AlMaghrib Institute and Kamal el-Mekki Still Using Magic Openly to Sell Tickets to their Events

 In the Name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful…

After being exposed last year for using actual magic tricks (like levitation) to promote their expensive seminars and events, AlMaghrib Institute removed their official trailer called “Magic Tricks by Kamal el-Mekki”, not to repent, but to HIDE from criticism until the controversy died down. Their magician, “Shaykh” Kamal el-Mekki was exposed for promoting the magic of Criss Angel and Dynamo as perfectly halaal entertainment in events organized by Green Lane Masjid (Birmingham, UK), where he actually said:

I can show you every one of their tricks, how they do it, and every one of them has an explanation.

This was stated, word-for-word, in an interview conducted by Green Lane Masjid and uploaded on their official YouTube Channel. (Transcript)

Kamal el-Mekki boasts about how he knows all of the magic of some of the world's top illusionists, like Criss Angel and Dynamo.

Kamal el-Mekki claims to know all of the magic of some of the world’s top illusionists, like Criss Angel and Dynamo.

After this blatant promotion of magic reached the world and was exposed, Green Lane Masjid imam, Abu Usamah At-Thahabi, gave an entire Friday sermon against magic, accepting blame on behalf of the masjid’s administration for Continue reading

Shaykh Al-Albaanee Lights a Soofee Magician on Fire – Really!

In the Name of Allaah, the Most Merciful, the Ever Merciful…

The great scholar, Shaykh Muhammad Naasir ad-Deen al-Albaanee (d.1420) – may Allaah have Mercy on him – tells an amazing story about his encounter with a soofee performing acts of illusionary magic.  This story comes after his detailed academic discussion of the narration of Jundub (may Allaah be pleased with him) and its chains of transmission.

To summarize the story: A governer in Iraq during the the Caliphate of ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan was being entertained by a magician Continue reading

The Permanent Committee of Scholars on the Kufr (Apostasy) of Illusionary Magicians

In the Name of Allaah, the Most Merciful, the Ever-Merciful…

The Permanent Committee of Scholars in Saudi Arabia discussed the issue of sihr (magic) in an official published verdict (fatwaa) signed by:

  • Shaykh ‘Abdullaah ibn Manee’
  • Shaykh ‘Abdullaah ibn Ghudayyaan
  • Shaykh ‘Abdur-Razzaaq ‘Afeefee

May Allaah have Mercy on all of them.  In this fatwaa, they explained the meaning of illusionary magic and its ruling, saying:

The word sihr (magic) also refers to illusions and tricks done to make someone think that an inanimate object is moving, while it is really not.  Such a person is shown the object in a way that changes his perception of its reality, and so he really believes it is like that (moving).  An example of this would be Continue reading

Shaykh Ibn Baaz on the Kufr (Apostasy) of Illusionary Magicians

In the Name of Allaah, the Most Merciful, the Ever-Merciful…

The great scholar, the late Muftee of Saudi Arabia and head of their permanent council of scholars, Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (d.1420, may Allaah have Mercy on him), commented on a seminar about magicians and religious swindlers held in 1415.  After acknowledging the accuracy of their speeches on the topics of witchcraft, the practice of sorcery and its reality, and other topics, the shaykh noted that they had not discussed illusionary magic, and felt the need to add the following clarification:

Their magic could also be illusionary, and the shaykhs did not discuss illusionary magic.  Allaah has clearly mentioned that they could also perform illusionary tricks on people, as He, the Glorious and Most High, said in Continue reading