DOES GOD
ALLOW
HIS BELIEVERS
TO DEAL
WITH DEVILS?
God's purpose in establishing the nation of Israel was to provide a model of a nation that worships Him, to refute and invalidate pagan gods, and to glorify Himself. However, they abandoned the true God, the Lord, and worshipped idols. So He struck them and scattered them throughout the world, having warned them in the Torah as follows:
Leviticus 19:31: "Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God."
Deuteronomy 18:9-13:1: “When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery,2 interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these3 detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the Lord your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God4 has not permitted you to do so.”
King Saul violated the law, so God judged him and ended his reign, as stated in:
1 Chronicles 10:13-14: "Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for5 guidance, and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse."6
In the Gospel, God reveals the characteristics, actions, and end of Satan as follows:
John 14:30: “I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me.”
1 Thessalonians 3:5: “For this reason, when I could no longer stand it, I sent to find out about your faith, fearing that the tempter might have tempted you and our efforts might have been in vain.”
1 Peter 5:8: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
John 8:44: “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
Revelation 12:9:7: “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”
Revelation 20:10: “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
2 Corinthians 11:14-15: “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants8 also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.”
Christ had authority over demons to cast them out of people and gave His believers authority over them to cast them out and resist them, as in:
Mark 1:23-27: “Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 'What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!' 'Be quiet!' said Jesus sternly. 'Come out of him!' The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.9 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, 'What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.'”
Luke 9:1-2: “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”
Luke 10:1, 17-20: "After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go... The seventy-two returned with joy and said, 'Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.' He replied, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.'"11
Ephesians 6:11-12: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
As for Islam, we find that there is an entire chapter in the Quran, Surah Al-Jinn (72). Also, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had a relationship with the Jinn, was bewitched by a Jew, and practiced Ruqyah (exorcism/healing through prayer) as follows:
"Muhammad ibn al-Muthanna narrated to us, Abd al-A'la narrated from Dawud from Amr, who said: I asked Alqamah, 'Did Ibn Mas'ud witness with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) the night of the Jinn?' Alqamah replied: 'I asked Ibn Mas'ud, and I said to him, "Did any of you witness with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) the night of the Jinn?" He said: "No, but we were with the Messenger of Allah one night, and we lost him. We searched for him in the valleys and ravines, and we said, 'He has been carried away or assassinated.' So we spent the worst night any people had ever spent. When morning came, he appeared from the direction of Hira. We said: 'O Messenger of Allah, we lost you and searched for you but could not find you, and we spent the worst night any people had ever spent.' He said: 'A caller from the Jinn came to me, so I went with him and recited the Quran to them.' He (Ibn Mas'ud) said: 'Then he took us and showed us their tracks and the traces of their fires. They asked him for provisions, and he said: "For you is every bone over which the name of Allah has been mentioned; it will fall into your hands with more flesh than it could possibly have, and every piece of dung is fodder for your animals." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Do not use them for cleaning, for they are the food of your brothers.”
And in an authenticated Hadith:
Narrated Urwah ibn al-Zubair from Aisha, the wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him), that she said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) went out from her at night. She said:
"I became jealous of him." So he came and saw what I was doing, and said: "What is wrong with you, Aisha, are you jealous?" She said: "I said: 'Why should someone like me not be jealous of someone like you?'" The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Has your devil taken hold of you?" She said: "O Messenger of Allah, do I have a devil with me?" He said: "Yes." I said: "And with every human being?" He said: "Yes." I said: "And with you, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "Yes, but my Lord has helped me against him until he submitted, so he only commands me to do good."
[Narrated by Ahmad 6/115 and Muslim 2815]
Is there a Muslim devil who fasts, prays, and performs Hajj? And does the devil command the Prophet to do good? Are there believing devils?
The Prophet's Sorcery
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated:
"The Prophet (peace be upon him) was bewitched to the extent that he imagined he was doing something when he was not. One day he supplicated and supplicated, then he said: 'Have you noticed that Allah has informed me about my cure? Two men came to me, one sat by my head and the other by my feet. One of them asked the other: "What is wrong with this man?" He said: "He is bewitched." He asked: "Who bewitched him?" He said: "Labid ibn al-A'sam." He asked: "With what?" He said: "With a comb, some hair, and a male date palm spathe." He asked: "Where is it?" He said: "In the well of Dharwan." So the Prophet (peace be upon him) went to it, then returned and said to Aisha upon his return: 'Its date palms are like the heads of devils.' I said: 'Did you extract it?' He said: 'No, as for me, Allah has cured me, and I feared that it would stir up evil among the people.' Then the well was buried."
[Narrated by Al-Bukhari (3268) and Muslim (2189)]
(Matboob): bewitched. (Musht): hair comb. (Mushaqa) or (Mushatah): fallen hair. How does this Hadith reconcile with what is stated in Surah An-Nahl {99} "Indeed, he has no authority over those who believe and rely upon their Lord," {100} "His authority is only over those who take him as their ally and who associate others with Him"? And Surah Al-Isra: "Indeed, My servants - you have no authority over them. And sufficient is your Lord as Disposer of affairs." (65)
The Prophet's Ruqyah
The Prophet practiced Ruqyah, as narrated by his wife Aisha: "Whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) complained of something, Gabriel (peace be upon him) would perform Ruqyah for him, saying: 'In the name of Allah, I perform Ruqyah for you from every disease, healing you from the evil of an envious person when he envies, and from the evil of every evil eye.'" The Prophet would do this for anyone suffering from pain.
If you search the internet for Ruqyah among Muslims and its practice, you will find many people performing it, even though God previously warned against it in the Torah. Does God change His principles in this way? He who does not change, and His word will not vanish.
Dear reader, you have complete freedom in what you believe and choose, for you are the one who will give account for yourself before God on the Last Day. But please, do not call me an infidel.