Ill and Refuses to Take Medication
Question

                My brother has recently developed some psychological problems. 

He exhibits signs of paranoia. His wife has kicked him out of the house and turned his young children; 2 boys and 1 girl against him. They do not want to know him anymore. I took him in to my house. Although he exhibits signs of eccentricity and paranoia he is not violent. In fact he suspects that someone may have done sihr (black magic) to him and his family. Although he has these suspicions, in his state of depression, he refuses to receive any help for his condition. He even argues that it is a test and that he must wait for Allah to lift this suffering. My question is, if he does not want to see anybody about his condition, how can I tell if he has been affected by sihr?.
Praise be to Allah.
	Yes, what your brother is going 
	through, whether it is a physical disease or sihr (witchcraft), or it is a 
	case of mental illness, or anything else, is indeed a test from Allah, may 
	He be exalted, to His slave. Every test that a person goes through in this 
	life happens by the decree of Allah, and it is good that your brother 
	realises and understands this. 

	But what is not good and is not 
	correct is for him to think that he has to wait until Allah, may He be 
	glorified and exalted, lifts this suffering from him. Belief in the divine 
	will and decree does not mean that one should not take appropriate measures. 
	Rather, when Allah, may He be exalted, decrees something He also decrees the 
	measures that could lead to it; feeling full happens by the decree of Allah 
	but the hungry person should eat (to reach the state of feeling full); and 
	having children comes by the decree of Allah, but the one who wants to have 
	children should get married, and so on. 

	It was narrated from Abu 
	Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and 
	peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Allah has not sent down any disease but 
	He has sent down a cure for it.”Narrated by al-Bukhari, 
	5678. 

	Thus it becomes clear that as 
	Allah decrees illnesses, He has decreed remedies for them that are 
	appropriate; those who know them know them and those who do not know them do 
	not know them. 

	So what you have to do is to 
	treat your brother kindly according to his situation, and convince him to 
	seek a remedy for his sickness. It is good to use both ways together, the 
	usual medical remedy for the one who is in such a situation and looking into 
	the matter of sihr, which is by his going to a raqi (one who recites 
	legislated incantations) who can treat him with ruqya by reciting Quran and 
	proper, well known shar‘i (Islamically legislated) ruqyahs (incantations). 

	We ask Allah to heal your 
	brother for you and to help you in dealing with him, and to give you the 
	best of rewards. 

	And Allah knows best.