Treating Epilepsy with Exorcism

As for the spiritual treatment of epilepsy by a skilled hakim, such a wise man must be a truly experienced doctor (i.e. Shaykh) and a strong believer. Otherwise, his interference will be of no benefit, and may instead be dangerous for both the patient and his doctor. In the case of a true Shaykh, it may even be sufficient for him to banish such alien spirit by directly addressing it and firmly saying to it: “Get out of him” (ukhruji minhu); or he can invoke the power of God’s name upon it, saying: “In the name of Allah, get out of him,” (Bismillãh, ukhruji minhu); or by saying: “There is no power or will except that of Allah.”

 

It is narrated in the traditions that God’s Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم used to address such spirits by saying: “Get out of him O enemy of Allah. I am the Messenger of Allah, and I command you to do so.”

I [the author of the book] once witnessed my shaykh send someone who spoke to the alien spirit (rüh) that inhabited such a person, and my shaykh said to it: “The shaykh says to you to get out of him, for it is not lawful for you to remain therein,” and immediately the epilepsy-stricken patient woke up from his fit. Such envoy also may address the alien spirit on his own by ordering it to leave its victim. Sometimes, such spirit maybe a rebel demon (mãrid) who will only come out of the patient when forced to do so. However, when the patient wakes up from his seizure, he would have felt no pain from such chastisement. We have witnessed such exorcism, as did several of our brothers on the path. Many times, our shaykh recited a Qur’anic verse (ãyah) in the ear of the patient, such as: { Did you think that We had created you in jest, and that ye would not be brought back to us (for reckoning)? } (Qur’an 23 : 115).

One time, the shaykh recited this verse and prolonged the last vowel “—‘oun” until the alien evil spirit boastfully replied, using the victim’s own voice and saying: “Indeed!” Immediately our shaykh reached out for a reed stick he kept beside him and he descended with it upon the patient, beating him over the posterior veins of both sides of his neck. The people witnessing the event thought that the man would definitely die from such unrelenting and severe beating. One time during such exorcism, the spirit screamed loud in despair and said: “But I love him!” The shaykh replied: “He does not love you.” The spirit then said: “I want to perform a pilgrimage to Mecca with him!” The shaykh replied: “He does not want to perform his pilgrimage to Mecca with you.” The spirit then agreed: “I will leave him for your sake.” The shaykh replied: “Nay, not for my sake, but in obedience to the command of Allah and that of His Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم.” The spirit then conceded: “Then I will leave him right now.” Instantly, the patient regained his consciousness as if a heavy weight was lifted off from his shoulders, and he sat in wonderment looking around him to the right and to the left, saying: “What brought be before the presence of the eminent shaykh?” The people asked: “What about all the beating you underwent?” The man replied: “What beating? And why would the reverent shaykh beat me and I have done nothing that warrants any chastisement?”  In fact, after a thorough investigation and questioning, it appeared that the man was not at all conscious of what happen to him that morning.

The shaykh sometimes recited of the Divine Throne (ãyat-ul Kursï; Qur’an 2 : 255). He also used to recommend that the patient and the person treating him oft-recite this verse besides other powerful verses and prophetic prayers for protection against the invasion of evil spirits, such as chapters 113 and 114 from the holy Qur’an. In summary, this kind of epilepsy and the validity of such treatment can only be denied by an unfortunate person whose luck of learning, wisdom and true knowledge are unsubstantial. On the other hand, evil and corrupted spirits mostly attack weak people who have little or no faith, whose hearts are corrupt and whose tongues are not accustomed to speaking the truth, reciting the Qur’an, or invoking the prayers of God’s Messenger صلى الله عليه و سلم against the presence of such adulterating assailants. Hence, sometimes when a wondering evil spirit discovers a spiritually corrupt, defenseless and unarmed person, or even a naked person, it takes advantage of such condition, uses his body as its abode, and controls his movements. In fact, if you were to unmask the conscious (nafs) of the majority of people, or lift off their hood and look under their skin, you will certainly find them subservient to such evil spirits at one level or another. Such spirits will tie them up to their ropes, manipulate them and direct them as they please. When such a person refuses to obey, he frequently suffers from intense epileptic seizure until he or she is tamed with such corrupt routines. The only way out of this kind of epilepsy is the correct diagnosing of the illness, and the separation between the two opposites, and only then, by God’s leave, will one recognize that he was the demented and possessed victim (masrou’) of such haunting evil spirits.

The basic cure of such epileptic condition (sar’a) is the rehabilitation of one’s sanity and the revival of his faith. This cure must begin by first becoming free from such invading evil spirits; by rehabilitation through association with righteous people; by becoming aware of the divine doing; and by subscribing to the divine commands. This is also a preventive medicine which is based on sound reasoning (‘aql), coupled with true faith (imãn). One also must recognize that what God’s messengers brought is true; and that heaven and hell are true; that death is true; that the reckoning of the grave is true; that the resurrection is true; and that the hour of judgment is true. Once unfettered and freed from such illicit invasion of privacy, one must gaze upon the creation and contemplate the predicament of this world, head the divine warnings, reflect upon others’ misfortune, the subtle and measured terms of destiny, and the incessant blows of calamities while the majority of people are inebriated and unaware of the causes. What a punishment!

In fact, when secular life becomes a norm, and as the hand of destiny strikes harder, the majority of people become blind and see calamities as a common nature. They do not recognize their own illness nor those of others. Furthermore, and because of the wide variety and levels of epileptic conditions, besides mass destruction and subsequent spread of epidemics, there will be a constant denial, and such affected people will turn their eyes backward and recognize no victim nor assailant. Mostly, in their unbalanced mind, every moment of selfish pleasure is beyond capture whatever maybe the price, and no matter who is paying for it, and a new order of thinking will develop in their minds. On the other hand, and only if God Almighty wills, He will awaken the conscious of His servant from slumber. Such a person will look to the right and to the left and recognize that the majority of the people of the world are struck with blindness and chronic epileptic conditions, regardless of their class and degree of their fit. Some of their seizures are more acute than others. Some act sober for a moment and crazy for another. When such a person wakes up from his seizure, he acts normal and constructive, and when he is seized anew, he stumbles in the sinful and self-destructive peddling of the idiots. The question will rise again:

{ Did you think that We had created you in jest,
and that ye would not be brought back to Us (for reckoning)? }