Fatwa ID: 05676
Answered by: Maulana Syed Johir Miah
Question:
Can someone find out if hypnotherapy is haram, please?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
During hypnosis, a trained hypnotist or hypnotherapist induces a state of intense concentration or focused attention. This is a guided process with verbal cues and repetition. The trance-like state a person enters may appear similar to sleep in many ways, but they are fully aware of what is going on.
Our contemporary scholars have issued fatwas that the issue of hypnosis is related to the use of the jinn, and appropriately it is necessary to know the resulting two things:
First: It is not permissible to seek the help of the jinn and other creatures to know the unseen, not by their supplications and pretentiousness to them, or otherwise. Rather, that is polytheism because it is a type of worship, and Allah has taught His servants to single Him out with it, so they say:
“It is You we worship and You we seek help”. And it was proven that the Prophet(صلى الله عليه وسلم) said to Abdullah Ibn Abbas( رضى الله عنهما ):
“If you ask, ask Allah, and if you seek help, seek the help of Allah”, narrated by Tirmizi (2516).
Second: Hypnosis is a type of fortune-telling by using a genie so that the hypnotist puts him over the hypnotist, then he speaks with his tongue and gains his power over some actions by controlling him. From the actions or news with the help of the genie to him, if that genie is honest with the hypnotist, and accordingly the exploitation of hypnosis and its use as a way to indicate the place of theft, stray, or treating a sick person, or performing any other work by the hypnotist is not permissible. Rather it is a shirk for the above reasons, and because it is a resort to other than Allah in what is beyond the ordinary causes that the Almighty made towards creatures and permitted them.[1]
We say, and Allah grants success: generally, hypnosis is divided into three types:
The first type: It is common and widespread and is done by magicians using the jinn, and this type is forbidden; Because going to magicians is forbidden, and the magician is a disbeliever according to the text of the Noble Quran: “And no one knows until they say: We are but a trial, so do not disbelieve”. ( Surah Baqarah, Verse 102).
Where the enchanting jinn is not able to do magic except after associating partners with Allah and that includes slaughtering for other than Allah, insulting the Noble Quran, mocking the verses of Allah or prostrating to demons, and other open disbelief.
Witchcraft is one of the seven sins that the Prophet(صلى الله عليه وسلم)warned against in the authentic Hadith, and it is worse than fornication and drinking alcohol. And I advise every Muslim to avoid magicians, sorcerers, priests and fortune-tellers, and he(صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “Whoever goes to a soothsayer or a fortune-teller and believes what he says has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم)”.
Narrated by Imam Ahmad in Al-Musnad (9536).
He(صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “Whoever goes to a soothsayer and asks him About something for which the prayer of forty nights will not be accepted.” Narrated by Muslim in his Sahih (2230).
The second type: a kind of deception and agreement with some of the attendees, especially in public places, to eat people’s money unjustly and to draw attention.
The third type: Psychiatry, which is by suggesting and influencing the patient and making him do what is intended for him.
And the true changer of these bad qualities and the originator of the good qualities is the belief in Allah and the righteous deeds, and the supplication of Allah, and recourse to Him, and He is the cause of the causes, and He is close to His servants “And if My
It is permissible to use hypnosis to better oneself as long as it is not contrary to Islamic values. Likewise, a Muslim may go to a non-Muslim hypnotist on the condition one is not made to do anything which is opposite to Islam.
Likewise, guided contemplation under the advice of a true and a spiritual Shaykh will bring a person to true spirituality.
If hypnotherapy is used in the right context, it will be permissible.
On the other hand, if it is used for evil purposes, then it will be impermissible.
If hypnotherapy is a means of cure and there is nothing contrary to Islam in the therapy, then it is permissible.
Only Allah knows best.
Written by Maulana Syed Johir Miah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
[1]لقد أفتى علماؤنا المعاصرون بأن مسألة التنويم المغناطيسي لها علاقة باستخدام الجن، وبناء عليه فلابد من معرفة الأمرين التاليين:
أولًا: لا يجوز الاستعانة بالجن وغيرهم من المخلوقات في معرفة المغيبات، لا بدعائهم والتزلف إليهم، ولا بغير ذلك، بل ذلك شرك لأنه نوع من العبادة، وقد أعلم الله عباده أن يخصوه بها فيقولوا: إياك نعبد وإياك نستعين. وثبت عن النبي ﷺ أنه قال لابن عباس: (إذا سَألْتَ فاسْألْ اللَّهَ، وإذا اسْتَعَنْتَ فاسْتَعِنْ بِاللَّهِ) رواه الترمذي (٢٥١٦) ﴿صححه الألباني في صحيح الترمذي (٢٠٤٣)﴾.
ثانيًا: التنويم المغناطيسي ضرب من ضروب الكهانة باستخدام جني حتى يسلطه المنوِّم على المنوَّم فيتكلم بلسانه ويكسبه قوة على بعض الأعمال بالسيطرة عليه، إن صدق الجني مع المنوِّم وكان طوعًا له مقابل ما يتقرب به المنوَّم إليه، ويجعل ذلك الجني المنوَّم طوع إرادة المنوِّم، بما يطلبه من الأعمال أو الأخبار بمساعدة الجني له، إن صدق ذلك الجني مع المنوِّم، وعلى ذلك يكون استغلال التنويم المغناطيسي واتخاذه طريقًا للدلالة على مكان سرقة أو ضالة أو علاج مريض أو القيام بأي عمل آخر بواسطة المنوِّم غير جائز، بل هو شرك لما تقدم، ولأنه التجاء إلى غير الله فيما هو من وراء الأسباب العادية التي جعلها سبحانه إلى المخلوقات وأباحها لهم. اهـ
Mawqiul Islam Suwal Wa Jawab, 8349/5, Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid, 2009.
