Section: The magic whose ruling we have mentioned is that which is considered magic by custom ('urf), such as the act of Labid ibn al-A'sam when he bewitched the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) using a comb and the strands of hair from it. We have narrated in "Maghazi al-Umawi" (36) that the Negus summoned sorceresses, and they blew into the urethra of 'Umarah ibn al-Walid, causing him to wander with the wild beasts. He remained with them until the caliphate of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, when a man captured him. He said, "Leave me, or I shall die." He did not release him, so he died immediately. It reached us that one of the governors captured a sorceress, and her husband came as if he were burning, saying (37): "Tell her to release me from this." She said, "Bring me threads and a door." [They brought them to her] (38), and she sat on the door (39), and began to tie knots, and the door flew away (40) with her, so they could not capture her. Thus, this and its like, such as when a man is "tied" (by a spell) such that he cannot have intercourse with his wife (41), is the magic regarding whose practitioner there is a difference of opinion. As for one who performs incantations over a possessed person, claims to gather the jinn, and commands them and they obey him, this does not explicitly fall under this ruling. The Qadi and Abu al-Khattab mentioned him among the sorcerers. As for one who undoes magic, if it is through something from the Qur'an, or some form of dhikr (remembrance), invocations, and speech that is unobjectionable, then there is no harm in it. However, if it is by means of something involving magic, Ahmad has refrained from it. al-Athram said: I heard Abu 'Abd Allah asked (43) about a man who claims he can undo magic, and he said, "Some people have granted a concession in it." It was said to Abu 'Abd Allah: "He puts water in a basin, disappears into it, and does such and such." He shook his hand in disapproval.