Hadiths on Tabeej and Jareh

Compiled by Kerry Qays Arthur1)

Saturday, December 9, 2006

I have set out to collect a few evidences below at the request of the honored Hanafi Faqih Shaykh Safraz Bacchus Al-Azhari of Guyana. This is intended to clarify that the traditional practices of Taweez/Tabeej (called Tamima in Arabic) and Jareh (called Ruqya in Arabic) are all established aspects of the Sunnah. It is hoped that those who advance the false claim that these practices are shirk will reconsider, relent, and repent.

1. “It is stated in Mawahib-i- Ladunniyya2), “Ruqya is permissible when it meets three conditions. It must contain an ayat al-karima or names of Allahu ta'ala. It must be written in the Arabic language or in an intelligible language. It must be believed that ruqya is like medicine, that it will be effective if Allahu ta'ala wills, and that Allahu ta'ala gives the effect. The following incantation, taught by our Master, the Prophet, should be uttered on a person harmed by evil eye: 'A'udhu bi-kalimatillah-it- tammati min sherri kulli shaytanin wa hammatin wa min sherri kulli 'aynin lammatin.' If this incantation is uttered and breathed on oneself and on one's household daily, three times in the morning and three times in the afternoon, it will protect them against evil eye, against the harms of shaytans and beasts.” When it is uttered on one person (other than yourself), you say u'eedhuka instead of a'udhu. When it is uttered on two people, u'eedhu-kuma is said, and when the people are more than two you say u'eedhu kum (instead of the first word - a'udhu - in the incantation)]. In short, we must do our best to carry out whatever the Mukhbir-i sadiq (he who has always told the truth, the Prophet) communicated and whatever the savants of Ahl as-sunnat wrote in books of the Shariat. We must know that doing the opposite is a vehement poison and will cause endless death. That is, it will cause eternal and various torments. (Endless Bliss. Vol 3. p168)
2. Mansur Ali Nasif3) has said, “Protective or healing words (ruqya) are permitted by Sacred Law (Sharia) and are called for when there is need for them, provided three conditions are met:
   1. that they consist of the word of Allah Most High, His names, or His attributes
   2. that they are in Arabic
   3. that the user not believe the words have any effect in themselves
      Amulets (tamimah) are like protective or healing words (ruqya) in the need for these conditions. And Allah knows best. (al-Taj al-jami' li al-usul fi ahadith al-Rasul as found in The Reliance of the Traveller p880)

1. It is recorded in Sahih Bukhari:
   

   عن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت أمرني رسول الله أو أمر أن يسترقى من العين.

   
   Narrated `Aisha: “The Prophet instructed me or gave instruction to do Ruqya for evil eye.” (Bukhari Vol 5. 2166 Ar. 7.634 En.)
2. In Imam Malik's Muwata we find:
   

   عن مالك، عن يحيى بن سعيد، عن سليمان بن يسار؛ أنّ عروة بن الزبير حدّثه: أنّ رسول الله (صلى الله عليه و سلم) دخل بيت أم سلمة زوج النبى (صلى الله عليه و سلم). و في البيت صبي يبكى. فذكروا له أنّ به العين. قال عروة، فقال رسول الله (صلى الله عليه و سلم) <<ألا تسترقون له من العين؟>>

   
   Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Sulayman ibn Yasar that Urwa ibn az-Zubayr told him that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, entered the house of Umm Salama, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. There was a child weeping in the house, and they told him that it was from the evil eye. Urwa said, “The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Why do you not find someone to make a talisman (ruqya) to protect it from the evil eye?' ” (Al-Muwata Bk 50 Sec 2 hadith 4)
   
3. Also in Sahih Bukhari it is written:
   

   عن عائشة رضي الله عنها أن النبي كان يقول للمريض بسم الله تربة أرضنا بريقة بعضنا يشفى سقيمنا بإذن ربنا.

   
   The Prophet used to say to the patient, “In the name of Allah. The earth of our land by the Ruqya of some of us cures our illness with Allah's permission.” (Bukhari Vol 5. 2168 Ar. 7.641 En.)
   
4. Again from Bukhari:

   عن عائشة رضي الله عنها أن النبي كان يعوذ بعض أهله يمسح بيده اليمنى ويقول اللهم رب الناس أذهب الباس اشفه وأنت الشافي لا يطلب إلا شفاؤك يطلب لا يغادر سقما.

   
   Narrated `Aisha: The Prophet used to treat some of his wives by passing his right hand over the place of ailment and used to say, “O Allah, the Lord of the people! Remove the trouble and heal the patient, for You are the Healer. No healing is of any avail but Yours; healing that will leave behind no ailment.” (Bukhari Vol 5. 2168 Ar. 7.639 En.)
   
5. And:
   

   عن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت كان رسول الله إذا أوى إلى فراشه نفث في كفيه ب قل هو الله أحد وبالمعوذتين جميعا ثم يمسح بهما وجهه وما بلغت يداه من جسده قالت عائشة فلما اشتكى كان يأمرني أن أفعل ذلك به.

   
   Narrated `Aisha: “Whenever Allah's Apostle went to bed, he used to recite Surat−al−Ikhlas, Surat−al−Falaq and Surat−an−Nas and then blow on his palms and pass them over his face and those parts of his body that his hands could reach. And when he fell ill, he used to order me to do like that for him.” (Bukhari Vol 5. 2169 Ar. 7.644 En.)
   
6. Also in the Muwata:
   

   عن مالك، عن يحيى بن سعيد، عن عمرة بنت عبد الرحمان؛ أنّ أبا بكر الصديق دخل على عائشة و هي تشتكى. ويهوديّة ترقيها. فقال أبا بكر: ارْقيها بكتاب الله.

   
   Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said from Amra bint Abd ar-Rahman that Abu Bakr as-Siddiq visited A'isha while she had a complaint and a jewish woman was writing a talisman against her. Abu Bakr said, “Make a talisman (ruqya) against her from the Book of Allah.” (Al-Muwata Bk 50 Sec 4 hadith 11)
   Note that this section is called (باب التعوذ و الرقية في المرض) “chapter on ta'awuz and ruqya for illness” Bukhari and Muslim and most other collections have similar chapters with similar hadiths. Ta'awuz and Ruqya are what the elders here in Guyana called Taweez and Tabeej!
   
7. The great Faqih, Imam Nawawi has given evidence for the permissibility of ruqya in his Majmu by quoting the hadith of Amr bin Shu'ayb that Rasulullah used to teach to recite, “I seek refuge in Allah's perfect words from His wrath, the evil of His servants, the whispered insinuations of devils, and least they come to me.” He also mentioned that Abdullah bin Umar used to teach these words to his sons who had reached the age of reason, and used to write them and hang them upon those had not (al-Majmu' as found in The Reliance of the Traveller p880)
   
8. Imam ibn Kathir mentions the same Hadith of Ibn Shu'ayb in his Tafsir in vol 3 page 256:

Thus we pray that it will be understood that Tabeej, Taweez and Jareh are ligitmate and established parts of the Sunnah and part of prophetic medicine as many of the cited narrations clearly indicate. And it suffices us that Allah guides to the truth whoever He wills!