Playing with snakes, performing sorcery and selling amulets
Q 1: I am a Muslim, as are my parents and grandparents. I believe in Islam in my heart, have Iman (Faith), do good deeds, and behave in accordance with the teachings of Islam, except that which I have no knowledge of. I have two Muslim friends; one of them follows the Al-`Uluwiyyah Tariqah (Sufi order), which is named after Shaykh
Ibn `Ulwah Al-Mustaghny.
He established a number of Sufi Zawiya (lodges) that are all called Masjid Al-Zuhd. I have other friends following the Hamdawah Tariqah, and they play with fire and practice magic. Other friends of mine follow the `Issawah Tariqah
and they tame snakes, practice magic, and sell amulets
to protect the people from snakes and from being harmed by the Jinn (creatures created from fire), etc. Another one of my brothers is a fighter in the National Liberation Front and another has joined the Muslim Scouts. Which of these Tariqahs is the most correct? Will the followers of these paths be rewarded or called to account due to their practices, and what is the evidence for that? Please guide me to the truth, as I cannot decide which path is correct and which is wrong, maybe because I am not well-versed in Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence). Is there any good in these superstitions; if they are really superstitions?
(Part No. 3; Page No. 103)
A:
The sound path is the path of Islam, which was revealed in the Qur'an and clarified by the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (peace be upon him). This way necessitates belief in Allah, His Angels, Books, Messengers, the Last Day, and the Divine Decree, whether good or bad, sweet or bitter. It also entails a declaration of the Shahadah (Testimony of Faith), testifying to Tawhid (the Oneness of Allah) and to the Message of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) to all the people, establishing Salah (Prayer), paying Zakah (obligatory charity), Sawm (Fasting) in Ramadan, and performing Hajj to the Ka`bah (in Makkah). Islam requires enjoining what is good, forbidding what is evil, striving to support Islam, being patient on experiencing hardship while protecting and spreading it, adhering to the Muslim mainstream, loving and hating for the Sake of Allah, and other teachings revealed through the Qur'an and the Sunnah.Anyone who follows the path of Islam will have adopted the correct path, and anyone who agrees with some of the teachings of Islam and disagrees with others will have done good for being in accord with these teachings and have done evil for opposing them.As for practicing magic, writing and wearing amulets, none of these are permissible.