Using person's photo to target him with magic

6-12-2017 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalaamu alaykum. Respected Scholar, I want to know: is it possible to perform magic using only a photo of a person? Nowadays, everybody has a photo on the internet, and it is easy to get a photo of any person. Can a magician perform magic only using the photo of a person? Also, I want to know whether it is possible to perform magic without the help of a nail, hair, cloth, photo etc.? May Allah reward you.

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

We do not have decisive evidence in this regard. However, some contemporary scholars held that the sorcerer can cast a magic spell on a person using his photograph. Ibn ʻAashoor wrote about the different kinds of magic, “The sorcerer may write the name of the targeted person in certain patterns or place his photo or some of his clothes and belongings and address them under the claim that this actually affects the targeted person. The sorcerer may also use special signals pointing towards his direction or his town...” [At-Tahreer wa At-Tanweer, 1/633]

Some scholars held that a sorcerer can cast a magic spell without using any of the belongings of the targeted person. Rather, the devils are used to deliver the magic to him. Shaykh Ar-Raajhi wrote, “The correct view held by most of the researching scholars is that magic has a real effect and that it may influence the death or sickness of the targeted person without delivering anything visible to him. The sorcerer commands the jinn to slap the person who accordingly becomes sick or is killed.” [Sharh At-Tahaawiyyah]

For more benefit, please refer to fatwa 82269.

Allah knows best.