Is black magic real, and how do I protect myself from it?

The position of Ahl al-Sunnah

The Sunnis hold that sorcery is established and has a reality. Imam al-Qurtubi reports that this was the position of Ahl al-Sunnah as against the Mu'tazilah and a group of Shafi'i scholars who claimed sorcery is nothing but illusion and trickery with no reality behind it. The evidence, al-Qurtubi argues, is that Allah speaks of sorcery being taught — and something with no reality could not be taught or learned. He also notes that the Surah al-Falaq was revealed concerning the sorcery worked against the Prophet ﷺ, and that the Companions and Successors never denied sorcery's existence.

Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen states the matter plainly: sorcery is established beyond doubt and is a reality, proven by the Qur'an and the Sunnah. He cites the sorcerers of Pharaoh, whose magic made Moses himself imagine their ropes were moving, until Allah commanded him to cast his staff and it swallowed what they had fabricated.

Shaykh Ibn Baz draws an important distinction: some sorcery is real and effective, and some is mere illusion and deception. The magic of Pharaoh's sorcerers was of the second kind — it deceived the eyes without any real transformation. But the Qur'an also describes sorcery that genuinely harms, including what separates a man from his wife.

It only occurs by Allah's permission

This is the point that keeps the whole subject within tawhid. The Qur'an says of the sorcerers:

"And they harm no one thereby except by the permission of Allah"— Qur'an 2:102

Ibn Baz explains that this means by Allah's universal, decreed permission — nothing in existence happens outside His decree. Sorcery has an effect, but it is not an independent power acting against Allah's will. Ibn Kathir, quoted by Shaykh Muqbil al-Wadi'i, makes the same point: Allah creates the effect when the sorcerer utters his incantations; the stars and planets have no influence, contrary to what the philosophers and astrologers claim.

The Prophet ﷺ himself was afflicted by sorcery — a matter the scholars affirm and treat as proof of his humanity, not a defect in his prophethood. A Jew named Labid ibn al-A'sam worked magic against him, and he would imagine he had done a thing he had not done. Allah then cured him and informed him of it. Ibn 'Uthaymeen addresses the objection that this contradicts the verse

"And Allah will protect you from the people" (Qur'an 5:67)

the protection promised concerns the conveyance of the message and safety from being killed before it was delivered, and in any case the verse appears to have been revealed after the incident, so there is no conflict.

How to protect yourself

The scholars set out a body of protective practices drawn from the Qur'an and Sunnah. Ibn Baz stresses that the correct response to fear of sorcery is not to seek out sorcerers but to fortify oneself with the legal means Allah has provided.

Establish tawhid and rely on Allah. The foundation of all protection is sincere worship of Allah alone and complete reliance on Him. The author of the research on sorcery lists this first among the means of fortification, citing

"And whoever relies upon Allah — then He is sufficient for him" (Qur'an 65:3)

.

Guard the prayers, especially Fajr. The Prophet ﷺ said:

"Whoever prays the morning prayer is under the protection of Allah, so beware, O son of Adam, that Allah does not call you to account for anything of His protection."— Sahih Muslim 657, from Jundub ibn Sufyan

Recite Surah al-Baqarah in your home. The Prophet ﷺ said:

"Do not make your houses graveyards. Indeed, the devil flees from the house in which Surah al-Baqarah is recited."— Sahih Muslim 780

Recite Ayat al-Kursi after each obligatory prayer and before sleep. The narration from Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه relates that a devil taught him to recite it at bedtime, saying no protector from Allah would cease to guard him and no devil would come near him until morning. The Prophet ﷺ confirmed: "He told you the truth, though he is a liar."

Recite the last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah at night. The Prophet ﷺ said:

"Whoever recites the two verses at the end of Surah al-Baqarah in a night, they will suffice him." (Sahih al-Bukhari 5009, Sahih Muslim 807)

Recite the three mu'awwidhat — al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and al-Nas — morning and evening, and after each prayer. The Prophet ﷺ instructed 'Abdullah ibn Khubayb to recite them three times morning and evening, saying they would suffice him against everything. He also commanded 'Uqbah ibn 'Amir to recite them after every prayer.

Say the morning and evening supplication three times:

بسم الله الذي لا يضر مع اسمه شيء في الأرض ولا في السماء وهو السميع العليم"In the name of Allah, with whose name nothing on earth or in heaven can cause harm, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing."

Ibn Baz notes that whoever says it three times in the morning, nothing will harm him until evening, and whoever says it in the evening, nothing will harm him until morning.

Seek refuge with Allah's perfect words: "A'udhu bi kalimatillahi al-tammati min sharri ma khalaq" — I seek refuge in Allah's perfect words from the evil of what He created — three times morning and evening.

If you believe you have been afflicted

The scholars permit seeking treatment, and they describe two main approaches.

Ruqyah with the Qur'an. This may be done by the afflicted person himself or by another. Ibn Baz lists the recitations used: al-Fatihah, Ayat al-Kursi, Surah al-Kafirun, al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq, al-Nas, and the "verses of sorcery" in Surah al-A'raf (117–119), Surah Yunus (79–82) and Surah Ta-Ha (65–69). The reciter breathes over the person, and the supplication "Allahumma Rabba al-nas, adhhib al-ba's, wa ashfi anta al-Shafi..." is repeated three times.

Reciting over water. The verses are recited into water, which the afflicted person drinks from and bathes with. Ibn Baz mentions adding seven crushed green sidr leaves to the water, and notes this has been tried and benefited many people by Allah's leave. He also notes it helps a man who finds himself prevented from his wife.

Finding and destroying the sorcery. If the object used — knots, nails bound together, hair in a comb — is discovered, it is untied, recited over, and destroyed. Ibn Baz reports that when the Prophet's ﷺ sorcery was found, it was taken and destroyed, and Allah cured him.

A warning about those who claim to treat it

The scholars are emphatic here, and it is the most practical protection of all. Ibn Baz states that going to sorcerers or fortune-tellers is forbidden, citing the Prophet's ﷺ warning that whoever visits a fortune-teller and asks him something will have no prayer accepted for forty nights, and that whoever visits a soothsayer and believes him has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad ﷺ. He notes that the saying "only a sorcerer can undo sorcery" is reported from al-Hasan al-Basri, and that the Prophet ﷺ was asked about nushrah — undoing sorcery — and said it is from the work of Satan.

IslamWeb (fatwa 22876) gives a practical marker for distinguishing a genuine reciter from a charlatan: anyone who claims to know where the sorcery is hidden, or to identify who cast it, is either lying or dealing with jinn. Such claims stir up enmity and suspicion between people. IslamWeb also warns against accusing anyone of sorcery without proof — that is itself forbidden.

Key takeaways

• Black magic is real — this is the position of Ahl al-Sunnah, established by the Qur'an and Sunnah, against the Mu'tazilah who denied it.
• It has no independent power: it affects only by Allah's universal permission, so fear of it should never displace reliance on Him.
• Protection is built on tawhid, the prayers, and the daily remembrances — Ayat al-Kursi, the last two verses of al-Baqarah, the mu'awwidhat, and the morning and evening supplications.
• Treatment is permitted through Qur'anic ruqyah, recitation over water, and destroying the sorcery if found.
• Never go to a sorcerer or fortune-teller for diagnosis or cure, and never accuse anyone of sorcery without proof.

Further reading

• Ibn Baz, Majmu' Fatawa wa Maqalat — the sections on sorcery and its treatment
• Ibn al-Qayyim, on the lawful nushrah, referenced by Ibn Baz
• 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan, Fath al-Majid, chapter on nushrah

And Allah knows best.