It is an Act of Shirk to Wear Rings or Threads or the Like as a Means of Prevention or Lifting of Afflictions
Allah (swt
), says:
" Say:
"Tell me then, the things that you
invoke besides Allah - if Allah intended some harm to
me, could they remove His harm, or if He intended some
mercy for me, could they withhold His Mercy?"
Say: "Sufficient for me is Allah; in Him
those who trust [the true Believers] must put their
trust."" (Qur'an 39:38)
In this
verse, Allah (swt ), Most Glorified, Most High commands
His Prophet, Muhammad (saas ) to reject those powerless,
graven images worshipped by the polytheists, which can
neither remove any harm which might befall a person by
Allah's Decree, nor prevent any sustenance or blessings
which might come to a person from Him. Then He commands
him to place his trust in Allah (swt ), for He is
Sufficient to bring benefit or prevent harm for all who
sincerely depend upon Him.
Benefits
Derived From This Verse
1. The
obligation to reject the abominable.
2. The
falseness of idol-worship.
3. That
the removal of harm and the bringing of benefits is only
from Allah.
4. The
obligation to trust in Allah and depend upon Him, free
from dependence upon any other, and this does not
conflict with the requirement to take whatever legal
measures one can in order to achieve one's objectives.
Relevance
of This Verse to the Subject of the Chapter
That it
proves that protection from harm is only from Allah (swt
), and so entrusting oneself to any other protector -
such as rings, threads etc. is an act of Shirk.
..ooOOoo..
It is
reported on the authority of Umran Ibn Husain (ra ),
that Allah's Messenger (saas ) saw a man with a
brass ring in his hand, and he asked him: "What is
this?" He replied: "It is for protection from al-waahinah."1
The Prophet (saas ) answered:
"Remove
it at once, for verily, it will not increase you
except in weakness, and were you to die whilst wearing
it, you would never be successful."
(Narrated
by Ahmad, with an acceptable Sanad)
Umran Ibn
Husain (ra ) informs us in this Hadith that the Prophet (saas
) saw a man with a brass ring in his hand, and he
asked him for what purpose he was wearing it. The man
answered that he was wearing it to protect him from
illness, at which the Prophet (saas ) ordered
him to remove it and informed him that it would only
cause him to become weak and not protect him from
illness at all, and that should he die while wearing it
and believing in its power to protect him, he would not
succeed in the Hereafter, nor would he know eternal
bliss.
Benefits
Derived From This Hadith
1. The
permissibility of requesting detailed information by the
Mufti.2
2. The
importance of intentions.
3. That
the method of reproof and rejection may differ according
to the individual concerned, so if there is a likelihood
that words of wisdom will suffice, force should not be
resorted to.
4.
Evidence of the ignorance of the polytheists before
Islam.
5.
Forbiddance of seeking a cure by the use of that which
is prohibited.
6. That
the prohibited is of no benefit at all: Even though it
may help to some degree, the harm it causes is greater.
7. The
ignorant man is not excused from the obligation to seek
knowledge.
8. That
it is by a person's last actions that he will be judged
on the Day of Resurrection.3
Important
Note
a) This
Hadith does not contradict the Hadith of `Ali Ibn Al-Husain,
which is allegedly from the Prophet (saas ),
and which states: "Plough (the earth) well, for
verily, ploughing is a blessed task. And sow many
seeds." This is because the Hadith of `Ali Ibn Al-Husain
is mursal4
- one of the mursal narration of Abu Dawood, and
Abu Dawood has not vouched for the authenticity of his mursal
narration. But even were it authentic, the reference is
to seeds ( جماجم ),
according to a large number of scholars, i.e. taking the
required precautions to ensure the success of one's
endeavours such as planting many seeds to ensure a good
crop or using permitted medicines to alleviate illness,
not to some supposed treatment for fever, which involved
the laying of hands on the skull5
of the patient. Taking such precautions is not to be
compared to resorting to the forbidden in order to
achieve one's goals.
b) The
enquiry made by the Prophet (saas ) might be
construed as a rhetorical one, indicating disapproval,
and it could also be understood to be a genuine
request for more information.
c) Some
of the scholars have said that wearing a ring or such
like in order to protect oneself against harm is an
act of minor Shirk, but what is understood from
the Hadith of Umran is that it constitutes major Shirk
because it is mentioned in the Hadith that to die
while doing so would result in failure to achieve
everlasting bliss in the Hereafter. It could be that
the definition depends upon the beliefs and intentions
of the perpetrator if he believed that it could cure
him of itself, without Allah's Help, then it would be
major Shirk; while if he believed it be a cause
of the cure, while Allah (swt ) is the One Who grants
health, then it would be considered to be minor Shirk
- and Allah (swt ) knows best.
Relevance
of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter
That it
proves the obligation to reject the wearing of rings,
bangles, chains etc. as a means of protection against
harm, because bringing good and avoiding harm are the
prerogative of Allah (swt ), Alone, and seeking such
help from other than Allah (swt ) means associating
partners with Him.
..ooOOoo..
It is
also reported by Ahmad on the authority of `Uqbah Ibn
A`mir (ra ) in a marfoo'6
form: "Whoever wore a tamemah, 7
Allah (swt ) will never see his wishes fulfilled, and
whoever wears a wada'ah 8Allah will never grant him peace and
tranquility." - and in another narration of Ahmad:
"Whoever wears a tamemah has committed an
act of Shirk."
`Uqbah
Ibn A`mir (ra ) informs us in this Hadiththat
the Messenger of Allah (saas ) supplicated
against every person who wears a talisman or a seashell,
believing that it will benefit him without Allah (swt ),
that Allah (swt ) will not allow him to achieve any of
his goals nor fulfill his wishes or dreams; rather, He
will prevent him from ever finding security and
tranquility; and he also informed us that any such
action is false; indeed, in another narration, he (swt )
informed us that the tamemah is a form of Shirk
because its perpetrator believes that it will benefit
him without Allah (swt ).
Benefits
Derived From This Hadith
1. Denial
of any benefit to the one who believes in the use of tamemah
or wada'ah.
2. The
permissibility of making supplication against the
disobedient ones in general.
3. That
some of the Companions were ignorant to this extent, so
what of those who came after them?
4. That
the tamemah is a kind of Shirk.
Relevance
of This Hadith to the Subject of the Chapter
That it
proves that wearing an amulet or talisman, believing
that it can benefit one is an act of Shirk
because benefits come only from Allah (swt ), the
Almighty, the All-powerful.
..ooOOoo..
It is
reported by Ibn Abi Hatim, on the authority of Huzaifah
(ra ) that he saw a man with a thread in his hand to
protect him from fever; he broke it and recited the
Words of Allah (ra ), Most High:
" And
most of them do not believe in Allah, except that they
associate partners with Him" (Qur'an 12:106)
Huzaifah
(ra ) visited a sick man and found him wearing a thread
on his wrist; and when he asked the man what was the
purpose of it, he told him that it was a protection from
fever, at which Huzaifah (ra ) broke it declaring it to
be Shirk; and as proof of this, he recited the
Words of Allah (swt ), Most High: " And most of
them do not believe in Allah, except that they associate
partners with Him" - and the meaning of this
verse is that many people believe in Allah (swt ), but
adulterate their belief with Shirk.
Benefits
Derived From This Narration
1.
Forbidding the detestable by one's own hand, even though
the perpetrator may object.
2. That
the use of threads and the like to protect from harm is
an act of Shirk.
3. The
obligation to reject the detestable.
4. The
deep understanding of the Companions, and the breadth of
their knowledge.
5. That Shirk
is present amongst the people of this Ummah.
6. That
the heart of a person may contain faith and Shirk
at the same time.
Relevance
of This Narration to the Subject of the Chapter
That it
proves that the use of threads as protection from harm
is an act of Shirk, because protection from harm
comes only from Allah (swt ), the Almighty, the
All-powerful.