What is the protection against black magic (sihir)?

People ask me frequently what they can do because they believe they have been inflicted by black magic (sihir).
In reality, it is not black magic in 99.9% of cases. I doubt we even have real black magic in this day and age. Real black magic is very, very rare. More often than not it is mental illness and we blame everyone but ourselves when we have problems.
Beware of people who say they can treat sihir
One has to be very careful about paying anyone to cure this as there are people who claim that they can do this and charge for it, but whom one should not trust.
What can you do if you think you have been inflicted by black magic?
Ruqya
Play ruqya for sihir – which is one hour long and is especially for sihir, not just healing. This will inshallah have a good result.
Normal ruqya involves reciting:
- Surat Fatiha
- Ayat al-Kursi
- The last two verses of Surat al-Baqarah
- Surat al-Ikhlas, Surat Falaq and Surat an-Nas
In addition there are verses of protection such as:
‘بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الَّذِي لَا يَضُرُّ مَعَ اسْمِهِ شَيْءٌ فِي الأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي السَّمَاءِ، وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ العَلِيمُ
Bismillaah alladhi laa yadurru ma’a ismihi shay’un fi’l-ardi wa laa fi’l-samaa’i wa huwa al-samee’ al-‘aleem
In the name of Allah with Whose name nothing on earth or in heaven can cause harm, and He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing
أَعُوذُ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللهِ التَّامَّةِ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ وَهَامَّةٍ، وَمِنْ كُلِّ عَيْنٍ لَامَّةٍ
A’udhu bi kalimaat Allaahi ttaammati min kulli shaytaanin wa haammah wa min kulli ‘aynin laammah
I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah, from every devil and every poisonous reptile, and from every evil eye.
أَعُوذُ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ التَّامَّاتِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ
A‘oodhu bi kalimaat Allaah il-taammati min sharri ma khalaq
I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of that which He has created.
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ يحي و يميتوَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِير
Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-Mulk wa lahu’l-hamd yuhyi wa yumeet wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in Qadeer
There is no God but Allah alone, with no partner or associate, His is the Dominion and to Him be praise, He gives life and gives death, and He has power over all things.
فَلَمَّآ أَلۡقَوۡاْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ مَا جِئۡتُم بِهِ ٱلسِّحۡرُۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَيُبۡطِلُهُۥٓ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُصۡلِحُ عَمَلَ ٱلۡمُفۡسِدِينَ
Falammaaa alqaw qaala Moosaa maa ji’tum bihis sihr; innal laaha sa yubtiluhoo; innal laaha laa yuslihu ‘amalal mufsideen
And when they had thrown, Moses said, “What you have brought is [only] magic. Indeed, Allah will expose its worthlessness. Indeed, Allah does not amend the work of corrupters. (10:81)
وَيُحِقُّ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡحَقَّ بِكَلِمَٰتِهِۦ وَلَوۡ كَرِهَ ٱلۡمُجۡرِمُونَ
Wa yuhiqqul laahul haqqa bi Kalimaatihee wa law karihal mujrimoon
And Allah will establish the truth by His words, even if the criminals dislike it. (10:82)
Do not neglect your salah
Black magic can inflict even those who are practicing and praying regularly, even on their prayer mat, but in order to rid oneself of sihir, it is very important that one prays regularly. This point cannot be underestimated.
It is not about ticking the box, it is about focusing. There is a difference between a person who works 9-5pm just to tick the box, without engaging their heart or soul and the one who works 9-5pm and earns the same wage but believes passionately in what they are doing and feels their work is making a difference. The output of the two may appear the same outwardly but they are completely different. This is the same with our salah.
Maintain daily dhikr and recitation
Try to remain in state of constant dhikr. This is your shield and will protect you.
If you are not maintaining a strong connection with Allah through adhkar you are vulnerable to whispers of shaytan and your nafs.
Psychological issues
The majority of the time people assume it is sihir when it is a psychological issue. When things in their life start to go wrong, it is easy to jump to the conclusion that someone has put hasad on you, or done magic, however it may well be that you need medication.
You can still have a mental illness even if you are a hafiz of the Quran.
Check yourself
It is common for us not to see faults within ourselves. Even when we are specialists we can still have blind spots about our own selves. A doctor can fall ill and a hairdresser can need a hair cut, being qualified in a field does not mean we can treat ourselves. Moreover, we all and an internal voice which paints us with rose-tinted glasses.
It is uncomfortable to face our own shortcomings. However we often blame others when the fault lies within our own selves. This is why is necessary to do a self-audit and check if the problems that are arising in one’s life could be stemming from one’s own personality traits, behaviours and attitudes.
When your friends are telling you something you cannot see in yourself, do not be defensive and justify how you are because you do not want to hear. It is bitter, but if you do not acknowledge your shortcomings, you cannot remedy them.
Shaykh Haytham Tamim
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