Superstition in Pakistan (Urdu:پاکستانی توهم پرستی) is widespread and many adverse events are attributed to thesupernatural effect.[1][2]Superstition is a belief insupernaturalcausality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any physical process linking the two events, such asastrology,omens,witchcraft, etc., that contradictsnatural science.[3] InPakistan, theMagical thinking pervades as many acts and events are attributed tosupernatural andritual, such asprayer,sacrifice, or the observance of ataboo are followed. Many believe thatmagic is effective psychologically as it hasplacebo effect topsychosomatic diseases.Scholars of Islam viewsuperstition asshirk, denying the unity ofGod and againstSharia. WithinIslam,shirk is anunforgivable crime;God may forgive any sins if one dies in that state except for committingshirk.[4][5] Sleeping on your right side andreciting theAyat-ul-Kursi (Urdu:آيت الكرسی) of theQuran can protect person from theevil.
InPakistan,mental illness andpsychological problems are considered by some to be an encounter withShaitan (Satan) (Urdu:شيطان),eviljinns (Urdu:جن) ordemons who have taken over one's body and mind. It is also assumed that it is caused by theblack magic performed by enemies andjealous persons. People, especially children and young girls, wearTa'wiz (Amulet) (Urdu:تعویز) to ward offevil eye.Spells,incantations andcurses could also result inghouls orchurail (Urdu:چڑیل)haunting a person. Some homes and places are also believed to behaunted byevilghosts (Bhoot) (Urdu:بھوت),satanic or othersupernatural beings and they couldhaunt people living there especially during the night.Muslim holy persons (Imams,Maulvis,Sufis,Mullahs,Faqirs) performexorcism on individuals who are believed to bepossessed. The homes, houses, buildings and grounds areblessed andconsecrated byMullahs orImams by recitingQur'an andAdhan (Urdu:أَذَان), theIslamic call toprayer, recited by themuezzin. The most shocking thing is that people after exorcism claim to be fine. This has been common among girls who have been observed speaking in men's tone during possession and crying during exorcism procession, however the causes have yet not been scientifically discovered.
InPakistan,Sleep paralysis is considered to be an encounter withShaitan (Satan),eviljinns ordemons who have taken over one's body. Thisghoul (Urdu:غول) is known as 'bakhtak' (Urdu: بختک) orifrit (Urdu:عفريت). Some even mistakeEpilepsy for possession ofjin or some evil in most cases due to lack of education and understanding.
The penchant forfaith healers andblack magicians spanssociety, from the richlandlords of the rural areas to the urban classes ofLahore andKarachi.[6] The villagers ofRajanpur ruralPunjab, call upon aPir believed to be endowed withmystical powers that canpurifycontaminated water aftersevere floods.[7]Pakistanis from all walks of life routinely turn tofaith healers to remedy varioushealth problems, fromAbdominal pain toEpilepsy, avertmarriage meltdowns andfinancial crises and even fend off the powers of other healers.
Many inPakistan believe thatblack magic orsorcery (Urdu: جادو , طلسم) can help reduce their problems, curediseases, or even bringgood luck. Such practices are common not only in far-flung rural areas, where many of people are of low education, but also in big cities with higher education such asIslamabad,Faisalabad andKarachi.
There aregrave-digging incidents inKarachi andcemeteries in different regions ofPakistan wherebones are stolen from thegraves.[8] The two suspects, who had been caught and arrested they denied involvement in digging up graves to stealhuman bones for use inblack magic, which many believe is a booming business in the country, particularly in rural areas.Occult practices are believed to be widespread inPakistan where religious beliefs,superstitions andilliteracy play a big role in everyday life. A recent grave-digging incident inKarachi has highlighted this.
The formerPresidentAsif Ali Zardari was obsessed with theoccult and thesuperstition.[9] According to the media reports, “A black goat is slaughtered almost daily to ward off `evil eye` and protectPresidentAsif Ali Zardari from `black magic`,” says Pakistan's leading newspaperDawn.[10] “It has been an old practice ofZardari to offerSadaqah (charity) ofAnimal sacrifice and distributemeat to thepoor.[6] He has been doing this for a long time,” the newspaper quoted the Pakistan president's spokesmanFarhatullah Babar as saying.[11]
Some of the popular superstitions in Pakistan includes: Black Cat crossing your path will bring bad luck so many people backtrack and take another path; Crow's cawing announce surprise arrival of guests; consuming dairy products with sea food will cause skin diseases; Itchy palms means you will have monetary gains; one could be possessed by evil if sitting/sleeping under trees are after dark; you sneeze because someone is thinking of you and if your left eye twitches then something bad will happen to you.[12]
