Interview with an Exorcist

Interview NO. 1Location: Cairo,EgyptDate 9/8/88
Name Shaykh Muhammad Taahir ` Abdul- MuhsinDate of Birth: 1952Place of Birth: CairoEducation: BA in Islamic Studies from al-Azhar University,specializing in qiraa’ aat, 1978. Lectures occasionally at al –Azahr.
Q. When did you begin practicing exorcism?A. I began about nine or ten years ago.
Q. What caused you to begin?A. I read Ibn Taymeeyah’s book on the jinn and when my friend inTaaalibiyyah described his wife’s state, I realized that it was acase of possession and proceeded to treat her.
Q. What are the signs which indicate that a person is possessed?A. Some of the signs are that a person mentions that he is uneasy,he finds himself getting up and sitting down frequently, he speaksunintelligible, etc. This is called demonic possession (sara ` al-jinn).
Q. What is the first thing you do when a possessed person is broughtto you?A. In the beginning, we ask the possessed if he has been treated bya physician. If he has already been treated by a doctor, we canaddress the jinnee, saying ” Fear Allah!” I speak to it in the sameway that I speak to a human. If he is in a state of convulsion, Ispeak directly to the jinnee. Otherwise, I recite over him someQur’anic verses. Sometimes it will manifest itself during therecitation and at other times it will hide.
Q. How do you distinguish between one who is possessed and one whois sick?A. The state of the possessed is unstable, and they usually do notcome to me until after they have visited a physician or apsychiatrist. Patients usually won’t come until after they havetried all other methods. In that way, we know that he is likely tobe possessed or possibly under a magical spell.
Q. How do you distinguish between the effects of magic and demonicpossession?A. In the case of possession the jinn will speak immediately, yetfor a patient under a magical spell the jinn will not talk. The oneunder a magic spell will require recitation for a long time, and hewill need to take Arabic folk medicine. This encouraged, accordingto the statement of the statement of the Prophet (PBPH) collected byMuslim. “Whoever is able to help his brother should do so.” When theProphet (PBPH) prohibited incantations, someone stated, “O Messengerof Allah, we have some incantations against magic and scorpions.” Hesaid to them, “Read your incantations to me.” When they did so, heprohibited those containing idolatry and confirmed those which didnot. He then said, “Whoever is able to help his brother, let him doso.” He meant by that, for example, canceling the effects of magicfrom one bewitched, which may make him unable to go to his wife. Hetakes a double edged ax, heats it on a fire until it becomes red,then he passes it over her. This does not have shirk in it. It isArabic medicine. Such things are mentioned in Fat-h al-Baaree.There are two ways of treating magic- one way isaccording to divine law (sharee’ah) and another is not. The legalway removes it completely while the illegal method only removes ittemporarily. Ibn al-Qayyim mentioned that if the effects of thespell have been present for a long time, it must be broken by Arabicmedicinal methods. On the other hand, if it is recent, it may beremoved by Qur’anic verses and prophetic methods.
Q. Based upon your communication with possessing jinn, what are themain reasons why jinn possess humans?
A. The reasons are as follows:1. Walking around the house naked.2. Being isolated and unprotected by the prophetic morning andevening prayers.3. Entering the toilet without fortifying prayers because thetoilets are among the dwelling places of the jinn.4. Pouring hot water on the jinnee without mentioning Allah’sname.5. Going without making the fortifying prayers to the areas ofthe jinn, like mountain tops and garbage dumps, hurting them byurinating on them or stepping on them- The jinn may then ignorantlyhurt the person much more than he deserves. In such cases thetreatment involves addressing the jinnee and telling it that thepatient had accidentally- and not intentionally –hurt it. If it washarmed in the patient’s home, it should be told that it had no rightto be there in the first place, for jinnee should be not allowed tolive in the homes of humans. Thus, the jinnee should be told that itis in the wrong. They actually reply. Some times they will say, “Ilove him.” Other times they may threaten those in their presence bysaying, “I will leave and hurt him.” In such cases, the exorcistmust have strong faith and believe in the oneness of Allah and sayto the jinnee, “You are certainly not able to do anything at allbecause the only one who can benefit or harm is Allah.” At thatpoint, the jinnee will become fearful and cause the person to shake.
Q. Who are most affected by jinn, men or women?A. Woman is more affected because the jinn love beautiful women.They may even have intercourse with them. A cause of possession waspresented to me in which a Christian woman said that she feelssomething come upon her and she struggles with it but it overcomesher. I told her, “Accept Islam and I will- by the grace of Allah-remove it from you.” She refused, so I left her. Consensualintercourse can take place between them, but this would be a majorsin because Allah has created that which is suitable for eachspecies. Thus, it is not allowable for humans to marry from theanimal world.
Q. Do male jinn possess women and female jinn’s possess men, or isit possible that male jinn possess males and vice-versa?A. In reference to those jinn who possess because of love, theirlove for humans is based upon desire. Therefore, male jinn lovewomen, and female jinn love men. However, there is no genderpreference when humans accidentally cause harm to jinn. For example,we saw a man from Upper Egypt who knew nothing of the Qu’aan andSunnah, but in his possessed state he would recite the Qur’aan likea trained reciter. When the jinnee was removed, we discovered thatit used to worship in a cave. The man, who was a stonemason, wentinto that cave and urinated and defecated in it, so the jinnee hurthim. We told the jinnee, “You are a Muslim who has memorized theQur’aan, and spoiling this man’s mind and body is satanic.” Thejinnee complied by leaving.
Q. From your experience, if a jinnee speaks, does he use the voiceof the possessed person or does the voice change?A. The voice is often different. If it is a female jinnee, it speakswith a female voice, and male jinnee with a male voice.
Q. Can a disbelieving jinnee enter a Muslim?A. Usually a disbelieving jinnee enters a Muslim. The conditions ofthe jinn are like that of humans. Some are Muslims and others arenot. Some are righteous and others are not. However, it is possiblefor Muslim jinnee to harm a Muslim human.
Q. Whenever you address the jinn and invite them to Islam, do theyaccept it?A. Yes I present Islam to them and they usually accept. I remindthem of the next life and that they will have to return to Allah.They often comply immediately. Sometimes they listen to a great dealof religious admonition, yet do not respond. The ease or difficultyof their removal varies from one person to another. By using methodsinvolving kufr, the jinn will respond but they won’t leavepermanently. If the exorcist possesses strong faith, the jinnee willrespond and leave. However, if he does not, the possession of theperson will continue, in the kufr methods, the jinn are called upusing lawful means, like making oaths containing shirk and kufr. Forexample, they say, “I swear by your seven most mighty.” In such acase shirk is involved, and assuredly the jinn will answer him andask him what the wishes because he has exalted them. He will thenask the jinn to leave, but the jinn will ask him to do some thingsin return. Shaykh Ibn Taymeeyah said that one should not do anythingthat the jinn request. If he tells you to drink water of sacrificean animal for him, it should not be done. If he says that he willleave for one reason or another, tell him that he must leave inobedience to Allah and his Messenger.
Q. From your experience, how do jinn benefit from possessing humans?A. It is from love or just desire. For example if an ignorant manwalking down the street is accidentally hurt by an intelligentperson, the ignorant man decides to punish the intelligent one. Whatbenefits does he get from that? It is just ignorance. There areprophetic traditions which indicate that the jinn may take the formof vermin, like snakes and rats. One may kill a vermin withoutmentioning Allah’s name and it may have been one of them. Because ofthis, the jinn may afflict him with some punishment.
Q. How does a jinnee enter a human?A. The Prophet (PBUH) said that the devil flows in the blood streamsof Adam’s descendants. Sometimes it may have fun with thesuperstitious by saying that it will leave though the eye of thepossessed and gouge it out or that it will leave by his leg,paralyzing it. Consequently, the true believer should not acceptsuch statements but tell it to lave as it came. Sometimes the jinnwill only leave if they are flogged.
Q. Have you found any jinn who spoke in a different language thanthe one possessed?A. Yes We found a jinnee in an Egyptian woman who spoke Urdu. He wasoriginally from Pakistan. He said that he was on hajj and fell inlove with her and returned with her to Egypt. His name was strange,incomprehensible. He said that he lived in an abandoned apartmentand that he had over ten thousand children and grandchildren. Somepeople may hear this and ask, “How could ten thousand live in oneapartment?” However, we already pointed out that they may take formof the vermin, like ants.
I also helped a Saudi married to an Egyptian woman whoused to curse at her husband in different languages, like Englishand French. I communicated with the jinnee in Arabic, and it lefther after promising to do so.Sometimes exorcists fall into shirk as a result of ajinnee. For example, when an exorcist orders a jinnee to leave aperson by that permission of Allah, but the jinnee swears that itwill only leave by other than Allah (e.g., swearing to leave by a so-calledSaint) and the exorcist agrees to its stipulation, and this isshirk. If the exorcist strictly believes in the oneness of Allah, hewill say to it, “No. You are a liar and a pagan. You are not allowedto swear by other than Allah. You must swear by Allah, saying `Ipromise Allah to leave the person and protect her from others asmuch as possible. By the One who split the sea for Moses and madethe winds blow Solomon, I will leave her and will not returnagain.’” And it will actually leave.
Q. When you address the jinn, do you find that they have names likehumans?A. Yes. They sometimes name themselves with human nameslike `Abdul `Azeez. At other times they have non-human names andincomprehensible titles.
Q. Having any of your children been affected by possession after youbegan treating possessed people?A. No, may Allah be praised. My children recite from the Qur’aan thetwo chapters of protection ( mu `awwithataan) and the openingchapter (al-Faatihah). The Qur’aan is a cure for all physical andspiritual ailments. If the people ask how disease can be resisted,the response is that resistance is granted by the Lord of the earthand the sky. The proof of this is that the companions of the Prophet(PBUH) treated scorpion stings with the recitation of al-Faatihah.The sting was a physical ailment and the recitation of al-Faatihahwas a spiritual healing. Ibn al – Qayyim also used as proof theAlmighty’s statement:“We revealed in the Qur’aan what is a healing and mercy from thebelievers.” 633 Qur’aan, 17: 82.
This is in reference to all forms of ailment, physical or spiritual.In several known cases when the possessed reached the door of aparticular house, the jinnee screamed out, “I will never enter thisplace because the Qur’aan is read in it.” The Prophet (PBUH)said, “If Soorah al- Baqarah is read in a house, the devil will notcome near it for three days.
Q. During an exorcism have you ever found more than one jinnee in aperson>A. Yes, more than one jinnee may cause harm to a person’s body, asIbn Taymeeyah confirmed. They will also have different voices.
Q. Could you describe the steps that you use for treatment?A. First I ask the person being treated his name and the may say,for example, Ahmad or Muhammad. During my recitation I ask again forhis name and he may say, for example, George. Therefore I know thatit is a jinnee. I ask if it is a Muslim and so on.
Q. If you communicate with the jinnee and it refuses to leave, whatdo you do?A. I recite many verses of Qur’aan over him. And if it still refusesto leave, then say, “I will drive you out with severe beating.” Itbecomes fearful because humans are stronger than jinn. I saw a casein which a jinnee was in love with a woman, and I said to it, “Iwill read a lot of Qur’aan over you.” It replied that it loved theQur’aan. I asked how it could love the Qur’aan and at the same timebe passionately in love with the woman. I brought a stick and hither on the neck with it, yet the possessed woman did not feelanything. Only in cases of possession should beating be used.
Q. Do you tie the toes of the person?A. There are many different methods which do not contain shirk orkufr which may be used.
Q. Do you recite over water and make the possessed person drink it?Or do you use oil?A. Yes, sometimes I have, as long as there is no shirk involved. Ihave used the mushrah method of stone grinding seven lotus leaving,placing this in a container of water and reciting the kawaafir(Soorah al- Kaafiroon [ 109], Soorah al-Ikhlaas [112], verse 255 ofthe second chapter and al- Faatihah) over it. The patient thendrinks three mouth fulls of this and bathes with the remainder. Itis a good and effective method.When the possessed person comes, I recite versesover him, such as the four verses of Soorah al-Baqarah, ”wailaahukum ilaahun waahid…, ” 635 verse 255 of al – Baqarah; thelast verses of Aal `Imraan (3); Surah al- A ` raaf from theAlmighty’s statement: “inna rabbakumullaah allathee khalaqas-samaawaati wal-arda fee sittati ayyaamin thummastawaa `alal-arshyughshil-laylan-nahaar…” 636 for about four verses until Hisstatement: ” innahoo laa yuhibbul- mu’tadeen wa laa tufsidoo fil-ardi ba’da islaahiha wad’oohukhawfan wa tama’an inna rahmatal-laahiqareebun minal-muhsieen”, 637 also ” laqad jaa’ akum rasoolun minanfusikum”, 638 Soorah al-Muminoon (23); Soorah as-Saaffaat (37);the ending of Soorah al-Hashr (59): and Soorah al- Kaafiroon (109).639 This is called the small dose (jur’ah sughraa). Those possessedalways are affected by it and the jinnee usually comes out afterthis recitation. If the jinnee does not come out or manifest itself,I know that the person is not possessed. However, instead, he may bebewitched. Sometimes the jinnee will manifest itself while I addressit after the recitation. Some cases may be delusion and thereforeare called delusionary magic (sihr al-awhamm). Sometimes the personmay have ailments due to bad character.About 50 percent of the cases are brought to meare demonic possession or magic and the rest common sicknesses.Once a woman came to me and I recited upon her, and the jinnee wasburned up. It is possible for them to be burned. On another occasiona Saudi man came to me who had been bewitched by menstrual blood andsperm. He was screaming like a calf being slaughtered.
After posting part one last week, here is the 2nd interview in the exorcism series:
Interview NO. 2Location:CairoDate: 9/8/88
Name: ` Abdul – Khaaaliq al- AttaarDate Of Birth: 1920Education: Law degree from Cairo University, 1950. Memorizedcomplete Qur’aan and studied sharee’ah at the College of Law.
Q. When and why did you begin to practice exorcism?A. About forty years ago one of my sons was afflicted by the jinn-although I did not know it at the time-and his sickness became amajor problem for me. I went to many psychiatrists, psychologists,neurologists, brain specialists and a varitiey of medical doctorsfor treatment. But after every visit to the medical specialists hissickness became worse. Around that time I happened to be reading IbnQayyim al- Jawziyyah’s book, Zaad al Ma’aad. In a chapter on thetreatment of the possessed, I noticed that the symptoms ofpossession were the same as those shown by my son. The prescribedtreatment mentioned in the chapter was the recitation of someQur’anic verses and prophetic supplications. So I recited over myson and he began to get better. His condition improved the more Irecited until he became completely well-by the permission of Allah.From that moment I felt a great desire to increase my knowledge ofthis science. Day and night I began to research the topic of theworld of jinn, the devils and the angels. I read many good books andmany terrible ones. However-by the grace of Allah- whenever I cameacross new information, I would not adopt it until after I hadchecked its authenticity based upon the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. Whatwas confirmed, I accepted and what was not, I rejected. The correctinformation I recorded in my own notebooks until I had gathered manysuch notebooks and a large quantity of material. I then readextensively the writings of Imaam Ibn Taymeeyah (may Allah bepleased with him) and his student Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim. Then I beganto organize the information in chapters which lead-by the mercy ofAllah-to my writing 30 books in the form of manuscripts aboutQur’anic medicine (at-Tibb al-Qur’aanee) and prophetic medicine (at-Tibb an- Naawee). These books are ready for publication; however,due to my limited resources, I have been unable to publish any ofthem to date.
Q. What percentage of the cases you meet are actual cases of demonicpossession?A. When I visit someone is brought to me who believes that he isaffected by magic, evil eye or the jinn, my first session is anexamination (fahs) and giving advice. The method of examination isquite simple. Anyone afflicted by magic, evil eye or jinn attackmust show some symptoms of the affliction, which I call, ” Symptomsof satanic bonding.” The symptoms have peculiarities like thesymptoms of any other sickness, such as influenza or rheumatism.During the examination I, therefore, ask about the symptoms, whichmay appear in both the waking state as well as during sleep.Symptoms during sleep include nightmares, sleeplessness, brokensleep, uneasiness the grinding of teeth, and dreams of Satan in theform of carnivorous animals. Then I ask about symptoms while awake,such as feelings of anxiety, forgetfulness, hopelessness, lethargyand immobility.Included among the signs are being easily angered, crying, andstaring aimlessly or avoiding the eyes of others. If the patientdisplays such symptoms during his waking and sleeping states, Irecite upon him some Qur’anic verses. If he is possessed, the jinneemay begin at this point to talk either with the voice of the personor with another voice. Sometimes it will use foul language, cursethose present or strike and kick.It may reveal why it possessed the person and when it did so. It mayalso reveal if there are others present. Psychiatrists diagnosisthis as schizophrenia or dual personality. If a jinnee speaksthrough a human telling its name, religion and condition, they callit dual personality. If the jinnee does not speak but the person’spersonality goes through a major change, they call it schizophrenia.
Q. Are their other signs, like bad smells or an unnatural smile,that are common to those possessed?A. In reality, when a jinnee bonds with a human, there areinnumerable signs. Among them are laughter and crying for no reason.These symptoms are well-known to the medical profession and areexplained as a result of over activity or under activity of certainglands. We know in spiritual medicine that this is due to demonsplaying with the glands, causing them to over-secrete or to decreasetheir secretions, therefore causing changes in personality and swiftmoods shifts. The processed person may also exhibit super naturalstrength.
Q. What is the percentage of real cases of possession among yourpatients?A. My shaykh and mentor, Imaaam Ibn Taymeeyah (may Allah have mercyupon him), who died more than 700 years ago, said in al-Fataawaaathe following, excellent statement, “If the veil were removed fromthe people of this time [ Ibn Taymeeyah’s time, over 700 years ago],we would find most of the people of this time are possessed bydemons.” If that was said 700 years ago, what can we say about thisage in which filth is widespread and the means of demonic possessionare abundant. This is a time of sport and play, disobedience andcorruption. The percentage of those possessions is very startling –may Allah protect us all. Those spared demonic influence are veryfew, while those under attack are many. Allah, the Almighty said inSoorah an- Nisaa’.
“… rebellious devil, cursed by Allah, said, ` I will surely take adefinite portion of Your servants and mislead them. I will create inthem false desires and order them to slit the ears of cattle and todeface the creation of Allah….’
They are many. And Almighty Allah’s statement:
“And Satan proved his idea true on them, and they all followed himexcept a group of those who believed.
So in reality, the percentage of those under satanic influence inthe world today is extremely high. And there are a number of realsickness, which the medical profession, past and present, in theEast and in the West, has been unable to cure, and the curelies onlyin the Noble Qur’aan. The medical profession readily admits it hasnot advanced over the years in its ability to cure problems such asepilepsy, bewitchment, and schizophrenia. In reality, those touchedby Satan are so many and their percentage is rapidly increasing.Yet, those involved in treating them according to the Qur’aan andthe Sunnah are so few that one cannot but fear for the future ofmankind if a solution is not found. By Allah’s blessing, I amworking on passing on knowledge of this science to many youngpeople. But resources to do this effectively are very limited.
Q. From your own experience, what are the main reasons why peopleare possessed?A. I have written a chapter in my book, Iqtiraan ash-Shaytaan bi alInsaana, (Qur’aan, 4:118-119,) specifically for this question. Thereare exactly six reasons: 1) extreme fear, 2) extreme anger, 3)extreme jealousy, 4) devotion to lust, 5) human aggression againstdevils, and 6) love of demons for humans. Human aggression could bein the form of pouring hot water on the places where devils resideor urinating in holes or cracks in the ground. The Prophet (PBUP)prohibited us from urinating in the holes and cracks in the earthbecause they are places where jinn reside. The love of demons forhumans is very, very common. When male jinn possess human’s femalesand we communicate with them, they often readily admit that they arein love with them. And when female jinn possess men, they oftenexpress the same.
Q. What is the percentage of females among your patients?A. They are about 70 percent of the cases. Percentage of possessionamong women is greater than it is among men. And this percentage isconsistent with the texts of the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. On oneoccasion, the Prophet (PBUH) visited a group of women andsaid, “Give in charity, because I was shown that you made up most ofthe inhabitants of the Fire.” When he asked why, he replied, “Youdeny the good your husbands do when ever he makes a singlemistake.” (See Shaih Al- Bukhari, vol. 7, pp. 95-6, no. 125, andSahih Muslim, Vol. 2, pp. 431-2, no. 1982.
Q. You mentioned about male possessing human females and female jinnpossessing men. Is this always the case?A. The Prophet (PBUH) used to seek refuge in Allah from what appearsat night and is hidden during the day, and what is hidden at nightand appears during the day. (`oothu billaahi tabaraka wa ta ` aalaamin sharri maa yathharu bil-layli wa yamkunu bin-nahaaari wa minsharri ma yathharu bin- nahaari wa yakmunu bil-layl. And he alsoused to seek refuge in Allah from every [evil] which announcesitself and every [evil] hides. (Aoothhu billaahi min sharri kullimu’lin wa musirr. That which appears at night is that which speaksand that which is hidden is that which does not. Thus, the speakingor not speaking of a jinnee through the voice of the possessed isfound in the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH) treated those possessed,the jinnee did not speak with him or respond to him. The Prophet(PBUH) struck the possessed person and said, “Get out, O enemy ofAllah, for I am the Messenger of Allah!” And the jinnee did notreply to the Prophet (PBUH). But in the case of the jinnee who wassearching through food and was caught by Aboo Hurayrah, it spokewith him. Also, the jinnee who possessed ` Abdullaah ibn Mas’oodcommunicated with him. Likewise, the jinnee who was beaten by `Umarbin al- Khattaab spoke with him. Another example is the femalejinnee who spoke to Imam Ibn Taymeeyah in the presence of hisstudent, Ibn al –Qayyim, saying, ” I love him.” It then said, “Iwant to make hajj with him.” And Ibn Tameeyah replied, “But he doesnot want to make hajj with you.” It said, ” Then I will leave himfor your sake.” Ibn Taymeeyah said, “No leave him in obedience toAllah’s command.” This incident can be found in Ibn al-Qayyim’sbook., Zaad al-Ma’aad in the chapter on prophetic guidance fortreating the possessed. Likewise, during reign of ` Abbaaseecaliph, Mutawakkil, the caliph informed Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal thatone of his slave girls was possessed. Imaam Ahamd sent one of hisstudents with a pair of his wooden slippers and told him to tell thejinnee, “It is not permissible for you to inhabit this woman’s body,and Ahmad commands you to leave this woman’s body, and Ahmadcommands you to leave this woman’s body.” Al- Mutawakkil and otherspresent heard the woman speak in a gruff, male voice,saying “Ahmad’s command is welcome. For Ahmad is one who has obeyedAllah, and Allah has made everything obedient to him. If Ahmadordered us to leave `Iraaq, we would leave.” Today in many cases thejinn do speak, but in many other cases they do not.
Q. Is possession a swift process or does it take along time, likemonths or years?A. Medical doctors say that epilepsy is a sudden, unknown change inthe electric discharges of the brain. They say that there are morethan 40 million electrical connections in the human brain, and it islike a small electrical generating station. It produces electricityand distributes it throughout the other parts of the body. Accordingto doctors, and epileptic fit occurs when there is a sudden surge inthe electric discharge of the brain. This over loads the circuitand leads to dysfunction in the body parts and becomes manifest inshaking, stiffness in the body parts, drooling and foaming at themouth and staring lasting for a brief moments. When we see suchconditions, we call the athaan in the epileptic’s right ear and callthe iqaamah in the left ear and – by Allah’s will-he becomes curedand returns to his normal state. Although the medical profession,ancient and modern, does not know the cause of the sudden increasein the electrical discharges of the brain, the Prophet (PBUH)indicated a cause. In a hadeeth reported by Iban `Abbas (may Allahbe pleased with him), a black woman came to the Prophet (PBUH) andsaid, ” O Messenger of Allah, I am overcome with fits and take offmy clothes.” [and in another narration, “Verily, the evil jinneetakes off my clothes.” In this hadeeth the Prophet (PBUH) confirmedthat it is the devil who causes people to fall down in fits. It hasbeen demonstrated that the cause is demonic from the many cases inwhich we have called the athaan in the ears of those in epilepticfits, and consequently the fits ceased. For the Prophet (PBUH) hasstated, ” When Satan hears the athaan, he turns and flees.” This isin the case of complete possession ( sara ` kulle). There are othertypes of possession in which humans are affected, like migraineheadaches (sudaa ` nisfee), insomnia (araq), depression,introversion (intiwaa), or pains occurring in different parts of thebody at various times. The possessing demon who inhabits the humanbrain is able to vary cerebral electric discharges-by the will ofAllah and due to reasons known only Allah- and affect the body partswith a variety of ailments. For example, it may affect the man’stongue so that he cannot speak, his ears so that he cannot hear, hiseyes so that he cannot see, or his hands so they tremble and becomeparalyzed. These are all various types of possessions.
Q. Have you ever experienced the jinn speaking in languages otherthan that of the possessed person?A. I have found many cases in which the jinn speak in languages orother dialects common to other regions of the country.
Q. Do the jinn enter the human body from particular points, like themouth eyes or hand?A. There are three types of jinn. One type consists of animals, suchas dogs, snakes, donkeys, and mules. These give birth to offspringlike themselves. A dog-jinnee gives birth to a dog-jinnee and asnake-jinnee gives birth to a snake-jinnee. Another type flies inthe air, like the one mentioned in Soorah an-Namal: “An `ifreetamong the jinn said, `I will bring it to you before you can risefrom your position, for surely I am strong and trustworthy for thatpurpose.’” (Qur’aan,27:39.) This verse mans that the jinn see us,but we cannot see them. Air is with us everywhere. We sense it andare certain about its existence, but we cannot see it. The jinn arejust like aie which is meaning of Almighty Allah’s statement inSoorah ar-Rahmaan: “And He created the jinn from flame (maarij) offire.” (Qur’aan, 55:l5) Maarij is the hot air, which is above thefire. Thus, the jinnee, which enters the human body, is not of thetype, which has a material form, like that of a human, donkey ordog. This type has a fine, invisible, ethereal (hawaa’ee) body. Andit enters the body just like air does through the open orifices,like the mouth, the nose and the anus. Even the pres of the skinallow air to enter and thus become ports of entrance for the jinn.If we drink water in the summer, the water spreads throughout thebody and passes out through the pores in the skin. Air also entersand along with it the jinn of this kind. However, the jinn usuallylive in the toilet areas use for defecation, urination and bathing.This is based upon the Prophet’s statement,
“Surely, these hushoosh are inhabited.”
The hushoosh are the places used by humans to relieve and cleanthemselves. Thus, Muslims are enjoined to recite the followingsupplication before entering such places, “O Allah, I seek refuge inyou from the evil male and female jinn.” The jinn find it easiest toenter from the anus so this is the most common entrance. However,they also gain access from other orifices, including the eye.
Q. And how do they leave?A. From the same places that they enter.
Q. In which part of the human body do the jinn dwell?A. When the jinn enter the human body, they settle in the controlcenter of the body-brain. They concentrate in the brain and concealthe human mind, making the person lose consciousness in a waysimilar to hypnotism. Then they manifest themselves and take controlof the body through the brain. However, this does not mean that theyonly concentrate in the brain; they may concentrate in other bodyparts and organs, thereby leaving the brain.
Q. During exorcisms have you ever experienced any attempts by thejinn to possess you?A. I praise Allah and give thanks to Him in the way appropriate toHis glory. My shaykh, Ibn Taymeeyah (may Allah have mercy upon him)said in his book, al-Fataawaa, “Applying this knowledge of spiritualmedicine and/or Qur’anic medicine is compulsory upon whoever learnsit. Because it is equivalent to relieving the troubled, helping theoppressed, liberating the distressed and supporting the weak. It isamong the greatest branches of fighting in the path of Allah (jihaadfee sabeelillaah).” He also said, “Those who work in this field arefeared by the jinn because they know that they [i.e., the exorcists]do it as a means of pleasing Allah. Thus, Allah places in the soulof the jinnee a fear of the exorcist.” I have never experienced ajinnee attack while I was awake. However, if I go to sleep with outmaking protective supplications, the jinn hurt me during my sleepand make me restless. Whenever this happens, I awaken quickly andrecite the supplications of divine refuge (ta’awwuthaat) andprotection, and Allah protects me.
Q. Since you began exorcising people over 40 years ago, have any ofyour family members been possessed?A. I have not experienced it within my family. However, wheneverdevils fail in their attack on the human soul, they will try anexternal attack by setting his family against him, such as his wife,child, mother, father or leader. But such attacks are comparativelymild. If the exorcist has strong faith in Allah and is truthful andpious, external attacks will also fail. I would like to advise thosewho wish to work in this field to be careful. On one occasion when Iwas exorcising a jinnee by the name of Jibreel, who had beenseverely hurting a woman (and this was round the time that I beganexorcising), I said to it, “Jibreel, leave the woman and come intomy body. Give her a break. Perhaps Allah will give me the strengthand health to bear your presence.” Jibreel was silent for a moment,then he said, “From where will I enter you? From which part can I?”I took this as glad tidings from Allah that He was protecting me bysending angels who would ward off the evil of the jinn. For Allahhas made a type of angel which is specifically for the protection ofhumans, according to the text of the Qur’aan:
“Surely, every soul has a protector over it.” (Qur’aan, 86: 4.
“Each [person] has a succession of angels in front of him and behindhim, protecting him by Allah’s command.” (Qur’aan, 13:11)
“He is the Irresistible, high above His servants, and He sendsprotectors over you……”(Qur’aan, 6:61)
When ever Allah sees His servants being sincere and in constantworship, working in the service of mankind and Islam, He protectsthe servant from the evil jinn by sending angels to protect him. Ithank Allah for protecting me and all who work in this field.
Q. You mentioned earlier that your first session with a patient isan examination. If it leads to the conclusion that the patient ispossessed, what is your next step?A. I begin the treatment sessions (jalasaat at-`ilaaj). Thesesittings vary in length and number depending upon the case involved.The first of these sessions I call “purification of the heart” (”tat-heer al-qalb”). The idea being that the faith of the person I amabout to treat must be clear and pure. There should not be in hisfaith any paganism, evil, disbelief, hypocrisy or falsity. Itherefore clean the heart first so that when the verses of treatmentare read, they meet a pure heart. Otherwise, the verses will meet adefiled, sick heart not capable of treatment. This is comparable toplanting a seed in infertile ground, It will not grow, but not dueto any defect in the seed. The ground was not prepared forcultivation.The third sitting I have named “purification of thepsyche” (”tazkiyah an-nafs”), for Qallah has created man with aheart, mind, spirit/soul (rooh), psyche and a body. The treatmentsare aimed at the first four elements. The soul (nafs) is acombination of cravings (shahwah), instincts (ghareezah), emotions(`aatifah) and inclinations (naz’ah). So, we purify the sickpatient’s psyche. If he smokes, drinks, gambles, lusts after womenor is corrupt in anyway, we purify it so that the psyche can helpthe heart. I also try to purify the psyche of other sicknesses, likeanger, hatred, malice, jealousy, conceit, pride, arrogance,intemperance, greed and stinginess. This session is no lessimportant than the second, for it is by the way of the evil psychethat the possessing jinnee establishes itself. Consequently, thislevel of treatment may require two, three, or four sittings untilthe psyche of the patient is purified and contented. After thistreatment, the psyche does not whisper to itself and it will blockthe whisperings of devils.The fourth sitting concentrates on the mind, and I referto it as “cleaning the mind” (”tanqiyah al-`aql). In this session Iaddress how a person spends much of his time. If he reads uselessmaterials, like love stories, pornographic materials, detectivestories and newspaper articles, it only increase his remoteness fromAllah. I advise those who read such materials to give them up andreplace them with reading the Qur’aan and its exegesis, authenticbooks of hadeeth, and books of law. I also encourage them to readuseful books in other fields, like mathematics, philosophy, physics,engineering, etc.The final treatment can be one session or as many as sixto twelve sessions. I call it “removing the spirit” (”takhlees ar-rooh”). It consists of removing the evil sprit from its hold on thehuman spirit. This is in accordance with a hadeeth recorded in theMusnad of Ahmad in which a companion of the Prophet (PBUH) passed bya mad person and recited over him a legal ruqyah for six day,morning and evening. Also in the hadeeth of Aboo Sa’eed al –Khudree, Ibn Mas’sood and others, it is recorded that the legalruqyah should be repeated twice per day for six days. If it producesresults, fine. If it does not, it means that something is incompletefrom the previous steps. Therefore, I go back over all of thesessions and check the state of patient.These sessions are followed by the prescription ofprecautionary measures (tahaffuthaat). When a patient gets well,doctors usually advise him to avoid certain foods in order toprevent the reoccurrence of the sickness. I do the same. I advisethe patient to give up watching TV-especially useless programs, tobe consistent in performing his daily acts of worship, to get up atnight for voluntary prayer, to read certain Qur’anic verses daily,to repeat the declaration of faith a hundred times daily, to seekforgiveness from Allah, to pray fro the Prophet (PBUH).
Q. Do you use in your treatment physical techniques like tyingfingers or tying hair, burning incense, rubbing olive oil, salt orbeating?A. There are no authentic narrations to support the use of saltexcept in cases of scorpion stings. There is no basis fro usingeither it, or other such things to treat jinn-possession. Likewise,the uses of amulets (hijaab, ta’weeh and tameemah) which are wornaround different parts of the body are completely forbidden.Regarding beating, it is authentically reported that the Prophet(PBUH) utilized it, and Shaykh Ibn Taymeeyah also used a stick tobeat a patient possessed by a jinnee. However, I advise my youngbothers who are working in this field not to use beating at all,because the use of beating has guidelines and conditions. We do notbeat the possessed human, but the jinnee which has possessed thehuman. And this requires a high level of skill and discernment to beable to accurately know whom the exorcist is hitting. For if he fitsthe possessed person, it is prohibited in divine law, and it wouldonly increase the suffering in the patient. The details of this, Icannot go into right now, because it would require a very longsitting to explain exactly how to determine the appropriate time tohit. At any rate, I do advise the beginners in this field no to usebeating. And even the beating used by many is too far violent and isapplied to very dangerous areas of the body. It should only be onthe behind, the shoulders or the extremities of the hands and feet.As to hitting the face, eyes or head with sandals and sticks, it isforbidden. However, if the exorcist has had much experience andinsight, and he is absolutely certain that it is the jinnee, whichis present, he may do as the Prophet (PBUH) did.
Q. What is your opinion about recitation over oil and rubbing withit?A. These methods are not forbidden according to Islamic law. Theyare permissible and have some basis in the religion. Before going tosleep, the Prophet (PBUH) used to recite the quls in his palms, blowin them, and then wipe his hands over whatever his hands could reachof his body, beginning with his face. On the basis of this, thecompanion Ibn `Abbaas, and also Ibn Taymeeyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, Ahamdibn Hanbal and other Muslim scholars permitted the recitation ofQur’aan on pure olive oil. There are verses in Soorah an-Noor (24)and Soorah at-Teen (95) which indicate that olive oil is blessed.Qur’anic verses may also be read over other substances like musk,oil, saffron, rose water, or drinking water. Subsequently, thepatient drinks or bathes with these. However, one who bathes withsuch fluids must do so in a place where the fluids will not flowinto sewage pipes or other filthy places. The liquids used should becollected in special container and thrown on the roadside.
Q. During treatment do you have to seek assistance to hold thepatient down?A. Sometimes when a person is possessed, the jinnee causes him tomake unusual movements like punching, getting up and sitting down,and breaking things. I may need help in holding down his legs andarms, and then I begin to recite over him.
Q. Could you recount some of your more recent and usual cases?A. I have treated many patients and man y students have recorded ontape the conversations, actions words which are used in thesegatherings. Each case is on a 60-minute tape.
Q. Do disbelieving jinn possess Muslims?A. The world of the jinn is similar to the world of man. There areno rules in this matter. All possible permutations occur.
Q. Can more than one jinnee possess a person at the same time?A. Some have come. However, I inform them that I only treat with theQur’aan, I do not treat them. Most Christian Egyptians who have cometo me have welcomed treatment with the Qur’aan and have experiencedsuccessful cures-all praise belongs to Allah. And a number of themhave converted to Islam by the grace of Allah.
Q. How do jinn benefit from the possession?A. Allah has created the jinn to live in isolated areas, deserts,refuse dumps, graveyards, and animal pens. Jinn-animals eat fecesand jinn eat bones. The jinn are definitely on a level below humans,as a result of Allah’s favors, which He gives to whomsoever Hewishes. Allah said in Soorah al-Israa’:“We have honored the children of Adam, carried them on the land andon the sea, provided them with good things and greatly preferredthem over much of what we have created.” (Qur’aan 17:70.)
Consequently, jinn accompany humans in order to enjoy some of thatfavor with which Allah has honored men. They try to partake of thegood food, drink, clothes, sex and sleep. This good life tempts thejinn into attacking humans.
Q. Do jinn take pleasure by having sex with humans?A. There is a verse in Soorah al-An `aam in which our blessed,Almighty Lord said.
“Our Lord, some of us took pleasure one from the other, and we havereached the term which You appointed for us. (Qur’aan, 6:128.)
Actually, all the Qur’anic exegetes understand the pleasure takenhere to refer to the jinns misguidance of men and man’s worship ofthe jinn. They consider the taking of pleasure to only meanobedience and following. However, the Qur’aan should be interpretedfirst by its own verses. This verse should be understood along withthe Almighty’s statement in Soorah Muhammad:
” Those who disbelieve take pleasure and eat as animals do, and theFire will be their home.” (Qur’aan 47:12.)
Do animals follow jinn or do jinn misguide animals? No. The takingof pleasure here refers to the fulfillment of sexual desire. Thus,the “pleasure” mentioned in Soorah al-An’aam can also include sexualpleasure enjoyed by males and females. This is what happens when aman or woman has a wet dream. And I have dealt with many cases wheremale jinn were taking pleasure from women and female jinn weretaking pleasure from men.
Q. Do jinn possess believing Muslims who are conscientious in theirreligious practices?A. This only happens to those of weak faith. The jinn have no powerover the true believers. The Almighty said:
“You will have no authority over my servants, except those among themisguided will follow you.” (Qur’aan 15:42.)
“He [i.e., Satan] said, `By Your power, I will surely mislead themall, except Your sincere, chosen servants.” (Qur’aan 38:82-83.”
The true believers and sincere worshippers of Allah are protected byHim, so the devils cannot possess them. ON the other hand, thedevils play with the worshippers of Satan who disobey Allah in thesame way that children play football.
Q. If that be the case, how do you explain the hadeeth of the womanwho was overcome by the fits, yet the companions bore witness thatshe would be among the people of paradise?A. Sara ` is of two types: fits caused by jinn and those caused bybiological reasons which Ibn al-Qayyim called sara ` min al-akhlaat.Thus, seizures may be from jinn possession or they may be from achemical imbalance in the brain or the nervous system. Jinn –possession is treated most effectively by the Qur’aan, because it isa spirit treating another spirit. Demonic possession is like theloss of sight or hearing. It may be a test from Allah. The Prophet(PBUH) told the woman, “If you are patient, your reward is Paradise.”
Q. How do you explain a Christian priest’s successful exorcism ofpatients?A. The non-Muslim in this field works with the jinn. The jinn mayease the pain for a week or months in order that the patient put histrust in the disbelieving healer. If he were a Muslim patient, hisfaith would be lost. For only the Qur’aan is the word of Allah andonly it can heal the spirit. The Prophet (PBUH) said,
” Whoever visits a fortuneteller, his prayers will not be acceptedfor 40 days.”
And he also said:
“Whoever believes a fortuneteller is disbelieved in the religionthat Muhammad brought.
Q. How do you distinguish between someone who is suffering frombewitchment and one suffering from the evil eye?A. They are very similar, and they are both a product of the jinneeattaching itself within a person. The distinction comes in thetreatment. The longest lasting and more difficult to cure is frommagic spells and the easiest to treat are seizures (sara’). As tothe Prophet’s bewitchment, some scholars have declared it false eventhought he narrations are highly accurate, without any discrepancyin their chain of narrators or in their text. These scholars haveallowed their limited minds to determine the right and wrong in thereligion. This is an error on their part. There are different typesof magic: habal (dimwittedness), khabal (confusion) and abat(stupidity). These all affect the mind of the bewitched person. Threis another kind called sihr aljawaarih wal-a’daa’ (magic of thelimbs and the organs) which does not affect the mind but affectsones organs, like the hand or the genitals. The type which affectedthe Prophet (PBUH) was the second type in which his mind was notaffected at all. For him to be affected is not strange because hewas a human being and affected by many sicknesses. He was wounded,his incisor tooth was broken, he was cursed, made fun of, called afortuneteller, a magician and a madman. He was an example for us ofone who suffered as we do, but was patient and accepted his fate.The hadeeth about the Prophets bewitchment in al- Bukhaaree andMuslim reported by ` Aa’ ishah states that he used to think that hehad come to his wife when he did not. And in other books oftraditions it is mentioned that he would think he had done somethingwhich he had not. That was merely forgetfulness, which all theprophets were subject to, The Almighty said in Soorah Yoosuf:
“But Satan made him forget to remember his Lord, and he remained inprison for a few [more] years.” (Qur’aan 12:42.)
And in Soorah al-Aaam:
“And if Satan causes you to forget, do not remain tin the company ofthe transgressors after you have remembered.” (Qur’aan, 6:68.)
And in Soorah al-Khaf:
“None made me forget it except Satan, and amazingly it took its wayback to the sea.”(Qur’aan 18:63.)
The Prophet (PBUH) prayed a four unit prayer and concluded it withsalaams after the second unit. The companion, Thul-Yadayn said tohim, “Has the prayer been shortened or did you forget, O Messengerof Allah?” Prophet (PBUH) said, ” The prayer has not been shortenedand I did not forget.” The companion told him that he only prayedtwo units. The Prophet (PBUH) than asked the other companions ifwhat he said was correct, and they confirmed it. So the Prophet(PBUH) got up and prayed with them two more units of prayer.Consequently, forgetfulness can happen to prophets and this is notconsidered a mental disorder (habal) in any sense of the term.
Q. What do you recite over those suffering possession, magic and theevil eye?A. There are incantations called ruqyah al- masroo and ruqyah al-mareed. I have gathered the many narrations from the Prophet (PBUH)and placed them under these headings in a large, unpublished volume,which I have entitled Aasaa ` il Himaayah al – Insaan min Masaa’ ibash-Shaytaan. Time does not permit me to go through them at thispoint.
After posting part one and part two, here is the 3rd interview in the exorcism series:
INTERVIEW NO. 3Location: Cairo,EgyptDate:10/8/88
Name: Sa’eed MuhammadDate Of Birth: 1946Education: Diploma from the `Ibaad ad-Du’aa’ Institute
Q. When did you begin practicing exorcism?A. I begin practicing more than ten years ago.
Q. What caused you to begin?A. It began when the wife of my brother became afflicted withcontinual vaginal bleeding that the doctors were unable to treat. Asyou know, there is a prophetic tradition in which a woman came tothe Prophet (PBUH) and said, “O Messenger of Allah, I am a womanwhose blood flows continually.” He said to her, “It is due to ablow struck by the devil.” That is, the devil has some influence inthis area. Perhaps it was due to a fit (mass) or perhaps she wasbewitched, both of which are manifestations of the jinn in the body.There is a hadeeth saying that the devil flows in the bloodstream ofAdam’s descendants. Because of this, I recited over her al-Faatihah; the first five verses of Soorah al Baqarah; “wa ilaahukumilaahun waahid…., (Qur’aan 2:163) verse 255 of al-Baqarah; “shahidallaahu annahoo laa ilaaha illaa hoo……” from SoorahAal Imraan; (Qur’aan 3:18) ” rabbukumullaah….” From Soorah al-A’raaf (Qur’aan 7:54) “afahsibtum…” from Soorah al-Mu’minoon;(Qur’aan 23:115) the closing verses of Soorah al-Hashr, and threeverses from Soorah al-Jinn. The jinnee in her manifested itself andspoke to me. I realized that it was a male jinnee. It said that itcame to her when she cried in the dark because her husband hadtraveled. My brother’s complaint was that whenever her approachedhis wife, she would begin to bleed even thought it was not the timeof her menses. In the end, after my recitation, I found that thejinnee was not a Muslim. I invited him to Islam, and he accepted andthen left her.
Q. Was his voice different from your bother’s wife’s voice?A. Yes, it was the voice of a male.
Q. How old was the woman?A. She was 25 years old. It is the Qur’anic verses which can controlthe jinn, Muslim or on-Muslim. Some are rebellious and others areMuslim. Sometimes it may argue with the exorcist himself. We seethat the churches are filled with magic, for when we ask the jinnquestions, they say that they came from the church of George’sfamily. And the jinn are tough and try to destroy whoever is intheir presence.
Q. What percentage of the cases are true, demonic possession?A. Some are imaginary. Women often imagine that someone hasbewitched them or that the change of their husbands treatment is dueto a magic spell put upon their husbands.The first sign of real possession in a woman isthat her menses become irregular. She also feels a kind ofsuffocation which is quite different from psychological depressionor medical asphyxia. It comes to her at night in the form of anightmare, even if she is regular in her formal prayers and uses theprescribed daily supplications. At the end of her treatment shelistens to a tape of the verses which I mentioned earlier. When shelistens to the tape alone, she discovers her life changing. Shebecomes imbalanced at first. In the beginning, I greet the jinneewith salutations of peace. If it is a Muslim, it replies, and ifnot, it does not reply. I then begin to address it with any othergreetings, and it replies, informing me that it is not a Muslim.After speaking to it, it leaves the woman, freeing her from all ofthe afflicting pains, from headaches to infertility and othersymptoms which doctors are unable to cure.On one occasion during an argument between awoman and her husband, the wife lost her speech. Her tongue refusedto function, and she became very depressed. She saw a doctor who wasunable to determine the medical cause, so he sent her to me. Irecited over her the verses I mentioned earlier and called theathaan. At the end of the athaan, the woman began to speak again.She made the declaration of faith (shahaadah), and the jinnee lefther.
Q. From your experience, what are the reasons why jinn possesspeople?A. Jinn enter human bodies when man commits error. However, if helives according to the Qur’aan and the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH)and uses the prescribed supplications and prayer shields(tahassunaat) which the Prophet (PBUH) taught us, he will not beafflicted by the jinn. The jinn may afflict one who is far fromsupplications, the Sunnah and Qura’nic recitation. Such anaffliction can be quite destructive. Sometimes when marital partnersargue for no reason, the husband will report that he saw his wifelooking quite unnatural, and she will say likewise about him. Thisis form of magical spell called “the reversal” (qalb) it existedduring the era of Moses and is still around today. The wife maybecome possessed or bewitched. When a jinnee enters a human body, itwishes the body to remain in its possession. It may practice evilwith the woman in her ear eating and drinking habits, in her sleep,etc. It may enter the toilet with her when she goes to reliveherself. If you ask her if she spends along time in the toiletrelieving herself, she will reply, “Yes I do although I do not needto spend all of that time in there.” This is because the jinn wanther in that state in order to see her exposed private parts.
Q. What are the other reasons?A. The jinn may fall in love with a woman. When we performintercourse, we are supposed to say, ” O Allah, remove the devilfrom us and form whatever offspring You provide us.” It may bededuced from this prayer that the devil may take part when a man hasintercourse with his wife. As Allah, Most Great and Glorious, saidto Satan in Soorah al-Israa’.
“Share in their wealth and children……” (Qur’aan 17:64)
Satan does not have power over the true servants of Allah who prayregularly and read the Qur’aan. When you enter a house, you may findmost of its occupants are afflicted with some sort of demonicpossession (mass). And when you ask the head of the household if heprays, he will say no. The house ruins and thus the devil enters.
Q. What is the percentage of possessed women in relationship to men?A. The greater majority are women, about 95 percent, because theylike to adorn themselves, display their beauty, and are disobedient.I have only encountered one possessed woman who was pious. Sheattended one of my lectures and after I recited the verses, we heardher scream. She was known to pray regularly and had memorized muchof the Qur’aan, so I asked her what was wrong with her, and shereplied in a man’s voice, “I am Alee.” I asked him, “Are you aMuslim?” and he replied yes.” “How did you enter her?” He said, ”She poured hot water outside and hurt me.” I told him, “Get out!”and he left. She was 28 years old.
Q. How did you know that she was possessed?A. She said that when she poured the hot water she felt as thoughthere was fire in her left leg. Some people sense the jinn’sentrance while others do not.
Q. From your experience, do male jinn enter woman and female jinnenter men?A. If a woman harms a female jinnee, it will enter her. Sometimes wehave found both male and female jinn inside of a single person.Sometimes, when you say to it, “Send out So-an-so,” it turns out tobe only one jinnee pretending to be different people.
Q. It is most common for a male jinn to affect a woman?A. Yes. It is the usual case for women to be possessed by male jinnand men by female jinn. I saw one case in which a man was possessedby a female jinnee who was a non Muslim. He used to have terriblefits whenever he recited the Qur’aan. I told her that he was goingto get married soon and she screamed. After great effort, she wasmade to leave.
Q. Are possessing jinn usually Muslims or non-Muslims?A. In reality, jinn may be both. But Muslim jinn only enter if theyare hurt, while non-Muslim jinn will enter whether hurt or not. Mostoften they are non-Muslims.
Q. Do the jinn settle in a particular portion of the human body?A. Usually they spread throughout the whole body. The Prophet (PBUH)said, “Certainly the devil flows in the veins of Adam’sdescendants.” And in another narration, “Satan circulates in Adamsdescendents like blood.” In some cases, I ask the jinnee tocongregate in one specific place.
Q. Have you experienced any attempt to posses you?A. The jinn have tribes and families. They are just like us. Theywill try to take revenge on the one who removes them. One time, theytired to affect my son Ahmad.



Interview With An Exorcist - Part 4
August 31st, 2005
After posting part one, part two and part three, here is the 4th interview in the exorcism series:
Interview No. 4.Location: Riyaadh, SaudiArabia Date2/4/88
Name: `Abdullaah Mushrif al- `AmreeDate of Birth: 1964 CEPlace of Birth: RiyaadhEducation: BA from Imama Ibn Sa’ood Islamic University in the fieldof Hadeeth.
Q. Exactly when did you begin to treat possessed people?A. I began reciting the qur’aan over the sick approximately twoyears ago.
Q. What made you decide to begin this/?A. I am not of those who haphazardly begin to treat people. I firstnoticed that this sickness was common. I was working as a member ofthe Morals Commission (Hay’at al-Amir bil-Ma’roof wan-Nahyi `an al-Munkar), following the statement of Prophet Muhammad(PBUH).
“Whoever sees evil should change it with his hand. If he is unable,he should change it with his tongue. And if he is unable to do [eventhat], he should hate it in his heart, and that is the lowest[level] or faith.”As a member of the Morals Commission, wearrested a number of people from a variety of backgrounds. Theseindividuals admitted exploiting the ignorant masses in the mostrepulsive and gross ways. They were using a variety of amulets andcharms, which all involved shirk. I was assigned as the imaam of amasjid. A lot of people came to me with different ailments so Irecited over them regularly. This was not connected with any specialtreatment. Any imaam of a masjid can read for people, however, thereare some conditions for recitation. One should have strong faith andfull trust in Allah. The Prophet (PBUH) said, “If you trust in Allahas He deserves to be trusted, the angels will shake you hands.” Ifound that people were greatly benefiting from these readings. Amongthe problems they faced was the effect of the evil eye. The Prophet(PBUH) said,
“The evil eye is real. It may put a man in the grave and a camel ina pot.”
Asmaa’, the daughter of Aboo Bakr, said to the Prophet (PBUH), “OMessenger of Allah, the Ja’far clan is affected by the evil eye.Should we do incantations for them?” He said, “Yes, for if there wasanything which could overcome destiny, it would be evil eye.” AndIbn Baaz mentioned that whoever denies the entrance of jinn intohumans has told a lie against the divine law (sharee’ah). There arevery clear proofs of this taking place. After being appointed thegovernor of Taa’if, `Uthman ibn Abeeal –Aas came to the Prophet(PBUH) and informed him that he was getting confused in his prayers.He explained that something was interfering with his ability toperform prayer and to recite the Qur’aan. The Prophet (PBUH)said, “Come here. That is a devil.” When he came close, the Prophet(PBUH) said, “Get out enemy of Allah, I am the Messenger of Allah.”So what was he telling to leave, sickness?.. And he also said, “Getout, enemy of Allah,” and we are prohibited from cursing sicknesses.After that, “Uthmaan ibn Abee al-`Aaas said that for the rest of hislife he was never again confused in his prayer. That was a devilcalled Khanzab. Also, when the Prophet (PBUH) was on a journey witha companion named AbooYa’laa. Shaddaad ibn Aws, a woman came to themwith her son, red over him, blew in his mouth and said, “Get out,enemy of Allah. The woman offered the Prophet (PBUH) two goats andsome fat. He told Aboo Ya’ laa to take the fat and one of the goatsand return the other. Allah has also said in the Qur’aan: “Those whoeat interest get up like one stumbling from Satan’s touch.”
Q. How long have you been imaam of the masjid.A. I have been the imaam for three years. After the first year ofexperience with people coming of readings and consequently gettingbetter, I began to research the subject of possession thoroughly. Igathered the classical reference works containing the information onthis, I studied causes of these sicknesses, methods of treating themand specific verses which should be recited during treatment. Praisebe to Allah, I was able to master this subject and began to treat afew people at a time. Eventually, my high success rate became knownand people came in droves. If people had not found any improvementafter my treatment, no one else would have come.
Q. Could you describe your methodology in curing the possessed?A. The fist thing to understand is that seizures (sara’) are of twokinds. The first types are seizures of the brain, which can only betreated in the hospital. The Qur’aan cannot cure it. An example ofthis is a case of the woman who came to the Prophet (PBUH) andinformed him that she was overcome by seizures during which shewould tear off her clothes. He told her. ” If you wish, I will prayto Allah on your behalf, or, if you wish you may be patient andParadise will be yours.” She asked him to pray on her behalf inorder for her to stop exposing herself, which he did. The secondtypes are seizures caused by the jinn –possession of humans.Sometimes it is due to the jinn’s love obsession with humans, desireto punish or merely scare them, and at other times due to magic orthe evil eye. The recitation of the Qur’aan over them once, twicethree times or more cures them.
Q. Do you use any particular verses?A. There are no special verses besides Aayah al-Kursee, al- Faatihahand the mu’awwithataan, which were all mentioned in very strongprophetic traditions. Otherwise, all of the Qur’aan is blessed.After recitation, I communicate with the jinnee, which will say, forexample. “I am in love with her.”
Q. Do you use any other supportive techniques along with yourrecitation?A. Yes. Some jinn will only leave if they are beaten. Continuousrecitation is sufficient to make some of them communicate; yetothers will only communicate if I grasp the neck here (i.e., on thejugular veins). Then they reveal the reason for their possession ofthe human, which is either out of love or caused by magic or theevil eye. The Prophet (PBUH) said that the evil eye is real andattended by the devil. I then order the possessing spirit to leaveafter telling it what it has done is oppression, which is forbiddenin the Qur’aan and Sunnah. I may quote that hadeeth qudsee in whichAllah said:
“O my servants, I have made oppression forbidden to Myself andprohibited it among you, so do not oppress each other.”
And also the Prophet’s statement:
“Oppression is darkness on the Day of Judgement.”If a man is possessed by a female jinnee out of love for him, I tellher that her possession is oppressing him.
Q. Do female, Muslim jinn sometimes possess people?A. Yes. Female jinn will possess Muslims and cause seizures. I tellthe jinnee that her possession is not an expression of love but oneof harm, and I ask her to depart and do not return. I have her swearby Allah not to possess male or female Muslims in the future. If sheis a disbelieving jinnee, I invite her to Islam. In fact, a numberof them have accepted Islam from me-all praise is due to Allah-around thirteen or fourteen Buddhists, Christians etc.
Q. Do female jinn always enter men and male jinn enter women?A. Yes. That is the most common occurrence. Although it is veryrare, a male jinnee may also possess a man, perhaps only in 10percent of the cases.
Q. If the jinnee speaks, does it speak with the man’s voice?A. Sometimes it speaks with the man’s voice and sometimes with afemale’s voice.About 60 percent of the time, the jinnee communicates with thepossessed person’s voice.
Q. I notice that you have with you bottles of water and olive oil.What is their purpose?A. I will explain this to you. The Prophet (PBUH) said:
“Eat olive oil and anoint yourselves with it; for verily, it is ablessed tree.” The olive treeis a blessed by which Allah swears in the Qur’aan. I recite someverses from the Qur’aan over the oil and the person rubs some of theoil on the part of their body, which gives him pain. In any case,everything is by experimentation, even medical knowledge. As to thewater, I also recite over it and they drink it. If the personexperiences gradual improvement-by the grace of Allah-fine, becausethe jinn cannot withstand contact with the Qur’aan. If the persondrinks the water and rubs the oil and finds himself becoming uneasyand irritated, it means that he is possessed by a jinnee. So, it isused to determine the nature of the illness, like a medicalexamination. This method has proven itself effective in the vastmajority of cases. There are other methods being used, but the bestis by using only the Qur’aan.
Q. Do others assist you by holding down patients?A. Yes. If the man is possessed by a female jinnee-and a femalejinnee is stronger than ten men-it will require at least ten men tohold him down. It happened in my home recently that I recited overone man who suddenly became incredibly powerful. He leaped up and ittook about ten men to hold him. I am usually assisted by thepatient’s relatives or friends. If I find that there is something inhim, I ask them to hold him steady so that he will not punch or kickme. Sometimes the jinnee will speak immediately, so I recite fewverses and it leaves right away. The jinn have different strengths,for some are very strong and yet others are quite weak.
Q. What is the purpose of depressing the jugular veins?A. Sometimes it is only when the human mind is unconscious that thejinn appear. I hold them lightly and not in a way which could leadto strangulation. This has happened at the hands of someinexperienced exorcists. The comparison is like the differencebetween the treatment by a qualified doctor and someone justbeginning their studies.
Q. Do you tie strings around the fingers around the fingers and toesduring the treatment?A. Sometimes there are cases when a man comes with is wife,informing me that she is possessed by a jinnee. When she is in mypresence the jinnee leaves immediately, but by the time he takes herback to his car, the jinnee returns. This type of jinnee is maarij,and the only way to hold him is by tying the strings. Therefore, Itell the husband that if the jinnee returns, he should tie stringaround her fingers and toes and bring her back to me. In this mannerit is caught and cannot escape.
Q. How are the fingers and toes tied?A. A string is tired around each finger and each toe separately. Thestring should both be very tight. On one occasion a possessed womanwas brought to me with their fingers and toes tied. I began recitingover her until the jinnee screamed and said, “I swear by Allah thatI will leave.” I said, “No. I will burn you with the Qur’aan, thewords of Almighty Allah. I will not let you go. You have becomeimprisoned by Allah and then by me.” It promised over and over againto leave and never to return again. At that point, I untied herfingers and it left through her fingers.
Q. Do they always leave by the fingers or could it be through thetoes?A. It could be either. Occasionally the jinn will seek permission toleave through the eyes or the head. I tell them no., leave fromhere, and they depart from where they are commanded.
Q. Are there any signs which let you know which part of the bodythey are leaving from?A. Yes. The arm or the leg will begin to shake, sometimesmoderately, and sometimes violently, until the movement graduallysubsides, indicating that the jinnee has left.
Q. When you use beating in your treatment, on what part of the bodydo you apply it?A. The patient should only be beaten when he has become unconcioiusand the jinnee has appeared. And even in such cases, it should notbe severe. It is preferable to hit the back or the shoulders, thepoint of the body where the jinnee seems to be residing or differentparts as it move. At times the patient may be conscious, and he canidentify the movement of the jinnee about his body.
Q. What percentage of your patients are men and women?A. I would first like to point out that people’s abandonment of theQur’aan and the sunnah is what has caused them to be afflicted bypossession. For example, when I encounter a person who says that hefeels depressed or bored with life and subsequently recite theQur’aan over him, I find a female jinee present. When I ask why shepossessed him, she replies, “He does not pray.” Allah spoke thetruth when he said:
“And whoever turns away from remembrance of the Most Merciful [i.e.,Allah], We appoint for him a devil as a companion.” (Qur’aan 43:36)
And the Almighty said:
“And whoever turns away from My remembrance will have a wretchedlife, and We will gather him up blind on the Day of Resurrection.”(Qur’aan 20:124.)
So after the jinnee leaves, I advise the patient to fear Allah,establish his prayersAt there proper times, and read the Qur’aan regularly. By the willof Allah, it will never return. I tell him that if he does not dothese things or only does them for a while then stops, it mayreturn. Regarding the percentage of patients, it is about the same.However, I have about 5 percent more women patients than men due togeneral weakness of women in comparison to men.
Q. What benefit does a jinee get from possessing a human?A. In the case of a female jinnee possessing a man out of love, ithas intercourse with him n his dreams and takes pleasure in thisway. Sometimes it may take the form of a woman, but even then itwill have intercourse with him while he is sleeping. Most often thisoccurs during dreams. Otherwise, the jinnee just disturbs him basedupon the fact that it was sent by a magical spell or in revenge forsome harm done to it by the person.
Q. Is there a particular part of the body that the jinnee occupies?A. In the case of women it usually occupies their wombs, and in thecase of men it usually settles in their chests.
Q. Are there degrees of possession?A. Yes, there is a complete and final possession. When a jinneefirst enters the human body, it only has a partial hold. It takestime for it to completely possess the individual.
Q. From what parts of the body do they enter?A. They enter mainly from the feet.
Q. Have you encountered cases of more than one jinnee possessing asingle person?A. On many occasion during exorcisms it becomes evident that theperson has within him more than one jinnee. After expelling one, theperson still exhibits signs of possession.When I recite over them, another entity emerges and speaks in adifferent voice, using a different name.
Q. Does the qareen (the companion jinnee) assigned to every man frombirth possess, or is another jinnee?A. No. It is another jinnee. It is the qareen, which the Prophet(PBUH) said, flows into the bloodstream, but it is another jinn,which actually possesses.
Q. Does the Qureen harm its human companion?A. Sometimes its strong whispers swerve the human away fromperforming prayer, remembering Allah and helping the needy.
Q. During an exorcism have you ever experienced the jinn trying topossess you?A. No, never.
Q. Are all of the patients brought to you cases of true possession?A. No, but I recite over everyone. Illness due to biological causesmay be cured by recitation, depending upon the level of the person’sfaith. The companions of the Prophet (PBUH) used to recite al-Faatihah over those stung by scorpions, and they were cured. Whatabout a few microbes, which enter a person? He should seek help fromAllah believing that Allah has revealed within the Qur’aan a cure.He should rely upon it with sure faith and sincerity as Ibn al-Qayyim said, “If every sick person recited the Qur’aan over himselfwith certainty of faith and sincerity, no sick person would remain.Almighty Allah informs us;
“If We revealed this Qur’aan on a mountain, you would see it humblycrumbling out of fear of Allah. (Qur’aan, 59:21)
And he said:
“And We reveal within the Qur’aan healing and mercy for thebelievers. (Qur’aan 17:82)
And elsewhere:
“O mankind, there has come to you from your Lord a good advice andhealing for what is in your chests. (Qur’aan 10:57.)
Some of them have aliments, which cannot be diagnosed, in hospitals.For example, when one afflicted by the evil eye is checked in thehospital, they will not find anything wrong with him. Others havesicknesses, which can be treated medically. Not everyone over whom Ihave read has recovered. I recommended that those with physicalailments be treated in a hospital.
Q. Have truly insane people been brought to you for treatment?A. Yes, such people have been brought to me. I usually tell themthat if the hospital has diagnosed their ailment and identified itscause, there is no need to bring them to me. However, if thehospital is unable to identify the cause, I will try to treat them.Sometimes the jinn will cause a human to act in an insane manner.There was a young man who was admitted to Taa’ if PsychiatricHospital whom I treated, and he was cured. His condition was causedby jinn-possession. The jinn used to speak through his voice andcause him to make strange movements.
Q. What are the signs and symptoms of possession?A. I first ask the patients some questions. I ask if they experiencestates of depression, headaches, continual movements in the bodiesor disturbing dreams. If that is the case, they spend the night atmy house, and I ask them to inform me when the condition comes. Ithen recite over them. If I find them shaking or breathing strangelywhen I recite, I continue reciting until they scream and the jinneestarts communicating. I ask it why it came, and it reveals thereason, for example, magic, the evil eye, etc. I take from it asolemn oath to leave and not to return. The patients then find outall of their ailments are gone.
Q. Have you noticed any other symptoms like a strange way of smilingor a foul odor?A. Yes, particularly those afflicted by a magic spell give off avery bad odor. Other signs are continuous movements and pains, whichseem to travel around the body. When I recite, they scream, faint ortremble. Some patients do not do these things and are cured withjust recitation of the Qur’aan.
Q. What about that little boy who was just brought to you?A. That little boy has a problem with his leg. On Thursdays andFridays he is able to walk quite normally, but during the rest ofthe week he is unable to walk. He has pains here and here (i.e., histhighs and lower legs.)
Q. Could the cause be due to his dislike for school?A. No, he is not going to school at all. I think- and Allah knowsbest- that he may be afflicted by the evil eye.
Q. Could you describe a few recent cases of possession, which youhave successfully treated?A. There are many.
Case No. 1
There was a woman about 28 years old who used to be overcome byseizures from time to time over a period of two years. Sometimes shewould lose consciousness. Whenever she had fits, they took her tothe hospital, where she received injections, putting her in adrugged state. About a year ago, she had very intense seizure andher family brought her to me at 10 o’clock at night. They told methat the hospital only informed them that she had psychologicalproblems. When I recited over her it became obvious that she waspossessed, and the cause was from magic. The jinnee in her was aBuddhist. She did not respond immediately after recitation, butafter pressing her jugular veins, the jinnee presented himself andinformed us about the magician who put the spell on her and thecharm’s location.
Q. Do you believe everything that the jinn say?A. Not everything they say is to be believed unless it is confirmed.In this case we found the charm where the jinnee said it was locatedand we burned it. Since then she has not had any more seizures.
Case No 2.About six months ago, a man brought his wife and told me that sherefused to speak to him. She became agitated and depressed wheneverhe came near her. After reciting over her, the jinnee appeared andinformed us that her state was due to bewitchment and that the charmwas buried in her father’s grave. We went to the grave, dug it upand removed the charm, which was made with her hair and fingernailclippings, and then we burned it. After that she was cured-by thewill of Allah.