Short answer
It depends on what is in it. In the Hanafi school a taweez that contains only Quran, the names of Allah or known duas is permissible, as long as you believe the cure comes from Allah alone. Amulets with unknown words, numbers you cannot read, or charms like beads and threads are haram, and can be shirk. Some scholars, including many Hanbalis and many scholars today, forbid every amulet.
Wearing a ta'wiz with Quranic ayat, names of Allah or authentic duas is permissible (mubah), provided the words are understood, it is not believed to work by itself, and it is kept clean and covered. Amulets of unknown words, magic squares of unclear meaning, or objects relied on for protection are haram, and believing that the object itself protects is shirk.
Other madhhabs
- Hanbali
- Two reports from Imam Ahmad. Many Hanbali scholars, and many scholars today outside the madhhab, forbid all amulets, Quranic ones included, to close the door to shirk, and prefer recited ruqyah.
Explanation
A ta'wiz (also taweez, tawiz or ta'widh) is a paper with Quran or dua written on it, folded and worn or hung up. A tamimah was the pre-Islamic charm, a bead or shell the Arabs hung on children and camels believing it warded off harm by itself. The Prophet ﷺ said that ruqyahs, tamimahs and love charms are shirk (Abu Dawud). The Hanafi scholars read this as being about the pagan charms and spells of the time, because he also said ruqyah is fine as long as it has no shirk in it (Muslim).
Imam al-Tirmidhi records that Abdullah ibn Amr taught his children a dua against fear that the Prophet ﷺ taught, and wrote it down and hung it on those too young to learn it. The scholars of the Hanafi school, and of Deoband, took this and similar reports from the early generations as a basis for allowing a Quranic taweez with conditions:
- It contains only Quran, Allah's names or duas with a known, sound meaning.
- You believe Allah alone protects and heals; the paper is a means, like medicine.
- It is wrapped or covered, and you do not take an uncovered one into the toilet.
- No payment for shirk, no numbers or symbols nobody can explain, no fortune telling.
Many scholars, including some Hanafis, say that reciting the ruqyah yourself is better than wearing it, since that is what the Prophet ﷺ did. If a person selling taweez also tells fortunes or asks for your mother's name to read your stars, stay away. See is ruqyah allowed, the evil eye and the nazar and magic in Islam.
Ask a mufti about your own case. This answer explains the general ruling. When the details of your situation matter, as they do here, ask a qualified mufti and give them the full facts. Where to ask a scholar.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Israa 17:82
وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ ٱلْقُرْءَانِ مَا هُوَ شِفَآءٌۭ وَرَحْمَةٌۭ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۙ وَلَا يَزِيدُ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا خَسَارًۭا ﴿٨٢﴾
And We send down of the Qur'an that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss.
The Quran is a source of healing, which is the basis of ruqyah with its words.
Sunan Abi Dawud 3883
Graded sahih... إن الرقى والتمائم والتولة شرك ...
"Spells, amulets and love charms are shirk."
Forbids the pagan charms relied on for protection; the Hanafis apply it to amulets with shirk or unknown words.
Sahih Muslim 2200
Sahih... اعرضوا علي رقاكم لا بأس بالرقى ما لم يكن فيه شرك ...
"Show me your ruqyahs. There is no harm in ruqyah as long as it contains no shirk."
Words of protection are judged by their content.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3528
Grading to be checked... أعوذ بكلمات الله التامة من غضبه وعقابه وشر عباده ...
"I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from His anger, His punishment and the evil of His servants. Abdullah ibn Amr wrote this down and hung it on his young children."
The early report the Hanafis cite for a written Quranic or prophetic dua.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Hazr wa al-Ibaha, section on clothing. There is no harm in amulets with Quran or Allah's names; the disliked amulet is one in a language not understood.
- Fatawa Mahmudiyya, Chapter on ta'wiz and amaliyat. Deobandi fatwas permitting a Quranic taweez with the conditions above.
- Kashshaf al-Qina', Kitab al-Jana'iz, discussion of ruqyah and amulets. The Hanbali discussion of the two reports.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.