Ta'wiz
Encyclopedia
Locket
A locket is a pendant that opens to reveal a space used for storing a photograph or other small item such as a curl of hair. Lockets are usually given to loved ones on holidays such as Valentine's Day and occasions such as Christenings, weddings and, most noticeably during the Victorian Age,...
usually containing verse
Verse (poetry)
A verse is formally a single line in a metrical composition, e.g. poetry. However, the word has come to represent any division or grouping of words in such a composition, which traditionally had been referred to as a stanza....
s from the Quran or other Islamic prayers and symbols. As a general rule it is worn with the belief that it will repel any evil
Evil
Evil is the violation of, or intent to violate, some moral code. Evil is usually seen as the dualistic opposite of good. Definitions of evil vary along with analysis of its root motive causes, however general actions commonly considered evil include: conscious and deliberate wrongdoing,...
intended for the wearer and will also bring him luck. As such it is intended to be an amulet
Amulet
An amulet, similar to a talisman , is any object intended to bring good luck or protection to its owner.Potential amulets include gems, especially engraved gems, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, rings, plants and animals; even words said in certain occasions—for example: vade retro satana—, to...
. The word Ta'wiz is also used to refer to other amulets used in Islam. It may be a pendant, carvings on metal or even framed dua
Dua
In the terminology of Islam, Duʿāʾ Plural: Dow'āt literally meaning invocation, is an act of supplication. The term is derived from an Arabic word meaning to 'call out' or to 'summon', and Muslims regard this as a profound act of worship. This is when Muslim people from all over connect with God...
s.
Permissibility of wearing amulets (Ta'wiz)
Hanging or wearing of amulets (Ta'wiz) is normally permissible for protection or healing provided certain conditions are met:- That they consist of the Names of Allah and His Attributes;
- That they are in Arabic;
- That they do not consist of anything that is disbelief (Kufr);
- The user does not believe the words have any effect in themselves, but are empowered to do so by AllahAllahAllah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
, the Most High.
Most Ta'wiz are made up of a small paper containing the prayers which is repeatedly folded and sewn inside a tiny cloth pouch, black in colour. A black thread is used to wear it as a locket. Wearing a Ta'wiz is popular in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
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Many Muslims object to Ta'wiz as they believe that wearing a Ta'wiz is shirk according to the hadith
Hadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
of Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
.
The opposing argument to this offered by some Muslims is that the said hadith relates to reciting the incantations or wearing the talismans of the time of ignorance
Jahiliyyah
Jahiliyyah is an Islamic concept of "ignorance of divine guidance" or "the state of ignorance of the guidance from God" or "Days of Ignorance" referring to the condition in which Arabs found themselves in pre-Islamic Arabia, i.e. prior to the revelation of the Qur'an to Muhammad...
and that the companions of the prophet also used Ta'wiz which they would have hardly done if it had been prohibited.
A Ta'wiz is shown in the movie Khuda Ke Liye
Khuda Ke Liye
Khuda Kay Liye is a 2007 Pakistani Urdu-language drama film written, directed and produced by Shoaib Mansoor, starring Shaan, Iman Ali, Fawad Afzal Khan and Hameed Sheikh...
where the American investigators misinterpret it as a secret code
Secret Code
Secret Code is the debut major album of artist Aya Kamiki, released on July 12, 2006. It comes in a CD only version. Secret Code debuted at number 5 on the Oricon Weekly Charts for Japan and sold 65,004 copies in total...
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Muslims use written Ta'wiz which have Quranic verses on a piece of paper or other material. Usually it is written in ink or with saffron paste. There are various types of Ta'wiz in which the Quranic verses are written on small metallic sheets or pieces.
There are various types of ready made Ta'wiz available, but every single Ta'wiz is written for a specific purpose and problem.