Jinn,witchcraft, evil eye - , Dought & clear - , When is a practitioner of magic a kaafir?

Is every practitioner of magic or witchcraft a kaafir?
Praise be to Allaah.
The practitioner of magic is the person who uses the shayaateen
(devils) and gets close to the jinn by doing the things they like –
such assacrificing to them instead of to Allaah, calling upon them
alongside Allaah, obeying them by disobeying Allaah by committing
zinaa, drinking wine, eating haraam things, neglecting prayer,
covering himself with najaasaat (impure things) and staying in dirty
places – until the shayaateen respond to what he asks them, with a
gentle and kind approach, to do, such as harming the people against
whom he uses his magic, causing division between a man and his wife,
telling him some unseen things, andtelling him about stolen items and
where lost things are. Such a person is a mushrik and a kaafir,
because he worships both Allaah and the Shaytaan, whichis major shirk
(al-shirk al-akbar). So he is a kaafir, because Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning);
"Sulaymaan did not disbelieve, but the Shayaateen (devils)
disbelieved, teaching men magic" [al-Baqarah 2:102]
"but neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things) till
they had said, 'We are for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this
magic from us).'" [al-Baqarah 2:102]
It was also commanded that the practitioner of magic should be
executed, because of thehadeeth: "The hadd (prescribed punishment)for
the practitioner of magic is a blow with the sword (i.e., execution)."
(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi,1460; al-Daaraqutni, 3/114; al-Haakim, 4/360;
al-Bayhaqi, 8/136; see al-Silsilah al-Da'eefah, 3/641, no. 1446)
On this basis, he is a kaafir even if he prays, fasts, reads Qur'aan
and makes du'aa', because shirk cancels out all good deeds. And Allaah
knows best.
Al-Lu'lu al-Makeen min Fataawa Ibn Jibreen, p. 11.

Jinn,witchcraft, evil eye - , Dought & clear - , Is epilepsy caused by thejinn?

Since epilepsy is caused by jinn, how do we explain the black woman
who came to theProphet (saaws) asking for him to invoke Allah for her
cure of her illnessof epilepsy and coming uncovered, but there was no
mention of jinn possession? Or is there a mistake in translation and
it wasn't really epilepsy?
Praise be to Allaah.
Epilepsy in most cases is caused by the jinn, and in some cases by
some defect in the body, brainor nerves, or mood swings, or some
weakness in the physicalstructure. All of these may cause loss of
consciousness or unbalanced behaviour. The black woman's epilepsy may
have been caused by the jinn, but there was no need to mention the
cause, which is why the narrators only mentioned what needs to be done
when epilepsy occurs, for whatever reason, of making du'aa' and
performing ruqyah, or bearing it with patience and seeking the reward
from Allaah.
Shaykh 'Abd al-Kareem al-Khudayr
The hadeeth about the black woman is narratedin Saheeh al-Bukhaari
(5652) and Saheeh Muslim (2576). In some versions of the hadeeth there
is an indication that her epilepsy was caused by the jinn. For
example, in a version narrated by al-Bazzaar, she said, "I am afraid
that the evil one may cause me to become uncovered." Al-Haafiz Ibn
Hajar said: "It may beunderstood from some of the different versions
of the hadeeth that what Umm Zafar was suffering from was the kind of
epilepsy caused by the jinn and not that which results from
dysfunction in the brain."
Fath al-Baari, hadeeth no. 5652.

Backbiting & Slander - AnIslamic perspective

Allaah Says in the Quran what means: "And why, when you heard it, did
you not say: 'It is notfor us to speak of this. Exalted are You, [O
Allaah]; this is a great slander?'" [Quran 24:16]
Backbiting & Slander Defined
Prophet Muhammad once asked: "Do you know what backbiting is?" His
companions replied: "Allaah and His Messenger know best." He then
said: "It is to say something about your brother that he would
dislike." Someone asked:"But what if what is said is true?"The
Messenger of Allaah replied: "If what you say about him is true, then
you have backbitten him, but if it is not true then you have slandered
him." [Muslim]
Islam is a religion of peace, love and compassion. Lies, suspicion,
backbiting, slander and gossip are totally alien to Islam. In fact,
they are considered amongst the most destructive of major sins. This
is so because these sins sow enmity and discord among the Muslim Ummah
(nation) and lead to its destruction. They cause hostilities between
people of the same household, and between neighbours, friends and
relatives.
Islam demands that our relationship with mankind be one of sincerity
and responsibility. It should be one where we have respect for the
honour, reputation and privacy ofothers. Islam teaches us that we are
not only held accountable for our attitudes and actions, but also for
anything over which we have control or influence in our society or the
world around us.
Allaah has Forbidden the Believers from Backbiting
Allaah states in the Quran (what means): "O you who have believed!
Avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And
do not spyor backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the
flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allaah;
indeed, Allaah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful." [Quran 49:12]
If we were to reflect deeply over this example, it would be enoughto
keep us away from backbiting!
Backbiting and Slander are Great Sins and Cannot be Treated with Indifference
The Quran Says (what means): "When you received it with your tongues
and said with your mouths that of which you had noknowledge and
thought it was insignificant while it was, in the sight of Allaah,
tremendous." [Quran 24:15]
Many of us backbite and gossip without thinking. We think it is a
minor matter, however, Allaah reminds us to be careful, for eventhough
we think we are doing something small, it is in fact very large in the
sight of Allaah!
Allaah Teaches Us to Speak Out Against Slander and Try to Put a Stop to It
Allaah Says (what means): "And why, when you heard it, did you not
say: 'It is not for us to speak of this. Exalted are You, [O Allaah];
this is a great slander?'" [Quran 24:16]
Many people are so busy spreading the slander they hear that they do
not even stop to consider whether it is true or not.
Satan Wishes that We Use Our Tongues to Create Conflict and Hatred
Allaah Says (what means): "And tell My servants to say that which is
best. Indeed, Satan induces [dissension] among them. Indeed, Satan is
ever, to mankind,a clear enemy." [Quran 17:53]
Are we falling into Satan's trap? We can all analyse ourselves to see
if this is the case. Let's now compare that to what Prophet Muhammad
said about backbiting:
Allaah states in the Quran (what means): "There has certainly beenfor
you in the Messenger of Allaahan excellent pattern…" [Quran 33:21]
We Should Guard Our Tongue from Sins and Use Our Limbs in Acts of Obedience
Prophet Muhammad said: "Hewho protects his tongue from unlawful
utterances and his private parts from illegal sexual intercourse, I
shall guarantee himentrance into Paradise." [Al-Bukhaari & Muslim]
The Best Muslim Defined
Prophet Muhammad was once asked: "Who is the best Muslim?" He replied:
"He is the one from whom Muslims are safe from the evil of his tongue
and hands." [Muslim]
Deriding people in their presence by making negative facial
expressions or by hand gestures while they are unaware is also a form
of backbiting.
We Need to Beware of the Slipping of Our Tongues
Prophet Muhammad said: "When man wakes up in the morning each day, all
his body parts warn his tongue saying: 'Fear Allaah with regards to
us, for we are under your mercy; if you are upright, we will be
upright and if you are crooked, we will be crooked.'" [At-Tirmithi]
Summary
Backbiting and slander are so widespread that they have become the
topic of people's meetings and an avenue for expressing their anger,
misgivings and jealousy. Those who indulge in backbiting are oblivious
of the fact that they are only harming themselves. This is because on
the Day of Resurrection, both the wrongdoer and the wronged willstand
before Allaah, the Just Judge. Allaah will then give the wronged
person from the good deeds of the person who wronged him by backbiting
or other injustices.
Some situations allow us to inform others of what someone has done. We
are permitted to inform the authorities when someone does injustice to
us or others. We are permitted to inform someone who can prevent a
perpetrator from committing further vice. It is alsopermissible for us
to tell whoeverseeks our advice about a person for business dealings
or marriage. In this case we are allowed reveal only as much as
necessary about the person so that the enquirer will not feel
deceived. All these forms of speaking about others are lawful.
Islam teaches us that if people are being ridiculed or backbitten in
our presence, we should defend their honour. If we neglect doing so,
we risk depriving ourselves of the ever-needed help and mercy
fromAllaah.
Prophet Muhammad said: "If a man's Muslim brother is slandered in his
presence, and he is capable of defending him and does so, Allaah will
defend him inthis world and in the next. But if he fails to defend
him, Allaah will destroy him in this world and thenext." [Al-Baghawi]
What will we do the next time we are tempted to backbite, or if we
hear slander in our presence? The choice is ours.

Be What You Want Your Child To Be

These are words that should be addressed to parents and mentors in
order to achieve a general benefit: Whoeverlikes his child to be
something, should first be that something.
Be a positive role model:
Dear parent, your child is attached to you. You are his role model and
leaderand the basic moral benchmark on which he depends in all that he
does. So, be a positive role model for him to follow in your faith and
worship of Allaah The Almighty; and be a positive role model for him
in your morals, manners and good treatment. In other words, be a
positive role model in the complete sense of the word, through your
practical treatment with your children, following the example of the
Prophet, .
Be fair:
If you are not fair, in no way can you be able to judge between two
opponents even in a trivial case. Being so, what do you think of the
whose case occupies you throughout your entire life? You would not be
able to direct your child in the manner you like if he feels you
prefer his brother over him. That is the kind of injustice which the
child never accepts, as the Messengerof Allaah, , did not accept
earlier.
Be with him part of his time
Dear parents, you have no valid excuse before Allaah The Almighty, nor
any argument that is acceptable to the child tojustify your failure to
finda specific time to sit with him, which is his right over you and
everyone should be given his due right. That is also the trust of
responsibility, and Allaah The Almighty commands you to give back the
trusts to those who are liable to them. O you who leave your child to
others to bring him upon your behalf; do not weep on the morrow
because you are held guilty (for his negligence of you) for as you
waste him when he is a child, he shall waste you when you grow old.
Be tolerant:
Frequent blame and reproach for everything, whether or not it is
significant, inevitably leads to adverse results, the child would
neither follow the given advice, nor would he give up (the mistake).
The result would be that you wouldlose your position of aweand
reverence in the sight of your child, who, in turn, would leave you
and refrain from listening to you. Anas served the Prophet, for ten
years, during which time he never heard from him (any word of rebuke
even as trivial as) 'Uff'.
Be intelligent:
Utilize suitable opportunities and current events to implantall the
values and morals you like in the heart of your child. What you
giveyour child would then be imprinted in his heart, and become
inerasable. The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam,
made Ibn 'Abbaas ride behind him on a donkey, and of course, he (Ibn
'Abbaas ) was happy about riding behind the best of all creation on
the same mount. He taught him words which remained not only in his
memory but also in the memory ofthe whole Ummah (nation): "If you are
mindful of Allaah, He will protect you, and if you are mindful of
Allaah, youwill find Him ever with you. When you ask for anything ask
it from Allaah, and if you seek help seek help from Allaah. Know that
if the people were to unite to do you some benefit, they could benefit
you only with what Allaah had written for you, and that if they were
to unite to do you some harm, they could harm you onlywith what Allaah
had written against you. The pens (of writing the Divine decree) have
beenlifted and the pages havedried (of their ink)." [At-Tirmithi]
Similarly, the Messenger of Allaah, , rescued theboy before bad habits
were inculcated in his breast, and said to him once he noticed any
kindof bad behavior: "O boy! mention the Name of Allaah, and eat with
your right hand and eat of what is nearer to you (in the dish)."
[Al-Bukhaari] The boy then did not forget it, as shown in his comment,
" Since then I have applied those instructions when eating."
Be a storyteller :
A story has the influence of magic on the soul. It absorbs the child's
mind and makes him live with its heroes. So, it is due onyou, father
and mother in particular, to pay special attention to relating stories
to children. One-third the Noble Quran consists of stories about
ancient people. Moreover, the Prophetic Sunnah contains many authentic
stories. Therefore, you should employ those stories to be a source of
reflection and giving lessons, as stated by Allaah The Almighty when
He Says (what means): } There was certainly in their stories alesson
for those of understanding.} [Quran 12:111]
Be patient:
Be patient when listening to the needs of your child, keeping in mind
that you are talkingto someone with limited mental faculties, so you
should speak to him according to his understanding. Your perfect
example, the Prophet, , tolerated and was patient with 'Aa'ishah while
she was reclining against his back, looking at the display of the
Abyssinians. In this context, she said, "(I continued watching) till
Iwas bored" So you may deduce from this event how a little girl (who
hadnot reached the age of puberty) who is eager to enjoy amusement
should be treated in this respect."
Be a companion:
Dear parent, let each of you be a companion (to his child), so that
you would attract him. No doubt, keeping company has a great impact on
thechild, and makes his heart like a blank page having all that the
mother and father like tobe imprinted on it. However, you are not
theonly companion of the child: there are evil friends who do their
bestto ruin what you build. So, occupy all the time of your child with
your company, and be conscious before your child is stolen from you
while you are heedless. Your company pleases him so much, and
encourages him to relate his affairs to you and divulge his secrets.
So, behis companion, encourage him and praise him a lot. Ibn 'Umar
never left the night prayer after he heard the words of the beloved
Prophet, : "What an excellent man 'Abdullaah is! Were he to pray at
night." [Al-Bukhaari]
Be a watcher:
Dear parent, do not throw the seed (in the land) and then go and leave
it, saying to yourself: I have been cultivating . However, you should
wait for the harvest, otherwise, the blight of evil and corruption
would come after you to eat your cropbefore you pluck its fruits. So,
you should watch over your child in his morals, particularly
truthfulness, for lying is the basis of all vices. When the Messenger
of Allaah, , liked to prevent a man from all kinds of evil, he said:
"Do not lie." Watch over him in his friends and peers. Watch over him
in his physical constitution and seclusion. Be careful, lest there
arise factors that try to ruin what you havebeen building throughout
the years, seeking the help of Allaah The Almighty at all times.