Here's the uncomfortable truth: Most of what we think is sihr (magic) is actually our imagination. We've become paranoid, attributing every problem to supernatural causes when the real issue is often medical, psychological, or simply bad luck.

But sihr is real. And when it's actually present, there are specific, identifiable signs.

The key is knowing the difference.

The Golden Rule: If Science Can Explain It, It's Not Sihr

This is the most important principle to understand: Anything that doctors can diagnose and explain is NOT sihr.

If you go to the doctor and they say "You have diabetes" or "You have depression" or "You have a herniated disk" - that's not magic. That's a medical condition with a medical solution.

Sihr is, by definition, a supernatural problem. It's something that defies normal explanation. Something that makes doctors scratch their heads. Something where all the tests come back normal but the problem persists.

If medicine can explain it, treat it medically. Don't go to a raqi (someone who performs ruqyah) for problems that belong in a hospital.

Real Sign #1: Bizarre, Terrifying Dreams

One of the primary symptoms of sihr is experiencing strange, frightening dreams consistently.

We're not talking about the occasional nightmare everyone has. We're talking about:

1. Dreams that are consistently disturbing and unnatural
2. Recurring nightmares with similar themes
3. Dreams involving snakes, darkness, graveyards, or frightening figures
4. Dreams where you're being chased, attacked, or trapped
5. Dreams that leave you feeling spiritually violated or exhausted

Everyone has bad dreams sometimes. But if you're experiencing these types of dreams regularly, and they have an intensity that feels beyond normal anxiety dreams, this could be a sign.

However: If you're going through stress, trauma, or watching horror movies before bed, your dreams will be affected naturally. Don't immediately jump to sihr.

Real Sign #2: Sensing an Unseen Presence

The second major symptom is feeling that someone or something is there when nobody is.

This manifests as:

1. A strong sense that you're being watched
2. Feeling a presence in your room at night
3. The conscious awareness of an entity or power around you
4. Shadows or movements in your peripheral vision
5. Sounds or disturbances with no source
6. A heavy, oppressive feeling in certain rooms or spaces

This is different from general anxiety or paranoia. It's a specific, persistent sense that there's something in your space that shouldn't be there.

However: If you're already scared and thinking about jinn constantly, you'll start imagining things. Fear creates its own symptoms. If you only feel this after reading about jinn or watching scary content, it's probably your imagination.

Real Sign #3: Inexplicable Problems That Defy Medical Explanation

This is the most important category, but also the most misunderstood.

Sihr manifests as problems that:

1. Have no medical explanation despite thorough testing
2. Don't respond to appropriate medical treatment
3. Follow patterns that make no logical sense
4. Are consistently bizarre or unusual

Examples of Inexplicable Problems:

Unexplained Physical Marks

1. Waking up with bruises, scratches, or marks on your body
2. No memory of injury, no medical cause
3. Appearing in places you couldn't easily injure yourself

Chronic Miscarriages

1. Repeated miscarriages at similar stages of pregnancy
2. Doctors confirm everything is medically normal
3. All tests show you and your partner are healthy
4. Yet pregnancies consistently fail around the same week

Sudden Relationship Breakdowns

1. A marriage or relationship that was completely healthy suddenly deteriorates
2. Extreme, unexplainable anger between partners
3. When attempting intimacy, sudden physical problems appear:
4. The husband feels physical pressure or blockage
5. Sudden impotence with no medical cause
6. Extreme pain with no medical explanation
7. Overwhelming anger or repulsion that makes no sense

Business or Financial Disasters

1. Consistent, bizarre failures that defy logic
2. Opportunities that were certain suddenly collapse
3. Patterns of loss that seem supernaturally coordinated
4. Everyone involved is confused about what's happening

Physical Symptoms Without Medical Cause

1. Chronic pain that doctors cannot explain
2. All tests come back normal
3. Treatments don't work
4. The pain or symptom persists for years

The Critical Distinction: Has a Doctor Examined It?

Before you even consider sihr, ask yourself:

1. Have I seen a qualified medical professional?
2. Have they run appropriate tests?
3. Have they given me a diagnosis?
4. Have I followed their treatment plan?

If the answer to any of these is "no," then you need to see a doctor first. Don't skip medical care and go straight to spiritual solutions.

Only when doctors have examined you, run tests, found nothing wrong (or found something but treatment doesn't work despite proper application), can you begin considering sihr as a possibility.

When It's Definitely NOT Sihr

You're having anxiety: Medical condition. See a therapist and doctor.

You're depressed: Medical condition. This is not magic; this is brain chemistry.

You had one bad dream: Everyone has bad dreams. One nightmare is not sihr.

Your business failed during an economic recession: That's economics, not magic.

You're having relationship problems and both of you have communication issues: That's a relationship problem. Get counseling.

You saw a shadow once and got scared: Fear makes you see things. One incident is not evidence.

You're going through a difficult time and everything feels wrong: Hardship is part of life. Not every difficulty is supernatural.

Someone told you that you have sihr: Unless you have the actual symptoms, don't believe them. Many fake practitioners make money by convincing healthy people they're cursed.

The Imagination Problem

Here's what happens: You read about sihr. You learn the symptoms. Now you start looking for them.

Suddenly every bad dream is a jinn. Every argument with your spouse is magic. Every business setback is a curse. Every ache and pain is supernatural.

This is called hypervigilance, and it's a psychological trap.

The rule: If you have to search for symptoms, you probably don't have sihr. Real sihr symptoms are obvious, persistent, and undeniable.

The Test: Ruqyah Itself

One way to determine if sihr is present is through ruqyah (recitation of Quran for healing).

When ruqyah is performed on someone actually affected by sihr:

1. They may have unusual physical reactions
2. They may feel discomfort or agitation
3. The jinn may manifest and speak
4. There are clear, observable responses

If nothing happens during ruqyah, and you feel completely normal, that's a strong indicator there's no sihr.

What To Do If You Have Real Symptoms

If you genuinely have the symptoms described - after medical examination rules out physical causes - then:

1. Increase your Islamic practices:Pray your five daily prayers
2. Recite Quran regularly, especially Ayat al-Kursi
3. Make morning and evening adhkar (remembrances)
4. Maintain wudu (ablution) as much as possible
5. Seek a knowledgeable, trustworthy person for ruqyah:Avoid people who charge large amounts of money
6. Avoid anyone who claims to need bizarre items or rituals
7. Avoid anyone who asks you to do anything against Islam
8. Find someone with knowledge who does ruqyah according to Quran and Sunnah
9. Do ruqyah on yourself:You can recite Quran on yourself
10. You can recite the protective prayers
11. You don't need special permission or powers
12. Be patient:Sihr doesn't leave immediately
13. It may take weeks or months of consistent treatment
14. Don't give up or lose hope

The Bottom Line

Sihr is real, but rare. Most of what we attribute to magic is actually:

1. Medical conditions
2. Psychological issues
3. Normal life difficulties
4. Our own imagination fueled by fear

The standard to apply: If you're not sure whether you have a supernatural sign, assume it's NOT sihr. There has to be something palpable, obvious, and medically inexplicable.

Don't let fear of magic make you see jinn everywhere. But don't dismiss real symptoms when they appear.

Trust in Allah, seek medical care when appropriate, and understand that most problems have ordinary solutions.

And remember: Even if sihr is real, Allah's protection is more powerful. The one who maintains their prayers, remembers Allah, and stays firm in faith is protected in ways magic cannot penetrate.