MAGIC AND TRUTH
by Bashir Abid
Magic, sorcery, witch-craft, whatever name may be called, all these are illusions, tricks, and sleight of hands. These have nothing to do with the Quran which is an absolute Truth and an objective Reality.
Magicians claim to be able to do things with the help of supernatural powers or by their own knowledge of nature's secrets. This claim itself expose their ignrance about nature. They should know that there is nothing in the universe which is beyond the laws of nature. The only one which we could call Supernatural is God Himself. And God is not a magician. He does create things according to well established scientific laws. So, Magic and Reality cannot be alike. They are as much far apart as are The Truth and The Falsehood. For example, apparently a Mirage and a Sea looks similar but in reality they are not. One can refute a Mirage scientifically but he can not refute the existance of a Sea by any means.
The biggest Reality in the universe is God. And The Quran is the only True Words of God. Therefore, it cannot contain Magic at all. There is not even a single verse which approves the existance of magic and its effects. Contrarily, it strongly refutes magic with ample reasoning and logic. It expressly warned the Believers against dabbling in magic or believing that anything can hurt us except by God's Will, and God is Just and Righteous. ref:
"........but they could not thus harm anyone except by God's permission....." (2:102)
A Just and Righteous God will never teach Magic or Sorcery. Similarly, His Books and Prophets will never preach them. The influence of Truth is much stronger than a spell of magic. Therefore, neither the Books contained magic nor the Prophets taught magic to the Believers.
Whenever, God sent His Books and Prophets to people, the Non-Believers among them, due to their sheer ignorance, called them work of magic and magicians. But, in fact, whatever God sent was Absolute Truth. ref:
" When the Truth did come to them from Us, they said: ' This is indeed evident sorcery ! " - (5:76)
Sorcery is the very opposite of Truth,- being deception or plausible shows by human skill. But these cannot succeed or last permanently, and Truth must ultimately prevail. ref:
"Moses said: ' Are you saying this about Truth - when it has (actually) reached you ? Is sorcery (like) this ? But (the fact is and you know it) the sorcers will not prosper (succeed)." (5:77)
In the following verse, this is more explicitely explained:
"But when Our Signs came to them, that should have opened their eyes, they (instead) said: "this is sorcery manifest". (27:13)
The God's Signs should have clearly opened the eyes of any person who honestly examined them and thought about them. Those who rejected them were perverse and were going against their own light and inner conviction.
Similar blames and allegations were hurled against Prophets. For example:
About Moses they said:
"Said the Chiefs of the people of Pharaoh: This is indeed a Sorcer well-versed" - (7:109)
About Prophet Salih they said:
"They said: " Thou art is only one of those Bewitched!" (26:153)
Same words were said about Prophet Shohaib - (26:185) and Prophet Younis (10:2) and they condemned Prophet Mohammad in these words;
"So they wonder that a Warner has come to them from among themselves ! And the Unbelievers say: "This is a sorcers tellling lies" - (38:4)
The Unbelievers were full of envy and spite against one of themselves who has been chosen by God to be His Messenger, and they vent their spite by making all sorts of false accusations. The man who was pre-eminent for truth and consceintious consideration, they call - A sorcerer and a liar.
Not only this that they accused the Prophet as a sorcerer, they also denounced him as one who speaks under a spell or who is bewitched. See what they said;
"Or (why) has not a treasure been bestowed on him, or why has he (not)l a garden for enjoyment? The wicked say; You follow none other than a man bewitched."-(25:8)
The above verses clearly show that niether the God's Books contained magic, nor His Prophets were magicians. In other words, the magic and magician has no real exixtence. These are illusions and tricks faked by wicked men. They might have some temporary affects on those who believed in them but they have no affect on those who believed in Truth.(2:102)
This is an irony of fate, that magic which is clearly refuted in the Quran is accepted by the Muslims as Truth. They believe that Prophet was bewitched by a Jewish lady whereas Quran refute and condemn it. Those who believed that Prophet was bewitched they are wicked and wrongdoers in the sight of Quran.
The concerted attack of evil is sometimes so well contrived from all points that falsehood appears and is acclaimed as the Truth. The believer of truth is isolated and a sort of mental dizziness creeps over his mind. But by God's Grace Faith asserts itself, gives him confidence and points out the specific truths which will dissipate and destroy the teeming brood of falsehood.
This fact is very nicely elaborated in the story of Moses as follow:
"Throw that which is in your right hand. Quickly will it swallow up that which they have faked. What they faked is but a magician's trick: And magician thrives not (no matter) where he goes." -(20:69)
Magicians are wicked men' they thrives not (no matter) where he goes; they cannot hurt anyone except by God's Will and God is Just and Righteous; these are the words which Quran has used against magic. Then how can one justify magic in the light of Quran.
The End.
Bashir Abid
* The translation is from Abdallah Yousaf Ali's translation of the Glorious Quran.
** Verses are quouted as (2:102) which means Surah Al-Baqrah (2) verse (102).
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