Something strange was discovered underwater. Let’s uncover what it is – Creepy Bottle!

​​

If one closely reads the narration of magic incident, the fact of the matter is that this was a test and trial which the Prophet ﷺ experienced just like he experienced several others and after undergoing suffering  Allah ﷻ cured him from its effects and assisted him to succeed in the prophetic mission. Allah ﷻ has already declared in the Quran that regardless of how great a magicians trick and harm is, it will always be an illusory success: “…and the magician will never be successful, no matter whatever amount (of skill) he may attain.”[1] And Allah ﷻ has already said that if any magic effect does happen, it cannot do so unless He wills it: “but the devils disbelieved, teaching mankind magic…..but they injure thereby none except by Allah’s permission. And they learn that which harms them and profits them not.”[2] This is exactly what happened when the Prophet ﷺ  was afflicted with harm, it happened because Allah ﷻ  willed as a test but it did not last long, it was eventually exposed and destroyed as that too was His will. The following narration explains everything in detail:

“A man called Labid bin al-A’sam from the tribe of Bani Zaraiq worked magic on Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) till Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) started imagining that he had done a thing that he had not really done. One day or one night he was with us, he invoked Allah and invoked for a long period, and then said ‘O Aisha! Do you know that Allah has instructed me concerning the matter I have asked him about? Two men (i.e. angels) came to me and one of them sat near my head and the other near my feet. One of them said to his companion, “What is the disease of this man?” The other replied, “He is under the effect of magic.’ The first one asked, ‘Who has worked the magic on him?’ The other replied, “Labid bin Al-A’sam.’ The first one asked, ‘What material did he use?’ The other replied, ‘A comb and the hairs stuck to it and the skin of pollen of a male date palm.’ The first one asked, ‘Where is that?’ The other replied, ‘(That is) in the well of Dharwan;’ “So Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) along with some of his companions went there and came back saying, “O Aisha, the color of its water is like the infusion of Henna leaves. The tops of the date-palm trees near it are like the heads of the devils.” I asked. “O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)? Why did you not show it (to the people)?” He said, “Since Allah cured me, I disliked to let evil spread among the people.” Then he ordered that the well be filled up with earth.’”[3]

There are couple of lessons we learn from this hadith which explains why divine wisdom allowed this incident to happen and how this has become a source of mercy for the Muslims till the end of the world. Firstly the Prophet ﷺ was effected by its harm which proves his human nature and that he is not divine and that divinity only belongs to Allah ﷻ. Secondly after he was afflicted, he prayed to Allah ﷻ  for assistance and his prayers were eventually answered. Thirdly he did not make a hue and cry because of his humble character, he forgave the personal harm done to him. Fourthly, he taught us through this incident that if Allah ﷻ cures the harm then don’t unnecessarily inform people of this evil as that could tempt others to learn this science and harm each other. Fifth, as a result of this incident 2 Surahs were revealed which continues to assist Muslims in countering the effects of magic and all kinds of evil: Surah Falaq (Chapter 113) & Surah An Nass (Chapter 114). Surah Falaq (Chapter 113) includes wording on how to protect from all harmful actions that come from Allah’s creation such as evil eye, jealously and especially the effect of magic: “Say, ‘I seek refuge with the Lord of daybreak. From the evil of whatever He has created. And from the evil of the night when it grows dark, And from the evil of the witchcrafts when they blow in the knots. And from the evil of an envier when he envies.”[4] Surah An Nass (Chapter 114) assists us to seek protection from the evil and harm that comes from 2 of His creations, ones which can be seen which are humans and others which remain hidden from us i.e. Jinn (the invisible beings): “Say, “I seek refuge in the Lord of humankind, the Master of humankind, the God of humankind, from the evil of the lurking whisperer, who whispers into the hearts of humankind, from among jinn and humankind.”[5]

The Prophet ﷺ found the comb with hair and noticed 11 tied knots. He kept reciting verses from these two Surahs as he untied each knot and the total number of verses of both are also 11. The scholars say that magic involves the tying of 11 knots and this is one the reasons why these were revealed i.e. to make Muslim learn so that they recite and repel any harms of similar magic. Thereafter, Prophet ﷺ used to recite these 2 Surahs along with Surah Ikhlaas (Chapter 112), 3 times each before sunrise and at the time of sunset. He would also blow on his hands and rub over his body before going to sleep and these are things in which we follow his example. This incident teaches us the divine wisdom of Allah ﷻ that He made His beloved suffer and take over himself the effect of this evil before He revealed certain Surahs to teach Muslims on how to protect themselves from harms. By becoming a victim and sacrificing himself, the Prophet ﷺ became an example for us on how to notice the harms should anyone become a victim and how to eventually overcome this evil.

References:
[1] Al Quran 20:69
[2] Al Quran 2:102
[3] Sahih al-Bukhari 5763 – Sunnah.com 
[4] Al Quran 113:1–5
[5] Al Quran 114:1-6