from him or to release [the spell]? He said: There is no harm in it, as they only intend to bring about reconciliation, and as for what is beneficial, it has not been prohibited. Al-Ḥāfiẓ connected it in "al-Fatḥ" (10/233) from the narration of al-Athram and others through various chains from Qatādah from him. The narration of Qatādah was recorded by Ibn Abī Shaybah (8/28) with an authentic chain from him in a summarized form. In this, there is no contradiction between the two reports in my view. The report of al-Ḥasan pertains to seeking assistance from jinn and devils and the means that please them, such as sacrificing to them and the like, which is what is meant in the ḥadīth. The report of Saʿīd pertains to seeking assistance through legitimate incantations and supplications from the Book and the sunnah. Al-Bayhaqī leaned towards this in "al-Sunan," and this is what al-Ḥāfiẓ mentioned about Imām Aḥmad when he was asked about someone who removes sorcery from the bewitched. He said: "There is no harm in it." As for al-Ḥāfiẓ's statement: "The ruling differs based on the intention; if one intends good, otherwise it is evil." I said: This is not sufficient to differentiate, because the intention of good may coincide with the means to it being evil, as it was said about the immoral woman: ... ... ... ... ... if only she had not committed adultery and had not given charity. Of this type is the treatment by some who pretend to be righteous for people with what they call "spiritual medicine," whether it is in the old way of connecting with a companion from the jinn as they did in the pre-Islamic era, or in the way that is today called spirit summoning, and similar to it in my view is hypnotism, for all of this is from the means that are not legislated because they refer back to seeking assistance from the jinn, which was one of the causes of the polytheists' misguidance as mentioned in the Quran: "And there were men from mankind who sought refuge in men from the jinn, so they only increased them in burden" (Sūrah al-Jinn, verse 6), meaning fear and sin. And the claim of some who are afflicted by seeking their assistance that they only seek help from the righteous among them
عنه أو ينشر؟ قال: لا بأس به، إنما يريدون به الإصلاح، فأما ما ينفع فلم ينه عنه. ووصله الحافظ في "الفتح" (١٠ / ٢٣٣) من رواية الأثرم وغيره من طرق عن قتادة عنه. ورواية قتادة أخرجها ابن أبي شيبة (٨ / ٢٨) بسند صحيح عنه مختصرا. هذا ولا خلاف عندي بين الأثرين، فأثر الحسن يحمل على الاستعانة بالجن والشياطين والوسائل المرضية لهم كالذبح لهم ونحوه، وهو المراد بالحديث، وأثر سعيد على الاستعانة بالرقى والتعاويذ المشروعة بالكتاب والسنة. وإلى هذا مال البيهقي في "السنن"، وهو المراد بما ذكره الحافظ عن الإمام أحمد أنه سئل عمن يطلق السحر عن المسحور؟ فقال: "لا بأس به". وأما قول الحافظ: "ويختلف الحكم بالقصد، فمن قصد بها خيرا، وإلا فهو شر". قلت: هذا لا يكفي في التفريق، لأنه قد يجتمع قصد الخير مع كون الوسيلة إليه شر، كما قيل في المرأة الفاجرة: ... ... ... ... ... ليتها لم تزن ولم تتصدق. ومن هذا القبيل معالجة بعض المتظاهرين بالصلاح للناس بما يسمونه بـ (الطب الروحاني) سواء كان ذلك على الطريقة القديمة من اتصاله بقرينة من الجن كما كانوا عليه في الجاهلية، أو بطريقة ما يسمى اليوم باستحضار الأرواح، ونحوه عندي التنويم المغناطيسي، فإن ذلك كله من الوسائل التي لا تشرع لأن مرجعها إلى الاستعانة بالجن التي كانت من أسباب ضلال المشركين كما جاء في القرآن الكريم: * (وأنه كان رجال من الإنس يعوذون برجال من الجن فزادوهم رهقا) * أي خوفا وإثما. وادعاء بعض المبتلين بالاستعانة بهم أنهم إنما يستعينون بالصالحين