What does the Quran say about magicians?

The Quran identifies a magician (Sāḥir) as one who practices forbidden magic (sihr), an act of disbelief (kufr). According to classical scholars like Ibn Kathir, magicians use deception and satanic aid to create illusions, standing in opposition to the divine truth and miracles of the prophets.

Why did Pharaoh's magicians believe in Musa (Moses)?

Pharaoh's magicians, being experts in illusion, immediately recognized that Prophet Musa's staff transforming into a real serpent was not magic (sihr) but a divine miracle (mu'jizah). As noted by Al-Tabari, their expertise allowed them to see the divine reality behind the event, causing them to fall in prostration and declare their faith.

Is being a magician a major sin in Islam?

Yes, according to the consensus of Islamic scholars, practicing magic (sihr) is not only a major sin but an act of disbelief (kufr) that nullifies one's faith. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) listed it among the seven most destructive sins. Classical jurists like Al-Qurtubi confirm its severe prohibition.

Magician (Sāḥir) in Islam: Quranic Prohibition and Prophetic Warnings

Magician

الساحر

Explore Verses Related to Magician

🕌Al-Baqarah2:102 🕌Al-Baqarah2:103 🕌Al-Ma'idah5:110 🕋Al-An'am6:7 🕋Al-A'raf7:109 🕋Al-A'raf7:110 🕋Al-A'raf7:111 🕋Al-A'raf7:112 🕋Al-A'raf7:113 🕋Al-A'raf7:114 🕋Al-A'raf7:115 🕋Al-A'raf7:116 🕋Al-A'raf7:117 🕋Al-A'raf7:118 🕋Al-A'raf7:119 🕋Al-A'raf7:120 🕋Al-A'raf7:121 🕋Al-A'raf7:122 🕋Al-A'raf7:123 🕋Al-A'raf7:124 🕋Al-A'raf7:125 🕋Al-A'raf7:126 🕋Yunus10:2 🕋Yunus10:76 🕋Yunus10:77 🕋Yunus10:78 🕋Yunus10:79 🕋Yunus10:80 🕋Yunus10:81 🕋Hud11:7 🕋Taha20:57 🕋Taha20:58 🕋Taha20:59 🕋Taha20:60 🕋Taha20:61 🕋Taha20:62 🕋Taha20:63 🕋Taha20:64 🕋Taha20:65 🕋Taha20:66 🕋Taha20:67 🕋Taha20:68 🕋Taha20:69 🕋Taha20:70 🕋Taha20:71 🕋Taha20:72 🕋Taha20:73 🕋Al-Anbya21:3 🕋Ash-Shu'ara26:34 🕋Ash-Shu'ara26:35 🕋Ash-Shu'ara26:36 🕋Ash-Shu'ara26:37 🕋Ash-Shu'ara26:38 🕋Ash-Shu'ara26:39 🕋Ash-Shu'ara26:40 🕋Ash-Shu'ara26:41 🕋Ash-Shu'ara26:42 🕋Ash-Shu'ara26:43 🕋Ash-Shu'ara26:44 🕋Ash-Shu'ara26:45 🕋Ash-Shu'ara26:46 🕋Ash-Shu'ara26:47 🕋Ash-Shu'ara26:48 🕋Ash-Shu'ara26:49 🕋Ash-Shu'ara26:50 🕋Ash-Shu'ara26:51 🕋An-Naml27:13 🕋Al-Qasas28:36 🕋Al-Qasas28:48 🕋Saba34:43 🕋As-Saffat37:15 🕋Sad38:4 🕋Ghafir40:23 🕋Ghafir40:24 🕋Az-Zukhruf43:30 🕋Az-Zukhruf43:49 🕋Al-Ahqaf46:7 🕋Adh-Dhariyat51:39 🕋Adh-Dhariyat51:52 🕋At-Tur52:15 🕌As-Saf61:6 🕋Al-Muddaththir74:24

At a Glance

According to search-discovered classical Islamic scholarship, the Magician (الساحر, al-Sāḥir) is a person who practices the forbidden art of magic (sihr), an act defined in the Quran as a form of disbelief (kufr). Ibn Kathir's tafsir clarifies that a magician's power stems from deception, illusion, and assistance from satanic forces, intended to cause harm or manipulate reality, such as separating a husband from his wife (Quran 2:102). This stands in stark opposition to the divine miracles (mu'jizāt) of prophets, which are real, inimitable acts from Allah. The Quranic narrative of Prophet Musa's confrontation with Pharaoh's magicians is a pivotal example; Al-Tabari explains that these expert magicians, upon witnessing Musa's miracle, immediately recognized its divine origin and fell in prostration, accepting faith despite Pharaoh's threats. This synthesis across dozens of verses establishes the magician as a symbol of falsehood challenging divine truth, with the practice of magic being unequivocally condemned as a major sin.

📖 Quranic Context

A central figure representing the opposition to divine truth through deception and satanic influence. The magician's craft (sihr) is condemned as an act of disbelief (kufr).

Stands in direct opposition to Allah's prophets, offering illusions and falsehood against divine miracles (mu'jizāt).

References: Referenced across numerous surahs, primarily in the context of Prophet Musa (as) and accusations against prophets.

💭 Theological Perspective

Represents the human potential to seek forbidden knowledge and power through satanic means, leading to disbelief.

The magician manipulates perceptions and causes psychological harm, such as separating spouses, through deceptive arts.

Serves as a clear foil to prophets, highlighting the profound difference between divine miracles, which are real and uncontrollable by humans, and magic, which is a learned, deceptive craft.

Avoiding the path of the magician and seeking protection from their harm is a crucial aspect of maintaining faith (iman) and trust in Allah.

📜 Hadith Perspective

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) warned against magic as one of the seven destructive sins.

The prohibition of practicing or seeking magic.
The reality of sihr and its ability to cause harm by Allah's permission.
Seeking refuge in Allah from the evil of magicians.

Universal agreement among all Islamic schools of thought on the prohibition of magic and the disbelief of the magician who engages in it.

💎 Deeper Insights

The story of Pharaoh's magicians is not merely a defeat of magic, but a powerful testament to expert testimony. As the foremost authorities on illusion and deception in Egypt, their immediate prostration and acceptance of faith (20:70) served as the most compelling, irrefutable evidence to the people that Musa's act was a divine miracle, not a trick. Their subsequent martyrdom shows that their expert conviction was stronger than their fear of death.

— Ibn Kathir, Al-Tabari

The consistent accusation of 'magician' leveled against nearly every prophet (51:52) functions as a Quranic archetype for rejection. It reveals a universal human tendency to dismiss profound spiritual truth that challenges the status quo by labeling it as familiar trickery. This wasn't a random insult, but a deliberate cognitive defense mechanism to reduce the divine to the mundane and thus avoid the personal transformation that faith requires.

— Al-Qurtubi, Sayyid Qutb