Our Dialogue

Q. Could you please explain what magic and black magic (Jadoo Tona) is, and how Islam views it?

A. Magic is the use of certain devices or tactics or material to affect people’s minds so as to see what is unreal and believe it to be reality. Some people resort to it in order to have influence on others and make them do their bidding. Magic is emphatically forbidden. To learn it is forbidden, and to practice it is considered similar to disbelief in God.

Magic is mentioned on several occasions in the Qur’an, but always with disapproval and condemnation. The Qur’an mentions that Pharaoh, who opposed Prophet Moses (peace be upon him), had under his command a large group of magicians, and it describes their tricks as ‘great magic. But it also makes clear that there was no substance to what they did. It was simply pure deception, making people see what was not there. Hence, in the challenge put by Pharaoh to Moses, victory was clearly to Moses, because God transformed his staff into a large snake, but this was a real snake, not imaginary, and it ate all that the magicians produced by their false tricks, which was only a matter of false deception.

Black magic is something most evil perpetrated by the evil Satan. Allah has made it clear that learning black magic is forbidden, practicing it is a demonstration of disbelief in Allah and His Messenger. In black magic, Allah’s words are not used. Some other devilish tricks are used. Most of the time, black magic is used to cause other people harm. To ward off the evil effect of black magic, the person should seek refuge with Allah and the Quran.

Q. Since Islam is one faith, why are there different methods of doing the essential acts of worship, such as wudhu and prayer? Why do we have to follow four Imams, and not one method? What is the correct way of doing the wudhu, or ablution? Since people wear different sorts of clothes in prayer, may I ask whether it is permissible to pray wearing a T-shirt, or trousers going below the ankles? Why do people not pay attention to those who are praying and cross their paths?

A. We do not follow four Imams, but we follow the Prophet (Pbuh) and understand his guidance through the four schools of Fiqh. They simply explain things and show us the way. The differences are mostly based on what the Prophet (Pbuh)did, and he did things differently on different occasions, to indicate that the different methods are acceptable. This makes things easier, because if there was only one way to do every single thing, people would have had great difficulties in attending to their religious worship.

The correct way to do the ablution is the one which satisfies the requirements and adds a few recommended things. What is obligatory in performing the ablution, or wudhu, is that we wash our faces, hands up to the elbows, wipe over a part of our heads and wash our feet up to the ankles. When we do these with the intention of performing wudhu, our ablution is complete. Now we can add a few more things to increase our reward, such as rinsing our mouths, wiping our ears, repeating each wash three times, etc. For a man to wear a T-shirt or long trousers in prayer is perfectly acceptable. People cross in front of someone engaged in prayer because they are ignorant of the importance of refraining from doing so.

Q. A recently married woman finds herself appealing to God against her mother-in-law, because of the latter’s ill-treatment of her. Sometimes she wonders whether she is committing a sin by doing so. Please advise.

A. Sometimes relations between a woman and her mother-in-law are so strained that they cannot have a peaceful family life. When they live together under the same roof with strained relations, the situation can be very troublesome indeed, particularly if the woman finds her husband totally inclined to his mother’s side, or the mother thinks that her son has been taken away from her. What is important in such a situation is that each one should try her utmost to reduce the chances of friction, and to make herself understood by the other. If this does not work, then each woman should try hard not to aggravate the situation. She should pray for a better family life, and try to overlook mistakes by the other lady. It is often the case that we misjudge the other person when we look at her actions from a negative angle.

Having said that, I should add that I cannot give an answer to the question about committing a sin by wishing someone ill. If that person has committed something that has serious repercussions, then it is natural to feel aggrieved. If one feels herself victim of injustice, it is right to appeal to God to lift that injustice. On the other hand, it is always good to forgive other people’s mistakes. This will earn rich reward from God.

Q. Is it true that people praying in the first row in a mosque earn more reward than those praying behind them?

A. There is a Hadith which speaks of the greater value of praying in the first row in the mosque. But this is meant by way of encouragement to arrive at the mosque early. You must not forget that Allah is the most just of judges. A first row at a mosque could only accommodate a certain number of people. If everyone is to compete for the first row, this may lead to friction. Therefore the Hadith should be understood in its proper perspective-that is as a strong recommendation to come to the mosque early.