Affection (ʿaṭf) is the tiwalah to which the Prophet ﷺ referred in the ḥadith, “Incantations, amulets, and tiwalah are acts of shirk.” (1)

The Shaykh states in Kitāb al-Tawḥīd: “Tiwalah is something people fashion, claiming that it makes a wife love her husband and a husband love his wife.” (2)

This alleged engendering of love is neither natural nor rational, nor does it rely on customary means; rather, it is a magical effect that plants in the bewitched person an excessive passion, leading him or her to act beyond the bounds of reason, modesty, and propriety.

The Shaykh further says, “Whoever practices it or is pleased with it has disbelieved,” for whoever is content with disbelief is himself a disbeliever.

Allah mentions sorcery in several places in the Quran, among them His words: “They followed what the devils recited during the reign of Solomon…” ⦗al-Baqarah 2:102⦘.

He likewise recounts the story of Pharaoh’s magicians in numerous passages. The Exalted says: “They said, ‘Moses, either you throw first, or we shall be the first to throw.’ He replied, ‘No, you throw.’ Then suddenly their ropes and staffs appeared to him, by their magic, to be slithering. Moses felt a fear within himself, but We said, ‘Do not fear; you shall have the upper hand.’” ⦗Ṭā Hā 20:65–68⦘.

In another verse He says: “He said, ‘Throw.’ So when they threw, they bewitched people’s eyes, struck them with awe, and produced a mighty display of magic.” ⦗al-Aʿrāf 7:116⦘.

These two verses prove that their sorcery was illusory in nature.