Islam FAQ

• Q67: What are the beliefs that a Muslim should NOT believe in ?
• Q68: According to Islam, What are the worst sins (practices) ?
• Q69: Magic, Magic, What's the problem with you (Muslims) ?
• Q70: What about fortunetellers, soothsayers, astrologists, ..etc. ?
• Q71: Magicians are disbelievers, what if they take help from Jinn ? Are not you afraid ?

What Islam is NOT ?

• Q67: What are the beliefs that a Muslim should NOT believe in ?
  A: a recent scholar called ibn Baz (chief of department of researches and Fatwa ... in KSA الرئيس العام لإدارات البحوث العلمية والإفتاء والدعوة والإرشاد ) summarize them in the ten Islam revocations, they are:

  1. Ascribing associates to Allah (in worshiping)
  2. believing in intermediaries, to be prayed, asked or even interceded
  3. to doubt that pagans/polytheists are certainly wrong
  4. to consider a legislation or guidance different than what sent down to Muhammad to be better.
  5. hate or dislike any thing that sent down to Muhammad
  6. mocking any part of Islam.
  7. To practice Magic or Sorcery, or to accept it.
  8. help Pagans against Muslims (in war)
  9. to believe that a different religion will be accepted in the day of Judgment.
  10. rejecting Islam, "I don't know and I don't want to know!"

  According to ibn Baz, any one, who explicitly believe or practice those things and insist on them proudly, then he is not a Muslim. There is no religious Inquisitions in Islam, we (Sunni) do not grant hell to any Muslim no matter how bad he is. This is a matter of purity of Islam, we know what Islam is and what it's not. Many scholars critic ibn Baz for this article, Anyway, those 10 actions or beliefs are firmly forbidden in Islam for a Muslim (A non-Muslim is not Addressed by them, as he is already a non-Muslim!)
• Q68: According to Islam, What are the worst sins (practices) ?
  A: They are called السبع الموبقات

  1. Ascribing associates to Allah
  2. Magic or Sorcery
  3. Killing an individual (even a non-Muslim)
  4. taking from an orphan money (specially his procurators)
  5. usury (at any rate!)
  6. fleeing from a battle
  7. calumniating a decent female (she must be assumed decent, any even indirect insult is firmly forbidden, the required evidences are too restrictive)
• Q69: Magic, Magic, What's the problem with you (Muslims) ?
  A: The word "Magic" means in a secret unknown manner, it also mean divert things from what they really are (to an illusion, usually). We consider Magicians and who go to them or ask them help to be disbelievers because they have believed in a supernatural power which is a kind of polytheism. We Muslims (as everyone on the world) know that magic do exist, but unlike others, we announce our clear unambiguous point of view about it. But, because Magic is surrounded by secrets, there are a lot of fog around it, but this is not from our side.

  • Magic or Sorcery is not a gift, it's a practice of knowledge they have been taught. {... يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ ...} meaning {... teaching people magic ...} (V2:102), one can consider it as an abuse of science.
  • Most magic is about illusions, even that practiced by the best magicians in history (those brought by Pharaoh), read {... سَحَرُوا أَعْيُنَ النَّاسِ وَاسْتَرْهَبُوهُمْ ... } meaning {... they bewitched the people's eyes and terrified them ...} (V7:116) and {... يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَى } meaning {... by their sorcery it seemed to him that their ropes and staffs were sliding. } (V20:66) the point here that ropes and sticks did NOT really become real snakes they just seems to be so, in a well-controlled suggestible environment.
  • unlike science, Magic is useless and harmful (specially to who learn it), for useless read { ... وَلَا يُفْلِحُ السَّاحِرُونَ } meaning { ... Sorcerers do not prosper! } (V10:77) and {... إِنَّمَا صَنَعُوا كَيْدُ سَاحِرٍ وَلَا يُفْلِحُ السَّاحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَى } meaning {... for that which they made is but the guile of a sorcerer. Wherever he goes the sorcerer does not prosper.} (V20:69) about being harmful, read {... وَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنْفَعُهُمْ ...} meaning {... Indeed, they learned what harms them and does not profit them, ...} (V2:102)
  • We (Muslims) are not afraid of Magic nor Sorcery, read what we have just say about it being useless and read this part of verse {... وَمَا هُمْ بِضَارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ...} meaning {... However, they did not harm anyone with it, except by the permission of Allah. ...} (V2:102)
  • Practicing Magic or Sorcery is a kind of disbelieve; {... وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُوا لَمَنِ اشْتَرَاهُ مَا لَهُ فِي الْآَخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلَاقٍ ...} meaning {... who buys it would have no share in the Everlasting Life. ...} (V2:102)

  Islam fights magic with knowledge not with Inquisitions, and it worked as magic is almost disappeared in many Islamic countries.
• Q70: What about fortunetellers, soothsayers, astrologists, ..etc. ?
  A: A different thing, but same result (Ibn Taimiah ابن تيمية consider it a kind of Magic anyway). They and those who believe them are disbelievers (in Islam). We believe that only Allah knows the future (see V6:59). Even for fun, a Muslim is not allowed to ask them or read such superstitions. Astrology is a fake science. (it's easy for any one to get citation about this from the world best scientists from best Universities). In the interpretation of Tafseer Al-Qurtobi, we found this nice poetry

   
   حكم المنجم أن طالع مولدي ... يقضي علي بميته الغرق 
   قل للمنجم صبحة الطوفان هل ... ولد الجميع بكوكب الغرق
  

  The astrologists confirms that my birth horoscope
  	indicates that I'll drown to death 
  Ask him after the deluge,
  	"was everybody born in the drowning star ?!" 
  

• Q71: Magicians are disbelievers, what if they take help from Jinn ? Are not you afraid ?
  A: No, we are not afraid. Take help from Jinn, So what! We fear Allah only, we take refuge with Allah only. { وَأَنَّهُ كَانَ رِجَالٌ مِنَ الْإِنْسِ يَعُوذُونَ بِرِجَالٍ مِنَ الْجِنِّ فَزَادُوهُمْ رَهَقاً } meaning { But there were certain men from mankind who would take refuge with certain males from the jinn and they increased them in tyranny. } (V72:6) the word رهقا translated as "tyranny", means according to "Arabic tongue" dictionary: that Jinn would humiliate them, drive them crazy, abuse them and make them more abusive instead of helping them. According to Ibn Katheer interpretation, it mean that Jinn fear mankind more than mankind fear Jinn, but when those disbelievers ask help from Jinn, Jinn become more confident and dare to humiliate them!