Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal narrates the permissibility of a person to seek protection through carrying ayaat of the Qur'an (taweez)?


In his book "al-Ilal wa Ma'rifat al-Rijal" which is a book comprising of all the questions and rulings narrated from Imam Ahmad by his son Abdullah (page 521 of this edition), it says:

" My father (i.e. Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal) narrated to me [...] from al-Sha'bi, that he said: there is no harm in a person seeking protection through wearing (/carrying) ayaat of the Qur'an "


Useful Information

- The illustrious scholar from the salaf, the mujtahid, Imam Abu Abdillah Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal al-Shaybani was born in 164 and died in 241 of the hijrah (rahimullah) (that is to say) more than 1190 years ago. He is the imam of the hanbalite school, one of the four imams.
- Here, imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, narrates to his son Abdullah ibn Ahmad, that al-Sha'bi who is also a scholar from the salaf, said that the act of a person seeking protection through (by?) wearing ayaat from the Qur'an, is permissible.
- From amongst the other proofs of the permissibility of this, is the fact that the companions of the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa salam) would hang (/attach) them around their children's necks. In this way (?), in the hadith narrated by al-Tirmidhi : “Qala Abdoul-Lah Ibnou ‘Amr : kounna nou’allimou sibyanana l- ayati mina l-qour-ani wa man lam yablough naktoubouha ‘ala waraqatin wa nou’alliqouha ‘ala sadrih”, which means : "Abdullah ibn Amr said: "We teach our children the ayaat of the Qur'an. For those who had yet to reached puberty, we would write them on a leaf that we would hang (/attach) on our children's necks." This hadith is hassan (reliable) as indicated by hafidh ibn Hajar al-Asqalani. This will be the object of an article insha Allah.


- And so we do not take into consideration the claims from certain deviated groups, who claim that wearing (/carrying) the tazeez is shirk (making associations with Allah).
- In reality, all the believers are well aware that the creation belongs only to Allah, and none of them hold the belief that the taweez gives them protection. Do these groups claim that it is association when they take medication to cure their illness? Yet, is it not Allah who heals?
- Therefore, just as it permissible to take medication in the hope of getting cured, it is equally permissible to wear (/carry) a taweez. And no muslim scholar worthy of that name, from amongst the salaf or the khalaf has ever blamed or forbidden this.