Saying Bismillah before pouring hot water – Shaykh Zaid Al Madkhali

Question:

Is it authentic, that it is correct for us to say, Bimisllah (In the Name of Allah) when pouring hot water in the sewage in order that we don’t burn the Jinn in the sewage?

Shaykh Zaid Al Madkhali (hafidhahullaah):

Answer:

At any rate; don’t pour hot water, don’t pour it in the sewage nor on the earth, don’t pour hot water. Because the earth is filled with inhabitants, so it is possible that it could fall upon the race of the Jinn or upon their young ones causing some of them to take revenge, consequently possessing the person. For this reason if someone wants to pour hot water let him cool it down with (cool) water until it becomes cold and is no longer harmful, then pour it in the sewage or somewhere else.

The following information will act as context for the above:

Causes of Possession

There could be three main reasons for possession, as suggested by Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullah):

(a) The occasional possession of man by the Jinn may be due to sensual desires on the part of the Jinn, passions or even love, just as it may be among humans.

(b) Majority of the possessions are the result of hatred and revenge of the Jinn, because of some wrong done to him. For example, when humans accidentally harm or hurt the Jinn by urinating on them, by pouring hot water on them, or by killing some of them, the Jinn think that they have been harmed intentionally. Though humans may not realize what they have done, the Jinn are by nature ignorant, very harsh and unstable in their behavior, so they may revengefully punish humans much more than they actually deserve.

(c) Possession sometimes also occurs as a result of plain evil on the part of the Jinn, just as evil and mischief occurs among humans for similar reasons. [See Majmoo al-Fatawa vol: 19, p. 39]