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Fatwa CenterHow to deal with a relative accused of practicing sorcery
Question
One of our female relatives gave our wives things to put under our pillows and our wives did this with good intentions. We found these things and accused this woman of practicing sorcery. She denied this accusation and swore to us that she made these things with the aim of protecting us. What should we do?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
Sorcerers are subject to great danger because Allaah The Almighty has ruled that learning sorcery is disbelief. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {Teaching people magic and that which was revealed to the two angels at Babylon, Harut and Marut. But the two angels do not teach anyone unless they say, "We are a trial, so do not disbelieve [by practicing magic]."} [Quran 2:102]
Also, going to sorcerers or soothsayers is a major sin because the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said that whoever visits a soothsayer and believes in what they say becomes a disbeliever in the revelation of Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. [Ahmad, Abu Daawood, An-Nasaa’i, At-Tirmithi and Ibn Maajah]
What you found under your pillows may be either a work of sorcery or amulets. If they are amulets, they may contain Quranic verses, supplications and Thikr (words of remembrance), or talismans and incomprehensible words. It is possible that these amulets were made by this woman or that she took them from a sorcerer or a soothsayer. For each of these cases there is a different ruling.
In general, you should call this woman to repent and remind her of the Last Day and the severe punishment for practicing sorcery. If she responds by repenting to Allaah The Almighty, thank Allaah The Exalted. Otherwise, you must guard against her and protect yourselves, through recitation of the Quran and engaging in Thikr. Moreover, it is better for you to report her to the authorities concerned to prevent her from continuing the practice of sorcery.
Allaah Knows best.
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