285. Sorcery is but a trick! 

The words sorcery, sorcerer, person subjected to sorcery are being seen used in the verses 5:110, 7:109, 7:116, 7:118, 7:119, 7:120, 10:2, 10:76,77, 11:7, 20:57, 20:63, 20:66, 20:69, 20:71, 21:3, 26:35, 26:153, 26:185, 27:13, 28:36, 28:48, 34:43, 37:15, 38:4, 40:24, 43:30, 46:7, 51:39, 51:52, 52:15, 54:2, 61:6, 74:25 of the Quran.

In some places of the Quran these words are used as statements to mean sorcery could bring about an effect, and in certain other places to mean they cannot, and it is nothing but tricks by people.

People who believe sorcery could affect men, cite picking verses that suit their convenience to prove their version.

When verses of the Quran are analysed with the belief, they express unambiguous arguments, we find people supporting sorcery with claims based on misguidance.

Let’s look into this matter in detail.

People who did not believe in the preaching of the prophets called them insane, inflicted by sorcery.

This can be found in many places in the Quran.

Examples can be quoted from verse 26:153, where the community of Prophet Salih called him as affected by sorcery and also Prophet Shuaib termed as subjected to the same in verse 26:185.

While calling the prophets of Allah as those affected by sorcery, what these people meant is, they are mentally ill. They used the word sorcery to mean mental illness, and they believed it had the power to affect humans. Hence they conclude sorcery can bring harmful effects on men and cite such verses.

But such arguments do not bode well for a healthy debate. 

Allah cites such arguments to drive home the point, people who believed in sorcery put forth such views. 

The infidels believed sorcery can bring harmful effects on men, and we need to take it as their thoughts on this subject, and also other verses regarding the same.

When Allah expresses the stance of disbelievers it has to be taken in that sense.

Since they believed a person can be subjected to sorcery and called as mentally affected, they used the same term “sorcery” to address prophets as those affected by it.

Similar to those who labelled messengers as ones affected by sorcery, there were others who accused prophets of practicing sorcery.

When a trick is performed with perfection, they deny it and call it sorcery.

In verses 5:110, 61:6, 10:2, 10:77, 20:57, 20:71, 21:3, 21:52, 26:35, 27:13, 28:36, 28:48 of the Quran, Allah says the enemies of messengers called them as sorcerers.

When miracles performed by the messengers were witnessed by their enemies, they believed the same can be carried out by sorcery, leading to a conclusion it was possible. Hence the people who argue that sorcery is a reality cite these verses to strengthen their belief in it.

This argument is similar to their earlier one, believing that miracles can be performed by sorcery. But this does not form the basis of Islam.

Let’s consider what sorcery is, in the light of the Quran.

We see it in the verses 7:108-120, and 20:65-70 of the Quran.

Allah says in verse 7:116 ‘ they showed a great feat of sorcery’.

The sorcerers who jumped into the competition with Prophet Musa were extraordinary ones, the Quran says they performed a great feat in sorcery. Let’s look into what they achieved.

As a result of their feat their ropes and staffs did not turn into real snakes, but took the shape of snakes.Verse 20:66. 

Though it is termed as a ‘great feat’ by them, it could only bring about a superficial change ant not a complete one. If this was the power of a great feat by them we need to imagine their ordinary performances.

In verse 20:69, Allah says the performance by the sorcerers was an act of deception.

’' They will bring to you well trained sorcerers”.

“When they performed they enticed people”

” They created a sense of fear in people.” “They brought in great sorcery”

”They were defeated, belittled”

“ Their ropes and staffs seemed fearful to them as if because of their sorcery.” 

” What they did is a conspiracy of a sorcerer.”

“A sorcerer never succeeds”

“Truth triumphed. Their attempts went in vain”.

What do the above cited verses convey ?

The above verses clearly convey that sorcery is an imagination, a falsehood, a trick, and no truth,

Verses 52:13,14,15 also convey the meaning of sorcery in the light of Quran. 

After questioning is over in the hereafter with the paradise dwellers and hell dwellers segregated and dispatched accordingly, Allah will address the hell dwellers by asking “ Is this the hell you disbelieved “ “Is this untrue”,(a magic, a sorcery) is what the verse conveys.

While people are being led to hell Allah asks whether it (hell) is a trick or magic or sorcery, instead of asking a direct question whether it is false.

Allah gives a meaning to sorcery as falsehood.

There is no feat that can be performed to make existing things non existent, or to create things from nothing, or transform one to another. We can understand from this, things can be achieved by performance of conjuring tricks. 

Please refer to explanation points 28, 285, 357, 468, 495 499 for more information on this.