Interview No. 1
Location: Cairo, Egypt
Date: 9/8/88
Name: Shaykh Muhammad Taahir ‘Abdul-Muhsin
Date of birth: 1952
Place of birth: Cairo
Education: BA in Islâmic Studies from al-Azhar
University, specializing in qiraa‘aat, 1978. Lectures occasionally at
al-Azhar.
Q. When
did you begin practicing exorcism?
A. I began about nine or ten years ago.
Q. What
caused you to begin?
A. I read Ibn Taymeeyah’s book on the jinn
and when my friend in Taalibiyyah described his wife’s state, I
realized that it was a case of possession and proceeded to treat her.
Q. What
are the signs which indicate that a person is possessed?
A. Some of the signs are that a person mentions that
he is uneasy, he finds himself getting up and sitting down frequently, he speaks
unintelligibly, etc. This is called demonic possession (sara‘
al-jinn).
Q. What
is the first thing you do when a possessed person is brought to you?
A. In the beginning, we ask the possessed if he has
been treated by a physician. If he has already been treated by a doctor, we
address the jinnee, saying, “Fear Allaah!” I speak to it in the same
way that I speak to a human. If he is in a state of convulsion, I speak directly
to the jinnee. Otherwise, I recite over him some Qur’ânic verses.
Sometimes it will manifest itself during the recitation and at other times it
will hide.
Q. How
do you distinguish between one who is possessed and one who is sick?
A. The state of the possessed in unstable, and they
usually do not come to me until after they have visited a physician or
psychiatrist. Patients usually won’t come until after they have tried all
other methods. In that way, we know that he is likely to be possessed or
possibly under a magical spell.
Q. How
do you distinguish between the effects of magic and demonic possession?
A. In the case of possession the
jinn will
speak immediately, yet for a patient under a magical spell the
jinn will
not talk. The one under a magic spell will require recitation for a long time,
and he will need to take Arabic folk medicine. This is encouraged, according to
the statement of the Prophet (
)
collected by Muslim,
“Whoever is able to help his brother should do so.”
When the Prophet (
)
prohibited incantations, someone stated, “O Messenger of Allaah, we have some
incantations against magic and scorpions.” He said to them
, “Read your
incantations to me.” When they did so, he prohibited those containing
idolatry and confirmed those which did not. He then said,
“Whoever is able
to help his brother, let him to do so.” He meant by that, for example,
canceling the effects of magic from one bewitched, which may make him unable to
go to his wife. He takes a double edged ax, heats it on a fire until becomes
red, then he passes it over her. This does not have
shirk in it. It is
Arabic medicine. Such things are mentioned in
Fat-h al-Baaree.
There are two ways of treating magic – one way is
according to divine law (sharee‘ah) and another is not. The legal way
removes it completely while the illegal method only removes it temporarily. Ibn
al-Qayyim mentioned that if the effects of the spell have been present for a
long time, it must be broken by Arabic medicinal methods. On the other hand, if
it is recent, it may be removed by Qur’ânic verses and prophetic methods.
Q. Based
upon your communication with possessing jinn, what are the main reasons
why jinn possess humans?
A. The reasons are as follows:
- Walking
around the house naked.
- Being
isolated and unprotected by the prophetic morning and evening prayers.
- Entering
the toilet without the fortifying prayers because the toilets are among the
dwelling places of the jinn.
- Pouring
hot water on the jinnee without mentioning Allaah’s name.
- Going
without making the fortifying prayers to areas of the jinn, like
mountain tops and garbage dumps, hurting them by urinating on them or
stepping on them – The jinn may then ignorantly hurt the person
much more than he deserves. In such cases, the treatment involves addressing
the jinnee and telling it that the patient had accidentally – and
not intentionally – hurt it. If it was harmed in the patient’s home, it
should be told that it had not right to be there in the first place, for jinn
are not allowed to live in the homes of humans. Thus, the jinnee
should be told that it is in the wrong. The will actually reply. Sometimes
they will say, “I love him.” Other times they may threaten those in
their presence by saying, “I will leave and hurt him.” In such cases,
the exorcist must have strong faith and believe in the oneness of Allaah and
say to the jinnee, “You are certainly not able to do anything at
all because the only one who can benefit or harm is Allaah.” At that
point, the jinnee will become fearful and cause the person to shake.
Q. Who
are most affected by jinn, men or women?
A. Women are most affected because the jinn
love beautiful women. They may even have intercourse with them. A case of
possession was presented to me in which a Christian woman said that she feels
something come upon her and she struggles with it but it overcomes her. I told
her, “Accept Islaam and I will – by the grace of Allaah – remove it from
you.” She refused, so I left her. Consentual intercourse can take place
between them, but this would be a major sin because Allaah has created that
which is suitable for each species. Thus, it is not allowable for humans to
marry from the animal world.
Q. Do
male jinn possess women and female jinn possess men, or is it
possible that male jinn possess males and vice-versa?
A. In reference to those jinn who possess
because of love, their love for humans is based on desire. Therefore, male jinn
love women, and female jinn love men. However, there is no gender
preference when humans accidentally cause harm to jinn. For example, we
saw a man from Upper Egypt who knew nothing of the Qur’aan and Sunnah, but in
his possessed state he would recite the Qur’aan like a trainer reciter. When
the jinnee was removed, we discovered that it used to worship in a cave.
The man, who was a stonemason, went into the cave and urinated and defecated in
it, so the jinnee hurt him. We told the jinnee, “You are a
Muslim who has memorized the Qur’aan, and spoiling this man’s mind and body
is satanic.” The jinnee complied by leaving.
Q. From
your experience, if a jinnee speaks, does he use the voice of the
possessed person or does the voice change?
A. The voice is often different. If it is a female jinnee,
it speaks with a female voice, and a male jinnee with a male voice.
Q. Can
a disbelieving jinnee enter a Muslim?
A. Usually a disbelieving jinnee enters a
Muslm. The conditions of the jinn are like that of humans. Some are
Muslims and others are not. Some are righteous and others are not. However, it
is possible for a Muslim jinnee to harm a Muslim human.
Q. Whenever
you address the jinn and invite them to Islaam, do they accept it?
A. Yes. I present Islaam to them and they usually
accept. I remind them of the next life and that they will have to return to
Allaah. They often comply immediately. Sometimes they listen to a great deal of
religious admonition, yet do not respond. The ease or difficulty of removal
varies from one person to another. By using the methods involving kufr,
the jinn will respond but they won’t leave permanently. If the exorcist
possessed strong faith, the jinnee will respond and leave. However, if he
does not, the possession of the person will continue. In the kufr
methods, the jinn are called up using unlawful means, like making oaths
containing shirk and kufr. For example, they say, “I swear by
your seven most mighty.” In such a case shirk is involved, and
assuredly the jinn will answer him and ask him what he wishes because he
has exalted them. He will then ask the jinn to leave, but the jinn
will ask him to do some things in return. Shaykh Ibn Taymeeyah said that one
should not do anything that the jinn request. If he tells you to drink
water or sacrifice an animal for him, it should not be done. If he says that he
will leave for one reason or another, tell him that he must leave in obedience
to Allaah and His Messenger.
Q. From
your experience, how do jinn benefit from possessing humans?
A. It is from love or just desire. For example, if
an ignorant man walking down the street is accidentally hurt by an intelligent
person, the ignorant man decides to punish the intelligent one. What benefit
does he get from that? It is just ignorance. There are prophetic traditions
which indicate that the jinn may take the form of vermin, like snakes and
rats. One may kill a vermin without mentioning Allaah’s name and it may have
been one of them. Because, the jinn may afflict him with some punishment.
Q. How
does a jinnee enter a human?
A. The Prophet (
)
said that the devil flows in the blood streams of Aadam’s descendants.
Sometimes it may have fun with the superstitious by saying that it will leave
through the eye of the possessed and gouge it out or that it will leave by his
leg, paralyzing it. Consequently, the true believer should not accept such
statements but tell it to leave as it came. Sometimes the
jinn will only
leave if they are flogged.
Q. Have
you found any jinn who spoke in a different language than the one
possessed?
A. Yes. We found a jinnee in an Egyptian
woman who spoke Urdu. He was originally from Pakistan. He said that he was on hajj
and fell in love with her and returned with her to Egypt. His name was
strange, incomprehensible. He said that he lived in an abandoned apartment and
that he had over ten thousand children and grandchildren. Some people may hear
this and ask, “How could ten thousand live in one apartment?” However, we
already pointed out that they may take the form of vermin, like ants.
I also helped a Saudi married to an Egyptian woman who used
to curse her husband in different languages, like English and French. I
communicated with the jinnee in Arabic, and it left her after promising
to do so.
Sometimes exorcists fall into shirk as a result of a
jinnee. For example, when an exorcist orders a jinnee to leave a
person by the permission of Allaah, but the jinnee swears that it will
only leave by other than Allaah (e.g. swearing to leave by a so-called saint)
and the exorcist agrees to its stipulation, this is shirk. If the
exorcist strictly believes in the oneness of Allaah, he will say to it, “No.
You are a liar and a pagan. You are not allowed to swear by other than Allaah.
You must swear by Allaah, saying, ‘I promise Allaah to leave the person and
protect her from others as much as possible. By the One who split the sea for
Moses and made the winds blow Soloman, I will leave her and will not return
again.’ ” And it will actually leave.
Q. When
you address the jinn, do you find that they have names like humans?
A. Yes. They sometimes name themselves with human
names like ‘Abdul-‘Azeez. At other times they have non-human names and
incomprehensible titles.
Q. Have
any of your children been affected by possession after you began treating
possessed persons?
A. No, may Allaah be praised. My children recite
from the Qur’aan the two chapters of protection (
mu‘awwidhataan) and
the opening chapter (
al-Faatihah). The Qur’aan is a cure for all
physical and spiritual ailments. If the people ask how disease can be resisted,
the response is that resistance is granted by the Lord of the earth and the sky.
The proof of this is that the companions of the Prophet (
)
treated scorpion stings with the recitation of
al-Faatihah. The
sting was physical ailment and the recitation of
al-Faatihah was a
spiritual healing. Ibn al-Qayyim also used as proof the Almighty’s statement:
“We revealed in the Qur’aan what is a healing and
mercy for the believers.”[1]
This is in reference to all forms of ailment, physical or
spiritual. In several known cases when the possessed reached the door or a
particular house, the
jinnee screamed out, “I will never enter this
place because the Qur’aan is read in it.” The Prophet (
)
said,
“If Soorah al-Baqarah is read in a house, the devil will not come
near it for three days.”[2]
Q. During
an exorcism have you ever found more than one jinnee in a person?
A. Yes, more than one jinnee may cause harm
to a person’s body, as Ibn Taymeeyah confirmed. They will also have different
voices.
Q. Could
you describe the steps that you use for treatment?
A. First I ask the person being treated his name and
he may say, for example, Ahmad or Muhammad. During my recitation I
again ask for his name and he may say, for example, George. Therefore I know
that it is a jinnee. I then ask if it is a Muslim and so on.
Q. If
you communicate with the jinnee and it refuses to leave, what do you do?
A. I recite many verses of Qur’aan over him. And
if it still refuses to leave, I they say, “I will drive you out with severe
beating.” It becomes fearful, because humans are stronger than jinn. I
saw a case in which a jinnee was in love with a woman, and I said to it,
“I will read a lot of Qur’aan over you.” It replied that it loved the Qur’aan.
I asked it how it could love the Qur’aan and at the same time be passionately
in love with the woman. I brought a stick and hit her on the neck with it, yet
the possessed woman did not feel anything. Only in cases of possession should
beating be used.
Q. Do
you tie the toes of the persons?
A. There are many different methods which do not
contain shirk or kufr which may be used.
Q. Do
you recite over water and make the possessed person drink it? Or do you use oil?
A. Yes, sometimes I have, as long as there is no shirk
involved. I have used the nushrah method of stone grinding seven lotus
leaves, placing this in a container of water and reciting the kawaafir (Soorah
al-Kaafiroon [109], Soorah al-Ikhlaas [112], verse 255 of the second
chapter and al-Faatihah) over it. The patient then drinks three
mouthfuls of this and bathes with the remainder. It is a good and effective
method.
When the possessed person comes, I recite verses over him,
such as the four verses of
Soorah al-Baqarah,
“wa ilaahukum ilaahum
waahid…,”[3]
verse 255 of
al-Baqarah and the closing verses of
al-Baqarah;
the last verses of
Aal ‘Imraan (3)
Soorah al-A‘raaf from the
Almighty’s statement:
“inna rabbakumullaah alladhee khalaqas-samaawaati
wal-arda fee sittati ayyaamin thummastawaa ‘alal-‘arsh
yghshil-laylan-nahaar…”[4] for
about four verses until His statement:
“innahoo laa yuhibbul-mu‘tadeen
wa laa tufsidoo fil-ardi ba‘da islaahiha wad‘oohu
khawfan wa tama‘an inna rahmatal-laahi qareebun minal-muhsineen”;
[5]
also
“laqad jaa’akum rasoolun min anfusikum”;
[6]
Soorah al-Mu’minoon (23);
Soorah as-Saaffaat
(37); the ending of
Soorah al-Hashr (59); and
Soorah
al-Kaafiroon (109).
[7]
This is called the small dose (
jur‘ah sughraa).
Those possessed always are affected by it and the
jinnee usually comes
out after this recitation. If the
jinnee does not come out or manifest
itself, I know that the person is not possessed. However, instead, he may be
bewitched. Sometimes the
jinnee will manifest itself while I address it
after the recitation. Some cases may be delusion and therefore are called
delusionary magic (
sihr al-awhaam). Sometimes the person may have
ailments due to bad character.
About 50 percent of the cases are brought to me are demonic
possession or magic and the rest common sicknesses.
Once a woman came to me and I recited upon her, and the jinnee
was burned up. It is possible for them to be burned. On another occasion a Saudi
man came to me who had been bewitched by menstrual blood and sperm. He was
screaming like a calf being slaughtered.
Notes:
[2]
This version of the hadeeth was collected by at-Tabaraanee
in al-Mu‘jam al-Kabeer, vol. 6, p. 163, no. 5864, and by Ibn Hibbaan.
Both isnaads share a weaker narrator, Khaalid ibn Sa‘eed al-Madanee, as
was mentioned by al-Arnaa’oot. (See al-Ihsaan fee Tarteeb Saheeh
Ibn Hibbaan, vol. 3, p. 59, no. 780.) Imaams Muslim, Ahmad
and at-Tirmidhee reported a hadeeth similar to this, but without a
mention of a time period. (Sahih Muslim, vol. 1, p. 377, no. 1707.)
[7]
This is based on upon a narration from Aboo Laylaa and collected by Ibn Maajah.
However, it is not authentic due to the presence of Aboo Janaab al-Kalbee in its
chain of narrators.
Interview No. 2
Location: Cairo
Date: 9/8/88
Name: ‘Abdul-Khaaliq al-‘Attaar
Date of Birth: 1920
Place of Birth: Cairo
Education: Law degree from Cairo University, 1950.
Memorized complete Qur’aan and studied sharee‘ah at the College of
Law.
Q. When
and why did you begin to practice exorcism?
A. About forty years ago one of my sons was
afflicted by the jinn – although I did not know it at the time – and
his sickness became a major problem for me. I went to many psychiatrists,
psychologists, neurologists, brain specialists and a variety of medical doctors
for treatment. But after every visit to the medical specialists his sickness
became worse. Around that time, I happened to be reading Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah’s
book, Zaad al-Ma‘aad. In a chapter on the treatment of the possessed, I
noticed that the symptoms of the possessed were the same as those shown by my
son. The prescribed treatment mentioned in the chapter was the recitation of
some Qur’ânic verses and prophetic supplications. So I recited over my son
and he began to get better. His condition improved the more I recited until he
became completely well – by the permission of Allaah. From that moment I felt
a great desire to increase my knowledge of this science. Day and night I began
to research the topic of the world of jinn, the devils and the angels. I
read many books and many terrible ones. However – by the grace of Allaah –
whenever I came across new information, I would not adopt it until after I had checked its authenticity based
upon the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. What was confirmed, I accepted and what was
not, I rejected. The correct information I recorded in my own notebooks until I
had gathered many such notebooks and a large quantity of material. I then read
extensively the writings of Imaam Ibn Taymeeyah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
and his student Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim. Then I began to organize the information in
chapters which lead – by the mercy of Allaah – to my writing of 30 books in
the form of manuscripts about Qur’ânic medicine (at-Tibb al-Qur’aanee)
and prophetic medicine (at-Tibb an-Nabawee). These books
are ready for publication; however, due to my limited resources, I have been
unable to publish any of them to date.
Q. What
percentage of the cases you meet are actual cases of demonic possession?
A. When I visit someone or someone is brought to me
who believes that he is affected by magic, evil eye, or the jinn, my
first session is an examination (fahs) and giving advice. The
method of examination is quite simple. Anyone afflicted by magic, evil eye or jinn
attack must show some symptoms of the affliction, which I call, “symptoms of
satanic bonding.” The symptoms have peculiarities like the symptoms of any
other sickness, such as influenza and rheumatism. During the examination I,
therefore, ask about the symptoms which may appear in both the walking state as
well as during sleep. Symptoms during sleep include nightmares, sleeplessness,
broken sleep, uneasiness, the grinding of teeth, and dreams of Satan in the form
of carnivorous animals. Then I ask about symptoms while awake, such as feelings
of anxiety, forgetfulness, hopelessness, lethargy and immobility. Included among
the signs are being easily angered, crying, and staring aimlessly or avoiding
eyes of others. If the patient displays such symptoms during his walking and
sleeping states, I recite upon him some Qur’ânic verses. If he is possessed,
the jinnee may begin at this point to talk either with the voice of the
person or another voice. Sometimes it will use foul language, curse those
present or strike and kick. It may reveal why it possessed the person and when
it did so. It may also reveal if there are others present. Psychiatrists
diagnose this as schizophrenia or dual personality. If a jinnee speaks
through a human telling its name, religion and condition, they call it dual
personality. If a jinnee does not speak but the person’s personality
goes through a major change, they call it schizophrenia.
Q. Are
there other signs, like bad smells or an unnatural smile, that are common to
possessed?
A. In reality, when a jinnee bonds with a
human, there are innumerable signs. Among them are laughter and crying for no
reason. These symptoms were well-known to the medical profession and are
explained as a result of overactivity or underactivity of certain glands. We
know in spiritual medicine that this is due to demons playing with the glands,
causing them to over-secrete or to decrease their secretions, therefore causing
sudden changes in personality and swift mood shifts. The possessed person may
also exhibit supernatural strength.
Q. What
is the percentage of real cases of possession among your patients?
A. My shaykh and mentor, Imaam Ibn Taymeeyah
(may Allaah have mercy upon him), who died more than 700 years ago, said in al-Fataawaaa
the following, excellent statement, “If the veil were removed from the people
of this time (Ibn Taymeeyah’s time, over 700 years ago), we would find most of
the people of this time are possessed by demons.” If that was the case 700
years ago, what can we say about this age in which filth is widespread and the
means of demonic possession are abundant. This is a time of sport and play,
disobedience and corruption. The percentage of those possessed is very startling
– may Allaah protect us all. Those spared demonic influence are very few,
while those under attack are many. Allaah, the Almighty said in Soorah an-Nisaa’:
“…rebellious devil, cursed
by Allaah, said, ‘I will surely take a definite portion of Your servants and
mislead them. I will create in them false desires and order them to slit the
ears of cattle and to deface the creation of Allaah….’”[1]
They are many. And Almighty Allaah’s statement:
“And Satan proved his idea to
be true on them, and they all followed him except a group of those who believed.”[2]
So in reality, the percentage of those under satanic
influence in the world today is extremely high. And there is a need everywhere
for thousands and thousands of exorcists in order to help mankind achieve bliss
in this life. There are a number of real sickness which the medical profession,
past and present, in the East and in the West, has been unable to cure, and the
cure lies only in the Noble Qur’aan. The medical profession readily admits it
has not advanced over the years in its ability to cure problems such as
epilepsy, bewitchment, and schizophrenia. In reality, those touched by Satan are
so many and their percentage is rapidly increasing. Yet, those involved in
treating them according to the Qur’aan and the Sunnah are so few that one
cannot but fear for the future of mankind if a solution is not found. By Allaah’s
blessing, I am working on passing on knowledge of this science to many young
people. But resources to do this effectively are very limited.
Q. From
your own experience, what are the main reasons why people are possessed?
A. I have written a chapter in my book,
Iqtiraan
ash-Shaytaan bi al-Insaan,
[3] specifically for
this question. There are exactly six reasons: 1) extreme fear, 2) extreme anger,
3) extreme jealousy, 4) devotion to lust, 5) human aggression against devils,
and 6) love of demons for humans. Human aggression could be in the form of
pouring hot water on the places where devils reside or urinating in holes or
cracks in the ground. The Prophet (
)
prohibited us from urinating in holes and cracks in the earth because they are
places where the
jinn reside. The love of demons for humans is very, very
common. When male
jinn possess human females and we communicate with
them, they often readily admit that they are in love with them. And when female
jinn
possess men, they often express the same.
Q. What
is the percentage of females among your patients?
A. They are about 70 percent of the cases. The
percentage of possession among women is greater then it is among men. And this
percentage is consistent with the texts of the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. On one
occasion, the Prophet (
)
visited a group of women and said,
“Give in charity, because I was shown
that you made up most of the inhabitants of the Fire.” When he was asked
why, he replied,
“You deny the good your husbands do whenever he makes a
single mistake.”[4]
Q. You
mentioned about male jinn possessing human females and female jinn
possessing men. Is this always the case?
A. No. Sometimes female jinn possess human
females and male jinn possess men. But I am unable to give you percentage
as I did not keep a record of this.
Q. When
jinn speak through humans, do they use the same voice of the possessed?
If not, what is the percentage?
A. The Prophet (
)
used to seek refuge in Allaah from what appears at night and is hidden during
the day, and what is hidden at night and appears during the day.
[5] And he also used
to seek refuge in Allaah from every [evil] which announces itself and every
[evil] which hides.
[6]
That which appears at night is that which speaks and that which is hidden
is that which does not. Thus, speaking or not speaking of a
jinnee
through the voice of possessed is found in the Sunnah of the Prophet (
).
Even in the cases when the Prophet (
)
treated those possessed, the
jinnee did not speak with him or respond to
him. The Prophet (
)
struck the possessed person and said,
“Get out, O enemy of Allaah, for I am
the Messenger of Allaah!” And the
jinnee did not reply to the
Prophet (
).
But, in the case of the
jinnee who was searching food and was caught by
Aboo Hurayrah, it spoke with him. Also, the
jinnee who possessed ‘Abdullaah
ibn Mas‘ood communicated with him. Likewise, the
jinnee who was beaten
by ‘Umar bin al-Kha
ttaab spoke with him. Another example is the female
jinnee
who spoke to Imaam Ibn Taymeeyah in the presence of his student, Ibn al-Qayyim,
saying, “I love him.” And Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymeeyah replied, “But he
does not love you.” It then said, “I want to make
hajj with him.”
And Ibn Taymeeyah replied, “But he does not want to make
hajj with you.”
It said, “Then I will leave him for your sake.” Ibn Taymeeyah said, “No.
Leave him in obedience to Allaah’s command.” This incident can be found in
Ibn al-Qayyim’s book
Zaad al-Ma‘aad in the chapter on prophetic
guidance for treating the possessed. Likewise during the reign of the ‘Abbaasee
caliph, Mutawakkil, the caliph informed Imaam A
hmad ibn
Hanbal
that one of his slave girls was possessed. Imaam A
hmad sent one of his
students with a pair of wooden slippers and told him to tell the
jinnee.
“It is not permissible for you to inhabit this woman’s body, and A
hmad
commands you to leave this woman’s body.” Al-Mutawwakil and others present
heard the woman speak in a gruff, male voice, saying, “Ahmad’s command is
welcome. For A
hmad is one who has obeyed Allaah, and Allaah has made
everything obedient to him. If A
hmad ordered us to leave ‘Iraaq, we
would leave.” Today, in many cases the
jinn do speak, but in many other
cases they do not.
Q. Is
possession a swift process or does it take a long time, like months or years?
A. Medical doctors say that epilepsy is a sudden,
unknown change in the electrical discharges of the brain. They say that there
are more than 40 million electric discharges of the brain, and it is like a
small electrical generating station. It produces electricity and distributes it
throughout the other parts of the body. According to doctors, an epileptic fit
occurs when there is a sudden surge in the electrical discharge of the brain.
This overloads the circuit and leads to dysfunction in the body parts and
becomes manifest in shaking, stiffness in the body parts, drooling and foaming
at the mouth and staring lasting for a few brief moments. When we see such
conditions, we call the
adhaan in the epileptic’s right ear and call
the
iqaamah in the left ear and – by Allaah’s will – he becomes
cured and returns to his normal state. Although the medical profession, ancient
and modern, does not know the cause of the sudden increase in the electrical
discharges of the brain, the Prophet (
)
indicated a cause. In a
hadeeth reported by Ibn ‘Abbaas (may
Allaah be pleased with him), a black woman came to the Prophet (
)
and said, “O Messenger of Allaah, I am overcome with fits and take off my
clothes.” [and in another narration, “Verily, the evil
jinnee takes
off my clothes.”]
[7]
In this
hadeeth the Prophet (
)
confirmed that it is the devil who causes people to fall down in fits. It has
been demonstrated that the cause is demonic from the many cases in which we have
called the
adhaan in the ears of those in epileptic fits, and
consequently the fits ceased. For the Prophet (
)
has stated,
“When Satan hears the adhaan, he turns and flees.” This
is in the case of complete possession (
sara‘ kullee). There are
other types of possession in which humans are affected, like migraine headaches
(
sudaa‘ nisfee), insomnia (
araq), depression,
introversion (
intiwaa) or pains occurring in different parts of
the body at various times. The possessing demon who inhabits the human brain is
able to vary cerebral electric discharges – by the will of Allaah – and
affect the body parts with a variety of ailments. For example, it may affect the
man’s tongue so that he cannot speak, his ears so that he cannot hear, his
eyes so that he cannot see, or his hands so they tremble and become paralyzed.
These are all various types of possession.
Q. Have
you experienced the jinn speaking in languages other than that of the
possessed person?
A. I have found many cases in which the jinn
speak in other languages or other dialects common to other regions of the
country.
Q. Do
the jinn enter the human body from particular points, like the mouth,
eyes or hand?
A. There are three types of
jinn. One type
consists of animals, such as dogs, snakes, donkeys and mules. These give birth
to offspring like themselves. A dog-
jinnee give birth to a dog-
jinnee
and a snake-
jinnee gives birth to a snake-
jinnee. Another type flies in
the air, like the one mentioned in
Soorah an-Naml:
“And ‘ifreet
among the jinn said, ‘I will bring it to you before you can rise from
your position, for surely I am strong and trustworthy for that purpose.’ ”[8]
I consider this type of
jinnee like the TV picture which is
transferred through the air. The
jinn which enters the bodies of humans
are from this type. Allaah referred to them at the beginning of
Soorah al-A‘raaf:
“Surely, he and his tribe see you from a position where you cannot see them…”[9]
This verse means that the
jinn see us, but we cannot see them. Air
is with us everywhere. We sense it and are certain about its existence, but we
cannot see it. The
jinn are just like air, which is the meaning of
Almighty Allaah’s statement in Soorah ar-Rahmaan: “And He created the
jinn
from a flame (
maarij) of fire.”
[10]
Maarij is the hot air which is above the fire. Thus, the
jinnee
which enters the human body is not of the type which has a material form, like
that of a human, donkey or dog. This type has a fine, invisible, ethereal (
hawaa’ee)
body. And it enters the body just like air does through the open orifices, like
the mouth, the nose and the anus. Even the pores of the skin allow air to enter
and thus become ports of entrance for the
jinn. If we drink water in the
summer, the water spreads throughout the body and passes out through the pores
in the skin. Air also enters and along with it the
jinn of this kind.
However, the
jinn usually live in the toilet areas use for defecation,
urination and bathing. This is based upon the Prophet’s statement,
“Surely,
these hushoosh are inhabited.”[11]
The hushoosh are the places used by humans to
relieve and clean themselves. Thus, Muslims are enjoined to recite the following
supplication before entering such places, “O Allaah, I seek refuge in you
from the evil male and female jinn.” The jinn find it easiest to
enter from the anus so this is the most common entrance. However, they also gain
access from other orifices, including the eye.
Q. And
how do they leave?
A. From the same places that they enter.
Q. In
which part of the human body do the jinn dwell?
A. When the jinn enter the human body, they
settle in the control center of the body – the brain. The concentrate in the
brain and conceal the human mind, making the person lose consciousness in a way
similar to hypnotism. Then they manifest themselves and take control of the body
through the brain. However, this does not mean that they only concentrate in the
brain. They may concentrate in other body parts and organs, thereby leaving the
brain.
Q. During
exorcisms have you ever experienced any attempts by the jinn to possess
you?
A. I praise Allaah and give thanks to Him in the way
appropriate to His glory. My shaykh, Ibn Taymeeyah (may Allaah have mercy upon
him) said in his book, al-Fataawaa, “Applying this knowledge of
spiritual medicine and/or Qur’ânic medicine is compulsory upon whoever learns
it. Because it is equivalent to relieving the troubled, helping the oppressed,
liberating the distressed and supporting the weak. It is among the greatest
branches of fighting in the path of Allaah (jihaad fee sabeelillaah).”
He also said, “Those who work in this field are feared by the jinn
because they know that they (i.e., the exorcists) do it as a means of pleasing
Allaah. Thus, Allaah places in the soul of the jinnee a fear of the
exorcist.” I have never experienced a jinnee attack while I was awake.
However, if I go to sleep without making the protective supplications, the jinn
hurt me during my sleep and make me restless. Whenever this happens, I awaken
quickly and recite the supplications of divine refuge (ta’awwudhaat)
and protection, and Allaah protects me.
Q. Since
you began exorcising people over 40 years ago, have any of your family members
been possessed?
A. I have not experienced it within my family.
However, whenever devils fail in their attack on the human soul, they will try
an external attack by setting his family against him, such as his wife, child,
mother, father or leader. But such attacks are comparatively mild. If the
exorcist has strong faith in Allaah and is truthful and pious, external attacks
will also fail. I would like to advise those who wish to work in this field to
be careful. On one occasion when I was exorcising a jinnee by the name of
Jibreel, who had been severely hurting a woman (and this was around the time I
began exorcising), I said to it, “Jibreel, leave the woman and come into my
body. Give her a break. Perhaps Allaah will give me more strength and health to
bear your presence.” Jibreel was silent for a moment, then he said, “From
where will I enter you? From which part can I? I took this as glad tidings from
Allaah that He was protecting me by sending angels who would ward off the evil
of the jinn. For Allaah has made a type of angel which is specifically
for the protection of humans, according to the text of the Qur’aan:
“Surely,
every soul has a protector over it.”[12]
“Each
[person] has a succession of angels in front of him and behind him, protecting
him by Allaah’s command.”[13]
“He is the
Irresistible, high above His servants, and He sends protectors over you…”[14]
Whenever Allaah sees His servants being sincere and in
constant worship, working in the service of mankind and Islaam, He protects the
servant from the evil jinn by sending angels to protect him. I thank
Allaah for protecting me and all who work in this field.
Q. You
mentioned earlier that your first session with a patient is an examination. If
it leads to the conclusion that the patient is possessed, what is your next
step?
A. I begin the treatment sessions (jalasaat al-‘ilaaj).
These sittings vary in length and number depending upon the case involved. The
first of these sessions I call “purification of the heart” (“tat-heer
al-qalb”). The idea being that the faith of the person whom I am to treat
must be clear and pure. There should not be in his faith any paganism, evil,
disbelief, hypocrisy or falsity. I therefore clean the heart first so that when
the verses of treatment are read, they meet a pure heart. Otherwise, the verses
will meet a defiled, sick heart not capable of treatment. This is comparable to
planting a seed in infertile ground. It will not grow, but not due to any defect
in the seed. The ground was not prepared for cultivation.
The Third sitting I have named “purification of the
psyche” (“tazkiyah an-nafs”), for Allaah has created man with a
heart, mind, spirit/soul (rooh), psyche and a body. The treatments
are aimed at the first four elements. The soul (nafs) is a combination of
cravings (shahwah), instincts (ghareezah), emotions (‘aatifah)
and inclinations (naz‘ah). So, we purify the sick patient’s psyche.
If he smokes, drinks, gambles, lusts after women or is corrupt in any way, we
purify it so that the psyche can help the heart. I also try to purify the psyche
of other sicknesses, like anger, hatred, malice, jealousy, conceit, pride,
arrogance, intemperance, greed and stinginess. This session is no less important
than the second, for it is by the way of the evil psyche that the possessing jinnee
establishes itself. Consequently, this level of treatment may require two, three
or four sittings until the psyche of the patient is purified and contented.
After this treatment, the psyche does not whisper to itself and it will block
the whisperings of the devils.
The fourth sitting concentrates on the mind, and I refer to
it as “cleaning the mind” (“tanqiyah al-‘aql”). In this session
I address how a person spends much of his time. If he reads useless materials,
like love stories, pornographic materials, detective stories and newspaper
articles, it only increase his remoteness from Allaah. I advise those who read
such materials to give them up and replace them with reading the Qur’aan and
its exegesis, authentic books of hadeeth, and books of law. I also
encourage them to read useful books in other fields, like mathematics,
philosophy, physics, engineering, etc.
The final treatment can be one session or as many as six to
twelve sessions. I call it “removing the spirit” (
“takhlees ar-rooh”).
It consists of removing the evil spirit from its hold on the human spirit. This
is in accordance with a
hadeeth recorded in the
Musnad of
Ahmad in which a companion of the Prophet (
)
passed by a mad person and recited over him a legal
ruqyah for six days,
morning and evening.
[15]
Also in the hadeeth of Aboo Sa‘eed al-Khudree, Ibn Mas‘ood and
others, it is recorded that the legal ruqyah should be repeated twice per day
for six days. If it produces results, fine. If it does not, it means that
something is incomplete from the previous steps. Therefore, I go back over all
of the sessions and check the state of the patient.
These sessions are followed by the prescription of
precautionary measures (
tahaffuzaat). When a patient gets
well, doctors usually advise him to avoid certain foods in order to prevent the
reoccurrence of the sickness. I do the same. I advise the patient to give up
watching TV – especially the useless programs, to be consistent in performing
his daily acts of worship, to get up at night for voluntary prayer, to read
certain Qur’ânic verses daily, to repeat the declaration of faith a hundred
times daily, to seek forgiveness from Allaah, to pray for the Prophet (
).
Q. Do
you use in your treatment physical techniques like tying fingers or tying hair,
burning incense, rubbing olive oil, salt or beating?
A. There are no authentic narrations to support the
use of salt except in cases of scorpion stings. There is no basis for using
either it, oil or other such things to treat
jinn-possession. Likewise,
the use of amulets (
hijaab,
[16] ta‘weedh
and
tameemah) which are worn around different parts of the body are
completely forbidden. Regarding beating, it is authentically reported that the
Prophet (
)
utilized it, and Shaykh Ibn Taymeeyah also used a stick beat a patient possessed
by a
jinnee. However, I advise my young brothers who are working in this
field not to use beating at all, because the use of beating has guidelines and
conditions. We do not beat the possessed human, but the
jinnee which has
possessed the human. And this requires a high level of skill and discernment to
be able to accurately know who the exorcist is hitting. For if he is hits the
possessed person, it is prohibited in divine law, and it would only increase the
suffering of the patient. The details of this, I cannot go right into now,
because it would require a very long sitting to explain exactly how to determine
the appropriate time to hit. At any rate, I do advise the beginners in this
field not to use beating. And even the beating used by many is far too violent
and is applied to very dangerous areas of the body. It should only be on the
behind, the shoulders or the extremities of the hands of feet. As to hitting the
face, eyes or head with sandals and sticks, it is forbidden. However, if the
exorcist has had much experience and insight, and he is absolutely certain that
it is the
jinnee which is present, he may do as the Prophet (
)
did.
Q. What
is your opinion about recitation over oil and rubbing with it?
A. These methods are not forbidden according to
Islâmic law. They are permissible and have some basis in the religion. Before
going to sleep, the Prophet (
)
used to recite the
quls in his palms, blow in them, and then wipe his
hands over whatever his hands could reach of his body, beginning with his face.
On the basis of this, the companion Ibn ‘Abbaas, and also Ibn Taymeeyah, Ibn
al-Qayyim, A
hmad ibn
Hanbal and other Muslim scholars permitted
the recitation of Qur’aan on pure olive oil. There are verses in
Soorah an-Noor
(24) and
Soorah at-Teen (95) which indicate that olive oil is blessed.
Qur’ânic verses may also be read over other substances like musk oil,
saffron, rose water or drinking water. Subsequently, the patient drinks or
bathes with these. However, one who bathes with such fluids must do so in a
place where the fuids will not flow into sewage pipes or other filthy places.
The liquids used should be collected in a special container and thrown on the
roadside.
Q. During
treatment do you have to seek assistance to hold the patient down?
A. Sometimes when a person is possessed, the jinnee
causes him to make unusual movements like punching, getting up and sitting down,
and breaking things. I may need help in holding down his legs and arms, and then
I begin to recite over him.
Q. Could
you recount some of your more recent and unusual cases?
A. I have treated many patients and my students have
recorded on tape the conversations, actions and words which are used in these
gatherings. Each case is on a 60 minute tape.
Q. Do
disbelieving jinn possess Muslims?
A. The world of the jinn is similar to the
world of man. There are no rules in this matter. All possible permutations
occur.
Q. Can
more than one jinnee possess a person at the same time?
A. From my experience, this is possible. In fact, in
some of my taped exorcisms, you can hear the removal of six or more jinn
from some possessed people.
Q. Have
you treated non-Muslims who were possessed?
A. Some have come. However, I inform them that I
only treat with the Qur’aan, or I do not treat them. Most Christian Egyptians
who have come to me have welcomed treatment with the Qur’aan and have
experienced successful cures – all praise belongs to Allaah. And a number of
them have converted to Islaam by the grace of Allaah.
Q. How
do jinn benefit from the possession of humans?
A. Allaah has created the jinn to live in
isolated areas, deserts, refuse dumps, graveyards and animal pens. Jinn-animals
eat feces and jinn eat bones. The jinn are definitely on a level
below humans, as a result of Allaah’s favors which He gives to whomsoever He
wishes. Allaah said in Soorah al-Israa’:
“We have honored the children
of Aadam, carried them on the land and on the sea, provided them with good
things and greatly preferred them over much of what We have created.”[17]
Consequently, jinn accompany humans in order to
enjoy some of that favor with which Allaah has honored men. They try to partake
of the good food, drink, clothes, sex and sleep. This good life tempts the jinn
into attacking humans.
Q. Do
jinn take pleasure by having sex with humans?
A. There is a verse in Soorah al-An‘aam in
which our blessed, Almighty Lord said:
“Our Lord, some of us took
pleasure one from the other, and we have reached the term which You appointed
for us.”[18]
Actually, all the Qur’ânic exegetes understand the
pleasure taken here to refer to jinn’s misguidance of men and man’s
worship of the jinn. They consider the taking of pleasure to only mean
obedience and following. However, the Qur’aan should be interpreted first by
its own verses. This verse should be understood along with the Almighty’s
statement in Soorah Muhammad:
“Those who disbelieve take
pleasure and eat as animals do, and the Fire will be their home.”[19]
Do animals follow jinn or do jinn misguide
animals? No. The taking of pleasure here refers to the fulfillment of sexual
desire. Thus, the “pleasure” mentioned in Soorah al-An‘aam can also
include sexual pleasure enjoyed by males and females. This is what happens when
a man or woman has a wet dream. And I have dealt with many cases where male jinn
were taking pleasure from women and female jinn were taking pleasure from
men.
Q. Do
jinn possess believing Muslims who are conscientious in their religious
practices?
A. This only happens to those of weak faith. The jinn
have no power over the true believers. The Almighty said:
“You will have no authority
over My servants, except those among the misguided who follow you.”[20]
“He (i.e., Satan) said, ‘By
your power, I will surely mislead them all, except Your sincere, chosen
servants.’”[21]
The true believers and sincere worshippers of Allaah are
protected by Him, so the devils cannot possess them. On the other hand, the
devils play with worshippers of Satan who disobey Allaah in the same way that
children pray football.
Q. If
that be the case, how do you explain the hadeeth of the woman who
was overcome by fits, yet the companions bore witness that she would be among
the people of Paradise?
A. Sara‘ is of two types: fits
caused by
jinn and those caused by biological reasons which Ibn al-Qayyim
called
sara‘ min al-akhlaat. Thus, seizures may be from
jinn-possession
or they may be from a chemical imbalance in the brain or the nervous system.
Jinn-possession
is treated most effectively by the Qur’aan, because it is a spirit treating
another spirit. Demonic possession is like the loss of sight or hearing. It may
be a test from Allaah. The Prophet (
)
told the woman,
“If you are patient, your reward is Paradise.”
Q. How
do you explain a Christian priest’s successful exorcism of patients?
A. The non-Muslim in this field works with the
jinn.
The
jinn may ease the pain for a week or months in order that the patient
put his trust in the disbelieving healer. If he were a Muslim patient, his faith
would be lost. For only the Qur’aan is the word of Allaah and only it can heal
the spirit. The Prophet (
)
said,
“Whoever visits a fortuneteller, his
prayer will not be accepted for 40 days.”[22]
And he also said,
“Whoever believes a fortuneteller has
disbelieved in the religion that Muhammad brought.”[23]
Q. How
do you distinguish between someone who is suffering from bewitchment and one
suffering from the evil eye?
A. They are very similar, and they are both a
product of the
jinnee attacking itself within a person. The distinction
comes in the treatment. The longest lasting and more difficult to cure is from
magic spells and the easiest to treat are seizures (
sara‘). As
to the Prophet’s bewitchment, some scholars have declared it false even though
the narrations are highly accurate, without any discrepancy in their chain of
narrators or in their text. These scholars have allowed their limited minds to
determine right and wrong in the religion. This is an error on their part. There
are different types of magic:
habal (dimwittedness),
khabal
(confusion) and
‘abat (stupidity). These all effect the mind of
the bewitched person. There is another kind called
sihr al-jawaarih
wal-a‘daa’ (magic of the limbs and the organs) which does not
affect the mind but affects one of the organs, like the hand or the genitals.
The type which affected the Prophet (
)
was the second type in which his mind was not affected at all. For him to be
affected is not strange because he was a human being and affected by many
sicknesses. He was wounded, his incisor tooth was broken, he was cursed, made
fun of, called a fortuneteller, a magician and a madman. He was an example for
us of one who suffered as we do, but was patient and accepted his fate. The
hadeeth
about the Prophet’s bewitchment in al-Bukhaaree and Muslim reported by ‘Aa’ishah
states that he used to think that he had come to his wife when he did not. And
in the other books of traditions it is mentioned that he would think he had done
something which he had not. That was merely forgetfulness, which all the
prophets were subject to. The Almighty said in
Soorah Yoosuf.
“But Satan made him forget to remember
his Lord, and he remained in prison for a few [more] years.”[24]
And in Soorah al-An‘aam:
“And if Satan causes you to forget, do
not remain in the company of transgressors after you have remembered.”[25]
And in Soorah al-Kahf:
“None made me forget it except Satan,
and amazingly it took its way back to the sea.”[26]
The Prophet (
)
prayed a four unit prayer and concluded it with salaams after the second unit.
The companion, Dhul-Yadayn said to him, “Has the prayer been shortened or did
you forget, O Messenger of Allaah?” The Prophet (
)
said,
“The prayer has not been shortened and I did not forget.” The
companion told him that he only prayed two units. The Prophet (
)
than asked the other companions if what he said was correct, and they confirmed
it. So the Prophet (
)
got up and prayed with them two more units of prayer.
[27]
Consequently, forgetfulness can happen to prophets and this is not
considered mental disorder (
habal) in any sense of the term.
Q. What
do you recite over those suffering from possession, magic and the evil eye?
A. There are incantations called
ruqyah al-mas-hoor,
others called
ruqyah al-mahsood, a third,
ruqyah al-masroo‘
and
ruqyah al-mareed. I have gathered the many narrations from the
Prophet (
)
and placed them under these headings in a large, unpublished volume, which I
have entitled,
Wasaa’il Himaayah al-Insaan min Masaa’ib
ash-Shaytaan. Time does not permit me to go through them at this
point.
Notes:
[3]
An unpublished manuscript, as mentioned earlier.
[4]
See Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol. 7, pp. 95-6, no.125, and Sahih Muslim,
vol. 2, pp. 431-2, no. 1982.
[5]
A‘oodhu billaahi tabaaraka wa ta‘aalaa min sharri maa yazharu
bil-layli wa yazharu bin-nahaari wa yakmuni bil-layl.
[6]
A‘oodhu billaahi min sharri kulli mu‘lin wa musirr.
[7]
A wording close to this was collected by al-Bazzaar in his Musnad: “Verily,
the evil [jinnee] overcomes me….Verily, I fear that the evil [jinnee]
will take off my clothes.” However, Ibn Hajr said, “We don’t know any isnaad
for this wording except this one…and Farqad (one of its narrators) has a bad
memory.” (Mukhtasir Zawaa’id Musnad al-Bazzaar, vol. 1, pp.
336-7, no. 535.)
[11]
Collected by Aboo Daawood (Sunan Abu Dawud, vol.1, p.2, no.6) and Ibn
Maajah (Sunan Ibn-e-Majah, vol. 1, p. 171, p. 296) and authenticated by
al-Albaanee in Saheeh Sunan Abee Daawood, vol.1,
p.4, no.4.
[15]
The recitation was for three days, twice a day. See Mawsoo‘ah al-Hadeeth
ash-Shareef, Musnad al-Imaam Ahmad, nos. 20833-4.
[16]
The name given to an amulet consisting of a sheet of paper on which Qur’ânic
verses are written and folded into a rectangle or square. It is then covered
with thick cloth, leather or tin and a thread is added so that it may be worn
around the ankle, waist or neck. This is usually given after recovery as a
sealing treatment. See Fugara Techniques of Mental Healing, p. 44.
[22]
Sahih Muslim, vol. 4, p. 1211, no. 5540.
[23]
Collected by Ahmad, Aboo Daawood (Sunan Abu Dawud, vol. 3, p.
1095, no. 3895), at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah, and others. Authenticated by
al-Albaanee in Saheeh Sunan Abee Daawood, vol. 2, p.
789, no. 3304. The wording is that of Ahmad’s version.
[24]
Qur’aan, 12:42. This verse has two valid interpretations: either, “Satan
made the servant forget to mention Prophet Yoosuf’s ability to interpret
dreams to his lord (i.e., his master” or “Satan made Yoosuf forget to ask
help from his Lord (i.e., Allaah) instead of others.” See The Noble Qur’aan,
p. 347.
[27]
See Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol. 1, pp. 278-9, no. 469, and Sahih Muslim,
vol. 1, pp. 285-6, nos. 1182-4.
Interview No. 3
Location: Cairo, Egypt
Date: 10/8/88
Name: Sa‘eed Muhammad
Date of Birth: 1946
Place of Birth: Tanta
Education: Diploma from the ‘Ibaad ad-Du‘aa’
Institute.
Q. When
did you begin practicing exorcism?
A. I began practicing more than ten years ago.
Q. What
caused you to begin?
A. It began when the wife of my brother became
afflicted with continual vaginal bleeding that the doctors were unable to treat.
As you know, there is a prophetic tradition in which a woman came to the Prophet
(
)
and said, “O Messenger of Allaah, I am a woman whose blood flows continually.”
He said to her,
“It is due to a blow struck by the devil.” That is,
the devil has some influence in this area. Perhaps it was due to a fit (
mass)
or perhaps she was bewitched, both of which are manifestations of the
jinn
in the body. There is a
hadeeth saying that the devil flows in the
bloodstream of Aadam’s descendants. Because of this, I recited over her
al-Faatihah;
the first five verses of
Soorah al-Baqarah;
“wa ilaahukum ilaahun
waahid…,”[1]
verse 255 of
al-Baqarah;
“shahidallaahu annahoo laa ilaaha
illaa hoo…” from
Soorah Aal ‘Imraan;
[2]
“rabbukumullaah…” from
Soorah al-A‘raaf;
[3] “afahsibtum…”
from
Soorah al-Mu‘minoon;
[4]
the closing verses of
Soorah al-Hashr, and three
verses from
Soorah al-Jinn. The
jinnee in her manifested itself
and spoke to me. I realized that it was a male
jinnee. It said that it
came to her when she cried in the dark because her husband had traveled. My
brother’s complaint was that whenever he approached his wife, she would begin
to bleed even though it was not the time of her menses. In the end, after my
recitation, I found that the
jinnee was not a Muslim. I invited him to
Islaam, and he accepted and then left her.
Q. Was
his voice different from your brother’s wife’s voice?
A. Yes, it was the voice of a male.
Q. How
old was the woman?
A. She was 25 years old. It is the Qur’ânic
verses which can control the jinn, Muslim or non-Muslim. Some are
rebellious and others are Muslim. Sometimes it may argue with the exorcist
himself. We see that the churches are filled with magic, for when we ask the jinn
questions, they say that they came from the church of George’s family. And the
jinn are tough and try to destroy whoever is in their presence.
Q. What
percentage of cases are true, demonic possession?
A. Some are imaginary. Women often imagine that
someone has bewitched them or that the change of their husband’s treatment is
due to a magic spell put upon their husbands.
The first sign of possession in a woman is that her menses
becomes irregular. She also feels a kind of suffocation which is quite different
from psychological depression or medical asphyxia. It comes to her at night in
the form of a nightmare, even if she is regular in her formal prayers and uses
the prescribed daily supplications. At the end of her treatment she listens to a
tape of the verses which I mentioned earlier. When she listens to the tape
alone, she discovers her life changing. She becomes imbalanced at first. In the
beginning, I greet the jinnee with salutations of peace. If it is a
Muslim, it replies, and if not, it does not reply. I then begin to address it
with any other greetings, and it replies, informing me that it is not a Muslim.
After speaking to it, it leaves the woman, freeing her from all of the
afflicting pains, from headaches to infertility and other symptoms which doctors
are unable to cure.
On one occasion during an argument between a woman and her
husband, the wife lost her speech. Her tongue refused to function, and she
became very depressed. She saw a doctor who was unable to determine the medical
cause, so he sent her to me. I recited over her the verses I mentioned earlier
and called the adhaan. At the end of the adhaan, the woman began
to speak again. She made the declaration of faith (shahaadah), and the jinnee
left her.
Q. From
your experience, what are the reasons why jinn possess people?
A. Jinn enter human bodies when man commits
errors. However, if he lives according to the Qur’aan and the Sunnah of the
Prophet (
)
and uses the prescribed supplications and prayer shields (
tahassunaat)
which the Prophet (
)
taught us, he will not be afflicted by the
jinn. The
jinn may
afflict one who is far from supplications, the Sunnah and Qur’ânic
recitations. Such an affliction can be quite destructive. Sometimes when marital
partners argue for no reason, the husband will report that he saw his wife
looking quite unnatural, and she say likewise about him. This is a form of
magical spell called “the reversal” (
qalb). It existed during the era
of Moses and is still around today. The wife may become possessed or bewitched.
When a
jinnee enters a human body, it wishes the body to remain in its
possession. It may practice evil with the woman in her eating and drinking
habits, in her sleep, etc. It may enter the toilet with her when she goes to
relieve herself. If you ask her if she spends a long time in the toilet
relieving herself, she will reply, “Yes, I do although I do not need to spend
all of that time in there.” This is because the
jinn want her in that
state in order to see her exposed private parts.
Q. What
are the other reasons?
A. The jinn may fall in love with a woman.
When we perform intercourse, we are supposed to say, “O Allaah, remove the
devil from us and from whatever offspring Your provide us.” It may be
deduced from this prayer that the devil may take part when a man has intercourse
with his wife. As Allaah, Most Great and Glorious, said to Satan in Soorah
al-Israa’:
“Share in
their wealth and children.”[5]
Satan does not have power of the true servants of Allaah
who pray regularly and read the Qur’aan. When you enter a house, you may find
most of its occupants are afflicted with some sort of from of demonic possession
(mass). And when you ask the head of the household in he prays, he will
say no. The house is in ruins and thus the devils enter.
Q. What
is the percentage of possessed women in relationship to men?
A. The greater majority are women, about 95 percent,
because they like to adorn themselves, display their beauty, and are
disobedient. I have only encountered one possessed woman who was pious. She
attended one of my lectures and after I recited the verses, we heard her scream.
She was known to pray regularly and had memorized much of the Qur’aan, so I
asked her what was wrong with her, and she replied in a man’s voice, “I am
‘Alee.” I asked him, “Are you a Muslim?” and he replied, “Yes.” I
asked, “How did you enter her?” He said, “She poured hot water outside and
hurt me.” I told him, “Get out!” and he left her. She was 28 years old.
Q. How
did you know that she was possessed?
A. She said that when she poured hot water she felt
as though there was fire in her leg. Some people sense the jinn’s
entrance while others do not.
Q. From
your experience, do male jinn enter women and female jinn enter
men?
A. If a woman harms a female jinnee, it will
enter her. Sometimes we have found both male and female jinn inside of a
single person. Sometimes, when you
say to it, “Sent out So-and-so,” it turns out to be only one jinnee
pretending to be different people.
Q. Do
they have names?
A. Yes, they do have names. However, on one
occasion, I asked a jinnee about its name and it replied that it was the
number thirty-six. When I asked about its tribe, it said it was from Banee
al-Asfaar. And when I inquired about the location of its home, it replied that
it was Printing Press Road.
Q. Is
it common for a male jinn to affect a woman?
A. Yes. It is the usual case for women to be
possessed by male jinn and men by female jinn. I saw one case in
which a man was possessed by a female jinnee who was a non-Muslim. He
used to have terrible fits whenever he recited the Qur’aan. I told her that he
was going to get married soon and she screamed. After great effort, she was made
to leave.
Q. Are
possessing jinn usually Muslims or non-Muslims?
A. In reality, jinn may be both. But Muslim jinn
only enter if they are hurt, while non-Muslim jinn will enter whether
hurt or not. Most often they are non-Muslims.
Q. Do
the jinn settle in a particular portion of the human body?
A. Usually they spread throughout the whole body.
The Prophet (
)
said,
“Certainly the devil flows in the veins of Aadam’s descendants.”
And in another narration,
“Satan circulates in Aadam’s descendants like
blood.” In some cases, I ask the
jinnee to congregate in one
specific place.
Q. Have
you experienced any attempt to possess you?
A. The jinn have tribes and families. They
are just like us. They will try to take revenge on the one who removes them. One
time, they tried to affect my son, Ahmad.
Notes:
[5]
Qur’aan, 17:64.
Interview No. 4
Location:
Riyaadh, Saudi Arabia
Date:
2/4/88
Name:
‘Abdullaah Mushrif al-‘Amree
Date of
Birth: 1964 CE
Place of
Birth: Riyaadh
Education:
BA from Imaam Ibn Sa‘ood Islâmic University in the field of Hadeeth.
Q.
Exactly when did you begin to treat possessed people?
A. I began reciting the Qur’aan over the sick
approximately two years ago.
Q.
What made you begin to do this?
A. I am not of those who haphazardly began to treat
people. I first noticed that this sickness is common. I was working as a member
of the Morals Commission (
Hay’at al-Amir bil-Ma‘roof wan-Nahyi ‘an
al-Munkar), following the statement of Prophet Mu
hammad (
),
“Whoever sees evil should change it with his hand. If
he is unable, he should change it with his tongue. And if he is unable to do
[even that], he should hate it in his heart, and that is the lowest [level] of
faith.”[1]
As a member of the Morals Commission, we arrested a number
of people involved in magic and trickery who were treating people from a variety
of backgrounds. These individuals admitted exploiting the ignorant masses in the
most repulsive and gross ways. They were using a variety of amulets and charms
which all involved
shirk. I was
assigned as the
imaam of a
masjid. A lot of people came to me with
different ailments so I recited over them regularly. This was not connected with
any special treatment. Any
imaam of a
masjid can read for people,
however, there are some conditions for recitation. One should have strong faith
and full trust in Allaah. The Prophet (
)
said,
“If you trust in Allaah as He deserves to trusted, the angels will
shake your hands.”[2]
I found that people were greatly benefiting from these readings. Among the
problems they faced was the effect of the evil eye. The Prophet (
),
“The evil eye is real. It may put a man in the grave
and a camel in a pot.”[3]
Asmaa’, the daughter of Aboo Bakr, said to the Prophet (
),
“O Messenger of Allaah, the Ja‘far clan is affected by the evil eye. Should
we do incantations for them?” He said,
“Yes, for if there was anything
which could overcome destiny, it would be the evil eye.”[4]
And Ibn Baaz mentioned that whoever denies the entrance of
jinn
into humans has told a lie against divine law (
sharee‘ah). There are
very clear proofs of this taking place. After being appointed the governor of
Taa’if,
‘Uthmaan ibn Abee al-‘Aa
s came to the Prophet (
)
and informed him that he was getting confused in his prayers. He explained that
something was interfering with his ability to recite the Qur’aan. The Prophet
(
)
said,
“Come here. That is a devil.” When he came close, the Prophet (
)
blew in his mouth and said,
“Get out, enemy of Allaah, I am the Messenger
of Allaah.” So what was he telling to leave, sickness? And he also said,
“Get
out, enemy of Allaah,” and we are prohibited from cursing sicknesses.
After that, ‘Uthmaan ibn Abee al-‘Aas said that for the rest of his life he
was never confused in his prayer. That was a devil called
Khanzab.
[5]
Also, when the Prophet (
)
was on a journey with a companion named Aboo Ya‘laa Shaddaad ibn Aws,
[6]
a woman came to them with her son, read over him, blew in his mouth and said,
“Get
out, enemy of Allaah.” The woman offered the Prophet (S) two goats and
some fat. He told Aboo Ya‘laa to take the fat and one of the goats and return
the other. Allaah has also said in the Qur’aan:
“Those who eat interest
get up like one stumbling from Satan’s touch.”
Q.
How long have you been imaam of the masjid?
A. I have been the imaam of the masjid
for three years. After the first year of experience with people coming for
readings and consequently getting better, I began to research the subject of
possession thoroughly. I gathered the classical reference works containing
information on this. I studied causes of these sicknesses, methods of treating
them and specific verses which should be recited during the treatment. Praise be
to Allaah, I was able to master this subject and began to treat a few people at
a time. Eventually, my high success rate became known and people came in droves.
If people had not found any improvement after my treatment, no one else would
have come.
Q.
Could you describe your methodology in curing the possessed?
A. The first thing to understand is that seizures (
sara‘)
are of two kinds. The first type are seizures of the brain which can only be
treated in the hospital. The Qur’aan cannot cure it. A example of this is a
case of the woman who came to the Prophet (
)
and informed him that she was overcome by seizures during which she would tear
off her clothes. He told her,
“If you wish, I pray to Allaah on your
behalf, or, if you wish you may be patient and Paradise will be yours.”
She asked him to pray on her behalf in order for her to stop exposing herself,
which he did. The second type are seizures caused by the
jinn-possession
of humans. Sometimes it is due to the
jinn’s love obsession with
humans, desire to punish or merely scare them, and at other times due to magic
or the evil eye. The recitation of the Qur’aan over them once, twice, three
times or more cures them.
Q.
Do you use any particular verses?
A. There are no special verses besides Aayah
al-Kursee, al-Faatihah and the mu‘awwidhataan, which
were all mentioned in very strong prophetic traditions. Otherwise, all of the
Qur’aan is blessed. After recitation, I communicate with the jinnee,
which will say, for example, “I am in love with her.”
Q.
Do you use any other supportive techniques along with your recitation?
A. Yes. Some
jinn will only leave if they are
beaten. Continuous recitation is sufficient to make some of them communicate,
yet others will only communicate if I grasp the neck here (i.e., on the jugular
veins). Then they reveal the reason for their possession of the human, which is
either out of love or caused by magic or the evil eye. The Prophet (
)
said that the evil eye is real and attended by the devil.
[7]
I then order the possessing spirit to leave after telling it what it has done is
oppression, which is forbidden in the Qur’aan and Sunnah. I may quote the
hadeeth
qudsee in which Allaah said:
“O my servants, I have made oppression forbidden to
Myself and prohibited it among you, so do not oppress each other.”[8]
And also the Prophet’s statement:
“Oppression is darkness on the Day of Judgment.”[9]
If a man is possessed by a female jinnee out of love
for him, I tell her that her possession is oppressing him.
Q.
Do female, Muslim jinn sometimes possess people?
A. Yes. Female jinn will possess Muslims and
cause seizures. I tell the jinnee that her possession is not an
expression of love but one of harm, and I ask her to depart and not return. I
have her swear by Allaah not to possess male of female Muslims in the future. If
she is a disbelieving jinnee, I invite her to Islaam. In fact, a number
of them have accepted Islaam from me – all praise is due to Allaah – around
thirteen or fourteen Buddhists, Christians, etc.
Q.
Do female jinn always enter men and male jinn enter women?
A. Yes. That is the most common occurrence. Although
it is very rare, a male jinnee may also possess a man, perhaps only in 10
percent of the cases.
Q.
If the female jinnee speaks, does it speak with the man’s voice?
A. Sometimes it speaks with the man’s voice and
sometimes with a female’s voice. About 60 percent of the time, the jinnee
communicates with the possessed person’s voice.
Q.
I notice that you have with you bottles of water and olive oil. What is their
purpose?
A. I will explain this to you. The Prophet (
)
said:
“Eat olive and anoint yourselves with it; for verily,
it is a blessed tree.”[10]
The olive tree is a blessed tree by which Allaah swears in
the Qur’aan.
[11]
I recite some verses from the Qur’aan over the oil and the person rubs some of
the oil on the part of their body which gives him pain. In any case, everything
is by experimentation, even medical knowledge. As to the water, I also recite
over it and they drink it. If the person experiences gradual improvement – by
the grace of Allaah – fine, because the
jinn cannot withstand contact
with the Qur’aan. If the person drinks the water and rubs the oil and finds
himself becoming uneasy and irritated, it means that he is possessed by a
jinnee.
So, it is used to determine the nature of the illness, like a medical
examination. This method has proven itself effective in the vast majority of
cases There are other methods being used, but the best is by using only the Qur’aan.
Q.
Do others assist you by holding down patients?
A. Yes. If the man is possessed by a female jinnee
– and the female jinnee is stronger than ten men – it will require at
least ten men to hold him down. It happened in my home recently that I recited
over one man who suddenly became powerful. He leaped up and it took about ten
men to hold him. I am usually assisted by the patient’s relatives or friends.
If I find that there is something in him, I ask them to hold him steady so that
he will not punch or kick me. Sometimes the jinnee will speak
immediately, so I recite a few verses and it leaves right away. The jinn
have different strengths, for some are very strong and yet others are very weak.
Q.
What is the purpose of depressing the jugular vein?
A. Sometimes it is only when the human mind is
unconscious that the jinn appear, I hold them lightly and not in a way
which could lead to strangulation. This has happened at the hands of some
inexperienced exorcists. The comparison is like the difference between the
treatment by a qualified doctor and someone just beginning their studies.
Q.
Do you tie strings around the fingers and toes during treatment?
A. Sometimes there are cases when a man comes with his
wife, informing me that she is possessed by a jinnee. When she is in my
presence the jinnee leaves immediately, but by the time he takes her back
to his car, the jinnee returns. This type of jinnee is maarij,
and the only way to hold him is by tying the strings. Therefore, I tell the
husband that if the jinnee returns, he should tie string around her
fingers and toes and bring her back to me. In this manner it is caught and
cannot escape.
Q.
How are the fingers and toes tied?
A. A string is tied around each finger and each toe
separately. The string should not be very tight. On one occasion a possessed
woman was brought to me with her fingers and toes tied. I began reciting over
her until the jinnee screamed and said, “I swear by Allaah that I will
leave.” I said, “No. I will burn you with the Qur’aan, the words of
Almighty Allaah. I will not let you go. You have become imprisoned by Allaah and
then by me.” It promised over and over again to leave and never to return
again. At that point, I untied her fingers and it left through her fingers.
Q.
Do they always leave by the fingers or could it also be through the toes?
A. It could be either. Occasionally the jinn
will seek permission to leave through the eyes or the head. I tell them no,
leave from here, and they depart from where they are commanded.
Q.
Are there any signs which let you know which part of the body they are leaving
from?
A. Yes. The arm or the leg will begin to shake,
sometimes moderately, and sometimes, violently, until the movement gradually
subsides, indicating that the jinnee has left.
Q.
When you use beating in your treatment, on what part of the body do you apply
it?
A. The patient should only be beaten when he was
become unconscious and the jinnee has appeared. And even in such cases,
it should not be severe. It is preferable to hit the back or the shoulders, the
point of the body where the jinnee seems to be residing or different
parts as it moves. At times the patient may be conscious, and he can identify
the movement of the jinnee about his body.
Q.
What percentage of your patients are men and women?
A. I would first like to point out that people’s
abandonment of the Qur’aan and the Sunnah is what has caused them to be
afflicted by possession. For example, when I encounter a person who says that he
feels depressed or bored with life and I subsequently recite the Qur’aan over
him, I find a female jinnee present. When I ask why she possessed him,
she replies, “He does not pray.” Allaah spoke the truth when He said:
“And whoever turns away from remembrance of the Most
Merciful (i.e., Allaah), We appoint from him a devil as a companion.”[12]
And the Almighty said:
“And whoever turns away from My remembrance will have
a wretched life, and We will gather him up blind on the Day of Resurrection.”[13]
So after the jinnee leaves, I advise the patient to
fear Allaah, establish his prayers at their proper times, and read the Qur’aan
regularly. By the will of Allaah, it will never return. I tell him that if he
does not do these things or only does them for a while then stops, it may
return. Regarding the percentage of patients, it is about the same. However, I
have about 5 percent more women patients than men due to the general weakness of
women in comparison to men.
Q.
What benefit does a jinnee get from possessing a human?
A. In the case of a female jinnee possessing
a man out of love, it has intercourse with him while he is sleeping. Most often
this occurs during dreams. Otherwise, the jinnee just disturbs him based
upon the fact that it was sent by a magical spell or in revenge for some harm
done to it by the person.
Q.
Is there a particular part of the body that the jinnee occupies?
A. In the case of women it usually occupies their
womb, and in the case of men it usually settles in their chests.
Q.
Are there degrees of possession?
A. Yes, there is a complete and final possession.
When a jinnee first enters the human body, it only has a partial hold. It
takes time for it to completely possess the individual.
Q.
From what parts of the body do they enter?
A. They enter mainly from the feet.
Q.
Have you encountered cases of more than one jinnee possessing a single
person?
A. On many occasion during exorcisms it becomes
evident that the person has within him more than one jinnee. After
expelling one, the person exhibits signs of possession. When I recite over them,
another entity emerges and speaks in a different voice, using a different name.
Q.
Does the qareen (the companion jinnee) assigned to every man from
birth possess, or is it another jinnee?
A. No. It is another
jinnee. It is the
qareen
which the Prophet (
)
said flows in the bloodstream, but it is another
jinnee which actually
possesses.
Q.
Does the qareen harm its human companion?
A. Sometimes its strong whispers swerve the human
away from performing prayer, remembering Allaah and helping the needy.
Q.
During an exorcism have you ever experienced the jinn trying to possess
you?
A. No. Never.
Q.
Are all of the patients brought to you cases of true possession?
A.
No, but I recite over everyone. Illness due to biological causes may be cured by
recitation, depending upon the level of the person’s faith. The companions of
the Prophet (
)
used to recite
al-Faatihah
over those stung by scorpions, and they were cured. What about a few
microbes which enter a person? He should seek help from Allaah believing that
Allaah has revealed within the Qur’aan a cure. He should rely upon it with
sure faith and sincerity as Ibn al-Qayyim said, “If every sick person recited
the Qur’aan over himself with certainty of faith and sincerity, no sick person
would remain. Almighty Allaah informs us:
“If We
revealed this Qur’aan on a mountain, you would see it humbly crumbling out of
fear of Allaah.”[14]
And He said:
“And We
reveal within the Qur’aan healing and mercy for the believers.”[15]
And
elsewhere:
“O
mankind, there has come to you
from your Lord a good advice and healing for what is in your chests...”[16]
Some of them have ailments which cannot be diagnosed in
hospitals. For example, when one afflicted by the evil eye is checked in the
hospital, they will not find anything wrong with him. Others have sicknesses
which can be treated medically. Not everyone over whom I have read has
recovered. I recommended that those with physical ailments be treated in a
hospital.
Q.
Have truly insane people been brought to you for treatment?
A.
Yes, such people have been brought to me. I usually tell them that if the
hospital has diagnosed their ailment and identified its cause, there is no need
to bring them to me. However, if the hospital is unable to identify the cause, I
will try to treat them. Sometimes the
jinn will cause a human to act in an insane manner. So it is better to
recite over such a patient to see if he is really possessed. There was a young
man who was admitted to Taa’if Psychiatric Hospital whom I treated, and
he was cured. His condition was caused by jinn-possession. The jinn
used to speak through his voice and cause him to make strange movements.
Q.
What are the signs and symptoms of possession?
A.
I first ask the patients some questions. I ask if they experience states of
depression, headaches, continual movements in the bodies or disturbing dreams.
If that is the case, they spend the night at my house, and I ask them to inform
me when the condition comes. I then recite over them. If I find them shaking or
breathing strangely when I recite, I continue reciting until they scream and the
jinnee starts communicating. I ask it
why it came, and it reveals the reason, for example, magic, the evil eye, etc. I
take from it a solemn oath to leave and not to return. The patients then find
out all of their ailments are gone.
Q.
Have you noticed any other symptoms
like a strange way of smiling or a foul odor?
A.
Yes, particularly those afflicted by a magic spell give off a very bad odor.
Other signs are continuous movements and pains which seem to travel around the
body. When I recite, they scream, faint or tremble. Some patients do not do
these things and are cured with just recitation of the Qur’aan.
Q.
What about that little boy who was just brought to you?
A.
That little boy has a problem with his leg. On Thursdays and Fridays he is able
to walk quite normally, but during the rest of the week he is unable to walk. He
has pains here and here (i.e., his thighs and lower legs).
Q.
Could the cause be due to his dislike for school?
A. No, he is
not going to school at all. I think – and Allaah knows best – that he may be
afflicted by the evil eye.
Q.
Could you describe a few recent cases of possession which you have successfully
treated?
A.
There are many.
Case
No. 1
There
was a woman about 28 years old who used to be overcome by seizures from time to
time over a period of two years. Sometimes she would lose consciousness.
Whenever she had fits, they took her to the hospital, where she received
injections, putting her in a drugged state. About a year ago, she had a very
intense seizure and her family brought her to me at 10 o’clock at night. They
told me that the hospital only informed them that she had psychological
problems. When I recited over her it became obvious that she was possessed, and
the cause was from magic. The jinnee in her was a Buddhist.
She did not respond immediately after recitation, but after pressing her jugular
veins, the jinnee presented himself
and informed us about the magician who put the spell on her and the charm’s
location.
Q.
Do you believe everything that the jinn say?
A.
Not everything they say is to be believed unless it is confirmed. In this case
we found the charm where the jinnee said it was located and we burned it. Since then she has not had any
more seizures.
Case No. 2
About
six months ago, a man brought his wife and told me that she refused to speak to
him. She became agitated and depressed whenever he came near her. After reciting
over her, the jinnee appeared and
informed us that her state was due to bewitchment and that the charm was buried
in her father’s grave. We went to the grave, dug it up and removed the charm,
which was made with her hair and fingernail clippings, and then we burned it.
After that she was cured – by the will of Allaah.
Notes:
[1]
Collected by Imaam Muslim (Sahih Muslim, vol. 1, p. 33, no. 79).
[2]
The well-known, authentic hadeeth of similar wording is,
“If
only you trusted Allaah as He should be trusted, He would provide for you as He
provides for the birds, who leave their nests in the morning hungry, and return
in the evening full.” Collected by Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah and Ahmad, and authenticated
by Al-Arnaa’oot in Jaami‘ al-Usool, vol. 10, p. 140,
no. 7620.
[3] The first sentence is a hadeeth
narrated by Aboo Hurayrah and collected by al-Bukhaaree (Sahih Al-Bukhari,
vol. 7, p. 427, no. 636), Muslim (Sahih Muslim, vol. 3, p. 1192, no.
5426) and others. The second sentence was narrated by Jaabir, collected by Ibn
‘Adee in al-Kaamil and Abu Nu‘aym in al-Hilyah, and
authenticated in Saheeh al-Jaami‘ as-Sagheer,
vol. 2, p. 761, no. 4144.
[4]
Collected by at-Tirmidhee and authenticated in Saheeh
Sunan at-Tirmidhee, vol. 2, p. 206. no. 1692. Also collected by Ahmad,
Ibn Maajah and ad-Daarimee. A similar narration by Ibn ‘Abbaas was collected
by Muslim.
[5]
The hadeeth was collected by Ibn Maajah and authenticated by
al-Albaanee in Saheeh Sunan Ibn Maajah, vol. 2, p.
273, no. 2858. The two narrations of ‘Uthmaan ibn Abee al‘Aas on this
matter collected by Imaam Muslim (Sahih Muslim, vol. 1, p. 252, no. 946
and vol. 3, p. 1198, no. 5462) do not include the Prophet (
)
blowing in his mouth or saying, “Get out, enemy of Allaah. I am the
Messenger of Allaah,” but they do mention Khanzab as the name of
that devil.
[6]
The name of the companion who accompanied him on the journey was Ya‘laa ibn
Murrah ibn Wahb ibn Jaabir ath-Thaqafee and not [Aboo] Ya‘laa ibn Shidaad ibn
Aws al-Ansaaree, who was from the third level of hadeeth
narrators and not a companion of the Prophet ().
See Ibn Hajar’s Taqreeb at-Tahdheeb, vol. 2, p. 378.
[7]
Reported by Aboo Hurayrah and collected by al-Kaajee in his Sunan, but it
is rated inauthentic (da‘eef) by al-Albaanee in Da‘eef
al-Jaami‘ as-Sagheer, vol. 4, p. 76. no. 3906.
[8]
Reported by Aboo Dharr and collected by Muslim (Sahih Muslim, vol. 4, p.
1365, no. 6246).
[9]
Reported by al-Bukhaaree (Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol. 3, p. 376, ho. 627) and
Muslim (Sahih Muslim, vol. 4, p. 1366, no. 6249).
[10]
This is in reference to the following verse: “Allaah is the light of the
heavens and the earth. His light is like a niche with a lamp, the lamp encased
in glass, the glass like a brilliant star lit from a blessed olive tree…”
Qur’aan 24:35. The hadeeth was
reported by ‘Umar and Aboo Usayd, collected by at-Tirmidhee, and authenticated
by al-Albaanee in Saheeh
al-Jaami‘
as-Sagheer,
vol. 4, p. 167, no. 4374,
[11]
See Qur’aan, Chapter 95.
[16]
Qur’aan, 10:57.
Interview No. 5
Location: Madeenah, Saudi Arabia
Date: 8/4/88
Name: ‘Alee Mushrif al-‘Amree
Education: Teacher at Islâmic University of
Madeenah
Q. When and why did you
practice exorcism?
A. This situation whereby people came to me for
ailments caused by the
jinn began quite recently. When I was appointed as
imaam of Masjid Qubaa
[1]
– and my Qur’ânic recitation was good, praise be to Allaah – I was
afflicted by the evil eye in my throat. When I got down off of the podium after
delivering the Friday sermon and wanted to recite the Qur’aan for the
prayer, I was totally unable to recite the opening
chapter,
al-Faatihah,
In fact, I could not even say,
“Allaahu
akbar” (Allaah
is the greatest.) in order to begin the prayer. Some of those behind me
realized that I had been affected with the evil eye, and one of them stepped
forward and led the prayer for me. When the prayer was over, people came and
greeted and wished me well and cursed whoever put the evil eye on me. They all
knew it was caused by the evil eye, but there was no way to identify the person
because of the large number of people who prayed in the mosque. I was forced to
resign from leading prayer in the mosque due to inability to recite or lead the
prayer. It even reached the level that I was unable to teach at the University
of Madeenah, and I asked to be released from my post. Some of my friends and
close relatives suggested that I go to see some magicians. But how could I do
that when I was a teacher of
tawheed
at the university, teaching that it was prohibited to go to fortunetellers
and magicians? I refused to go to a magician even if it meant my death. Then I
recalled that the Prophet (
)
said,
“Incantation is not allowed, except
for the evil eye or the sting of a
scorpion.”[2]
I reflected that this text explicitly allows the
believers to use permissible incantations – and the greatest would be for the
evil eye. So I began to research this issue by gathering together books of
prophetic traditions, commentaries on the Qur’aan, writings of the scholars
about the use of verses and prophetic supplications. I found that these scholars
said that when some Jews wanted to affect the Prophet (
)
with the evil eye, the following verse was revealed:
“And surely those who disbelieve will almost make you
slip with their eyes when they hear the Reminder (i.e., the Qur’aan),
and they say, ‘Surely, he is a madman.’ But it is only a reminder to all of
the worlds.”[3]
The
scholars say that whenever this verse is recited on someone afflicted with the
evil eye, it cures him by the permission of Allaah. They mentioned their
experience in using this verse and its results. Almighty Allaah stated that He
revealed in the Qur’aan a verse which is a cure and a mercy for the believers.
[4]
I found in authentic traditions that the Prophet (
)
said,
“Verily, in the Qur’aan is a cure for your sicknesses.”[5] And I found that
other chapters like the
mu‘awwidhataan and
al-Faatihah were used for various spiritual ailments, So I
gathered these verses, chapters and prophetic supplications and recited them
upon myself. In addition, I noticed that the commentaries written about them
usually spoke of the
jinn. So, not only did I personally benefit from
this research concerning the evil eye, but I also learned about the world of the
jinn. I
discovered what may be recited as protection against them or for
relief for those possessed, and I discovered the effects of magic and its Qur’ânic
cures. Reading upon myself cured most of the effects of the evil eye. Although I
am still unable to raise my voice in recitation between
maghrib
and
‘ishaa’, I have begun to give lectures again and have returned to
teaching.
Shortly after this, I came across an article in the
newspaper about a man from the Mutayree clan in Hadbaan (about 300 km
from Madeenah) whose place was being burned by fire, and he was forced to leave
his place because of it. The papers mentioned that after investigation some
geologists and other scientists concluded that the area was flammable due to gas
leaks, while others claimed that it was caused by bacteria. In the end, they
wrote that the scientists were unable to solve the problem. So I contacted the
civil defense administration and informed them that the cause was jinn. The
man or a member of his family had harmed the jinn, so they were
taking revenge by hurting the family. I told the administration that with Qur’ânic
recitation it would go away. The civil defense contacted the Emirate and
informed them of what I had said. They in turn contacted the Director of the
University, who summoned me and told me
that I would be sent by car to Hadbaan, so I went.
When I met the man, I greeted him and asked him what had
happened. He said that he built a seven room residence and dug a well there. He
placed his camel-hair tent next to his house. While he and his family were
sitting in the house after zuhr, they
noticed a fire had started in the tent. They put it out, assuming that someone
passing by had inadvertently thrown a cigarette into the tent and caused the
fire. So they began to curse the one who did it. When they sat back down in the
living room, they noticed the smell of smoke and thought that the tent had
reignited, but they did not find it on fire. They began to search in the other
rooms for the source. They discovered that the room next to them was on fire,
and they thought that perhaps someone had deliberately thrown another lit
cigarette through one of the open windows of the room. Again, they cursed the
perpetrator. However, while they were putting out this fire, they found that the
room in which they had previously sitting was now on fire. So they realized that
it was not as they suspected.
They collected some of their belongings and gathered in one of the bedrooms.
There was a metal wardrobe in this bedroom along with a metal trunk containing
some valuables. They suddenly noticed smoke coming from inside the metal trunk.
When they opened it, they found their belongings burned to ashes. So they
collected their remaining belongings, left the house, went to the head of the
tribe in the region, and informed him of what had occurred. While the tribal
leader was debating whether the information was true or false, their car
ignited. The leader told them to leave the house and to stay in two tents which
he would set up outside the house. At the time of ‘asr prayer, a
tent was set up for the women and another for the men. When maghrib came
and they left the tents to perform their prayers, the two tents burst into
flames.
Subsequently, every time they set up new tents, they also
went up in flames. They sent a telegram to the King asking him to save them from
the fire. The governorate was contacted, and the civil defense was sent. Another
tent was set up for the family, and two officers from the civil defense sat with
al-Mutayree inside the tent. When they all got up and went outside, the
tent ignited and burned to the ground. The civil defense apologized that they
were unable to do anything further in this case. Next the geologists came and
said that the land was subject to spontaneous ignition due to gas seepage, so
the man and his family were taken to a town 30 kilometers away, but things kept
bursting into flames around them. The other scientists, who said that the
combustion was due to bacteria, were just as wrong, because the combustion would
only occur when they left a place. In fact, whenever someone from the family
remained behind in a place, the fires stopped. Then other problems began. If
they were in front of food, nothing would happen, but if they left, salt would
spill in the food or soap powder would be found all over it. Sometimes they
would find cow dung or goat droppings in their food when they left it alone for
a moment.
During my first night there I recited in all seven rooms of
the house, then everyone left. We ate at the leader of the tribe’s house which
was many kilometers away. When we returned that night, nothing was burned. So we
spent the night there without an incident. I also spent the next night there,
and again we left and returned without any fires igniting. After that I returned
to Madeenah. The newspapers, which like to exaggerate everything, wrote a
number of lengthy articles on the incident and how a hadeeth
scholar from the Islâmic University had driven away the jinn. Within
three days, people came in droves outside my door, informing me that they were
afflicted with jinn, etc. I told them that I was myself afflicted and I
only wanted to help the family in Hadbaan. I informed them that I had never read
over anyone before, but they insisted that I recite anyway. I felt that if I
recited and nothing happened, it would convince them and they would leave. So I
recited over the first case, a woman, and to my surprise the jinnee left
her immediately. That only increased the problem and the crowds got bigger and
bigger. Even now, sometimes nights pass and I am unable to sleep due to the many
cases which are brought to me.
Q.
How long have you been exorcising people?
A.
I have been exorcising people for two years.
Q.
What are the main signs of possession?
A.
There are many. For instance, a man may come to me complaining that he feels as
though chains are tied to his body between his stomach and his neck and at times
something seems to suffocate him. When I recite over him for a while, he begins
to take deep breaths and his body begins to shake. If I grab him by the neck and
speak to the jinnee in him, it begins
to speak. When I ask the jinnee its
name, it gives a name different from that of the man, or the jinnee
may say that she is a woman. Once I recited over a brother and ordered the
possessing spirit, “Get out you evil, male
jinnee,”
and it replied, “I am a woman and not a man.” When I asked her, “Why
did you take him?” she replied, “I did not come to him, he came to me. I was
in a well along with my children and he climbed down the well and hurt us.”
When the man regained consciousness, he confirmed her story, saying that he had
a well and when he had climbed down into it, he felt something enter his stomach
like an arrow.
One possessed by a jinnee exhibits some strange movements and speaks without realizing
it. People will inform the person after regaining consciousness about the things
he had said.
If a person experiences nightmares or a state of immobility
at the time of going to sleep or between the state of wakefulness and sleep,
these are among the beginning signs of possession. They must be treated
immediately, otherwise they will lead to major problems later. If Aayah al-Kursee
is recited repeatedly, the jinnee
will go away and not
return.
Q.
How do you distinguish between a possessed person and one who is bewitched?
A.
These two states are quite similar and can easily be mistaken for each other.
When researching these cases, one finds that magic operates by way of the
jinn.
The magician is not able to affect the one on whom he casts the spell except
with the help of
the jinn. I am able to
tell the difference during treatment. Treating
jinn-possession
is much easier than breaking
a magic spell. The companions of the Prophet (
)
recited over a possessed person three times and he got well. The Prophet
addressed a possessed person on one occasion and he was cured. However, the
spell which was cast upon the Prophet (
)
lasted for six months. It was not broken until he was informed where the charm
was and it was dismantled. This tells us that complete cure will usually only
take place when the charm has been destroyed. Finding the charm is not easy
unless one discovers the one who cast the spell and forces him to destroy it. If
the charm is not found, it is very difficult to cure. The spell can be broken
without the charm, but it requires continuous treatment and patience. I have
treated a few cases successfully, so it can be done, but it requires long,
continuous treatment. When verses are read over a possessed person, he becomes
uneasy and begins to make many unnecessary movements. This tells you that the
cause
is
jinn. If the verses of magic (
aayaat as-sihr) are read over a bewitched person, he will also
exhibit additional movements. One knows by experience the difference between the
two. In the beginning it is not easy to tell. Now when a patient comes and I
recite over him some verses I am able to tell his relatives if he is under a
spell or possessed. Because of that, some people say that I am a magician. Some
tell me that I am dealing with magic because they went to magicians who
confirmed what I said. However, it is only
coincidence. If the
patient’s movements are strange or unusual, it may be due to
jinn-possession.
If not, it is probably be due to magic. Spells often affect only one particular
characteristic of the person. If the person develops a phobia about something,
it is probably due to a magical spell. For example, a person suddenly develops
an intense dislike for his job. If you take him anywhere else he is fine, but if
you take him to his job he refuses to go. His supervisor would then terminate
him because he does not wish to work. This is probably due to magic. However, it
might be mixed with the evil eye. The difference is that the person under the
spell will act crazily when taken to something he dislikes. Those affected by
the
jinn will develop a dislike of filthy things. For example, he may
refuse to enter a bathroom. He may dislike entering a number of places and he
develops a fear of them. Also, he will begin to like being alone, avoiding
people. The
jinn want to be secluded with the one possessed.
Q. Do only non-Muslim jinn possess?
A. No, the
possessing spirit could be Muslim, but a corrupt one, like corrupt Muslim
humans.
Q.
Can righteous jinn possess humans for their benefit?
A.
No, the act of possession is an act of oppression. However, if a human develops
a habit of doing a righteous act, like prayer at a particular time, and he
oversleeps or forgets, a righteous jinnee [or
angel, according to some scholars] will sometimes remind him. He may hear a
voice calling him to get up, and when he awakens, no one is there.
Q.
Are people possessed by only one jinnee at a time?
A.
There are no limitations for the jinn in this regard. It is not a case
where one enters and the host is full.
Q.
How do the jinn possess humans?
A. They enter most often from the feet. One
feels as though an ant is crawling on one’s foot and then up one’s leg. This
continues until it occupies the whole body. Or it may come feeling like a sharp
arrow piercing one’s stomach. Then it seems to enter the throat. A third way
is that one experiences a very severe headache which temporarily causes a
complete loss of consciousness, then it descends on the remainder of the body.
Or one may suffer from an extreme bout of depression.
Ibn Taymeeyah divided the
jinn with regard to their
affecting humans into three groups: 1) a group which attacks humans and may even
kill them. 2) a group which possesses humans without killing or harming them,
but it is difficult to get them to leave, and 3) a group which harms them
slightly and leaves quickly. The third group is the most common. They are the
mischievous type which will possess without any logical cause. They possess just
to do harm, and they only control humans whose hearts are empty, vacant of the
remembrance of Allaah.
Jinn usually occupy filthy, vacant and deserted
places. If the Qur’aan is recited over someone possessed by this type of
jinnee,
it leaves quickly because it had no real purpose besides mischief. The second
group consists of
jinn who possess humans out of passionate love, and
they usually cause epileptic fits. This type requires long treatment because it
is the most difficult to remove. The first group is the worst and most
dangerous. They harm humans according to the level of harm which humans did to
them. If someone threw a stone and killed one of them, they may kill him or one
of his children. If part of the body was paralyzed from human harm, the
jinn
will cause the paralysis of a part of the person who harmed them. This is the
type that the Prophet (
)
warned us about, and he gave us prayers to protect ourselves from them. Muslims
are instructed to mention the name of Allaah before entering the toilets, when
leaving and entering their homes, when eating, when discharging a weapon during
hunting, when throwing anything or when pouring hot water. The last two are the
most common causes for the possession of women. I will cite three cases of this
type.
A woman was brought to me unconscious and, when I recited
over her, the spirit left and she regained her consciousness. I asked her what
had happened. She replied that she had left her house after
maghrib –
and this is when possession most often takes place, which is why the Prophet (
)
said in an authentic tradition: “When night falls, keep your children in your
homes because the devils spread out in that hour,”
[6]
– and saw a black cat which ran into her apartment. She chased it from room to
room, trying to expel it, until she cornered it in the bedroom. There she took
her nightgown from a chair and hit it, and it ran under the bed. She looked
under the bed but did not see it. So she assumed that it must have left without
her realizing it. When her husband returned later on that night and she put on
the nightgown, it possessed her from her nightgown. However, because her harm to
it was slight, it readily left after a single recitation over her and did not
return.
Another
unconscious woman was brought to me, and after I recited over her and grasped
her throat, the jinnee began to speak, because it suffered from this.
Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn Taymeeyah and other scholars used to beat their patients,
but I found that beating sometimes hurts the person. The jinnee spoke,
saying, “My name is Saalih.” Then I said, “Saalih
is a Muslim name,” and he replied, “I am a Muslim,” I scolded him, saying,
“Since you are a Muslim, why are you hurting this Muslim woman?” He said,
“She hurt me. Why did she hurt me?” I asked how she hurt him and he replied,
“She poured hot water on me in the toilet and wounded me. She did not even
warn me.” I questioned, “How could she have heard warned you?” He said,
“By saying bismillaah (In the name of Allaah). I would have heard that
and left,” When the woman regained consciousness, I asked her if she poured
hot water in the toilet, and she confirmed that she had. So I told her to
mention Allaah’s name before doing so in the future. As for the possessing. jinnee,
he left and did not return again.
Q.
Are there other circumstances when the jinn may possess humans?
A.
The weapons are in one’s hands to protect oneself from falling into their
evil. Whenever a Muslim leaves or enters his home, he should mention the name of
Allaah. When he goes to sleep, he should recite
Aayah al-Kursee. One
should try not to leave any opportunities for them to attack. The Prophet (
)
mentioned certain circumstances which should be avoided: 1) Do not sleep by
yourself in an empty house or in the desert. The Prophet (
)
prohibited people from sleeping alone because the devil may gain control over
them. 2) Do not travel alone. He named the one who travels alone “satan,”
two who travel together “two devils” (
shaytaanaan), and three
“a caravan” (
rakb).
[7]
Most people who are possessed either forgot to mention Allaah’s name before
pouring hot water or throwing something, or they slept or traveled alone.
The jinn
usually possess people when they are in a state of either extreme fear or
excessive frivolity. For example, there is a type of jinn called jinn
az-zaar which possesses people during musical parties. It can be treated.
When the participants of such gatherings are filled with the spirits, the
exorcist grasps them by the throat and recites over them until the jinn
leave.
Q.
What are the Qur’ânic verses which you read over the possessed?
A.
Most of them can be found in Sunan Abee
Daawood, al-Adhkaar by an-Nawawee.
Tadhkirah adh-Dhaakireen
by ash-Shawkaanee, Sharh al-Hirz
al-Haseen and at-Tibb
an-Nabawee. It is good to read Soorah
al-Jinn,
Soorah al-Kafiroon, Soorah al-Ikhlaas, Soorah al-Falaq
and Soorah an-Naas.
These last four may be read three times each or seven times each. There are
also prophetic prayers which have been used successfully by some scholars, as
well as supplications used by early scholars which are mentioned by Ibn al-Qayyim
in his book, Zaad al-Ma‘aad.
That is from the point of the exorcist. The possessed is recommended to
recite the seven verses on magic, among them are the following verses: Qur’aan,
10:81, 20:69 and 7:117-121. These three soorahs
contain seven verses which have been
tried and tested by scholars with very good results.
Q.
Is it necessary to take an oath from the jinn before they depart?
A. It is necessary in order to discourage them
from returning. Sometimes I will grasp the patients neck and say, “I ask you
by the One besides whom there is no god, the Ever-Living, the Self-Subsisting,
to speak on her tongue without hurting her,” and it will begin to talk. It may
say, “What do you want?” or “This is none of your business.”
Q.
Do the jinn speak in the voice of the
possessed?
A. Yes, the jinn
speak in the same dialect and with the same voice. But I did have a case
where a common, uneducated person recited the Qur’aan better than I could. If
I recited over him Aayah al-Kursee,
he would say, “I have learned it better than you.” And he would proceed
to recite it.
Q.
What is the role of the qareen in possession?
A.
The jinnee assigned to a person may
inform the magician or fortuneteller’s jinnee
all about you. So they appear capable of knowing the unseen. There was a
case in the time of Caliph al-Mahdee (ruled 775-785 CE) in which a man entered
his court and claimed that he was a prophet receiving revelation. He was asked
for proof and he said, “Everyone put in his hand a specific number of items. I
will leave and come back and inform you of what you have in your hands. This
will prove what I say because it could only take place by revelation.” They
did as he asked and he informed them of the exact amounts in their hands. They
were amazed until a scholar came and told them that the man was lying to them.
The scholar said that the man was really a magician. They asked how he knew that
and he told them that he would demonstrate. He said, “If he is able to tell
what is in my hand, then is a true prophet.” Then he told the man to leave. He
then took out a number of dirhams and held some in his hand. When the man
returned, the scholar asked him to inform them. The man lowered his head for a
moment then raised it up and said, “Thirty.” The scholar opened his band and
showed he had over one hundred. When asked how the impostor did it the first
time, he told them that they counted what was in their hands and their jinn
counted along with them and informed the impostor’s jinnee.
However, the scholar grasped a quantity without counting them, so his jinnee
was unable to count them; therefore, the magician could not find out what
he had. The man was beaten and he admitted the truth.
There is a popular school of thought spreading in these
times called mediumship. It is all lies and involves magic. If someone says, “But
I heard my father’s voice,” the answer should be “No, you heard your
father’s jinnee.”
The qareen may not die when the man dies. It may live for some time. So
if the person’s father’s jinnee is still around, it is able to talk in his dialect, just as jinn
often speak in the exact same voice of the humans they possess. Their voices
are indistinguishable from their hosts, whether male or female. The jinnee,
through the medium, will inform a person of things only known to him and his
father, because he was with him. The ignorant believe that it is the spirit of
the dead communicating. However, it is impossible, because the Qur’aan and the
Sunnah clearly state that the souls of the dead cannot return to this life.
Notes:
[1]
Qubaa is a place three miles from Madeenah where Prophet Muhammad ()
laid the foundations of the first
place for public worship in Islaam. It is esteemed as the fourth mosque in rank,
being next to that of Makkah, Madeenah and Jerusalem. (Dictionary
of Islam, p. 482.)
[2]
Reported by Buraydah ibn Husayb al-Aslamee and collected by Muslim (Sahih
Muslim, vol. 1, pp. 141-142, no. 625) and Ibn Maajah (Saheeh
Sunan Ibn Maajah, vol. 2, p. 266, no. 2832). A similar statement was
also reported by ‘Imraan ibn Husayn and collected by Aboo
Daawood, at-Tirmidhee and Ahmad (Saheeh
al-Jaami‘
as-Sagheer,
vol. 6, p. 191, no. 7373).
[5]
I could not find any tradition with this wording in the reference books on
prophetic traditions. The wording, “The best medicine is the Qur’aan,”
is not authentic (Da‘eef Sunan Ibn Maajah, p. 287, no. 774 and
p. 284, no. 767) and neither is the wording, “Use two cures – honey and the
Qur’aan.” (Da‘eef Sunan Ibn Maajah, p. 280, no. 756). There
is a narration with the wording, “Surely, this Qur’aan is the rope of
Allaah, light and a beneficial cure,” collected by ad-Daarimee (Sunan
ad-Daarimee, vol. 2, p. 431), however, it is also not authentic due to the
presence of the unreliable narrator, Ibraaheem ibn Muslim al-Hajaree (Taqreeb
at-Tahdheeb, p. 93, no. 252).
[6]
Reported by Jaabir and collected by al-Bukhaaree (Sahih Al-Bukhari, vol.
4, p. 321, no. 500) and Muslim (Sahih Muslim, vol. 3, p.1113, no.
4995-8).
[7]
Collected by at-Tirmidhee, Ahmad, Maalik and Aboo Daawood (Sunan Abu
Dawud, vol. 2, p. 721, no. 2601), and authenticated (hasan) by
al-Albaanee in Saheeh Sunan Abee Daawood, vol. 2, p.
494, no. 2271.
Interview No. 6
Location: Naseem, Riyaadh
Date: 12/6/1988
Name: Muhammad
al-Funaytil al-‘Unayzee
Age: 28
Place of Birth: Riyaadh
Nationality: Saudi
Education: Primary school
and religious studies in the masjid.
Q. What was your first
exposure to exorcism?
A.
Prior to five months ago, I knew nothing about
the jinn and was among those who did not believe that the
jinn could
enter a human being. About five months ago a relative of mine became sick, and I
took him to al-‘Amree (the exorcist’s name) in Ulayaa.
[1]
During the exorcism, al-‘Amree grabbed him by the throat and recited some Qur’ânic
verses over him, and a female
jinnee spoke, saying that her
name was Rif‘ah. He asked her if she was a Muslim or non-Muslim and she
replied that she was not a Muslim. When he asked her when she entered the man,
she answered that it was more than twenty years ago.
Q. What were the signs
exhibited by your relative which made you take him to al-‘Amree?
A.
Farhaan used to be in the military with the border defense and had his
own car. Then he changed and began to live out in the desert alone. He built a
shanty house out of old car tires and empty oil drums and became very careless
about his personal hygiene. He constantly remained in a odorous and filthy
state, and he avoided company. If someone stared at him, he would get angry and
challenge the person. He developed a strong love for refuse and collected around
himself enough garbage to make a whole country dirty. He also began to dislike
his parents intensely, and he refused to see them.
Q. When the female jinnee
possessing your cousin spoke, was it in the man’s voice?
A.
Yes, it was in Farhaan’s voice. Al-‘Amree then asked her where
she came from and she said from ‘Iraaq. He asked her how she entered the man,
and she replied that it was during one of his bouts of anger. On one occasion,
Farhaan was extremely angry with someone and entered the toilet without
mentioning Allaah’s name. The jinnee then appeared before him in the
form of a woman and told him that she loved him. I took him to Al-‘Amree six
times for treatment. The jinnee would leave from his right foot, and
after we left al-‘Amree’s, it would return to him. Each time we went, I
would watch how al-‘Amree treated the different patients – how he recited
and blew upon them, how he grabbed their necks and they fainted, and how he hit
them. Sometimes the jinn did not speak. These were the most difficult
cases.
After
I took my cousin back the sixth time, I decided to try to treat him myself I sat
in front of him and recited Aayah al-Kursee, the last verses of Soorah
al-Hashr and other verses which I had gathered from books about the jinn and
exorcism and had written down in a notebook. Al-hamdulillaah, I succeeded, and the jinnee
left just as it did for al-‘Amree. I kept making it difficult for the jinnee
to stay in him for any length of time by expelling her regularly. Then I when to
my cousin’s shanty home, took out his few useful belongings and burned the
shack down. I bathed Farhaan and cleaned him up, and his condition began
to steadily improve. Then his uncle from Kuwait came and took him away, and he
returned to a state worse that he was before.
Q. What are the main reason that jinn
possess humans?
A.
The sick people who have come to me do not pray, and their thoughts are very
corrupt. When I asked a female jinnee why she possessed a man I was
treating, she replied, “Because he does not pray.” This is one of the main reasons
for possession – the abandonment
of religion. The second reason could be because they do not honor their parents,
instead they abuse them. So Allaah sends a jinnee to punish them.
Q. How do you know that the jinnee
was sent by Allaah?
A.
Nothing happens in this world except by the permission of Allaah. When a person
goes away from the Qur’aan, his thoughts become perverse. All of those who
have come to me were sinful people, except one young girl who was from a
religious family, and she became possessed by a Muslim jinnee called
Khalaf. It was apologetic when I scolded it for possessing her, and it left
through her leg with an oath not to return. Possession may also be due to the jinn
taking revenge for some harm done to them by humans inadvertently.
Q. Are the possessing jinn
usually disbelievers?
A. Yes, they
are often Hindus or Christians. One jinnee possessed a patient of mine.
When I was exorcising it, she revealed how she had influenced him to delay his
prayers until he abandoned his night prayer all together.
Q. When someone comes to you, how
do you know that he is possessed?
A.
If he acts unnaturally, always looking at the ground, or he gets up suddenly and
walks around. The possessed are generally unable to sit still in one place for
any length of time. He frequently goes to the toilet and seems to be generally
uneasy. Sometimes he displays a strange, eerie smile. He may laugh in an
abnormal way without any reason, as if he is seeing things we cannot. I have
noticed this among the twenty or so cases which I have treated.
Q.
In your cases, did the jinn speak or did the possessed people communicate
their situations?
A.
The cases were different. Concerning the young girl whom I mentioned earlier,
the jinnee spoke in a deep, male voice. Usually in the beginning of a
session the people themselves speak, and later the jinn take over. On one
occasion while we were praying in our masjid, we heard the sound of loud
breathing. After the prayer was over, we looked around the masjid but
saw no one. We went into the gravel courtyard of the masjid where
we found my cousin, Farhaan, lying on his stomach and moving as if he
were swimming in the gravel. When I grabbed him by his throat and asked the jinnee
why she had returned, she responded that she would leave, which she did. My
cousin had been passing by the masjid and the recitation of the Qur’aan
during prayer had affected the jinnee within him. Another time during a
visit of some imaams from the neighboring masjids, a woman was
brought to my house. She came in, sat down for a moment and then she suddenly
got up and began to run. When I called out to her she stood still, but her body
was quivering. I told her to come back and sit down in front of me, and I asked
her what was wrong, but she said nothing, When she came close, I took a hold of
her throat, recited and blew over her. Then I asked the jinnee what its
name was, and it replied, “Mirgid.”
Q. What was the purpose of
holding her throat?
A.
The human mind loses consciousness and the jinnee appears in order to
defend itself.
Q.
Do you use any other means in your treatment besides Qur’ânic recitation and
pressing the veins of the throat?
A. I do not
flog. I have never beaten anyone except in one case in which the person was
possessed by a disbelieving
jinnee which refused to communicate. It
remained camouflaged. So I hit the person three times with my hand, and the
jinnee
began to talk, revealing things about itself. After reciting over a person and
determining what his condition is, I recite over a bottle of olive oil or water
the
mu‘awwidhaat,
Aayah al-Kursee,
Soorah al-Ikhlaas, the
last verses of
Soorah al-Hashr (59:21-24) and verse 54 of
Soorah
al-A‘raaf. Then I blow over the oil or water and say,
“Bismillaahi
alladhee laa yadurru ma‘asmihee shay’un.” (“In the name of
Allaah, with whose name nothing is harmed.”)
[2]
Sometimes circumstances occur when it is necessary to threaten the
jinn.
If there is a disbelieving
jinnee who refuses to leave, I tell it that I
will tie the person’s fingers and toes and then burn it. This has an effect
because when the fingers and toes are tied, the
jinn cannot exist. And if
the Qur’aan is recited continuously over them, the
jinn will be burned
up inside of the person, which may even kill the person. So, you cannot continue
to read over them if you tie their fingers and toes. In any case, I only use
this as a threat.
Q. Are there different types
of possession?
A.
Sometimes the jinnee takes complete control over the human mind, and the
human does not remember anything that occurs during that period of his
possession. At other times the human retains control and is only overcome by the
jinnee for short intervals.
Q.
Is possession a swift process or does it take place over long periods of time?
A.
There are two circumstances. In some cases the jinnee encounters a human
unintentionally. For example, if a person failed to mention Allaah’s name
while pouring hot water into a place where there happened to be a jinnee,
it may possess the person immediately. In some cases when I ask the jinnee
why it possessed a person, it replies that hot water was poured on it or on
his/her children. At other times the jinnee may take a form and appear
before a person who does not remember Allaah. The person will become very
afraid, and it will take control of him.
Q. What form do jinn
take?
A.
Sometimes they appear as humans, sometimes as a black dog or a camel. In human
form it may even greet a person, and when he extends his hand to shake hands, it
disappears. This creates great fear in one’s heart, and the jinn
usually possess humans who are in a weakened state due to extreme fear.
Q. What percentage of your cases
of possession are women?
A. About 80
percent of those whom I have seen are women. Jinn have strong and weak
personalities. Female jinn are stronger than male jinn.
Q.
Do only male jinn possess women?
A.
Male jinn enter women or men, and female jinn do likewise.
Q.
Have you encountered cases of more than one jinnee possessing a
single human?
A.
Most of the cases which I have treated involved only one jinnee, but there were two instances in which I found
more than one.
Q.
Which part of the human body do jinn enter and leave by, and in what part
do they dwell?
A.
Usually they enter by the big toe and leave by the big toe or finger. When they
are leaving through the foot or hand, it begins to shake and rise, whether the
person is sitting down or lying on his back. The jinn seem to concentrate
in the chest or the head of the person. Those possessed usually experience a
tightness or constriction of their chests along with severe headaches. They may
also hear sounds which no one else can.
Q. During exorcisms, do the
possessing jinn try to possess you?
A.
I have experienced the partial entrance of the jinn into my hands up to
my elbows. It felt like electricity or ants crawling up my arms.
Q. Could you describe the steps
you take in performing a typical exorcism?
A.
As I mentioned previously, I first recite certain verses and chapters over the
patient and then blow on him. In difficult cases I sit on the person’s stomach
and have two people hold his hands, then I blow on his face. If the jinn
respond at this point, I begin to communicate with them. If they do not, I grasp
the patient’s neck with my thumbs on the jugular veins and ask the patient to
inform me when he feels dizzy or sleepy. If the patient falls asleep, it means
that he was only touched by the jinn and is not possessed. Otherwise, the
patient begins to lose consciousness, then suddenly lie awakens with an evil
look on his face. Also, a foul odor comes front him before the jinn begin
to speak. At this point, I let go of the patient’s neck and find out who the jinn
are and why they came. Then I scold them and order them to give an oath to
leave. If the jinn refuse, I threaten them by saying that I will burn
them after tying the fingers and toes of the possessed. Usually they leave by
this point. I then recite over olive oil and water. The patient rubs the oil on
the aching parts of his body, and he drinks or bathes with water. This treatment
is repeated for three to ten days until the patient becomes gentle and roughness
goes.
Notes:
[1]
A district in northern Riyaadh.
[2]
A du‘aa collected by Aboo Daawood (Sunan Abu Dawud, vol. 3,
pp.1411‑2. no. 5069) and authenticated by al-Albaanee in Saheeh
Sunan Abee Daawood, vol. 3, p. 958, no. 4244.
Interview No. 7
Location: Ghubayrah,
Riyaadh
Date: 22/6/88
Name: Muhammad
ibn Sa‘iyyid ad-Dawsaree
Age: 55
Place of Birth: al-Aflaaj (Qaseem),
Saudi Arabia
Education: Qur’ânic studies in masjids.
Q.
When did you begin to practice exorcism?
A.
I began to practice exorcism thirty-one years ago. I visited some shaykhs
who were reciting the Qur’aan over a woman. They concluded that nothing
was possessing her. But when I came near her and touched her, she fell down. So
I recited over her and to our surprise, the
jinnee spoke. It said that its name was Sa‘d and was from
such-and-such a village. The jinnee then swore that he would leave her, and he promptly left. After
that, I realized that Allaah had blessed me with the ability to fight the jinn. Whenever I came near
possessed people, they would begin to tremble, and when I read over them verses,
such as Aayah al-Kursee,
the beginning verses of Soorah Yaa
Seen, the mu‘awwidhataan and Soorah al-Ikhlaas
three times, the jinn would leave.
Q.
Did you learn your method of exorcism from anyone?
A.
My uncle used to exorcise with the Qur’aan, but he would also hit. I do not
hit. I only read over the possessed. The jinn say, “You have burned us
with the Qur’aan. May Allaah burn your parents.”
Q.
Can you identify the main signs which indicate that a person is possessed?
A.
Sometimes one can tell from the way that the possessed walks. Other times one
cannot detect possession until after reciting over them. Some patients have
epilepsy (sara‘), which
is not caused by the jinn. At other times they are affected by the evil
eye.
Q.
From your experience, what are the main reasons why people are possessed?
A.
The actions of human beings lead to their possession. They may unknowingly pour
hot water upon a jinnee
or they may fall upon one while playing football. If a person forgets to
mention Allaah’s name in either case, a jinnee
may possess him. Some patients are affected by the evil eye. One woman whom
I recently treated had spilled tea on the ground and had mentioned Allaah’s
name on behalf of her brothers, but she forgot to do so for herself, so a jinnee
possessed her. Possession may also be caused by magical spells. Magic opens the
door for the jinn to whisper doubts in the mind of the bewitched person.
Q.
What is the percentage of men and women who become possessed?
A.
The greater majority are women.
Q.
Do only disbelieving jinn possess humans?
A.
The corrupt jinn, whether disbelieving or Muslims, possess humans.
Q.
Do male jinn possess only women?
A.
In the past, I only found one jinnee possessing. Now, groups of male and
female jinn will possess a person. There are no hard and fast rules. The jinn
are different types. Jinneeyyah al-ard cause the possessed to lose
their consciousness, making them unaware of what happened to them until they
regain consciousness. When a person is possessed by jinn ar-reeh
he knows when the jinnee comes and goes, and they converse with one
another. The third type is the whispering jinn which mainly affect the
minds of' the religious. They whisper such things as, “You are going to die,
do not bother to pray, etc.”
Q.
How do the jinn benefit by possessing humans?
A.
There is no benefit. They are merely corrupt,
like corrupt humans committing
adultery, etc.
Q.
Does possession take a long time or is it swift?
A.
There are two types. One type causes distress and seizures over a long period of
time, while the other will enter quickly and leave quickly if exorcised.
Q.
From which part of the body do the jinn enter?
A.
Jinn enter mainly by the air, sometimes through the nose or mouth. Or
sometimes they feel like an ant crawling gradually up a leg. Only a jinnee
al-ard enters through the blood. It fears the adhaan and Qur’ânic
recitation.
Q.
Which parts of the human body do the jinn occupy?
A. They
occupy the head or the heart. They cause the heart to beat faster or to become
irregular. When operations are performed, no physical defects are found. The jinn
may concentrate on one part of the body and later spread over the whole body and
speak in the voice of the possessed.
Q.
During exorcisms, do the possessing jinn try to possess you?
A.
No, but they threaten me, and I threaten them. If they were able to kill me,
they would.
Q.
Do you use other means of exorcising like tying fingers and toes?
A.
No, I only use the recitation of the Qur’aan and rose water. Tying fingers and
toes was used in earlier times. Now, it has no effect.
Q.
Do the jinn leave from a particular
part of the human body?
A.
They often leave from the hands, fingers or nose, yet there is no specific place
from which they leave. They are like steam in a pot. When the water boils, the
steam will raise the lid and escape.
Q.
If the jinn give an oath when leaving, do they return?
A.
Sometimes some of them return and at other times they bring others in their
places. Some leave and do not return.
Q.
During your exorcism, do you hold or touch any part of the patient’s body?
A.
I do not grab or squeeze any particular part of the body, but I may slap the
patient on his shoulders or the top of his head.
