The harm of water that has been written on, and its cure

Question

Question: If someone writes on water (which is kept in a vessel or the like), and drinking it causes a sore throat, is it permissible or not to take other water, “cut” it three times with a knife and drink it?

Answer

This is a superstitious remedy; it has no basis in the Shari‘a. If there is a belief that drinking water “cut” with a knife will heal the throat, then, since this is a remedy neither according to the Shari‘a nor according to medicine, and neither the Shari‘a nor medicine has declared water that has been written on to be harmful, one should refrain from it.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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