Sahih Al-Bukhari - The Book of the Beginning of Creation - Characteristic of Satan and his soldiers

Part: (4) - Page number: (122)

3268 - Narrated to us: Ibrahim ibn Moosa, informed us: Isa from Hashim from his father from `Aisha: Magic was worked on the Prophet (s.a.w.a.), And Laith said that he wrote to Hashim the he heard ووعاه  from his father from Aisha, she said, Magic was worked on the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) so that he began to fancy that he was doing a thing which he was not actually doing. One day he invoked (Allah) for a long period and then said, "I feel that Allah has inspired me as how to cure myself. Two persons came to me (in my dream) and sat, one by my head and the other by my feet. One of them asked the other, "What is the ailment of this man?" The other replied, 'He has been bewitched" The first asked, 'Who has bewitched him?' The other replied, 'Lubaid bin Al-A'sam.' The first one asked, 'What material has he used?' The other replied, 'A comb, the hair gathered on it, and the outer skin of the pollen of the male date-palm.' The first asked, 'Where is that?' The other replied, 'It is in the well of Dharwan.' " So, the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) went out towards the well and then returned and said to Aisha on his return, "Its date-palms (the date-palms near the well) are like the heads of the devils." I asked, "Did you take out those things with which the magic was worked?" He said, "No, for I have been cured by Allah and I am afraid that this action may spread evil amongst the people." Later on the well was filled up with earth.

Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani - Fath al-Bari, Commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari

Book of the Beginning of Creation - Chapter on the Description of Iblis and His Soldiers

Volume: (6) - Page Number: (340)

- His statement: "(Qareen: a devil)" … Then the compiler mentioned twenty-seven hadiths in this chapter, the first being the hadith of Aisha, who said: The Prophet (peace be upon him) was bewitched.

- The hadith and its explanation will appear in the Book of Medicine, and its inclusion here is due to the fact that sorcery is only accomplished with the assistance of devils. This will be further clarified there, and it has puzzled some commentators.

A'isha reported:

that a Jew from among the Jews of Banu Zuraiq who was called Labid b. al-A'sam cast a spell upon Allah's Messenger (s.a.w.a.) with the result that he (under the influence of the spell) felt that he had been doing something whereas in fact he had not been doing that. (This state of affairs lasted) until one day or during one night Allah's Messenger (s.a.w.a.) made supplication (to dispel its effects). He again made a supplication and he again did this and said to 'A'isha: "Do you know that Allah has told me what I had asked Him? There came to me two men and one amongst them sat near my head and the other one near my feet and he who sat near my head said to one who sat near my feet or one who sat near my feet said to one who sat near my head: What is the trouble with the man? He said: The spell has affected him. He said: Who has cast that? He (the other one) said: It was Labid b. A'sam (who has done it). 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 the well of Dhi Arwan." She said: Allah's Messenger (s.a.w.a.) sent some of the persons from among his Companions there and then said: "'A'isha, by Allah, its water was yellow like henna and its trees were like heads of the devils." She said that she asked Allah's Messenger (s.a.w.a.) as to why he did not burn that. He said: "No, Allah has cured me and I do not like that I should induce people to commit any high-handedness in regard (to one another), but I only commanded that it should be buried."

Al-Nawawi - Sharh Sahih Muslim - Book of Peace - Chapter on Sorcery

Volume: (14) - Page Number: (174)

2189 - His statement: "(A Jewish man bewitched the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) until he imagined he was doing something while he had not done it)": Imam al-Mazari (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The doctrine of Ahl al-Sunnah and the majority of the scholars of the Ummah is to affirm the reality of sorcery, that it has an actual existence, like other established things. This is contrary to those who deny it and attribute its effects to baseless illusions without any reality. Allah the Exalted mentioned it in His Book, describing it as something that can be learned, and mentioned aspects of it indicating disbelief and that it separates a man from his wife, all of which is impossible for something with no reality. This hadith as well explicitly affirms it.

- Qadi Iyad said: The narrations of this hadith clarify that the sorcery only affected his physical body and outward senses, not his mind, heart, or beliefs.