Ta'widh (amulets and incantations)

التعويذ

Ta'widh is in language from 'udha, to seek refuge, a charm or what one seeks protection by; in law it covers incantations (ruqa) and amulets (tamima) and the like, lawful and unlawful, and ruqya is narrower. ¹ A tamima is a thread or beads hung on children against the evil eye; a wadi'a is a white object from the sea hung for the same purpose; a tawla is an object meant to make a wife or husband fond; a nushra is an incantation or writing washed and given to drink; a ratima is a thread tied to remember a need. ¹ ² The ruling depends on the material: charms in an unknown tongue are forbidden by most jurists, and the warning in the reports is read as applying to belief that the bead averts harm. Charms of God's words or names in Arabic that can be understood are allowed by most, on condition that the power is God's. Charms with names other than God's are disliked. ³ ⁴ ⁵ ⁶ Al-Sha'bi, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, Qatada and others disliked incantation as a matter of trust in God. ⁶ ⁷ On breathing over the sick during incantation, al-Nawawi reports agreement that it is allowed and most recommend it; others such as Ibrahim and Ikrima dissent. ⁴ ⁵ The nushra is allowed by most Hanafis, Shafiis and Hanbalis; Ibn Abd al-Salam among the Malikis, al-Hasan and al-Nakha'i forbid it, and Mujahid disliked writing verses and washing them. ⁵ ⁶ The ratima for memory is not disliked by Ibn Abidin, and disliked by others as idle; the ratima hung on the neck in the time of ignorance is forbidden. ⁶ Healing by the Qur'an is disputed: some say it is healing of hearts only, while most jurists permit reciting it over the sick, choosing a suitable passage; a report of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri on the Opening chapter and a fee is cited, and Ibn Hajar discusses the report that only the protective surahs may be used. ⁸ ⁹ Healing by approved prayers and remembrance is allowed by agreement, as in the report of Uthman ibn Abi al-As (may God be pleased with him) with the hand on the place of pain. ⁹ ¹⁰ The tawla is forbidden by the Hanafis as a form of sorcery; Ibn Rislan of the Shafiis thought an object with permitted speech or food, believed to have a property by God's decree, is allowed. ¹⁰ Most scholars hold the evil eye real and able to harm property, people and animals; some naturalists and innovators denied it. ¹⁰ Protection from the evil eye includes reciting prayers, the one who admires blessing what he admires, seeking a cure by incantation, and ordering the one who causes the evil eye to wash, the victim then bathing in the water; Ibn Battal said a known eye-striker should be restrained, which Nawawi calls the sound view. ¹¹ ¹² The people of ignorance hung amulets for protection, which Islam abolished in the reports on the tamima and the wadi'a. ¹² Hanging beads, threads or bones on a person is forbidden. Hanging writing of unknown charms is forbidden. Hanging Qur'an or approved prayers is disputed: allowed by Abd Allah ibn Amr ibn al-As (may God be pleased with him) and one view of Ahmad; forbidden by Ibn Mas'ud, Ibn Abbas, Hudhayfa, Uqba ibn Amir, Ibn Hakim, many Successors and one view of Ahmad, to block the means. Those who allow it require it to be in a tube or on a strip, not worn during intercourse or relief, and only after the harm has come. ¹² ¹³ Hanging an amulet on a clean animal is disliked; on an unclean one it is forbidden. ¹³ Those who allow amulets see no harm in a junub or menstruating woman wearing one that is wrapped or sewn in leather. ¹⁴ Whether a non-Muslim may recite over a Muslim is disputed: the Hanafis, al-Shafi'i and one view of Malik allow it with the Qur'an and the name of God, while Malik in another view disliked it. A Muslim reciting over a non-Muslim is allowed by agreement. ¹⁴ Taking a fee for amulets and incantations is allowed by most jurists; al-Zuhri disliked it for the Qur'an in all cases. ¹⁴

Depth

At a glance

Region: Global / Diaspora
Review: Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it

Health, body and death Worship and the pillars

Summary

Ta'widh is in language from 'udha, to seek refuge, a charm or what one seeks protection by; in law it covers incantations (ruqa) and amulets (tamima) and the like, lawful and unlawful, and ruqya is narrower. ¹ A tamima is a thread or beads hung on children against the evil eye; a wadi'a is a white object from the sea hung for the same purpose; a tawla is an object meant to make a wife or husband fond; a nushra is an incantation or writing washed and given to drink; a ratima is a thread tied to remember a need. ¹ ² The ruling depends on the material: charms in an unknown tongue are forbidden by most jurists, and the warning in the reports is read as applying to belief that the bead averts harm. Charms of God's words or names in Arabic that can be understood are allowed by most, on condition that the power is God's. Charms with names other than God's are disliked. ³ ⁴ ⁵ ⁶ Al-Sha'bi, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, Qatada and others disliked incantation as a matter of trust in God. ⁶ ⁷ On breathing over the sick during incantation, al-Nawawi reports agreement that it is allowed and most recommend it; others such as Ibrahim and Ikrima dissent. ⁴ ⁵ The nushra is allowed by most Hanafis, Shafiis and Hanbalis; Ibn Abd al-Salam among the Malikis, al-Hasan and al-Nakha'i forbid it, and Mujahid disliked writing verses and washing them. ⁵ ⁶ The ratima for memory is not disliked by Ibn Abidin, and disliked by others as idle; the ratima hung on the neck in the time of ignorance is forbidden. ⁶ Healing by the Qur'an is disputed: some say it is healing of hearts only, while most jurists permit reciting it over the sick, choosing a suitable passage; a report of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri on the Opening chapter and a fee is cited, and Ibn Hajar discusses the report that only the protective surahs may be used. ⁸ ⁹ Healing by approved prayers and remembrance is allowed by agreement, as in the report of Uthman ibn Abi al-As with the hand on the place of pain. ⁹ ¹⁰ The tawla is forbidden by the Hanafis as a form of sorcery; Ibn Rislan of the Shafiis thought an object with permitted speech or food, believed to have a property by God's decree, is allowed. ¹⁰ Most scholars hold the evil eye real and able to harm property, people and animals; some naturalists and innovators denied it. ¹⁰ Protection from the evil eye includes reciting prayers, the one who admires blessing what he admires, seeking a cure by incantation, and ordering the one who causes the evil eye to wash, the victim then bathing in the water; Ibn Battal said a known eye-striker should be restrained, which Nawawi calls the sound view. ¹¹ ¹² The people of ignorance hung amulets for protection, which Islam abolished in the reports on the tamima and the wadi'a. ¹² Hanging beads, threads or bones on a person is forbidden. Hanging writing of unknown charms is forbidden. Hanging Qur'an or approved prayers is disputed: allowed by Abd Allah ibn Amr ibn al-As and one view of Ahmad; forbidden by Ibn Mas'ud, Ibn Abbas, Hudhayfa, Uqba ibn Amir, Ibn Hakim, many Successors and one view of Ahmad, to block the means. Those who allow it require it to be in a tube or on a strip, not worn during intercourse or relief, and only after the harm has come. ¹² ¹³ Hanging an amulet on a clean animal is disliked; on an unclean one it is forbidden. ¹³ Those who allow amulets see no harm in a junub or menstruating woman wearing one that is wrapped or sewn in leather. ¹⁴ Whether a non-Muslim may recite over a Muslim is disputed: the Hanafis, al-Shafi'i and one view of Malik allow it with the Qur'an and the name of God, while Malik in another view disliked it. A Muslim reciting over a non-Muslim is allowed by agreement. ¹⁴ Taking a fee for amulets and incantations is allowed by most jurists; al-Zuhri disliked it for the Qur'an in all cases. ¹⁴

People and things also explored

Bone (adhm): purity, use and retaliation· Hadi (the whitish fluid before childbirth: its ruling on ablution and purity)· Hair, wool and fur (their purity, the rules for the dead, washing, adornment and sale)· Hudb (eyelashes: injury and washing in ablution)· Palm of the hand (kaff)· The funeral prayer· The ruling on one who abandons prayer· Ada' (performance of an obligation within its time)

Sources

al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.5533
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.5534
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.5535
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.5536
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.5537
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.5538
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.5539
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.5540
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.5541
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.5542
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.5543
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.5544
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.5545
al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.5546

Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Ta'widh (amulets and incantations)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/tawidh-amulets-and-incantations/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

Improve this page on GitHub · Report an error · JSON

Wing

Ideas

Beliefs, concepts, sciences and schools, explained in plain words. Related

Bone (adhm): purity, use and retaliation

In the lexicon, adhm is the bone that has flesh on it, plural 'idham and 'izam. Most jurists hold that a human bone is pure, whether living or dead, of a Muslim or not; that a fish bone stays pure after death; and that the bone of a lawfully slaughtered edible animal is pure and may be used. The bone of carrion, or of a non-edible animal, is impure according to the Malikis, Shafi'is, Hanbalis and Ishaq, and cannot be purified; the Hanafis hold it pure, and 'Umar disliked oiling in ivory. On cleansing after excretion with a bone, the Shafi'is and Hanbalis forbid it; the Hanafis dislike it as forbidden but accept that it suffices; the Malikis forbid a carrion bone and allow a pure bone with disapproval. Most jurists allow retaliation for a bone only at a joint, since equality cannot be achieved elsewhere.