Learning Magic is Kufr

[bamalli]

Tafsir ibn kathir
surah al baqarah
Learning Magic is Kufr

Allah said,

(But neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things) till they had
said, "We are for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this magic from
us).)

Abu Ja`far Ar-Razi said that Ar-Rabi' bin Anas said that Qays bin `Abbad
said that Ibn `Abbas said, "When someone came to the angels to learn magic,
they would discourage him and say to him, `We are only a test, so do not
fall into disbelief.' They had knowledge of what is good and evil and what
constitutes belief or disbelief, and they thus knew that magic is a form of
disbelief. When the person who came to learn magic still insisted on
learning it, they commanded him to go to such and such place, where if he
went, Satan would meet him and teach him magic. When this man would learn
magic, the light (of faith) would depart him, and he would see it shining
(and flying away) in the sky. He would then proclaim, `O my sorrow! Woe unto
me! What should I do.'' Al-Hasan Al-Basri said that this Ayah means, "The
angels were sent with magic, so that the people whom Allah willed would be
tried and tested. Allah made them promise that they would not teach anyone
until first proclaiming, `We are a test for you, do not fall into
disbelief.'' ' It was recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim. Also, Qatadah said, "Allah
took their covenant to not teach anyone magic until they said, `We are a
test. Therefore, do not fall in disbelief.'' '

Also, As-Suddi said, "When a man would come to the two angels they would
advise him, `Do not fall into disbelief. We are a test. ' When the man would
ignore their advice, they would say, `Go to that pile of ashes and urinate
on it.' When he would urinate on the ashes, a light, meaning the light of
faith, would depart from him and would shine until it entered heaven. Then
something black that appeared to be smoke would descend and enter his ears
and the rest of his body, and this is Allah's anger. When he told the angels
what happened, they would teach him magic. So Allah's statement,

(But neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things) till they had
said, "We are for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this magic from
us).)

Sunayd said that Hajjaj said that Ibn Jurayj commented on this Ayah (2:102),
"No one dares practice magic except a disbeliever. As for the Fitnah, it
involves trials and freedom of choice.''The scholars who stated that
learning magic is disbelief relied on this Ayah for evidence. They also
mentioned the Hadith that Abu Bakr Al-Bazzar recorded from `Abdullah, which
states,

(Whoever came to a soothsayer or a sorcerer and believed in what he said,
will have disbelieved in what Allah revealed to Muhammad .)

This Hadith has an authentic chain of narration and there are other Hadiths
which support it.