Aslam

Praise be to Allah.The practitioner of magic is the person who uses the

shayaateen (devils) and gets close to the jinn by doing the things they like – such

as sacrificing to them instead of to Allaah, calling upon them alongside Allaah, obeying

them by disobeying Allaah by committing zinaa, drinking wine, eating haraam things,

neglecting prayer, covering himself with najaasaat (impure things) and staying in dirty

places – until the shayaateen respond to what he asks them, with a gentle and kind

approach, to do, such as harming the people against whom he uses his magic, causing

division between a man and his wife, telling him some unseen things, and telling him about

stolen items and where lost things are. Such a person is a mushrik and a kaafir,

because he worships both Allaah and the Shaytaan, which is major shirk (al-shirk

al-akbar). So he is a kaafir, because Allaah says (interpretation of the

meaning);

“Sulaymaan did not disbelieve, but the Shayaateen (devils)

disbelieved, teaching men magic” [al-Baqarah 2:102]

“but neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things)

till they had said, ‘We are for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this magic from

us).’” [al-Baqarah 2:102]

It was also commanded that the practitioner of magic should be

executed, because of the hadeeth: “The hadd (prescribed punishment) for the

practitioner of magic is a blow with the sword (i.e., execution).”

(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1460; al-Daaraqutni, 3/114; al-Haakim, 4/360;

al-Bayhaqi, 8/136; see al-Silsilah al-Da’eefah, 3/641, no. 1446)

On this basis, he is a kaafir even if he prays,

fasts, reads Qur’aan and makes du’aa’, because shirk cancels

out all good deeds. And Allaah knows best.