Question 289: What is the 'ta'widh' (amulet/incantation) for repelling 'sihr' (sorcery/magic) in the narrations?

245 13 Feb 2021
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✅Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:

1 عَنِ الْحَلَبِیِّ قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ علیه السلام عَنِ النُّشْرَةِ لِلْمَسْحُورِ فَقَالَ مَا کَانَ أَبِی علیه السلام یَرَی بِهَا بَأْساً

📚 Tibb al-A'imma p. 114

Translation: Halabi said: I asked Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) about a 'ta'widh' for a person who has been bewitched; the Imam said: My father saw no problem with it.

✅ Based on the verses of the Quran and the narrations, it is clear that 'sihr' is a reality and it is possible for a person to be bewitched, but every distress and disorder cannot be attributed to 'sihr' without reason, and one must not neglect the root and cause of the problem.

2️⃣ Muhammad ibn Muslim said: Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) dictated this 'ta'widh' to us and mentioned that it has reached us through inheritance and that it invalidates 'sihr'. It is written on a piece of paper and hung on the person who has been afflicted with 'sihr':

قالَ مُوسی ما جِئْتُمْ بِهِ السِّحْرُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَیُبْطِلُهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا یُصْلِحُ عَمَلَ الْمُفْسِدِینَ وَ یُحِقُّ اللَّهُ الْحَقَّ بِکَلِماتِهِ وَ لَوْ کَرِهَ الْمُجْرِمُونَ أَ أَنْتُمْ أَشَدُّ خَلْقاً أَمِ السَّماءُ بَناها رَفَعَ سَمْکَها فَسَوَّاها وَأَغْطَشَ لَیْلَهَا وَأَخْرَجَ ضُحَاهَا

وَالْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِکَ دَحَاهَا

أَخْرَجَ مِنْهَا مَاءَهَا وَمَرْعَاهَا

وَالْجِبَالَ أَرْسَاهَا فَوَقَعَ الْحَقُّ وَ بَطَلَ ما کانُوا یَعْمَلُونَ فَغُلِبُوا هُنالِکَ وَ انْقَلَبُوا صاغِرِینَ وَ أُلْقِیَ السَّحَرَةُ ساجِدِینَ قالُوا آمَنَّا بِرَبِّ الْعالَمِینَ رَبِّ مُوسی وَ هارُونَ

📚 Tibb al-A'imma p. 115.

3️⃣ Muhammad ibn Isa said: I asked Imam al-Ridha (peace be upon him) about 'sihr'; the Imam said: 'Sihr' is a reality and they cause harm by the permission of Allah. So when 'sihr' reaches you, raise your hand in front of your face and read on it:

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الْعَظِیمِ رَبِّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِیمِ إِلَّا ذَهَبَتْ وَ انْقَرَضَتْ

📚 Makarim al-Akhlaq p. 475

4️⃣ In the 'Ad'iyah Sirr' narrated from Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him) from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), it is mentioned: (On the night of the ascension, the Lord of the worlds said to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his family): O Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), indeed 'sihr' has existed since ancient times and it does not harm anything without My permission. So whoever wishes to be from My people of well-being from 'sihr', let him say:

اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ مُوسَی وَ خَاصَّهُ بِکَلَامِهِ وَ هَازِمَ مَنْ کَادَهُ بِسِحْرِهِ بِعَصَاهُ وَ مُعِیدَهَا بَعْدَ الْعَوْدِ ثُعْبَاناً وَ مُلَقِّفَهَا إِفْکَ أَهْلِ الْإِفْکِ وَ مُفْسِدَ عَمَلِ السَّاحِرِینَ وَ مُبْطِلَ کَیْدِ أَهْلِ الْفَسَادِ مَنْ کَادَنِی بِسِحْرٍ أَوْ بِضُرٍّ عَامِداً أَوْ غَیْرَ عَامِدٍ أَعْلَمُهُ أَوْ لَا أَعْلَمُهُ وَ أَخَافُهُ أَوْ لَا أَخَافُهُ فَاقْطَعْ مِنْ أَسْبَابِ السَّمَاوَاتِ عَمَلَهُ حَتَّی تُرْجِعَهُ عَنِّی غَیْرَ نَافِذٍ وَ لَا ضَارٍّ لِی وَ لَا شَامِتٍ بِی إِنِّی أَدْرَأُ بِعَظَمَتِکَ فِی نُحُورِ الْأَعْدَاءِ فَکُنْ لِی مِنْهُمْ مُدَافِعاً أَحْسَنَ مُدَافَعَةٍ وَ أَتَمَّهَا یَا کَرِیمُ

For indeed when he says this, the 'sihr' of no jinni or human sorcerer will ever harm him.

📚 Bihar al-Anwar, quoting from Balad al-Amin pp. 504-515

✅ Other supplications for repelling 'sihr' have also been mentioned, but a point worthy of reminder is that we should not attribute problems that are caused by our mismanagement, foolishness, and inappropriate behaviors to 'sihr' and in a way absolve ourselves and neglect to reform ourselves.

✅ Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said in a narration from 📚 Tibb al-A'imma p. 48:

وَ سَلُونَا نُعَلِّمْكُمْ وَ نُوقِفْكُمْ عَلَى قَوَارِعِ الْقُرْآنِ لِكُلِّ دَاءٍ.

Meaning: Ask us so that we may teach you and inform you about the 'qawari' of the Qur'an for every ailment.

✅ 'Qawari al-Qur'an' refers to verses and chapters that are used for various ailments and problems such as fever, headache, evil eye, 'sihr', protection from earthquakes and collapsing buildings, or staying safe from a thief, finding something lost, and so on. This is done in the form of a 'ta'widh' or by carrying it, or by reading it, or by writing it and drinking its water, or by reading it in specific prayers, and so on. And of course, all of this must be based on the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), and by the praise of Allah, a significant number of these cases are available in Shia narrative books.