Darulifta Ahlesunnat (Dawateislami)
Question
What do the scholars of Islam say regarding the following matter: can one use sorcery to counter sorcery?
Answer
بِسْمِ اللہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
اَلْجَوَابُ بِعَوْنِ الْمَلِکِ الْوَھَّابِ اَللّٰھُمَّ ھِدَایَۃَ الْحَقِّ وَالصَّوَابِ
Sorcery is a Satanic act, the condemnation of which is present in clear texts of the noble Quran and Aḥādīth. Sorcery generally involves beliefs, sayings, or actions of disbelief (kufr)—such as considering the stars to have an effect, disrespecting the noble Quran or other sacred religious things, and seeking help from and serving devils through things that lead to disbelief. It is very rare for sorcery to be free from acts of disbelief; even if it were, it is a despicable, condemned, and unlawful act. Therefore, performing sorcery or having it performed, whether in general circumstances or to counter sorcery, is in all cases unlawful, strictly forbidden (ḥarām), and a severely sinful act, and in many cases, it amounts to disbelief (kufr).
A Muslim should seek spiritual treatment for their problems according to the teachings of the noble Quran and Sunnah, as this ensures the safety of life as well as the safety of one’s faith (īmān). If there is one rare form of sorcery that is free from disbelief and forbidden acts, the ruling is not based on such an exceptional case, and the general ruling remains that it is forbidden (ḥarām). The permissibility mentioned in the words of some scholars concerning a single, rare form is interpreted to apply only to that case.
وَاللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہ اَعْلَم صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَ اٰلِہٖ وَ سَلَّم
(Allah Almighty knows best and His Messenger صَلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہِ وَ اٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم knows best.)
Answered By: Mufti Muhammad Qasim Attari
Date: Islamic Magazine Faizan e Madina December 2025