sorcery.

The overall meaning of the two reports is as follows: When Ibn al-Musayyib was asked about the ruling on nushrah, he issued a legal verdict allowing it, on the grounds that its purpose is benefit and the removal of harm, and nothing aimed solely at such benefit has been proscribed. The form of nushrah he intended is the unobjectionable kind—such as treating the afflicted person with ruqyah that invokes the names and words of Allah. Al-Hasan, by contrast, understood nushrah to be impermissible, for in his view no one can break a spell except someone who is acquainted with sorcery; and this is to be understood as referring to dissolving magic by using magic of the same sort, which is the work of Satan. Ibn al-Qayyim’s detailed treatment reconciles the two positions: treating the bewitched with lawful medications and the recitation of the Quran is permissible, whereas treating him with sorcery of the same kind is forbidden. Allah knows best.

Relevance of the two reports to the chapter: They set out the detailed ruling on nushrah, indicating which forms are lawful and which are prohibited.