Series of answers by the eminent scholar Ata bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah, Ameer of Hizb ut-Tahrir, to the questions of his Facebook page followers "Fiqhi"
Answer to Question
To: Ustadhi Kamsokole
Question:
Assalam alaykum warahmatullah wabarakatuh. First, I would like to introduce a prayer and congratulations for the hard work you are doing in developing this dawa work. My question is in Surat Baqara verse 102 (02: 102) the verse is long and I will not repeat it unless it is long I will ask the elements contained in this verse.
a) Haruta and maruta. Is it an angel? Manake has come out of angelic qualities. There are other sheikhs who say that these are people who are full of knowledge, with Arabic linguistic analysis. And if they are angels, how do they communicate with those humans at that time.
b) The Qur'an says, the devil taught people sorcery and what was sent down to TWO ANGELS in Babylon. Now what is this that they came with or was brought down by the haruta and the haruta?
c) And those haruta and maruta do not teach someone until they give him a warning. Being sie is just a test of blasphemy. Now should we say that these angels have been sent from heaven to bring this scourge of witchcraft and teach people?
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuh.
Firstly, I would like to pray for you and congratulate you on your diligent work in advancing this dawah.
My question is regarding verse 102 of Surah al-Baqarah. Since the verse is long, I will not rewrite it. I will ask about the matters contained in this verse:
A- Are Harut and Marut angels? Or humans with the characteristics of angels? There are some sheikhs who say, based on what the Arabic language suggests, that they were people with a great deal of knowledge. If they were angels, how did they communicate with people at that time?
B- The verse says: "But the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic and that which was revealed to the two angels at Babylon." What did Harut and Marut bring, or what was revealed to them?
C- "And they [the two angels] do not teach anyone unless they say, 'We are actually a trial, so do not disbelieve [by practicing magic].'" Can we say that these two angels were sent from heaven to teach people magic?
Answer:
Wa Alaikum Assalam Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuh. The answer to your questions is mentioned in the book [At-Taysir fi Usul at-Tafsir - Tafsir of Surah al-Baqarah] regarding verses 101-103. If you do not have the book, I have included the text for you below:
[Book: Tafsir of Surah al-Baqarah, pages 119-125, Word file]:
[Tafsir of the words of Allah Almighty: "And when there came to them a Messenger..." until "...if they only knew" (101-103)]
وَلَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ رَسُولٌ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ مُصَدِّقٌ لِمَا مَعَهُمْ نَبَذَ فَرِيقٌ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ وَرَاءَ ظُهُورِهِمْ كَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ * وَاتَّبَعُوا مَا تَتْلُو الشَّيَاطِينُ عَلَى مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَلَكِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ كَفَرُوا يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَى الْمَلَكَيْنِ بِبَابِلَ هَارُوتَ وَمَارُوتَ وَمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ حَتَّى يَقُولَا إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلَا تَكْفُرْ فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِ وَمَا هُمْ بِضَارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنْفَعُهُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُوا لَمَنِ اشْتَرَاهُ مَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلَاقٍ وَلَبِئْسَ مَا شَرَوْا بِهِ أَنْفُسَهُمْ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ * وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَمَثُوبَةٌ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ
"And when there came to them a messenger from Allah confirming that which was with them, a party of those who had been given the Scripture threw the Scripture of Allah behind their backs as if they did not know. And they followed [instead] what the devils had recited during the reign of Solomon. It was not Solomon who disbelieved, but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic and that which was revealed to the two angels at Babylon, Harut and Marut. But the two angels do not teach anyone unless they say, 'We are only a trial, so do not disbelieve [by practicing magic].' And [yet] they learn from them that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife. But they do not harm anyone through it except by permission of Allah. And the people learn what harms them and does not benefit them. But the Children of Israel certainly knew that whoever purchased the magic would not have in the Hereafter any share. And wretched is that for which they sold themselves, if they only knew. And if they had believed and feared Allah, then the reward from Allah would have been [far] better, if they only knew." (QS. Al-Baqarah [2]: 101-103)
In these verses, Allah Almighty explains the following:
- The Jews used to oppose the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and argue with him using the Torah. They would ask him questions from it, such as their questions about the Soul (Ruh), the People of the Cave, and Dhul-Qarnayn. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would answer them with what Allah revealed to him in the Qur'an. Furthermore, he exposed some of what they had distorted and changed, such as their changing the punishment for the adulterer and altering his ﷺ description that appeared in the Torah. The coming of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was a confirmation of what the Torah had prophesied. When they found that arguing with the Torah did not go as they desired, they turned away from it and threw it behind their backs:
كَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
"As if they did not know." (QS. Al-Baqarah [2]: 101)
Meaning, their rejection of the Torah was as if it were done by a people who did not believe in it and did not know the truth of the description of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ contained within it. This is an exaggeration of their turning away from the evidences of the prophethood of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ found in the Torah; it was a rejection based on knowledge.
When the failure of their opposition to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ using the Torah became clear to them, they began to search for other matters in sources other than the Torah to argue against the Messenger ﷺ.
- When Allah revealed to His Messenger that Solomon was a Prophet:
إِنَّا أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ كَمَا أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى نُوحٍ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطِ وَعِيسَى وَأَيُّوبَ وَيُونُسَ وَهَارُونَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ وَآتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ زَبُوراً
"Indeed, We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him. And we revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, the Descendants, Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and to David We gave the book [of Psalms]." (QS. An-Nisa [4]: 163)
The Jews said: Solomon was a sorcerer and not a prophet. Then they collected the books written by sorcerers with the help of devils during the reign of Solomon, which were widespread in the city of the Messenger ﷺ. They said these were the books by which Solomon used to rule. They followed them and made them the subject of debate with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
وَاتَّبَعُوا مَا تَتْلُو الشَّيَاطِينُ عَلَى مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ
"And they followed [instead] what the devils had recited during the reign of Solomon." (QS. Al-Baqarah [2]: 102)
مَا تَتْلُو الشَّيَاطِينُ
"What the devils had recited," meaning what the devils read or inspired or whispered to the sorcerers to write in their books:
يُوحِي بَعْضُهُمْ إِلَى بَعْضٍ زُخْرُفَ الْقَوْلِ غُرُوراً
"They inspire one another with decorative speech in deception." (QS. Al-An'am [6]: 112)
Before Islam, the devils used to eavesdrop on the heavens and mix it with various types of lies and inspire it to their allies. "Some inhabitants of the heavens would inform others until the news reached this lowest heaven. Then the Jinn would snatch the hearing and cast it to their allies, and they would be pelted for it. What they brought exactly as it was is truth, but they mix it and add to it." [1] The Jinn were prevented from eavesdropping after Islam:
وَأَنَّا كُنَّا نَقْعُدُ مِنْهَا مَقَاعِدَ لِلسَّمْعِ فَمَنْ يَسْتَمِعِ الآنَ يَجِدْ لَهُ شِهَاباً رَصَداً
"And we used to sit therein in positions for hearing, but whoever listens now will find a burning flame lying in wait for him." (QS. Al-Jinn [72]: 9)
عَلَى مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ
"During the reign of Solomon," meaning during the era of Solomon’s kingdom.
- Those books of magic were written by sorcerers through two paths:
- First: What the devils used to whisper to them of magic.
- Second: What the two angels Harut and Marut taught to the people. Allah sent them down to Babylon to teach people magic, while simultaneously warning them against practicing it and informing them that they were a trial and a test for the people:
وَمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ حَتَّى يَقُولَا إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلَا تَكْفُرْ
"But the two angels do not teach anyone unless they say, 'We are only a trial, so do not disbelieve [by practicing magic].'" (QS. Al-Baqarah [2]: 102)
Allah sent both good and evil to this earth to test His servants:
وَنَبْلُوكُم بِالشَّرِّ وَالْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةً
"And We test you with evil and with good as trial." (QS. Al-Anbiya [21]: 35)
Teaching magic to people was a trial for them. Whoever believed in magic and practiced it became a disbeliever, and whoever did not believe in it or practice it was saved.
إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلَا تَكْفُرْ
"We are only a trial, so do not disbelieve." (QS. Al-Baqarah [2]: 102)
- Allah Almighty clears His Prophet Solomon (as) from the lies and fabrications of the Jews. Solomon (as) did not disbelieve—and here it indicates that he was neither a sorcerer nor a believer in magic, and consequently not a disbeliever, for he is a Prophet of Allah (as):
وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ
"It was not Solomon who disbelieved." (QS. Al-Baqarah [2]: 102)
Meaning he was not a sorcerer nor a believer in magic such that he would disbelieve. [2] This indication was specified because the Jews accused Solomon (as) of magic. Ibn Jarir reported from Shahr bin Hawshab who said: The Jews said: "Look at Muhammad; he mixes truth with falsehood, mentioning Solomon with the Prophets when he was only a sorcerer who rode the wind." [3] They did not accuse him of disbelief itself, so Allah Almighty answered them ﴿وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ﴾, meaning he did not practice magic. However, the metaphorical use for ﴿كَفَرَ﴾ in this verse indicates that whoever believes in magic and practices it disbelieves, according to this causal relationship (المسببية) in the Arabic language as we mentioned.
Thus, Solomon did not disbelieve; rather, those who disbelieved were the devils:
وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَلَكِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ كَفَرُوا يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَى الْمَلَكَيْنِ بِبَابِلَ هَارُوتَ وَمَارُوتَ وَمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ حَتَّى يَقُولَا إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلَا تَكْفُرْ
"It was not Solomon who disbelieved, but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic and that which was revealed to the two angels at Babylon, Harut and Marut. But the two angels do not teach anyone unless they say, 'We are only a trial, so do not disbelieve [by practicing magic].'" (QS. Al-Baqarah [2]: 102)
- Magic (Sihr) is showing something other than its reality through illusion. This meaning comes from the words of Allah Almighty:
سَحَرُوا أَعْيُنَ النَّاسِ
"They bewitched the eyes of the people." (QS. Al-A'raf [7]: 116)
يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِن سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَى
"It seemed to him by their magic that they were moving [like snakes]." (QS. Taha [20]: 66)
Meaning that the staff remains a staff in reality, but it appears to the viewer's eye as a snake moving.
In the language, Al-Jawhari said: As-Sihr is enchantment, and everything that has a subtle or delicate source is magic. It is said, "I bewitched the boy" if you deceived him. Magic appeared in some Arabic poetry with the meaning of 'adhah, and 'adhah among the Arabs is severe slander and the camouflaging of lies. A poet said: "I seek refuge with my Lord from the blowers... from the slander of the slanderer."
Arabs also used it—meaning magic—to mean concealment, for the sorcerer performs it in secret. As for what magic is, it is a science through which the practitioner is able to bewitch the eyes of people so they see something other than its reality. That is, the reality does not change into another new reality in a way that cancels the first reality and replaces it with a new one. Therefore, if a person were to grab the snake that appeared from the staff, he would find it a staff, and if he analyzed it in a laboratory, he would find it to be the same components of the staff that was thrown and appeared to us as a moving snake. For this reason, when the sorcerers threw their staffs, they themselves saw them as staffs, but they bewitched the eyes of the people so they saw them as snakes. However, when Moses (as) threw his staff, they—the sorcerers—saw it as a real snake and not a staff, and then it swallowed their staffs and completely nullified their reality. They realized that this was not magic because magic does not negate the reality of things. They knew that what occurred was not magic, and that it was Truth from the Lord of the worlds, as Moses (as) had said, so they believed, and their faith was wondrous.
- The words of the Almighty:
وَاتَّبَعُوا مَا تَتْلُو الشَّيَاطِينُ عَلَى مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ
"And they followed [instead] what the devils had recited during the reign of Solomon." (QS. Al-Baqarah [2]: 102)
And His words: "But the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic..." indicates that magic is performed by reciting words of disbelief (kufr). This means that magic, which is a science, is executed by using words of disbelief in its incantations or procedures. As for anything else, it is not what is called magic in the sense known in this verse, such as showing things other than their reality through technical means—like sleight of hand or similar tricks—or using certain words that are not words of disbelief to induce illusion in people by showing things other than their reality—like some charlatans who have the appearance of sheikhs. This and similar acts are not magic in the mentioned sense.
- The punishment for a sorcerer—as we explained—is the punishment for an apostate (murtad), for he is a disbeliever in the sense mentioned previously. The Companions punished the sorcerer with death. Hafsah, the Mother of the Believers (ra), ordered the killing of a sorceress who confessed to practicing magic.
As for what was narrated regarding Uthman’s (ra) disapproval of Hafsah’s action, it was a disapproval of her carrying out the matter without his permission while he was the Caliph of the Muslims, and he did not disapprove of the death sentence itself. Such an action, the killing of the sorcerer, was carried out during the reign of Umar (ra). It is a consensus (ijma') of the Companions because it was a significant ruling carried out publicly among them without any disapproval. Ahmad reported from Sufyan via Jaz’ bin Mu’awiyah, the uncle of Al-Ahnaf bin Qays, who said: "A letter from Umar reached us a year before his death, saying: 'Kill every sorcerer and sorceress.'"
As for what we mentioned regarding some technical hidden acts by which people are deceived if they are not clarified to them, and the trickery and charlatanry of sheikhs, the perpetrator is given a discretionary punishment (ta'zir) according to the harm caused to those who were deceived. It is known that discretionary punishment in Islam can reach the level of death depending on the type of crime committed.
However, the difference between death as a fixed punishment (hadd) and death as a discretionary punishment (ta'zir) is that the first is an apostate who is not prayed over nor buried in the cemeteries of the Muslims, while the second is a sinful or wicked Muslim according to the type of his crime, who is prayed over and buried in the cemeteries of the Muslims.
فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِ وَمَا هُمْ بِضَارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ
"And [yet] they learn from them that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife. But they do not harm anyone through it except by permission of Allah." (QS. Al-Baqarah [2]: 102)
Allah Almighty explains that those who learn magic and practice it are able, through the acts they perform for the people they deal with, to create problems between them and their spouses that lead to divorce or separation. Then Allah Almighty explains an important creedal (aqadi) matter to remove any understanding that might enter people's minds that the sorcerer has the power of Allah Almighty or that he can make things happen against the will of Allah. Allah explains in this verse that nothing happens in the kingdom of Allah except by His permission, meaning not against His will. This meaning is the meaning of Allah's Will (Mash'iah) or what is called Allah's Intent (Iradah). Nothing happens in the sovereignty of Allah against His will; everything happens by His permission or His Will or His Intent:
وَمَا تَشَاءُونَ إِلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ
"And you do not will except that Allah wills - Lord of the worlds." (QS. At-Takwir [81]: 29)
This does not mean by His approval, for Allah does not approve of disbelief or sins:
إِن تَكْفُرُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنكُمْ وَلَا يَرْضَى لِعِبَادِهِ الْكُفْرَ
"If you disbelieve - indeed, Allah is Free from need of you. And He does not approve for His servants disbelief." (QS. Az-Zumar [39]: 7)
Rather, this is a technical term (istilah) that has this meaning based on the induction of texts. His permission, will, or intent is not interpreted from the linguistic reality of "permitted" or "willed" or "intended" in the common language, which means allowing the action or requesting the thing or approval. Rather, it is interpreted by a technical indication like any customary reality (haqiqah 'urfiyyah) for the people of language, jurisprudence, foundations (usul), or any branch of science.
The phrase ﴿بإِذنِ اللهِ﴾ carries a great significance in this context. What appears from the works of sorcerers before people, in terms of bewitching their eyes and seeing some things other than their reality, might lead to the illusion that they create like Allah Almighty or do things that Allah cannot nullify. So Allah Almighty confirmed that this does not happen except by His permission, meaning not against His will but by His intent and will in this sense, and that Allah Almighty is able to nullify their magic; nothing happens in the kingdom of Allah against His will.
Here someone might say: Then why does Allah not nullify their magic?!
Allah Almighty has clarified good from evil, and showed us that a person is rewarded for good with good and for evil with evil. Then He informed us as well that Allah could have made us one nation upon good:
وَلَوْ شَاءَ رَبُّكَ لَجَعَلَ النَّاسَ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَلَا يَزَالُونَ مُخْتَلِفِينَ
"And if your Lord had willed, He could have made mankind one community; but they will not cease to differ." (QS. Hud [11]: 118)
But Allah Almighty, for a wisdom He knows, left us to choose what we want of evil or good and be rewarded accordingly. Thus, one group enters Paradise and another group enters the Fire:
وَلَوْ شِئْنَا لَآتَيْنَا كُلَّ نَفْسٍ هُدَاهَا وَلَكِنْ حَقَّ الْقَوْلُ مِنِّي لَأَمْلَأَنَّ جَهَنَّمَ مِنَ الْجِنَّةِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ
"And if We had willed, We could have given every soul its guidance, but the word from Me will come into effect [that] 'I will surely fill Hell with jinn and people all together.'" (QS. As-Sajdah [32]: 13)
Therefore, there is no place for questioning: why did Allah not nullify that evil act of the sorcerers? Or why did Allah Almighty not push us toward good in all that He commanded us? Or why did Allah Almighty not prevent us from doing evil so that we only do good? Allah has shown us good from evil and left us to choose, and that is the wisdom of Allah:
لَا يُسْأَلُ عَمَّا يَفْعَلُ وَهُمْ يُسْأَلُونَ
"He is not questioned about what He does, but they will be questioned." (QS. Al-Anbiya [21]: 23)
But in all cases, we must believe that in Allah’s kingdom, nothing happens against His will, but by His permission, intent, and will.
وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُوا لَمَنِ اشْتَرَاهُ مَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلَاقٍ
"But the Children of Israel certainly knew that whoever purchased the magic would not have in the Hereafter any share." (QS. Al-Baqarah [2]: 102)
This means that everything in magic is evil. This is a description of what they learn, which is magic: ﴿يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ﴾. This description has a clear indication that what they learn harms them and does not benefit them; magic is entirely evil and harmful, and there is no benefit in it.
Then Allah Almighty explains that whoever practices magic in the way we explained previously has no share in the Hereafter because he is a disbeliever in Allah and His verses.
﴿اشْتَرَاهُ﴾ Purchased it. Here it is a metaphorical use meaning he made it his profession. Purchasing a thing is done in pursuit of benefiting from it by consuming the item or taking compensation for it. Here, it is taking magic as a profession that generates income for him (a benefit in his claim), as if he has purchased magic.
وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُوا لَمَنِ اشْتَرَاهُ مَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلَاقٍ
"But they certainly knew that whoever purchased the magic would not have in the Hereafter any share." (QS. Al-Baqarah [2]: 102)
This is a statement with the meaning of a demand to abandon it, meaning a definitive prohibition against engaging in magic.
وَلَبِئْسَ مَا شَرَوْا بِهِ أَنْفُسَهُمْ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ
"And wretched is that for which they sold themselves, if they only knew." (QS. Al-Baqarah [2]: 102)
Meaning, wretched is that for which they sold themselves, for they exposed themselves to Allah's punishment and gave themselves up in exchange for the Fire of Hell: ﴿مَا لَهُ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلَاقٍ﴾. The compensation prepared for them in exchange for selling themselves and exerting themselves in magic is Allah's wrath, His punishment, and the Fire of Hell. It is truly a wretched and losing sale.
لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ
"If they only knew," meaning if they were to benefit from what they knew. For one who knows something but does not benefit from it and does not adhere to the implication of what he knows is as if he does not know. Whoever knows that magic has a dire consequence and then engages in it is as if he did not know. This is part of the strength of the indication regarding its subject. Glory be to Allah!
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to seek refuge with Allah from knowledge that does not benefit: "I seek refuge with Allah from knowledge that does not benefit, a heart that does not fear, and an eye that does not shed tears." Reported by Ahmad. This usage is very powerful as we said, and it is in the Book of Allah in other places, just as it is used with other indications:
أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَتَكُونَ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ يَعْقِلُونَ بِهَا أَوْ آذَانٌ يَسْمَعُونَ بِهَا فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَعْمَى الْأَبْصَارُ وَلَٰكِن تَعْمَى الْقُلُوبُ الَّتِي فِي الصُّدُورِ
"So have they not traveled through the earth and have hearts by which to reason and ears by which to hear? For indeed, it is not eyes that are blinded, but blinded are the hearts which are within the breasts." (QS. Al-Hajj [22]: 46)
صُمٌّ بُكْمٌ عُمْيٌ فَهُمْ لَا يَرْجِعُونَ
"Deaf, dumb and blind - so they will not return [to the right path]." (QS. Al-Baqarah [2]: 18)
So he who does not benefit from his hearing is as if he does not hear.
And he who does not benefit from his sight is as if he does not see.
And he who does not benefit from his speech is as if he does not speak.
And he who does not benefit from his mind is as if he does not reason.
And he who does not benefit from his knowledge is as if he does not know.
And this is sufficient, Allah willing.
Your brother, Ata bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah
18 Ramadan 1444 AH Corresponding to 09/04/2023 CE
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[1] Reported by Muslim. The meaning of yaqrifun: they mix lies into it. [2] It is a metaphorical use for the causal relationship (al-musabbabiyah); magic is the cause of disbelief. [3] Tafsir at-Tabari: 1/451.