# Spirit possession and exorcism in Islam

In Islam, the belief that spiritual entities—particularly, jinn—can possess a person, a thing or location, is widespread; as is the belief that the jinn and devils can be expelled from the possessed person (or thing/location) through exorcism. This practice is called al-'azm,$^{:98}$ ṭard al-shayṭān/al-jinn (expulsion of devils/spirits), or ruqya (Arabic: رقية, romanized: ruqya, spell, charm, magic, incantation), and exorcists are called raqi.
Belief in the supernatural—witchcraft, sorcery, magic, ghosts, and demons—in the Muslim world is not marginalized as eccentric or a product of ignorance, but is prevalent among all social classes. Belief in the supernatural creatures such as Jinn are both an integral part of Islamic belief, and a common explanations in society "for evil, illness, health, wealth, and position in society as well as all mundane and inexplicable phenomena in between". Given the moral ambivalence ascribed to supernatural agents in Islamic tradition, exorcisms can be addressed to both good and evil spirits.
Jinn are thought to be able to enter and physically possess people for various reasons, while devils (shayāṭīn) assault the heart (qalb) and attempt to turn their victims to evil.

## Possession in Islam

Most Muslim scholars believe in the possibility that jinn can physically possess people. Only a minority denies demonic possession and argues that jinn can merely whisper to a person. The everyday-life concern may vary. Some consider possession to be purely theoretical with no practical application, others consider interference of jinn only under rare circumstances, for example, when summoned by a sorcerer, yet others take it seriously and attribute everyday events to demonic activities.
Mental disorders, such as epilepsy, forgetfulness, schizophrenia, lack of energy, and morbid fears, are often attributed to demonic-possessions and witchcraft. Yet, not all mental-illnesses are attributed to demons, rather demons are believed to cause such symptoms.$^{:54}$ Belief in Jinn-possession is not only prevalent in Middle-Eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia, but also among Muslims in Great Britain. Belief in demonic possession also prevails among educated people.
Due the ambiguous nature of jinn, some people may volunteer for possession. Possession by spirits are believed to grand beneficent powers, as in the case of diviners. In that case, the possessed by perform a trance dance (hadra) in order to renew their covenant with their personal jinni. In context of Swahili culture, jinn possession may be used for healing purposes. Such possessions are to be distinguished from cultural concepts of possession by demons.

### Possessing spirits

According to the Islamic view on possession, a corrupted soul (nafs) increases suspectibility (dha'iyfah) to possession by evils spirits. Among them are jinn and devils. The jinn differ from devils, by that the former can be believers (Muslim). However, since both are said to be created from some sort of fire, they are affined in some local Islamic beliefs.
The jinn can be good or evil and inflict act autonomously or inflict harm when enslaved through magic. Since jinn share their bodily nature with humans, jinn may also possess people because they fell in love with them, often resulting in alleged intercourse between these two. Jinn may also possess someone to take revenge if angered. In such cases, the jinn are also thought to harm a person by hitting them. Even if a pious jinni befalls a human, there is need for an exorcism as relationships between humans and jinn are socially frowned (makruh) upon.
Devils (pl.: شَيَاطِين shayāṭīn) assault their victims by whisperings (وَسْوَسَة waswasa), which is spiritually, rather than possessing them physically. The devils' sole purpose is to lure both humans and jinn into sinful activities, both minor ones and major ones. Paradoxically, suspectibility to the devils also increase with piety, since the devils are more engaged to corrupt a pure soul than a tainted one.

## Ruqyā (exorcism)

Ruqyā (Arabic: رقية IPA:, lit. 'invocation') refers to the practise of exorcising spirits, jinn, and demons in Islamic tradition and is part of the wider body of the "prophetic medicine".
Exorcisms are performed by qualified a Raqi or a saint (darvish) who has been blessed by God (barakah). To qualify as a Raqi, one needs, among other criteria, to believe in God, practise the Five Pillars of Islam, follow the Sunnah as examplified by Muhammad and the saints, believe that the Quran has the power to influence spirits, and knows about the spiritual world.
For preparations, distractions, such as pictures, music, and golden jewelry, are removed to enable angels to enter. During the exorcism the exorcist seeks refuge in God and recites Quranic verses. The process further constitutes questioning the patient about their emotional state and dreams. Next, the excorsist negotiates with the possessing creature. Such negotiation may include to command the spirit to curse Satan. It is believed that a satanic spirit would refuse to curse their father and can be identified as a devil, much tougher to manage. If the jinni is willing to negotiate, some healers make attempts to convince them to convert to Islam.
Some traditions request aid from good jinn (muwakkal) to negotiate with the possessing spirit.