).Consequently, while Muslims may acknowledge the existence of magic as affirmed in the Qur’an and Sunnah, they must remain cautious of individuals who claim extraordinary spiritual powers or exclusive knowledge of the unseen. Statements such as, “I know who has afflicted you with magic,” involve claims that exceed ordinary human knowledge and may result in false accusations, family discord, and serious injustice.
By contrast, the approach that encourages supplication, authentic ruqyah, reliance upon Allah, and appropriate medical or psychological assessment is more consistent with both Islamic teachings and responsible clinical practice. The Prophet saw himself encouraged seeking treatment, saying:”Seek treatment, for Allah has not created a disease except that He has also created its cure.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, Jami’ al-Tirmidhi,)This Prophetic guidance highlights that spiritual remedies and medical treatment are not mutually exclusive but may appropriately coexist.Particular caution is also warranted when individuals prescribe unexplained objects, rituals, or substances as spiritual remedies. The Prophet SAW strongly discouraged superstitious practices and unauthorized charms. When he saw a man wearing an amulet, he said:”Whoever wears an amulet has committed shirk.” (Musnad Ahmad, authenticated by several scholars).For this reason, families should carefully scrutinize practices such as:Burying objects at specific locations to remove a supposed spiritual affliction.,Placing nails, pins, hair or other objects at the corners of a house for protection.,Burning unidentified substances as part of a healing ritual.Consuming powders, potions, or liquids of unknown composition.Concealing objects beneath pillows, beds, or mattresses for purported spiritual benefit.
Carrying charms, talismans, or amulets containing strange symbols, numbers, or incomprehensible writing. Surrendering photographs, clothing, hair, or personal belongings to individuals claiming occult healing abilities. Such practices should not be accepted merely because Qur’anic verses are recited before, during, or after them. In Islamic jurisprudence, the permissibility of an act depends upon its conformity with the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and established scholarly principles, not simply upon the presence of religious language. As Ibn Mas’ud (RA) famously stated: “How many people intend good but never attain it.”
A ritual does not become Sharia-compliant simply because it is accompanied by the recitation of Qur’anic verses. Rather, its legitimacy must be established through sound evidence and adherence to the principles of Islamic belief and practice. An authentic Islamic response to suffering should combine trust in Allah, sincere supplication, evidence-based spiritual remedies, and appropriate medical evaluation, while avoiding speculation, superstition, and claims concerning matters of the unseen for which no proof exists. The article’s uncompromising takeaway: Spiritual healing and medicine are not rivals—they are co-conspirators in the battle for mental health. In many communities, traditional faith healers are the first responders of the soul, the initial refuge when the mind begins to fracture. That reality cannot be ignored. But do not mistake the first door for the only door. Delaying a consultation with a doctor—especially a mental health specialist—is not faith; it is slow-motion self-sabotage. Healing demands both the sacred and the clinical. Pray, yes. But also get professional help. And do it now.
(Author is a medical doctor and medico-Islamic researcher with a long-standing interest in the relationship between Islamic theology, traditional healing practices and modern medicine.)
Disclaimer: This article is for education and awareness only and is not a substitute for medical, psychiatric, psychological, emergency, or qualified religious advice. If you or a family member is suffering from serious disorder, seek emergency medical care immediately and consult a qualified doctor. Spiritual support, including dua and authentic ruqyah, should complement, not replace, appropriate medical assessment and treatment).
