Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was bewitched to the extent that he would imagine he was doing a thing, while he was not doing it. One day, he said to her: "Do you know that Allah the Almighty has answered me regarding what I sought His judgment on? Two angels came to me; one sat by my head and the other by my feet. The one by my head said: 'What is the man's affliction?' The other replied: 'He is bewitched (matbub).' The first said: 'Who has bewitched him?' He replied: 'Labid ibn al-A'sam, in a comb and the combings (20), within the spathe of a male date palm, in [the well of Dhu Arwan] (21).'" This was recorded by al-Bukhari and others (22). The "spathe" (juff al-tal'ah) is its sheath. The "combings" (mushatah) are the hair that comes out from the hair of the head or elsewhere when it is combed. Thus, it established that magic was performed against them. It has become well-known among people that the existence of a man being tied (incapacitated) from his wife when he marries her is a reality, such that he is unable to have intercourse with her, and that the undoing of this knot enables him to approach her after his inability; it has reached the level of mass transmission (tawatur) that cannot be denied. Reports (23) have also been narrated regarding sorcerers that make it almost impossible to agree upon a lie. As for the invalidation of miracles, it does not necessarily follow from this; for [magic] does not reach what the prophets (peace be upon them) bring, nor is it required that it ends in making sticks and ropes move. If this is established, then learning and teaching magic is forbidden; we know of no disagreement among the scholars regarding this. Our companions said: The sorcerer becomes a disbeliever by learning and performing it, whether he believes it to be forbidden or permissible. It has been narrated from Ahmad that which indicates he does not become a disbeliever, for Hanbal narrated from him, saying: My uncle said regarding the fortune-teller (arraf), the soothsayer (kahin), and the sorcerer (sahir): "I am of the view that he should be asked to repent for all these actions, for in my view, he is in the position of an apostate; if he repents and returns [to the truth]—meaning—he is released (24)." I said to him: "Should he be executed?" He said: "No, he is imprisoned, perhaps he may return." I said to him: "Why do you not..."