2.4. Why Magicians Are Unable to Memorize Sūrat al-Baqarah
Read in Arabic: https://salamchinese.blogspot.com/2025/05/4.html
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
Peace be upon you, dear brothers and sisters in faith! All praise is due to Allah, the Most High and Most Glorious, and endless blessings be upon our Seal of the Prophets, Muḥammad ﷺ. May Allah be pleased with all of his noble Companions.
Today we share a topic: Magicians cannot memorize Sūrat al-Baqarah.
What the Ḥadīth Teach About Sūrat al-Baqarah and Magicians
From the Prophetic narrations we can learn: those who practice magic cannot memorize Sūrat al-Baqarah. This can be found in Musnad Aḥmad, Sunan Ibn Mājah, and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim. Of course, when learning the virtue of Sūrat al-Baqarah, it is also mentioned that no devil can enter a home in which Sūrat al-Baqarah is recited. Two narrations record that magicians—sorcerers who harm people—cannot memorize Sūrat al-Baqarah.
In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, we learn that our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ said: “Recite Sūrat al-Baqarah, for adhering to it is a blessing, abandoning it is a sorrow, and the magicians cannot memorize it.”
In Musnad Aḥmad and Sunan Ibn Mājah, we learn that the father of ʿAbdullāh said: I once sat in the presence of the Prophet and heard him say: “You should learn Sūrat al-Baqarah, for holding fast to it will bring blessings, abandoning it will bring regret, and magicians cannot memorize it.”
Devils Cannot Enter a Home Where Sūrat al-Baqarah Is Recited
To understand why sorcerers and magicians cannot memorize Sūrat al-Baqarah, the simplest understanding is to recognize—through the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ describing the virtue of Sūrat al-Baqarah—that no devil among the jinn, meaning no criminal from among the jinn, can enter a room where Sūrat al-Baqarah is recited. Let us read these narrations briefly.
In Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī and other ḥadīth collections, our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ said: “Do not turn your houses into graves; the devil does not enter a house in which Sūrat al-Baqarah is recited.”
In Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī there is a narration that devils flee from a house in which Sūrat al-Baqarah is recited. In Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī and Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān, we read that our Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ said: “Everything has a peak, like the hump of a camel; the peak of the Qur’an is Sūrat al-Baqarah. Whoever recites it in his house at night, the devil will not enter his house for three nights; whoever recites it in his house during the day, the devil will not enter his house for three days.”
From these narrations, we can read that whoever recites Sūrat al-Baqarah—whether day or night—devils cannot enter his home.
Sorcery, Jinn, and How Harm Happens
We all know that those who practice sorcery deal with jinn—especially because sorcery involves doing evil, harming people, and committing wrongdoing—so they deal with sinful jinn. Like humans, jinn have social status and social relationships of different levels and strength. Generally, those who practice sorcery deal with jinn who have some power and status, and these jinn obey them. Those jinn who have status especially like humans to submit to them—even to prostrate to them and obey them—so they send their subordinate jinn to serve these sorcerers.
For example, when someone goes to a sorcerer to perform sorcery, they dispatch subordinate jinn to attach to a person’s body, and even enter the person’s body, causing illness. They also whisper into a person’s chest to create separation—separating spouses, separating father and son, and so on. They may even directly harm a person’s nerves, making the person neurotic and unable to think normally.
Iblīs, the “Leader” (زعيم), and Those Who Prostrate to Them
In the revealed texts we can learn that the ancestor of those jinn, when he became Iblīs, was extremely arrogant: he dared to ask the Lord for respite, and he wanted to eradicate the descendants of Ādam (peace be upon him), meaning he wanted people to become low as well—because at that time he refused to prostrate to man. He wanted to make humans low, so that they would become like him, not doing good deeds. Therefore, he and his descendants seek ways for humans to prostrate to them.
Thus, many who are involved in sorcery prostrate to that jinn with some status—the leader of Iblīs’s army, زعيم (zaʿīm). He accepts people prostrating to him and obeying him, and he dispatches jinn soldiers who have fallen into devilish behavior to obey the commands of magicians and sorcerers without question.
For example: attaching to a person’s body to make them sick; or entering the person’s body to whisper hatred and jealousy, destroying various social relationships; even causing the person’s thinking to be unsound—loving worldly power, fame, wealth, and glory; following falsehood and supporting falsehood, and never supporting truth—creating the phenomenon of following one’s own desires (hawā, هوى).
These jinn who accept people prostrating to them, and who have the characteristics of Iblīs, are called leaders (zaʿīm, زعيم) —their role is to make many people prostrate to them, flatter them, follow them, and obey them. There are many such disbelievers, and those who practice sorcery are the most obvious.
In Arab countries, some people know how to use the Qur’an to expel devils. If someone is afflicted by another person’s sorcery, they will seek someone who understands the scripture and is a righteous person, to remove the devils attached to the afflicted person. They know that the jinn will mention their leader, and will say that their chief sent them; they do not dare come out casually.
The one who removes this sorcery using the Qur’an will find ways to make the jinn attached to the person (either attached to the body or inside) submit. Through reciting the Qur’an they are made to listen to the Qur’an and accept guidance—because jinn have a trait: they can easily rise to higher layers of the sky to listen to angels and obtain information about what is decreed.
They easily believe in the existence of the soul—since they themselves are spiritual beings—but for them, believing in the Hereafter is like a barrier for humans believing in the soul. They easily believe in angels and know there is an angelic realm. Often, their deviation comes from following their spiritual interests, following falsehood, and obeying Iblīs.
Iblīs is an expelled jinn, determined to eradicate the descendants of Ādam (peace be upon him). He uses various methods to gather an army that follows him, taking humans as an obvious enemy. Many ignorant jinn follow him—even if they know there is an angelic realm, they still eavesdrop on information and do evil, not following the straight path. Angels bring the call to follow truth, and angels are the noble servants of Allah, the Most High and Most Great.
At this point, when the Qur’an is recited to them—by one who performs ruqyah, understands the verses, memorizes the Qur’an, and is a practitioner of the Qur’an—then when Sūrat al-Baqarah is recited for the afflicted person, the jinn inside hears it and submits; once they submit, they leave that person and stop doing evil. But they fear that leader زعيم (the chief of Iblīs). So what is done? The one performing ruqyah advises them to go to Makkah and Madinah—because Makkah is protected by angels, and evil jinn who have not submitted cannot enter, whether human or jinn; only those who submit can enter. Angels guard the Sacred Mosque; evil jinn cannot enter—only those who have submitted can—so they are told to go there.
Why Such Sorcerers Cannot Accept the Qur’an
Those sorcerers practice spirit-contact; they collude with jinn of status, then command jinn of no status to fall into devilhood and carry out sorcery. Such people keep company with devils and with the expelled devil Iblīs—how could they accept the Qur’an? Allah, the Most High and Most Great, expelled the devils, so when we read the scripture we seek Allah’s protection from the harm of the expelled devil.
These sorcerers deal with jinn; they prostrate to the expelled devils and submit to them, then use ignorant jinn among them to commit sins. Allah will not send scripture to Iblīs and the devils who have already been expelled, nor grant them favor, because they have been definitively judged to the Fire. And among humans, such a person—driven by desires, or ignorance—falls into becoming a sorcerer; at that time he prostrates to that expelled devil-jinn who has been judged as a citizen of the Fire. Naturally, during that period he is not guided; he absolutely cannot draw near to the Qur’an—nor can he memorize the Qur’an.
Mūsā (Peace Be Upon Him), the Cow, and the Magicians Who Submitted
Sūrat al-Baqarah mentions the story of Mūsā (peace be upon him). I can only mention it briefly: several brothers murdered their uncle, then framed another upright person, saying he killed their uncle. The uncle had much property; those brothers were his heirs. But once the murder occurred, Allah, the Most High and Most Great, brought forth sharīʿah rulings.
Mūsā (peace be upon him) was the Prophet and Messenger at that time. He was commanded to instruct the Children of Israel to slaughter a cow, then strike the dead person with any part of it; the dead person revived and identified the murderer. The legal ruling established here is that whoever kills the one from whom he would inherit—meaning the brothers who murdered their uncle—has his inheritance cancelled.
And when Mūsā (peace be upon him) cast his staff, all the magicians submitted—some even submitted and became martyrs, reaching the rank of those close to Allah. Those former practitioners of sorcery chose to fear their Lord rather than fear that “human devil”—Pharaoh. Pharaoh had ordered them to do sorcery and magic to confront Mūsā (peace be upon him).
At this point, we know that the truth possessed by Mūsā (peace be upon him) could guide these people of falsehood to the straight path. Those who practice sorcery and magic control jinn; they are deviated. Humans, out of ignorance, follow desires, worship jinn, worship Iblīs; but when truth comes, accepting truth can still bring them back to guidance.
But Iblīs, who accepts people’s worship, is an eternal resident of the Fire. If a human practices magic and, driven by desire, keeps company with him, then during that time he is expelled and cannot draw near to the Qur’an. A person who practices magic, who deals with jinn day and night, will find that the jinn assisting him will flee upon hearing Sūrat al-Baqarah being recited. If he is unable himself, and is left alone, how can he still do sorcery? And because the jinn cling to him and make him do evil together, he cannot memorize the Qur’an. This is easy to understand.
Why Sūrat al-Baqarah Repels Devils
But what we must understand is why Sūrat al-Baqarah can drive away devils and prevent them from entering a home—this must be clarified.
Mūsā (peace be upon him) was given the Tablets. Strictly speaking, these are Allah’s sharīʿah rulings of lawful and unlawful. Any devil who does evil will not uphold Allah’s sharīʿah. For example, the first devil said he would swear loyalty to Ādam (peace be upon him), and caused Ādam (peace be upon him) to approach the forbidden tree and eat the forbidden fruit—this is what devils do.
So when Sūrat al-Baqarah is mentioned, and Mūsā (peace be upon him) is mentioned, one thinks of the Tablets he possessed and the strict implementation of the Tablets. Scholars say that Sūrat al-Baqarah in the Qur’an contains 1,000 commands and 1,000 prohibitions. When we recite Sūrat al-Baqarah and learn its commands and prohibitions, we will not be deceived by devils, and we will not keep company with them.
From another angle, Sūrat al-Baqarah contains Allah’s commands and prohibitions; when sinful jinn hear it, they want to flee, because they follow desires and do not want to enter a house where Sūrat al-Baqarah is recited, which makes their heads ache.
A Ḥadīth: Reciting Sūrat al-Baqarah Brings Angels Near
From a narration in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī we can learn that reciting Sūrat al-Baqarah brings angels near. Ibn al-Khudrī narrated that he recited Sūrat al-Baqarah at night, and suddenly his horse, tied nearby, began to jump; when he stopped reciting, the horse calmed. When he resumed, the horse jumped again; he stopped because his young son Yaḥyā was near the horse and he feared the horse would harm the child. He moved his child away, returned, and raised his head toward the sky and saw a cloud, glowing like many lamps. The next morning he told the Prophet about it. The Prophet said: “Ibn al-Khudrī, you should have continued reciting then.” He said: “O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I feared the horse would harm Yaḥyā, as he was close. When I looked up while tending to him, I saw a cloud radiating light like many lamps; I went out until I could no longer see it.” The Prophet said: “Do you know what that was?” He said: “I do not know.” The Prophet said: “Those were angels who descended because of your voice; if you had continued until morning, people would have clearly seen them.”
From this ḥadīth we can learn that angels listen to the recitation of Sūrat al-Baqarah. When angels come, devils are driven away—good and evil cannot share the same path. Even if angels arrive, devils must leave; angels will drive them away.
We have true faith, and within true faith is one matter: belief in angels. Angels directly execute Allah’s commands, obey His will, never disobey His commands, and are truthful. So with angels as companions, devils cannot enter your home.
The Story of Sulaymān (Peace Be Upon Him) and the Verse on Sorcery (2:102)
In Sūrat al-Baqarah it is also mentioned that people followed the devils’ slander recited regarding Sulaymān’s (peace be upon him) kingdom, and Allah clarifies that Sulaymān (peace be upon him) did not disbelieve—rather the devils disbelieved—and they taught sorcery, causing separation between spouses and harming people.
Those who understand the scripture and use it to expel sorcery from afflicted people commonly recite this verse. Allah mentions the story of Sulaymān (peace be upon him): by Allah’s command and will, he could make devils serve him—meaning he subdued them to do good and not evil; and those who committed evil were even shackled and imprisoned. How can the army of the زعيم—Iblīs’s forces controlling devils—compare to the army of Sulaymān (peace be upon him), whose kingdom was granted by Allah? Sulaymān’s (peace be upon him) forces were forces of good—such as bringing the Queen of Sheba to submit. So when the verse about Sulaymān (peace be upon him) is recited, Iblīs becomes fearful; it would be strange if he did not flee.
This passage about Sulaymān (peace be upon him) is verse 102:
{وَاتَّبَعُواْ مَا تَتْلُواْ الشَّيَاطِينُ عَلَى مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَانَ وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَلَـكِنَّ الشَّيْاطِينَ كَفَرُواْ يُعَلِّمُونَ النَّاسَ السِّحْرَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ عَلَى الْمَلَكَيْنِ بِبَابِلَ هَارُوتَ وَمَارُوتَ وَمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ حَتَّى يَقُولاَ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلاَ تَكْفُرْ فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِ وَمَا هُم بِضَآرِّينَ بِهِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِ اللّهِ وَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلاَ يَنفَعُهُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُواْ لَمَنِ اشْتَرَاهُ مَا لَهُ فِي الآخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلاَقٍ وَلَبِئْسَ مَا شَرَوْاْ بِهِ أَنفُسَهُمْ لَوْ كَانُواْ يَعْلَمُون}[البقرة:102]
102. They ˹instead˺ followed the magic promoted by the devils during the reign of Solomon. Never did Solomon disbelieve, rather the devils disbelieved. They taught magic to the people, along with what had been revealed to the two angels, Hârût and Mârût, in Babylon.1 The two angels never taught anyone without saying, “We are only a test ˹for you˺, so do not abandon ˹your˺ faith.” Yet people learned ˹magic˺ that caused a rift ˹even˺ between husband and wife; although their magic could not harm anyone except by Allah’s Will. They learned what harmed them and did not benefit them—although they already knew that whoever buys into magic would have no share in the Hereafter. Miserable indeed was the price for which they sold their souls, if only they knew! (Translation: Dr. Mustafa Khattab, The Clear Quran)
Āyat al-Kursī, the Ending of al-Baqarah, and Qur’anic Light
In Sūrat al-Baqarah there is the important verse of al-Kursī (the Throne Verse). Many narrations record that when the Throne Verse is recited, dishonest jinn-devils flee. In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, it is recorded that Allah, the Most High and Most Great, granted our Seal-Prophet two lights—Sūrat al-Fātiḥah and the final verses of Sūrat al-Baqarah—which were not given to any other prophet.
So the light of Allah—the light of the Qur’an—cannot be imagined merely as sunlight or moonlight. Allah’s speech—His Book—mentions that this light contains guidance for all worlds and mercy for us. This mercy is that we seek a good ending in both lives and do righteous deeds. Devils want us to do evil, so when we recite Allah’s verses, we obtain good, and devils become powerless—so they flee.
Closing Supplication and Final Words
Finally, we ask our Lord to protect us from the harm of sorcery and from the temptation of jinn-devils. We encourage one another to recite Sūrat al-Baqarah often, and even to complete the Qur’an frequently.
That is all for today’s sharing. If there are slips of the tongue or unclear explanations, we ask Allah, the Most High and Most Great, for forgiveness, and we ask the group members for their understanding. Thank you all for sharing.
السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته !
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