Salamun Alaykum.

God gives us the freedom of choice.  We are responsible for our actions.  For example, God created fire.  We can use it for cooking food or heating our homes.  On the other hand, we can use it to burn people's home or property.  The knowledge of physics can be used to create a nuclear powered electrical generator for the benefit of humans or to create an atomic bomb to destroy humans.  The same thing is true about  magic.  It can be used for good intention like providing pure entertainment for kids or for bad intention to harm people.  It is a test and the choice is ours.  

When people do not understand certain knowledge, they sometime term it as magic.  A cell phone is not a magical object in the 21st century.  But, it would have certainly be considered a magical item if it was demonstrated 1400 years ago.  We learn from the Quran that the people accused their contemporary God's messengers as magicians because of their inability to understand the God gifted knowledge.

[3:49] As a messenger to the Children of Israel: "I come to you with a sign from your Lord - I create for you from clay the shape of a bird, then I blow into it, and it becomes a live bird by GOD's leave. I restore vision to the blind, heal the leprous, and I revive the dead by GOD's leave. I can tell you what you eat, and what you store in your homes. This should be a proof for you, if you are believers.

King Solomon was a believer.  God Almighty gave him magical wisdom.  He employed such knowledge to force devils to help him doing many jobs.  He never abused such knowledge. 

The Quran recognizes magic as devil's scheme only when it is misused.  It is a gross sin when people abuse such knowledge and apply it in any evil scheme.

[2:102] They pursued what the devils taught concerning Solomon's kingdom. Solomon, however, was not a disbeliever, but the devils were disbelievers. They taught the people sorcery, and that which was sent down through the two angels of Babel, Haroot and Maroot. These two did not divulge such knowledge without pointing out: "This is a test. You shall not abuse such knowledge." But the people used it in such evil schemes as the breaking up of marriages. They can never harm anyone against the will of GOD. They thus learn what hurts them, not what benefits them, and they know full well that whoever practices witchcraft will have no share in the Hereafter. Miserable indeed is what they sell their souls for, if they only knew.

The Quran gives us an example how such knowledge can be abused to misguide people.

[20:96] He said, "I saw what they could not see. I grabbed a fistful (of dust) from the place where the messenger stood, and used it (to mix into the golden calf). This is what my mind inspired me to do." 

[33:62] God's Sunnah is unchangeable 

[39:23] The Quran is the best Hadith

http://www.islamawakened.com/Quran/ 

--- On Sat, 7/2/11, abdAllâh <> wrote:

Sorcery, Divination and Soothsaying

Chapter 2.2:

Sorcery, Divination and Soothsaying

All these prohibited Shaytanic practices, defect or oppose the Aqeedah and can be accomplished only through polytheistic practices.

1. Sorcery:

Turning a thing from its proper manner of being to another, for the sorcerer makes what is false to appear in the form of truth, and causes a thing to be imagined different from what it really is. Its works may be done in talismanic materials or through certain works, medicines, or smoke. Some magic works have physical effects on hearts and bodies that cause sicknesses, death or separate husband and wife form each other. However, such works can take effect only by the universal will of Allah. It is Shaytanic work, most of its results can be obtained by committing polytheistic practices, and by doing things that evil spirits love, such as dedicating acts of worship to those spirits. Hence, the lawmaker equated sorcery with Shirk. The Prophet (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said: "Keep away from the seven plunging sins." They inquired: "What are they?" He said: "Shirk, sorcery..., homicide, which Allah made unlawful, to kill without legitimate reason, devouring usury, devouring orphan's property, fleeing the battlefield, and accusing a chaste believing woman of fornication. [Agreed upon]

Sorcery involves Shirk in two aspects:

First, because it involves seeking help of Shayateen, depending on them, and seeking their favors by doing things they love in return for their services. Besides, sorcery is what Shaytaan teaches people. Allah says: "But it is Shayateen who disbelieved, teaching people sorcery." [Soorah al-Baqarah (2): 102]

Second, it connotes the claim of knowing of unseen or invisible world, and the claim of sharing this knowledge with Allah, which constitutes infidelity and deviation. Allah says: "And they have certainly known that he who learns it has no share of good in the Hereafter." [Soorah al-Baqarah (2): 102] Hence, there is no doubt that sorcery constitutes infidelity and Shirk which opposes the Aqeedah, and he, who practices must be executed. Some prominent Companions (radhi allahi anhum) beheaded a number of sorcerers. People take sorcerers and sorcery lightly; they probably consider it as an entertainment art about which they boast, and grant those who practice it prizes and applause. They also establish clubs and parties that include contests of magicians attended by thousands of viewers and promoters. This reflects ignorance in religious matters, and negligence of the aspects of Aqeedah, and support for those who disrespect it.

2. Divination and Soothsaying:

Both of which are but presumptuous claims of having access to the knowledge of the unseen world, and futuristic events as to what will happen on earth, or knowing the location of lost things by employing Shayateen who eavesdrop on the heaven. Allah says: "Shall I inform you on whom the devils descend? They descend on every great liar and sinner. They eavesdrop and most of them are liars. Who gives ear and most of them are liars." [Soorah ash-Shoora (26): 221-223] For Shaytaan listens by stealth to the conversation of angels and then passes it on to a soothsayer who in turns adds to it a hundred lies, and people would believe him on account of that word which Shaytaan heard from the heaven. Allah alone is the only One to Whom the knowledge of the unseen is restricted of Ghaib [1]. And he who believes such claimant has by so doing, ascribed a partner to Allah imputing to him characteristics that are exclusively Allah's.

Divination too involves Shirk because it is a means of gaining access to devils through doing what they love. It is Shirk of Rububiyyah from aspect of claiming a share in the knowledge of the unseen, and Shirk of Uloohiyyah from the aspect of dedicating acts of worship to other than Allah. Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said: "He who consults a diviner or a soothsayer and believes what he says, will have disbelieved in what was sent down to Muhammad (i.e. the Qur'aan). " [Abu Dawood] [2]

It must be borne in mind that sorcerers, soothsayers, and diviners, deceive people by posing as physicians and command their patients to make offering to other than Allah. They command them to offer animals with certain specifications, or they write them polytheistic talismanic writings, and devilish amulets and place them in lockets to be worn by patients around their necks or preserve them in boxes in their homes. Some also pose as fortune-tellers claiming they can locate lost items so that ignorant people would seek their help for locating their lost properties. They either inform them about the locations of the lost item, or bring it to them by means of Shaytanic clients. Some also pose as pious people who can achieve things that break through the course of nature, such fire walking, or shooting himself with fire arms, or stabbing themselves with knives or the like, or making a car run over them without being harmed. Or they form certain gimmicks that are achieved by Shaytaan and it seems as if such people are performing them. They may be imaginary actions, or magic tricks performed in front of the spectators, just as Fir'awn's sorcerers when they enchanted people with their ropes and sticks. In his debate with Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, a Bata'ihiyah sorcerer who belonged to the Riffa'iyah Sufi Order, raised his voice saying: "We can do abnormal things of such and such that no one else can do. He claimed performing things that break through the course of nature, such as fire walking and other things that only members of his order can do." Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah raised his voice angrily saying: "I am addressing every Ahmadi (Riffa'i) in the East and the West of the earth challenging them that anything they can do, such as fire walking, I would do the same, and he who burns is defeated. I probably said, 'May the curse of Allah be upon him.' Provided we wash our bodies with vinegar and hot water." Some rulers and people asked me about my statement, to which I said: "Because they rub their bodies with the frog's fat, and citrus fruit skin, and the talc stone." Then the Riffa'i said: "Both you and me shall wrap ourselves in a sheer after coating our bodies with sulfur." I said: "Lets do so," and I repeated my demand, then he touched his shirt pretending to take it off, I said: "Not until you wash your body with hot water and vinegar." He was perplexed then he said: "He who loves the ruler let him bring in wood for fire." I said: "You are distracting people from the main debate and wasting time, and nothing can be achieved. It is enough to light a lantern and insert in it my finger and yours after having a wash, then he whose finger is burnt, then upon him shall be the curse of Allah. Or, I said: "He will be defeated." Having said this, the man's face changed, and looked humiliated. In other words, such people are imposters who deceive people by their hidden tricks. ---------------------------------------

[1] Al-Ghaib, the world that is hidden from, or beyond perception by senses unless by means of divine revelation with which the Prophet (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) has acquainted the Muslims, such as the events of the Day of Resurrection, and of Jannah and Hell. [Translator]

[2] Since a soothsayer-diviner prophesizes futuristic events relying on the Shaytanic aids, and since such practice is forbidden then believing a diviner constitutes infidelity because it means opposing the Qur'aan which commands ostracizing and disbelieving such people.

Source:

Aqeedah At-Tawheed (The Creed of Islâmic Monotheism) by Shaikh Saalih al-Fawzaan 

Translated by Mahmoud Ridha Murad

http://www.abdurrahman.org/tawheed/AqeedahAtTawheed-Fawzaan.html

Note: All footnotes which mention, [Translator] at the end are by the translator, Mahmoud Ridha Murad. Apart from these all additional footnotes are by As-Sunnah (www.qsep.com)