Exorcisms in Islam

The first part of the paper discusses the terminology and the basic approaches of Islam to the problem of the activity of spirits - jinns. The belief in jinns has been adopted from pre-islamic, ancient Arab traditions. The reader is subsequently informed about the methods of exorcism, including its geographical differences. Finally, a case study is presented concerning a so-called zar, i.e. a certain type of exorcism of hysterical women.

Keywords: Islam; Exorcism; Religious studies; Zar