The first: it entails enlisting the devils, attaching oneself to them, and courting their favor with whatever they desire so that they will serve the sorcerer. Magic is something the devils teach, for Allah says, “But the devils disbelieved; they taught people magic” (Qur’an 2:102).

The second: it involves claiming knowledge of the unseen, thereby pretending to share with Allah in that knowledge. Such a claim is outright disbelief and misguidance. Allah says, “They surely knew that whoever purchased it would have no share in the Hereafter” (Qur’an 2:102), meaning no portion whatsoever. Consequently, there is no doubt that magic is disbelief and polytheism that subverts sound creed, and its practitioner must be put to death—as several leading Companions did with sorcerers. Yet people today treat the matter lightly; some even regard magic as an art of which they are proud, granting its performers prizes and public acclaim. They organize clubs, shows, and competitions for magicians, drawing crowds of thousands of spectators,