anyone, except that (28) Ibn 'Abbas said to her: 'If either of your parents is alive, then treat them with kindness, and perform as many good deeds as you are able.' (29) As for the statement of Aisha, many of the Companions disagreed with her regarding it. Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: 'The sorcerer is a disbeliever.' It is possible that the mudabbarah had repented, so the execution and the disbelief were remitted by her repentance. It is also possible that she had bewitched her in the sense that she went to a sorcerer who performed magic for her.

Section: The prescribed punishment (hadd) for the sorcerer is execution. This was narrated from Umar, Uthman ibn 'Affan, Ibn Umar, Hafsah, Jundab ibn 'Abd Allah, Jundab ibn Ka'b, Qays ibn Sa'd, and Umar ibn 'Abd al-Aziz. This is the opinion of Abu Hanifah and Malik. Al-Shafi'i did not consider him subject to execution merely for the act of magic. This is also the opinion of Ibn al-Mundhir and one of the narrations from Ahmad which we have mentioned previously. The basis for this is that Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) sold a mudabbarah who had bewitched her; if her execution had been mandatory, her sale would not have been lawful. Furthermore, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: 'The blood of a Muslim man is not lawful except for one of three reasons: disbelief after faith, adultery after marriage, or the unlawful killing of a soul.' (30) Since none of the three had occurred, it follows that shedding his blood is not lawful. Our argument is what was narrated by Jundab ibn 'Abd Allah from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), who said: 'The prescribed punishment for the sorcerer is a strike with the sword.' (31) Ibn al-Mundhir said: 'Isma'il ibn Muslim narrated it, and he is weak.' Sa'id and Abu Dawud narrated in their 'Books' (32) from Bajalah, who said: 'I was a scribe for Juz' ibn