Warding Off Witchcraft With Islamic Guidance

Ferry Irwandi, content creator and CEO of Malaka Project, recently sparked debate online. Ferry challenged dukun (practitioners of witchcraft) to cast santet (a form of black magic or curse in Indonesia) on him.

“If you can make me vomit nails, I’ll give you an Alphard, seriously, what more enticing offer could there be?” Ferry tweeted on Saturday (19/10/2024)

Weeks later, Ferry uploaded a video on his YouTube channel, stating he had yet to experience any santet attacks. Despite claims from several individuals who said they would curse him.

“On Twitter, eight people confirmed that they attempted to curse me. Among them were those claiming mastery in black magic or connections to powerful shamans. But it turns out, all of them failed,” Ferry said in his video posted Monday (4/11/2024). 

Ferry’s statements caused some netizens to question the reality of black magic. Drs. M. Darojat Ariyanto, M.Ag., a retired lecturer from the Faculty of Islamic Studies at Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS), responded calmly. According to him, those who have never experienced black magic will naturally be skeptical. “He hasn’t experienced it,” said Darojat on Saturday (30/11/2024).

Santet is a form of witchcraft aimed at harming others with the help of supernatural forces like djinn and demons. According to Nur Falikhah in the article Santet dan Agama published in the Jurnal Ilmu Dakwah, black magic’s goal is to disrupt another person's well-being. It can cause physical harm, insanity, or even death.

Witchcraft has long been practiced across the globe. The Qur’an explicitly mentions witchcraft in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 102, recounting its existence during the time of Prophet Sulaiman.

وَاتَّبَعُوا مَا تَتْلُو الشَّيَاطِينُ عَلَى مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَلَكِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ كَفَرُوا يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَى الْمَلَكَيْنِ بِبَابِلَ هَارُوتَ وَمَارُوتَ وَمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ حَتَّى يَقُولَا إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلَا تَكْفُرْ فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِ وَمَا هُمْ بِضَارِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنْفَعُهُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُوا لَمَنِ اشْتَرَاهُ مَا لَهُ فِي الْآَخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلَاقٍ وَلَبِئْسَ مَا شَرَوْا بِهِ أَنْفُسَهُمْ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ)

Meaning: They ˹instead˺ followed the magic promoted by the devils during the reign of Solomon. Never did Solomon disbelieve, rather the devils disbelieved. They taught magic to the people, along with what had been revealed to the two angels, Hârût and Mârût, in Babylon. The two angels never taught anyone without saying, “We are only a test ˹for you˺, so do not abandon ˹your˺ faith.” Yet people learned ˹magic˺ that caused a rift ˹even˺ between husband and wife; although their magic could not harm anyone except by Allah’s Will. They learned what harmed them and did not benefit them, although they already knew that whoever buys into magic would have no share in the Hereafter. Miserable indeed was the price for which they sold their souls, if only they knew!

Islam categorizes santet as a major sin leading to shirk (polytheism). Darojat explained that during black magic rituals, practitioners often chant incantations praising spirits or jinn, which clearly associates others with Allah, a grave act of shirk.

In a hadith narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet Muhammad SAW warned of seven destructive sins: 

“Avoid the seven great destructive sins.” The people enquire, "O Allah's Apostle! What are they? "He said, "To join others in worship along with Allah, to practice sorcery, to kill the life which Allah has forbidden except for a just cause, (according to Islamic law), to eat up Riba (usury), to eat up an orphan's wealth, to give back to the enemy and fleeing from the battlefield at the time of fighting, and to accuse, chaste women, who never even think of anything touching chastity and are good believers.

Allah SWT declares in the Qur'an that anyone committing shirk earns a grave sin and will face severe punishment. This is outlined in Surah An-Nisa, Ayah 48, which states:

اِنَّ اللّٰهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ اَنْ يُّشْرَكَ بِهٖ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُوْنَ ذٰلِكَ لِمَنْ يَّشَاۤءُ ۚ وَمَنْ يُّشْرِكْ بِاللّٰهِ فَقَدِ افْتَرٰٓى اِثْمًا عَظِيْمًا

Indeed, Allah does not forgive associating others with Him in worship but forgives anything else of whoever He wills. And whoever associates others with Allah has indeed committed a grave sin.

Darojat affirmed that not everyone can be affected by santet. He mentioned two criteria for individuals who are not easily targeted by santet: those who are patient and compassionate towards others.

Conversely, there are several reasons why people may become susceptible to santet or disturbances from spirits, including uncontrollable anger, excessive fear, indulgence in desires, and negligence.

Darojat noted that ruqyah, an Islamic practice of seeking healing or protection through the recitation of verses from Al-Quran and doa, is an effective method to combat santet or magical attacks. Individuals experiencing disturbances from magic or santet can perform ruqyah independently.

Common verses used to ward off magic or santet include Surah An-Nas, Al-Falaq, and Ayat Kursi. Surah An-Nas and Al-Falaq, known as Al-Mu’awwidzatain, are recited to seek protection from Allah.

“Two surahs relate to protection as they include the word ‘audzu,’ meaning ‘I seek refuge,’” explained Darojat.

Meanwhile, Ayat Kursi holds a significant virtue in warding off magic. Citing the book Allah The Center of Life by Haryanto, Ayat Kursi is effective against magic, santet, and even pelet (love spells).

This statement is reinforced by the Prophet Muhammad’s SAW words in a Hadith narrated by Muslim. The Prophet asked Ubay bin Ka’ab:

"Which verse is the greatest in the Book of Allah?" Ubay answered, "Ayat Kursi." The Prophet then patted Ubay’s chest and said, "O Abu Mundhir, may you rejoice in the knowledge you possess." (HR. Muslim)

Darojat explained that Ayat Kursi is a special verse because it serves as a preventive measure against threats, containing values of tauhid (monotheism) within it. Ayat Kursi can also function as a prayer for performing ruqyah on individuals experiencing disturbances from jinn.

He also emphasized the importance of frequent dhikr as a way to seek protection from Allah Ta’ala. “Sometimes people underestimate this because dhikr is considered sunah (optional), but in reality, dhikr is a part of protection,” he said.

However, if the disturbance is severe and poses a threat to the victim’s safety, it is highly recommended to seek assistance from a ustadz or mu‘alij (healer).

Writer: Gede Arga Adrian

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid

Editor: Al Habiib Josy Asheva