18.06.2026
Your life has changed, and you cannot explain why. A business that was running smoothly has stalled. A marriage that was stable has fractured without a clear argument. A body that doctors declare healthy keeps producing pain. If you are asking how to know if someone used taweez on you, the Islamic scholarly tradition, stretching from the classical Arabic texts of Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah to the living Urdu tradition of South Asia and the Persian schools of spiritual medicine, has a specific name for this pattern of inexplicable, targeted disruption: al-sihr al-maktoob - the written magic, the taweez used against a person.
This article presents the 12 most consistently documented signs of black magic taweez and symptoms of black magic in Islam, what Urdu sources call jadoo ki nishaniyan ("the signs of magic") and what Arabic sources describe as the markers of an evil taweez. Before you read further, note the essential caveat that every one of those traditions also insists upon: these are taweez against me signs to weigh as indicators, not proof. Ibn Taymiyyah wrote plainly in Majmu' al-Fatawa that many symptoms attributed to sihr have natural medical or psychological causes, and the Urdu tradition (including the widely-cited scholars of Dawat-e-Islami) repeats: ye alamat hatmi nahi - these signs are not conclusive. They are a starting point, not a verdict.
Important: If you are experiencing persistent physical or psychological symptoms, consult a qualified medical professional before considering a spiritual cause. The Islamic tradition does not ask you to choose between medicine and ruqyah, both are considered legitimate means of healing.
To understand the signs, it helps to understand the mechanism the classical sources describe. Arabic scholars distinguish several categories of harmful written magic. The most commonly discussed is al-sihr al-marbout (السحر المربوط), bound or tied magic, in which a physical taweez is prepared by a practitioner and either delivered to the victim, concealed in their home, or tied to an object belonging to them. A second category, al-sihr al-marshoosh (السحر المرشوش), involves powders or liquids infused with sihr that are sprinkled in the victim's path or home. A third, al-sihr al-ma'kool (السحر المأكول), is sihr administered through food or drink.
In the tradition of South Asia, the equivalent term is sifli amal - a category of black magic that deploys a physical taweez or amulet to cause harm, most commonly affecting the victim's health, livelihood, marriage or mental state. In the Persian tradition, the term talasim-e-dafni (طلسمات دفنی) refers to a buried talisman placed near the target's home or property.
What all three traditions agree on is this: the effects of a harmful taweez are not random. They are targeted. They cluster around specific areas of life - typically the three that matter most to the person who commissioned the taweez against you.
The Urdu scholarly tradition groups the most visible kala jadu taweez symptoms under physical complaints first, since these are usually what a victim notices before anything else.
Sheikh Khalid al-Habashi, one of the most cited Arabic scholars on ruqyah, lists unexplained heaviness and pain in the shoulders, back and abdomen as among the most consistent physical markers of sihr. The Arabic sources describe it as thiqal fil katifain (ثقل في الكتفين) - a heaviness in both shoulders that persists regardless of rest. The Dawat-e-Islami scholars and the widely-read wazaif literature describe it as bazo mein dard rehna - a continuous dull ache in the arm or shoulder that has no injury to explain it.
The distinguishing feature here is persistence and the absence of a medical explanation after thorough examination. Everyone has aches; what the scholars describe is pain that defies investigation and does not respond to treatment.
This sign has particular weight because it appears in the Hadith corpus itself. In Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, the account of the magic worked against the Prophet ﷺ by Labid ibn al-A'sam mentions that it caused him to imagine he had done things he had not done but the broader Arabic scholarly commentary on this account, including the analysis of Ibn al-Qayyim in Zad al-Ma'ad, identifies chest tightness and breathing difficulty (deeq al-tanaffus, ضيق التنفس) as a hallmark symptom of active sihr in the body.
The tradition is precise about this sign: seene ke bilkul darmiyaan ghutan ka ehsaas hona - a feeling of suffocation or constriction at the exact centre of the chest, not the sides, not the throat, but the sternum. This specificity matters. Combined with the absence of any cardiac or pulmonary diagnosis, it is considered by the scholars a reliable early indicator of sifli amal.
The Arabic ruqyah literature, particularly the detailed symptom catalogues compiled by Sheikh al-Habashi, documents the appearance of unexplained dark blue, brown or deep red marks on the inner thighs and arms - bruising without impact. Persian sources add darkening of the skin around the eyes and a greyish pallor of the face, particularly noticeable during recitation of Quranic verses over the affected person. Arabic scholars note that the face of a person carrying ingested sihr (sihr ma'kool) often shows a darkening, especially around the nose and cheeks, that is absent at other times and becomes more visible during ruqyah sessions.
Both the Arabic and Urdu scholarly traditions give particular attention to the content of dreams as diagnostic indicators. The Urdu literature identifies a specific cluster of dream imagery associated with active black magic taweez: seeing lizards, rats, cats, monkeys or fish - particularly when the same animal appears in the dream more than three times consecutively. The Arabic tradition is more specifically concerned with the following dream content: seeing people blowing on you (ra'yat annas yanfuthoon alayka), being given food or drink by unknown people, or being struck in the dream and waking with a sensation of that pain still present in the body.
The Persian tradition adds another marker: dreaming repeatedly of dead relatives asking for something, particularly food or money. Both the Urdu and Persian sources are explicit that a single nightmare means nothing - it is the repetition of the same theme, three or more times in a short period, that is considered significant.
The Urdu tradition describes this sign in consistent detail: raat mein dair tak jaagna - lying awake long into the night despite genuine physical fatigue, unable to sleep no matter how tired the body feels. Islamic scholars list this as one of the earliest signs to appear when a harmful taweez has been activated. The Arabic sources associate it specifically with the jinn assigned to the sihr, whose activity is said to peak between midnight and the Fajr prayer, causing restlessness in the victim at exactly those hours.
A particularly noted variation is waking at exactly the same time each night, often between 1am and 3am, without any external cause. In the Urdu tradition this is called makhsoos waqt par jaagna and is treated as more significant than general insomnia.
The Arabic sources describe this as mazaj sayyi' daaim (مزاج سيء دائم) - a permanently bad mood that descends on the person without a corresponding cause in their external life. Things that once brought them calm now irritate them. Family members who were previously a source of peace have become intolerable. In the Urdu tradition the language is even more specific: achanak shadeed gussa aana, explosively sudden anger, disproportionate to the trigger, that surprises the person themselves. Persian sources describe the affected individual as having undergone a tabdeel-e-mizaj (تبدیل مزاج), a change of temperament that everyone around them notices but that the person themselves is often unable to explain or control.
This is perhaps the sign with the most substantial classical grounding. In Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, the Hadith about the magic of Labid ibn al-A'sam against the Prophet ﷺ uses the phrase habs al-rajul 'an zawjatih (حبس الرجل عن زوجته), a man being "blocked" from his wife. Ibn al-Qayyim explains this as one of the primary purposes for which harmful sihr is commissioned: to break a marriage or destroy affection between spouses. The Arabic scholarly tradition identifies a sudden, intense aversion to a spouse, without any argument or betrayal to account for it, as a textbook indicator of sihr directed at a marriage.
The Urdu tradition uses the term karobari aur ghar ki bandish collectively to describe the simultaneous blocking of both livelihood and domestic harmony, since the two are often targeted together. The Persian literature distinguishes between طلسم جدایی (talasim-e-judai, a separation talisman) and طلسم محبت (talasim-e-mohabbat, a love-binding talisman used to make someone obsessively attracted to a third party), both of which produce the sign described here, though in opposite directions.
Critical qualifier: this sign is only relevant when the change is sudden and unexplained. Every marriage has its difficulties. What scholars describe is a shift with no identifiable cause, a husband who loved his wife intensely who wakes up one morning unable to stand her presence, or vice versa.
Again, the Hadith account of the Prophet ﷺ provides the classical reference: the Arabic text describes him yatakhayyal husool ashyaa' lam taqaa' wa kathrat al-nisyaan, imagining that things had occurred which had not, and frequent forgetting. Ibn al-Qayyim in Zad al-Ma'ad treats this as one of the clearest documented effects of active sihr on the mind. The Urdu scholarly tradition builds on this: insaani aql mein kami aur bhool jaane ki aadat, a noticeable reduction in mental sharpness and a new habit of forgetting things that were previously automatic. People around the affected person often notice this before the person does.
The effect described is not natural romantic interest but an obsessive, intrusive preoccupation with a specific person that appears suddenly and feels external, as though inserted rather than felt. The Urdu sources describe it as kisi ki shadeed mohabbat ka shikar hona, becoming the victim of an overpowering love for someone, often someone the person had barely thought of before. The Arabic sources note that this type of sihr produces thoughts of the target that intrude during prayer, during work and even during sleep.
The Persian tradition is explicit about the distinction between genuine human affection, which develops gradually and feels like one's own, and the effect of a talasim-e-mohabbat, which arrives fully formed, feels alien, and tends to disappear or weaken when the affected person recites the Mu'awwidhatain.
This is the most direct and least ambiguous sign in all traditions. Arabic sources describe several methods of delivery: السحر المرشوش (al-sihr al-marshoosh), a powder or substance sprinkled at the threshold or inside the home; السحر المدفون (al-sihr al-madfoon), a buried taweez, typically at the entrance to the property, near a tree in the garden or in a corner of the house; and taweez concealed inside gifts, particularly clothing, food containers or furniture brought by a visitor. The Urdu tradition adds: tied coloured threads, a bundle of hair and cloth, small bones wrapped in paper with Arabic or unknown writing. The Persian tradition of talasim-e-dafni specifies that the buried object is most effective when placed within 40 steps of the victim's front door.
If you find such an object: every one of these traditions gives the same instruction - do not touch it with your bare hands. Recite Ayat al-Kursi and the Mu'awwidhatain over it. Dispose of it in running water (a river or the sea) or burn it in the open air. Do not keep it in the house, even to show someone.
Sheikh al-Habashi's symptom documentation, widely circulated in Arabic ruqyah literature, identifies a periodic unpleasant odour within the home, one that has no identifiable physical source, as a specific indicator of al-sihr al-marshoosh. The Urdu tradition is more specific: ghar se bechh aurat gandi boo aana, an intermittent foul smell from a specific area of the home, often a corner or near the entrance, that comes and goes without any obvious cause such as drains, food or animals. The smell is described in both traditions as organic and putrid rather than chemical, and often appears or intensifies at night.
This sign is considered significant only when it is intermittent and localised, a generalised bad smell in a home has many mundane explanations. It is the appearing-and-disappearing, location-specific quality that the scholars attach meaning to.
The Arabic tradition has a precise term for this: ta'teel al-umoor (تعطيل الأمور), the blocking of affairs. Deals that were agreed fall apart at the last moment. Opportunities that seemed certain evaporate. Job interviews go inexplicably wrong. The Urdu tradition uses the specific term karobari bandish, literally "a binding placed on the business", and it is one of the most commonly mentioned reasons that South Asian Muslims in the UK seek a protective or counter-taweez. The Persian tradition calls it bastan-e-rozi (بستن روزی), the closing of provisions.
What distinguishes sihr-related blockage from ordinary bad luck, according to the scholars, is threefold: the problems affect multiple areas simultaneously (livelihood, marriage and health at the same time), they appear suddenly after a period of normality, and they persist despite the person's sincere efforts and duaa. A businessman who has one bad quarter is unlucky. A businessman who loses every contract, whose marriage breaks down and whose health fails, all within a short window after a specific person visited their home, is someone the classical tradition would advise to perform ruqyah on themselves as a first step.
Ibn Taymiyyah, writing in Majmu' al-Fatawa, was unambiguous: the symptoms attributed to sihr are also the symptoms of recognised medical and psychological conditions. Chest tightness is cardiac until proven otherwise. Insomnia is a medical issue. Memory loss may be neurological. Relationship breakdown has human causes. The scholar's instruction was never to rush to a spiritual explanation when a medical one has not been ruled out.
The Urdu scholarly tradition repeats this with equal force. The widely-circulated Dawat-e-Islami ruqyah material states plainly: ye alamat hatmi nahi, these signs are not definitive. The Urdu wazaif scholars add that a person who becomes obsessed with the idea that sihr has been worked against them, without objective evidence, is giving the Shaytan a significant opening. The Persian tradition warns similarly against waswas, the whispering doubts that turn into irrational conviction.
The proper sequence, according to all three traditions, is: medical evaluation first, ruqyah alongside it, and spiritual consultation only when medical causes have been genuinely investigated and excluded. A person who skips to the conclusion that they are bewitched without this process is not following the Sunnah, they are following their fear.
If, after honest reflection and medical consultation, you still believe the signs described above apply to your situation, the classical Islamic tradition offers a clear and graduated response.
First: ruqyah on yourself. This is the classical method for how to detect sihr taweez without relying on anyone else's claims. The Arabic scholars are unanimous that the most powerful ruqyah is a person performing it on themselves. Recite Ayat al-Kursi, Surah Al-Baqarah (or as much of it as you are able), and the Mu'awwidhatain (Surah Al-Falaq and Surah An-Nas) while placing your hand on the area of pain or discomfort. The Urdu tradition adds a practical test: if you react unusually during this recitation, with involuntary movement, nausea, sudden weeping without sadness, or a feeling of pressure releasing, this is considered by the scholars an indicator that sihr is present. It is not proof, but it is taken seriously.
Second: seek a trustworthy scholar. Every single Arabic, Urdu and Persian source on this subject includes a strong warning: do not go to anyone who claims to remove sihr by using sihr, who asks for unusual items, who demands that you come alone, or whose methods are not rooted in Quran and Sunnah. The Urdu sources are blunt about this: the majority of people who present themselves as having the ability to "detect" and "remove" black magic are fraudulent. A genuine scholar of ruqyah will recite Quran, make duaa, and instruct you in what to recite yourself.
Third: consider a protective taweez. For those who follow the Hanafi and Deobandi scholarly position, which holds that taweez containing only Quranic verses and authentic duaa are permissible, a well-made taweez for protection can serve as an ongoing barrier against further harm. Where a specific enemy is suspected, a taweez against enemies is the traditional response, and the six sense taweez is favoured by those seeking heightened spiritual awareness. Each is prepared in accordance with the scholarly conditions: only Quranic content, in Arabic, written by a practitioner with correct Islamic belief. You may also find our taweez rituals section useful for understanding how to activate and maintain a protective taweez correctly.
Suspect a taweez has been used against you? We can help.
If the signs above match your situation, the next step is a protective taweez prepared by a qualified practitioner, or a personal consultation to identify exactly what you are dealing with.
No single sign is conclusive, but Arabic, Urdu and Persian scholars agree that the strongest taweez against me signs are the ones that combine more than one category at once: physical symptoms (unexplained pain, breathing trouble), environmental signs (a buried or hidden object, a recurring bad smell), and disruption in a specific area of life (marriage, business or health) appearing together within a short window of time. A single isolated symptom is rarely treated as meaningful on its own, it is the cluster that the scholars take seriously.
The traditional approach to how to know if someone used taweez on you follows three steps documented across the Arabic, Urdu and Persian sources: first, rule out medical and psychological causes with a qualified professional; second, perform ruqyah on yourself by reciting Ayat al-Kursi and the Mu'awwidhatain while observing your own reaction; third, search your home and belongings for a physical object, since this remains the clearest of all the jadoo ki nishaniyan (signs of magic) described in the Urdu tradition. Only after these three steps do the classical scholars recommend consulting a trustworthy practitioner of ruqyah.
Yes. Arabic scholars refer to this as al-sihr al-marshoosh (السحر المرشوش), magic that is sprinkled or concealed without the victim's awareness. It may be buried near the home, hidden inside a gift, or mixed into food or drink. This is why classical scholars advise caution about accepting food or objects from people who harbour enmity toward you.
The evil eye (nazar / al-ayn) is unintentional harm caused by an admiring or envious glance, the person may not even know they caused it. A harmful taweez (al-sihr al-maktoob) is deliberate: it requires a person to seek out a practitioner, commission a written amulet and direct it against a specific target. The signs of both can overlap, but a harmful taweez tends to produce more persistent, targeted disruption in one area of life, marriage, business or health, rather than the general misfortune associated with the evil eye.
Classical Arabic tradition suggests a hidden taweez is most commonly placed near the entrance of the home, under a threshold, buried in a corner, or concealed inside furniture brought as a gift. If you find a folded piece of paper with Arabic writing, tied threads, bones or hair, do not touch it with your bare hands. Recite Ayat al-Kursi and the Mu'awwidhatain, then dispose of it in running water or burn it. For a full guide to identifying written taweez, see our article on how to decode a taweez.
Ibn Taymiyyah and other classical scholars make a clear distinction between reasonable precaution and unfounded suspicion (su' al-zann). If you have concrete, observable signs, a physical object found in your home, a known enemy who visited before your troubles began, then acting with caution is permitted. Suspecting a person without any evidence, and broadcasting that suspicion, falls under the prohibition of backbiting and slander. The recommended approach is to focus on spiritual protection and treatment rather than identifying a specific perpetrator.
Author: Salam Burdu
Salam Burdu is an Islamic scholar and lecturer from Pakistan who is known for his expertise in the field of Islamic spiritual healing and protection.