Am I Allowed to Sever Ties with Relatives Harming Me Through Black Magic

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

My family has been suffering from Sihr, conducted by my father’s side of relatives, due to property issues. They are consistently doing sihr on my father, and my mother. This time, they tried to hurt my 10-year-old brother with it as well. My question is, am I allowed to cut all contact with them because of this? Will Allah punish me for this?

Answer

I pray you are well.

In general, maintaining family ties is important is Islam, and one should do what they can to not let a relationship crumble. However, this does seem like a situation where there could be an exception.

The main question would be about how you know it is them. If it is just conjecture, you shouldn’t take this step. But if you know for a fact and it is clear from one’s interaction that there isn’t any goodwill and just malice intended for your family, then you can distance yourself from them. The legal maxim “Harm is to be removed” applies here. [Zarqa, Sharh al-Qawa’id al-Fiqhiyya]

See if you can distance yourselves without actually saying anything to indicate you don’t want anything to do with them. You should all regularly recite the supplications of the morning and evening the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) taught us, and even the wird of Imam Nawawi.

Beware of your pain making you move against them with similar means of harm. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “There is to be no harm and no reciprocating with further harm.” [Ibn Maja]

May Allah protect you all.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History, he moved to Damascus in 2007, where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital, and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.