Dum (incantations) Durood (Salutations on the Prophet) and Taweez (Amulet)
in the light of religion !
These amulets, incantations and blowing of air and tying of things (around arms),
these kind of things are quite prevalent among Muslims,
especially in the subcontinent.
So in religion, as you say that if one has to make some act
as a religious rite, then its affirmative injunction has to be stated.
Did Prophet [PBUH] ever do such things like Taweez, Dum, etc ?
[Ghamidi] This fact is known in the narrations that the Prophet [PBUH]
on some occasion recited du'as taught by Allah Almighty, blew air onto the hands
and rubbed his hands over his body.
There is nothing wrong with this as well.
But this industry of amulets which has been set up in our culture
and the way it has become a business, this is a human innovation.
In religion, it is instructed to only pray to Allah Almighty, i.e.
this is as far as religious matters go. Remedies and contrivances are worldly.
You seek treatment, whether it is Homeopathy or Allopathy.
There are similar treatments in many psychological sciences,
which people describe as having been demonstrated through their experiences.
There should be research on them.
Among them, adopt the ones that are acceptable to you.
You will find them in Hindus, Christians, Buddhists and among us Muslims as well.
This has nothing to do with the religion.
All that has been instructed in religion is that when you are undergoing trouble
or distress, you plan and that too in the light of knowledge given to you by Allah
and along with that, pray to Allah.
And we have been instructed in the times of difficulties too,
that "Wasta eenu bis sabre wassalaat",
that is, to face the situation with patience and perseverance and
to seek help from Allah through Salah.
This is essentially what religion has come down to us for.
After it, the sphere of your plans begins and in that sphere of action, like I said
that who can say that in so and so herb or mineral,
lies the cure for the given disease?
In the case of the vaccine just invented, who could have claimed anything in advance
It can be known only through experiments.
So people have some similar experiences about some psychological matters as well.
That too is a type of science and is mentioned in the holy Qur'an as well.
So those sciences should be presented as worldly sciences,
the way secular sciences are usually presented.
There are debates about every topic in medicine.
Homeopathy, allopathy, surgery and diagnostics.
Similarly, those sciences should also be discussed.
At the moment we advise people to be careful regarding them because
they are not proper sciences yet or haven't become established as knowledge fields.
And some things are passed from generations to generations.
People have experiences which they describe.
When such experiences will be made subject of research, then maybe they too
become the scientific way of therapeutic treatment.
If they become so, then there is no harm in taking benefit from them.
Even at the moment if someone wants to take advantage from them,
then you cannot say it is illegitimate.
You should just warn against the presence of those things
that associates anything with the being of Allah.
The Messenger of Allah [PBUH] himself stated the same thing when it was asked
that some Jews in that time used to blow incantations
or on some occasion (say for headaches), do things like that,
So the Prophet [PBUH] said, "Take advantage",
but if it is a matter of shirk, then try to avoid it.
So this is the way that we have been taught
that the experimental sciences that are in the world, whether they are psychological
or material, the method of research should be adopted about them.
And if you are satisfied about them, then you can take benefit from them,
but in terms of religion, there should not be any shirk in that.
[Hassan Ilyas] Alright. But Ghamidi Sahab, it is stated that in order to
have an expanse in one's provision, to have the ease in travel or
to get a good partner for marriage,
you need to recite so and so surah of the
Holy Qur'an for these many times, or the name of Allah in this and that order.
So all these things you would say are fine,
if in the light of experiments, they give some benefit to someone.
But this is the content of religion, which we are using to achieve the goal.
From where can the proof for doing that come to us?
[Ghamidi] Whether you use the content of religion
or the blessings that God has given in the world,
here, if you present anything as religion, then we will criticize that.
Otherwise this is just something of an experimental nature.
[Hassan Ilyas] And according to your knowledge,
is there such a thing ever proven by experiments
that recite these many times the names of surahs and you will get a job?
[Ghamidi] See the thing is, what you call an experiment.
One is the scientific experiment, which means that it can be verified repeatedly.
So nothing like that came to my knowledge,
that which can be verified time and again.
In the laboratory, (if one is asked) to split water molecule in two parts and
that this part is Oxygen and this part is Hydrogen.
This is not the case (with this second type of experiment), but I also have had
some experiences in my life that have been amazingly rewarding.
Likewise many other people do describe them as well.
This is like when you are in a village, old women say,
"Look, this is an esoteric remedy which I'll tell you".
In our villages there are elderly folk who will give you tips which prove rewarding.
So this experiment does not become a scientific experiment as a result.
In order to turn it into a scientific experiment, it is necessary
to make it a field of knowledge and to acquire it in the way of knowledge,
then after which you could ask something like you have and I may answer that.
Otherwise it is that these are personal feelings and personal experiences,
which can also be wrong.
It could also be some illusion or it could be that there was a misunderstanding
or something else may be the cause.
Nothing can be said for certain. I also have had experiences.
I have heard many trustworthy people say that they too have many experiences.
And I have also seen these experiences unfold in life.
My own dear father himself was very interested in these things.
So I used to see some of these things often enough.
But it is not the fact that such experiences have gone through a scientific process.
That is, has it became known how the given experiment is done, how it can be repeated
Has it achieved the status of a scientific experiment,
that you have tested repeatedly?
Just like you saw that a medicine got invented and after that a lot of people
are asked to volunteer, so that the medicine would be tested.
Isn't it what we do? This is what has happened with the current Vaccine, right?
After passing it through the test, you see what effects it has had.
Was it really effective? Then you say, it is 90%, 80%, or 60% effective.
So you see that in spite of it being only 90% or 60% effective,
you are accepting that medicine (for usage) in emergency cases.
So do the same kinds of experiments in that case (of Dum, Darood, etc) too.
Since we are not ready to discuss them as knowledge,
so they don't become science for that reason.
There is no reason to deny them either. To me, the only correct method is the one
which the Messenger of Allah adopted, that you should make sure
that there is no shirk in all such things.
These are the experimental sciences.
Even if they are related to the Qur'an, they are still experimental.
If they are related to Gita or Torah, they are still experimental.
If they are related to matter, inanimate objects, plants,
all these are experimental sciences. They have nothing to do with religion.