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Every now and then we get a question which asks for a translation or purpose of an amulet that the OP found hidden somewhere in their home. As an example see most of the questions tagged under .

Should such questions be on-topic?

My intent is to see if people agree that such questions should be closed similar to questions on dreams.

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  • My suggestion was to have a reference question with a well-elaborated answer see Topics to which some reference questions could be useful
    – Medi1Saif Mod
    Commented May 31 at 8:01
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    We can give a standard answer to whether or not having amulets is permissible or how to dispose of it. We can't have one on its translation or intended purposes.
    – UmH Mod
    Commented May 31 at 8:10
  • Difficult and valuable question. Is an amulet shirk as seeking help from beside ALLAH, or is it only a tool, like like applying antibiotics against an infection? Commented Jun 1 at 17:21

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My opinion is that such questions are not suited to the site.

  1. Each amulet is unique and the answer is not going to be useful to anyone except the person who asked the question. Translations should only be entertained where they are of a notable text such as a passage from an Islamic book or maybe a renowned work of calligraphy.

  2. It involves guesswork as the actual intended purpose is known for certain only to the one who created the amulet. Often a single verse can be used for different purposes for e.g. to cure some ailment or to provide protection. Hence there is no way to judge whether an answer is correct.

  3. Such questions are often of poor quality. The amulet is usually written in an illegible handwriting, or it is composed of numerals or letters which can stand for a number of things.

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  • I agree with you, "such questions are not suited to the site" and also for the reasons you have given. Nevertheless, they should not be banned completely without judging each case separately. Commented Jul 29 at 17:24
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We are certainly not a translation service provider.
Therefore, such questions should be categorically rejected if the question is too unspecific: What I mean is the translation of a word or a sentence from a larger context, must be treated or evaluated in a more differentiated manner or on a case-by-case basis. But a general translation request is fundamentally unacceptable and should be rejected.

Long story short translation of tawiz is from my perspective off-topic.

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  • Agreed. Should we perhaps add a description to the tag that states "Tawiz interpretation questions are off-topic. Use this tag only if you have questions about the halal/haram of tawiz" or something like that. Commented Jun 15 at 9:53
  • @SyedM.Sannan feel free to do it. Even if in the least years StackExchange somewhat moves in a different direction we started as a community-moderated and driven platform if you want something to change do it and see how others react. A hands on mentality would be more beneficial for the site.
    – Medi1Saif Mod
    Commented Nov 11 at 10:51
  • Just submitted the edit. I was under the impression that I can't edit tags before 1,500 reputation points, which is why I pinged you, but I was just confused. Commented Nov 11 at 11:43

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