The ruling on wearing amulets

8-3-2011 | IslamWeb

Question:

What is the Sharee‘ah ruling on wearing amulets and other objects that people believe guard against the evil eye or envy? Under which kind of Shirk is wearing amulets classified?

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

 

The Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, indicates that wearing amulets is an act of Shirk (polytheism). Among amulets are the incantations that children are made to wear to guard them against the evil eye. On the authority of Ibn Mas‘ood the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, stated that spells, amulets and Tiwalah (a kind of magic that is done by a wife to endear herself to her husband) are acts of Shirk. [Abu Daawood: (Saheeh (Authentic))]

Believing that these things benefit or harm by themselves is considered Shirk in Ruboobiyyah (oneness of Lordship): that is to say, associating others with Allaah in His Actions.

As for taking them as a means to bring benefit or ward off harm while believing that Allaah is the Only Benefit-Giver and Harm-Inflictor, then in this case wearing these things is an act of minor Shirk for believing that something is a means while it is not.

Please note that this ruling is confined to amulets that do not contain the Quran, Athkaar (mentionings of Allaah) or Sharee‘ah-approved supplications. The righteous predecessors differed on the permissibility of wearing amulets containing these things.

Allaah Knows best.