Ahmad wrote that amulets are an abomination. He said: He who wears an amulet comes to depend upon it. Harab relates that he once discussed this subject with Ahmad: I said: With regard to the wearing of amulets is there anything about it in the Quran or elsewhere ? And Ahmad replied: Bin Mas’ud abominated them. He also quoted 'Ayesha and other women, saying that they were complacent in the practice. Ahmad himself was far from strict. From 'Abd-Ullah bin 'Umr comes the following tradition: If any one of you suffer from sleeplessness, let him say: I take refuge in all the words of Allah from His anger, from punishment, from the evil of His worshippers, and from the instigations of the devils, should they come. Surely these words will not fail you.
'Abd-Ullah bin 'Umr used to teach these words to his sons when they grew up and while they were still children he used to write them down as a text and hang it round their necks. Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi relate this tradition. These are his very words and al-Tirmidhi added:
It is strange but true. This is also reported by al-Nasai in his Al-Yaum wa al-Layla. The phrase about amulets being an abomination and about abandoning their use, the justification for this depends upon how much belief is placed upon their intrinsic power to do good or harm and how much of the words are not understood. This we have discussed above.
With regard to the method of cure by charms, known as al-Nushra, that is, water over which verses have been recited, then left in the open and used by the sick man for washing, Ahmad used to say: Bin Mas'ud abominated that.
Said Abu Dawud in his book called Kitab-ul-Marasil ba Ishnadahi:
I asked al-Hassan about the practice of charms. He replied: It was told me by the Prophet صلى الله عليه واله وصحبه وسلم that such is the work of the Devil. And from Jabir comes the same tradition.
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