Definition of Curses
Traditionally, humans have undying fascination with curses and all things unseen and historically transmitted from culture to culture over centuries. Curses, by definition, are bad intentions aimed at creating misfortune or tragedy on people, object or places that are supposedly blessed. Curses are evil in nature while blessings are good. Curses and blessings have been used interchangeably in personal, cultural, social events and incidents.Curse is a pronouncement of harm or evil and in many cultures spiritual gods and entities bring about the intended outcome. Curse is a broader term while jinx and hexes also convey the similar meaning. Curse is often accompanied by a ritual and in some instances it works without a formal ritual such as in cases of evil eye. Words have power of their own and it is a commonly held belief a spoken word may bring about the intended outcome. But, the question remains: do curses really exist or they are mere figments of human imagination as a whole passed on from generation to generation and culture to culture?
Curses in Bible: Curses in Bible are described as Satan's operations. We find that: "The tongue can bring death or life....” or in James “And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.” Curse is an act of Satan and it cannot prevail against believers as mentioned in Bible. The believers are also assured of God's mercy and protection as mentioned in “You will be secure under a government that is just and fair. Your enemies will stay far away. You will live in peace, and terror will not come near. If any nation comes to fight you, it is not because I sent them. Whoever attacks you will go down in defeat” (Isaiah 54:14-15).The Satan may gather, plot and work against the believers and curses, hexes is its weapon to lead people astray away from God's mercy and blessings. Curses and witchcraft are works of Satan, according to Bible but they fail in their mission against believers and those who utter God's word: "No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord...this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me...says the Lord” (Isaiah 54:17).
Curses in Quran:
In Quran, Satan is the accursed and upon whom Allah(God), His prophets, and angels curse. Curse in Quran has been defined as something evil, unwanted and devastating but it makes distinction between two types of curses: Allah's curse on disbelievers and those who reject faith and those who engage in sorcery to cause harm to people, places or societies. Quran states that Allah (God) created the evil and harm and the purpose is to test people whether or not they stay on the right path or deviate and fall into disbelief. Curse(witchcraft, spells, hexes) are evidenced in Quran by the following verses:
"They followed what the Shayatin (devils) gave out (falsely of the magic) in the lifetime of Sulaiman (Solomon).Sulaiman did not disbelieve, but the Shayatin (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic and such things that came down at Babylon to the two angels, Harut and Marut, but neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things) till they had said, "We are only for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this magic from us)."And from these (angels) people learn that by which they cause separation between man and his wife, but they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah's Leave.And they learn that which harms them and profits them not. And indeed they knew that the buyers of it (magic) would have no share in the Hereafter. And how bad indeed was that for which they sold their ownselves, if they but knew.(Surah Baqarah (the cow) verse #102)
It can be said that both religious scriptures: Quran and Bible do recognize the existence of curses in the sense that there is both evil and good and there is constant battle between them.
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