Splitting a Man and His Wife through Sihr
Last updated on June 16th, 2025 at 07:10 pm
Reading Time: 3 minutesفَيَتَعَلَّمُوْنَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُوْنَ بِهٖ بَيْنَ الْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهٖ
Surah Baqarah, Aayat 102
“Thus they (the people) learned from the two (Angels, Haaroot and Maaroot) that (sorcery) with which they would separate a man from his wife.”
Splitting a Man and His Wife through Sihr
In other words, they would learn tricks with which they would cause a split in the marriage of a man and his wife.
Sihr (sorcery/black magic) splitting a man and his wife, is in one of two ways.
The first is by the command of the Shariat. When a man or woman believes in sihr, which is baatil (falsehood and deception), he/she becomes a kaafir. The nikaah between this man or woman and his/her spouse thus becomes null and they are separated.
The second way sihr splits a man and woman is customary. Through sihr, certain actions and states are naturally produced such as the husband and wife disliking each other and fighting with each other. This leads to their separation.
Causing this separation is a major sin. It severs the proper relation that was established between the two and it militates against the Nikaah Hukm of the Shariat. Allah Ta’ala commanded the establishment of this Nikaah bond and the maintaining of this tie. What Allah Ta’ala wants to be maintained, these people who do sihr (jaadu/black magic) want to break it. What Allah Ta’ala has formed, they fragment it. In this despicable action they go against the Commandment of Allah Ta’ala. They cause anarchy in the world, as the breakup in the marriage leads to zina, severance of proper ties, and harm inflicted upon the man and woman.
When people dabble in sihr, it is obvious that they stain their hands with other vile actions as well.
In a Saheeh Hadeeth in Ibn Maajah, Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: “The best intercession and resolving of conflict is the conflict between a man and his wife.”
In Saheeh Muslim it is narrated that Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said:
“Every morning, Shaitaan puts his throne on the ocean and sends his minions and followers to ruin humans on earth.
In the evening, he takes an account from his minions of what they did. Whoever caused the biggest fitnah among people, Shaitaan honours him and gives him a place close to him.
A minion of Shaitaan will come and say, ‘I pursued a certain person and made him indulge in fornication’ or ‘stealing’ or ‘drinking’. Shaitaan responds, ‘You never did much!’
Another minion comes and says, ‘I deceived a certain person to such an extent that he and his wife separated.’ Upon hearing this, the big Shaitaan becomes elated and calls the little shaitaan to him and embraces him, saying: ‘You are a wonderful son!’”
It is reported that Ameerul Mu-mineen Umar Bin Khattaab (Radhiyallahu anhu) equated causing the husband and wife to separate with killing them with a sword.
Muslims should not, however, become fearful of the sihr of the Yahood and others. Muslims should not think, “How can we save ourselves from sihr when it carries with it such force and effects which obliterate years of affection between husband and wife in no time. It changes the condition of the hearts of humans into hatred and revulsion in spite of there being the Shar’i and social factors of love and bond between two people existing. How must we save ourselves from this type of jaadu?”
The fact of the matter is that the Yahood and their ilk cannot do anything, because sihr, and all means and agencies of this world, have no effect without the Command of Allah Ta’ala.
وَمَا هُمْ م بِضَاۗرِّيْنَ بِهٖ مِنْ اَحَدٍ اِلَّا بِاِذْنِ اللّٰهِ
“They (the Yahood) cannot harm with it anyone without the permission of Allah.”
When He wants, then He creates effect in the sihr, and when He wants, He neutralizes the effect of the sihr. Hence, a saahir (sorcerer/witch/sangoma, et al) cannot change the natural pattern of Allah Ta’ala’s creation, such as the rising and setting of the sun, the taking over a country without an army or defeating an army merely with sihr.
The upshot of this is that sihr finds fertile ground in the hearts of the weak and unsteady. Its effects, furthermore, are not lasting.
Therefore, the Mu-min and Mu-minah who believe in the One Being Who has no partner as the True Power behind everything, should not fear anyone and anything besides Allah. Everything in this world – the causes and effects, the means and results – are all in His control.
Besides Him giving effect to something, no one can produce any effect. All actions and happenings are by His Command. He knows what everyone is doing. [Place your trust in Him and be firm.]
(Tafseer-e-Azeezi)