Ta'wiz

A ta'wiz. The black pouch contains a paper with duas written on them.

The ta'wiz, tawiz (Urdu: تعویز‎, Bengali: তাবিজ), muska (Turkish) or hijab (Arabic: حجاب‎‎) is an amulet or locket usually containing verses from the Quran or other Islamic prayers and symbols. The Tawiz is worn by some Muslims, amongst them many Sufis, to remove the wearer of any evil or affliction put on them through black magic, keep them safe and also bring good luck. As such it is intended to be an amulet. The word ta'wiz is also used to refer to other types of amulets. It may be a pendant, carvings on metal or even framed duas.

Most ta'wiz are made up of a small paper with Quranic verses or prayers written on it, typically in ink or with saffron paste. This paper is repeatedly folded and sewn inside a tiny cloth or leather pouch, usually black in colour. A black thread is used to wear it as a locket. Other ta'wiz consist of metallic sheets or pieces with prayers or Quranic verses on them.

The practice of wearing a tawiz is common in Sufi healing.

Permissibility of wearing ta'wiz in Islam

The use of ta'wiz in Islam remains debated in the Indian subcontinent where many Muslims, amongst them Sufis, wear them. However, there is a consensus among the scholars affiliated to the Salafi and Wahhabi sects that this is impermissible and an act of polytheism - shirk. The majority of the scholars of the Four Sunni schools of law make a distinction between ta'wiz that contain permissible verses of the Quran and prayers that contain invocations not found in the Islamic tradition. Various evidence in support of the permissibility of ta'wiz exist.

The opinion of Salafi ulama Al Albani and Bin Baz

Both scholars Al Albani and Bin Baz were of the view that wearing an amulet is an act of shirk and that one should repent for wearing it. Bin Baz holds the opinion that you must burn an amulet if it is found. However, Ibn Taymiyya, whom Salafis claim as their main scholar, argues that hanging or wearing of amulets (ta’wiz) is normally permissible for protection or healing provided certain conditions are met:

1. That they consist of the names of Allah Almighty or His Attributes;
2. That they are in Arabic;
3. That they do not consist of anything that involves disbelief (kufr);
4. The user does not believe the words have any affect in themselves, but are empowered to do so by Allah Most High.

The opinion of the Four Schools of Law

Proponents of the use of ta'wiz argue that in the four main legal schools of though of Sunnis, the practice is within the tradition of Islam and was a sunna practiced by the Prophet Muhammad in various ways, conditions, and times.

See also

• Nazar (amulet)
• Ayatul Kursi
• Al-Fatiha
• Al-Falaq
• Al-Nas