There is an Imam (the one who leads congregational Prayer) in our village who leads us in Salah (prayer). He often does strange things which confuse us a lot. When someone of the village gets married, he does not allow them to complete the marriage and anger erupts between the spouses. Then it is said: Go to this shaykh who will write some words on a paper to stop their anger. When the shaykh comes, he brings books in which there are spells and reads from them. He wipes over the heads of the spouses with oil and brings with him red ink which he asks to be soaked into water and the water is to be drunk by the spouses. He then calls for a chicken which he slaughters and sprinkles its blood on the heads of the spouses; thereafter anger stops. What is the legal ruling regarding this?
A: This action is reprehensible, sinful and wrong. It causes confusion among the people and has no basis in Islam or authenticity. It is obligatory for those who experience such anger to seek refuge in Allah against the devil until their anger abates. It is permissible in this case to perform Wudu' (ablution) as prescribed by the Prophet (peace be upon him) because Satan is created from fire and fire is extinguished by water.
Anger is caused by the devil and a believer must seek the Shar`y (Islamically lawful) means such as seeking refuge in Allah against the accursed devil and performing Wudu'. Among the ways of suppressing anger is to sit if one is standing or lie down if one is sitting or leave the location where they are until one's anger subsides.
As for the practices of this shaykh such as pouring oil, and the blood of humans or chickens over peoples heads etc, it has no basis in Islam. It confuses and deceives people. If the shaykh's intent is to draw near to the Jinn by slaughering hens, this is an act of major Shirk (associating others in worship with Allah) as is related in the Sahih (authentic) Hadith which reads: Allah has cursed those who slaughter (a sacrifice) to other than Allah
Say (O Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ): "Verily, my Salât (prayer), my sacrifice (i.e. My sacrifice) my living, and my dying are for Allâh, the Lord of the 'Alamîn (mankind, jinn and all that exists). "He has no partner. And of this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims."
Verily, We have granted you (O Muhammad ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﷲ ﻋﻠﻴـﻪ ﻭﺳـﻠﻢ) AlKauthar (a river in Paradise). Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice (to Him only).
Slaughtering means offering a sacrificial animal for the sake of Allah.
Therefore, people must keep away from this man and advise him. If he does not accept the advice to repent to Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He), his case should be submitted to the courts, to the Authority of Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil, or to the concerned authority if there is no Shar`i court or commitee of enjoining good and forbidding evil authorized to summon him, inform him about his atrocious behavior and prevent him of using this treatment which is against the purified Shari`ah (Islamic law).
As for leading people in Salah, he must not be an Imam and it is obligatory to dispose him of his post because he is accused of Shirk due to the actions he makes which have no basis in the purified Shari`ah. The spouses must be treated with the Shar`i means as mentioned above.
May Allah grant us success!