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Shirk Or Not?

Q:

Past couple of months I have realised pieces of paper that are folded up and behind my wardrobe and my bed and when I open them – there is a box with 9 boxes and it says different things like numbers in Arabic and then like random writing which I can’t tell what it says . I have approached my mum about this and she says they are there to protect you or to see whether your friends are good or bad for you. I personally think this is twisted but my question is, is this shirk ? There is also another two pieces of paper I found which are cut like little strips – not completely cut but they say writing on it but I can’t tell whether it is Arabic or not and I don’t understand what they mean. My mum goes to these different people that claim to be pious and they help but for some reason she gives them money or when they come to my house to do a so called dua or “khatham” she gives them money . There was also a time where my mum took me to a woodland area to bury a taweez which was apparently bad but before we buried it she was boiling water on the cooker and she was mixing something in and then put the taweez in . One more question I have is when I was born my legs came out first and from there people have been coming to me for years for me to kick their backs if they have pain and apparently I make them better ? Is this also shirk Or what? Thank you I understand this is quite a bit to read and understand but please give a little advice. Thank you

A:

Salaam Alaykum,

Unfortunately, some people have great faith in such practices although many of them are baseless and others are based on occult practices, which are forbidden.

The authentic ahadith have clear guidance on the method of protection from evil.

These include :

 

  1. Give Sadaqat daily for averting bala
  2. Recite often Sura Yunus (10),Verse 81 – For protection against magic. Start from Qala Musa (Third word) to end of Ayah.
  3. Surah Al-Qalam (68), Verse 51 & 52 – For protection from najar
  4. Recite Sura Falaq and Sura Nas daily – For protection against Jinn
  5. Ayatul kursi (All three Ayah) for protection against Jinn, najar & magic

 

What your mother believes only becomes shirk if she turns to other than God for help and protection .

As for kicking people to cure them, it is not shirk, but certainly it is not rational to expect that such an action can help, indeed it may hurt someone.

 

Kind regards

Abbas Jaffer