Spirit possession and exorcism in Islam

In Islam, the belief that spiritual entities—particularly, jinn—can possess a person, a thing or location,^[1] is widespread; as is the belief that the jinn and devils can be expelled from the possessed person (or thing/location) through exorcism. This practice is called al-'azm,^[2]^: 98 ṭard al-shayṭān/al-jinn (expulsion of devils/spirits),^[3] or ruqya (Arabic: رقية, romanized: ruqya, spell, charm, magic, incantation),^[4] and exorcists are called raqi.

Belief in the supernatural—witchcraft, sorcery, magic, ghosts, and demons—in the Muslim world is not marginalized as eccentric or a product of ignorance, but is prevalent among all social classes. Belief in the supernatural creatures such as Jinn are both an integral part of Islamic belief,^[5] and a common explanations in society "for evil, illness, health, wealth, and position in society as well as all mundane and inexplicable phenomena in between". Given the moral ambivalence ascribed to supernatural agents in Islamic tradition, exorcisms can be addressed to both good and evil spirits.^[6]

Jinn are thought to be able to enter and physically possess people for various reasons, while devils (shayāṭīn) assault the heart (qalb) and attempt to turn their victims to evil.^[7]

^ Jacobs, Louis (1999). "Exorcism". A Concise Companion to the Jewish Religion. doi:10.1093/acref/9780192800886.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-280088-6.
^ Magic and Divination in Early Islam. (2021). Vereinigtes Königreich: Taylor & Francis.
^ Szombathy, Z. (2014). Exorcism. In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas and D. J. Stewart (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Islam Three Online. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_26268
^ Wehr, Hans. Dictionary of Arabic (PDF). p. 302. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
^ Amira El-Zein, Islam, Arabs and the Intelligent World of the Jinn (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2009), p. x.
^ Maʻrūf, Muḥammad. Jinn Eviction as a Discourse of Power: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Modern Morrocan Magical Beliefs and Practices. Vol. 8. Brill, 2007. p. 2
^ Szombathy, Zoltan (2014). "Exorcism". In Fleet, Kate; Krämer, Gudrun; Matringe, Denis; Nawas, John; Rowson, Everett (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam. Vol. 3. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_26268. ISBN 9789004269637

[1] Jacobs, Louis (1999). "Exorcism". A Concise Companion to the Jewish Religion. doi:10.1093/acref/9780192800886.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-280088-6.

[MagicAndDivination-2021-2] Magic and Divination in Early Islam. (2021). Vereinigtes Königreich: Taylor & Francis.

[doi.org-3] Szombathy, Z. (2014). Exorcism. In K. Fleet, G. Krämer, D. Matringe, J. Nawas and D. J. Stewart (eds.), Encyclopaedia of Islam Three Online. Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_26268

[Wehr-302-4] Wehr, Hans. Dictionary of Arabic (PDF). p. 302. Retrieved 8 March 2024.

[5] Amira El-Zein, Islam, Arabs and the Intelligent World of the Jinn (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2009), p. x.

[Maʻrūf,_Muḥammad_2007._p._2-6] Maʻrūf, Muḥammad. Jinn Eviction as a Discourse of Power: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Modern Morrocan Magical Beliefs and Practices. Vol. 8. Brill, 2007. p. 2

[7] Szombathy, Zoltan (2014). "Exorcism". In Fleet, Kate; Krämer, Gudrun; Matringe, Denis; Nawas, John; Rowson, Everett (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam. Vol. 3. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_26268. ISBN 9789004269637

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Spirit possession and exorcism in Islam

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