LEGAL ADVICE ON JINN CATCHING

Here is an exchange between Sheikh Ben Halima and a scholar graduate (pending his agreement to give his name) on the practices of Sheikh Ben Halima

Ben Halima: Sheikh, first let me introduce myself: I am 45 years old, I practice Islam and I am involved in Islamic activities since the age of 15, I completed my engineering studies in statistics and economics, I also did a Masters in Arabic and I learned the Koran by heart, I founded a publishing house where I published educational books on Islam including the translation of "life companion". I’ve practiced ruqya since several years and since 2005 I spend most of my time on ruqya campaigns, education and training to set up ruqya centres, we have now reached more than 60 centres across 20 countries. I want to explain my method ruqya for you to give me the position of Islam on this. We read the Quran to patients, we practice cupping (hijama), we give them water to wash, oil, incense and invocations, and all this presents no controversy. Our diagnosis is based on four symptoms: blockages in life, unusual health problems, unusual mental states. However we also have a method to bring the jinn and convert them, that we call “catching”.

It began in 2007, the first ruqya group that I trained, magicians made a sorcery on them like rain, their families and their patients, so they were left preoccupied in spending all their time treating each other. Among them was one possessed by a jinn and he was also engaged in the ruqya to help others. He fought against his own jinn by reading the Quran until he weakened and almost killed the jinn when it escaped. He was disappointed that the jinn had escaped after all this effort, allowing it to recover and come back and without ever getting out. He said, "Ya Allah! Send it back to me so that I can finish!" and at that very moment in time the jinn came back to him and he could finish it. From that moment he found that if any patient was possessed, he just said: "Ya Allah! Bring me his jinn so I overpower it" and the jinn came and immediately and started talking with astonishment: "What am I doing here? I was with someone, how is it that I am here?" and we explain that we asked Allah to bring it and Allah brought him back. It is then in a position of weakness and vulnerability and we can kill him by reading the Quran or cut its hand, also making it easy for it to accept Islam. At first I thought it was a personal gift that Allah had given him because of the suffering he endured and efforts, however we quickly realised that all those who had been previously possessed could do (catching), except with some we tried who became tired and sick so we just took care of them and sent them home. We only keep those who have no problems with the process.

So this allows us to remove the jinn of each patient that comes much more easily and quickly and we increased the amount of catchers and have tens through our centres.

Sheikh: And how do you know that the jinn has truly converted and how can you believe their words?

Ben Halima: When the jinn converts his body changes from darkness into light, and can get burned by the Quran. And if we doubt the sincerity of the jinn we read: "The hypocrites are in the lowest level of hell" until it dies or is more hypocritical. And the key is the healing of the sick, so if the patient comes back and he has no jinn it is a crucial point, but if he still affected we will try to understand if they are new or old ones that we did not catch, and if they are the same ones who lied or who have left Islam after accepting it, we will do everything to kill them and not give them a second chance deceive us.

In general, we do not believe anything that the jinn said and we do our best to check.

Sheikh: Do people heal when you treat them?

Ben Halima: We have a success rate by the grace of Allah of around 85%.

Sheikh: Do you do this voluntarily or is it your job and livelihood?

Ben Halima: It's my job to make a living for 15 years now.

Sheikh: Then listen to me. This work is very dangerous and with ruqya many brothers fall into problems, affect women, and find themselves in isolation with women. Even Sheikh Shaarawi may Allah have mercy on him practiced ruqya very well, but gave it up when he saw danger in this practice. Moreover, you are allowed to earn a living with this job, but you must be very careful attention to what the money does, that it does not become a priority and that your major concern is the treatment of the sick. Be very careful Abderraouf you and your students with you, always ensure your sincerity and beware of the traps of Satan.

Apart from that in what you have described to me there is no contradiction with the Shari’ah. I only speak of what I know: as you have described it, there is nothing forbidden. Instead, if you can convert the jinn instead of just make them go away, you gain double reward, treating the sick and also converting the jinn.

Ben Halima: Since you say that Sheikh, I want to inform you that we are still working as a group and we have women who work with us to perform hijama (cupping) and with women in our centres it is not possible that the raqi is left alone to treat a woman. In addition we have 5 goals in our group, because we have become a group since I have hundreds of students behind me by the grace of Allah, the first is to relieve the suffering and blockages in their lives, the second is protect the faith of the Muslims against shi’rk, the third is a way for Daw’ah to non-Muslims, the fourth is to fight magicians and shi’rk, and the fifth is to break the business of ruqya by giving ruqya training free to all those who wish to learn it and not hiding anything of this science.

Sheikh: May Allah help you and guide you through the good and remember well my advice.