Q 2: Was magic worked on the Prophet (peace be upon him) and was he affected by it?

A: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is human. Therefore, it is normal for him to be afflicted by the worldly misfortunes befalling people such as diseases, pain, assault or oppression and other things that are irrelevant to his mission. Thus, it is not far-fetched that he gets afflicted by any disease or human transgression like magic, which would lead him to imagine having sexual intercourse with his wives without doing so or to think he has the ability to have sexual intercourse with his wives, without being able to do so. However, this kind of affliction can neither extend to affect receiving the revelation from Allah (Exalted be He) nor to conveying the message from His Lord to all worlds. The evidence derived from the Qur'an, Sunnah and Ijma` (consensus) of the Salaf (righteous predecessors) shows the infallibility of the Prophet (peace be upon him) regarding receiving and conveying the revelation as well as the other religion-related affairs. Magic was one of the diseases that afflicted the Prophet (peace be upon him), for it was authentically reported on the authority of `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was bewitched by a man from Banu Zurayq called Labid ibn Al-A`sam and as a result, he felt that he had been doing something whereas in fact he had not been doing it. (This state of affairs lasted) until one day or one night, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) supplicated to Allah (to dispel its effects). He again supplicated and again and finally said: "O `Aishah! Do you know that Allah has answered me concerning what I have been asking Him? There came to me two men, one of them sat near my head and the other sat near my feet. The one who sat near my head said to the one who sat near my feet or the one who (Part No. 1; Page No. 570) sat near my feet said to the one who sat near my head: 'What is wrong with this man (the Prophet)?' The other said: 'He is touched by magic.' He said: 'Who has done this to him?' The other said: 'It was Labid ibn Al-A`sam.' He said: 'What is the thing by which he transmitted its effect?' He said: 'By the comb and by the hair stuck to the comb and the spathe of the date-palm.' He said: 'Where is that?' He replied: 'In Dhu Arwan Well.'" She said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) went there along with some of his Companions and then said: "O `Aishah! Its water was like the infusion of henna leaves and its palms were like heads of the devils." She said, "I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), 'Why did you not burn it?' He said: 'No, Allah has cured me and I hated to draw the attention of the people to such evil.' He gave his commands and it was buried." Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim. Accordingly, whoever denies the occurrence of this incident contradicts the legal evidence and Ijma` of the Sahabah and Salaf, only to adhere to groundless and unreliable dubiousness and illusions. The knowledgeable Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim elaborated this matter in his book entitled Zad Al-Ma`ad, and the same was done by Al-Hafizh ibn Hajar in his book entitled Fath Al-Bary.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.