What Is Islamic Ruqyah?

It is reciting over a sick person using the Quran, Allah's names and attributes, or authentically reported supplications. Supplicating with understandable, permissible words that contain neither shirk nor transgression is also allowed. One must not believe that the practitioner or the words have an effect independently. Ruqyah is a means, and Allah, glorified is He, is the Healer.

Its guidance includes using clear words, avoiding supplication to anyone other than Allah and talismanic formulas, and observing Islamic etiquette. A Muslim does not need someone who claims to possess a secret known to no one else. You can perform ruqyah on yourself and your family using the Quran and supplications you know. For practical guidance, read How to Perform Ruqyah on Yourself.

What Is Sorcery?

The term refers here to practices in which people pretend to offer treatment or possess hidden powers in order to deceive others. They may use sorcery, soothsaying, and talismanic formulas, or ask people to seek help from jinn and offer sacrifices to them. Not every act of fraud is itself sorcery, but deception is forbidden, and anything involving worship of someone other than Allah is major shirk.

قُلْ لَا يَعْلَمُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ الْغَيْبَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ

The unseen whose knowledge Allah has reserved for Himself is not known to a ruqyah practitioner, a jinn, or anyone else. Allah the Exalted says: {Say, "None in the heavens and the earth knows the unseen except Allah."} [An-Naml: 65]. A practitioner's claim does not become true simply because they mention some of your personal information. They may have learned it through ordinary means, guessed it, or had someone else pass it on to them.

Signs of Islamic Ruqyah

An upright ruqyah practitioner recites understandable, permissible words, directs the sick person's heart toward Allah, and neither guarantees a cure nor claims to know people's secrets. They encourage prayer, adhkar, and repentance, without treating the person's illness as proof of weak faith.

They protect the sick person's privacy, do not remain alone with a woman who is not their mahram or touch her skin directly under the pretext of ruqyah, and do not beat, choke, or violently shake the patient. Nor do they ask the person to abandon prescribed treatment on the basis of an unqualified diagnosis. Recitation and supplication do not rule out medical examination and treatment. For more detail, read Ruqyah and Medical Treatment.

Signs of Sorcery

The following are reasons to stop dealing with a practitioner:

• - Reciting unknown words or giving papers containing talismanic symbols while refusing to explain their meaning.

• - Asking people to invoke jinn or sacrifice to them, or using rituals claimed to please them or secure their service.

• - Naming with certainty the person who bewitched or envied the patient without evidence, or claiming to reveal the unseen and the future.

• - Presenting the mother's name, photographs, or personal clothing as a supposed means of uncovering sorcery or carrying out hidden practices.

• - Giving an amulet or charm to wear for protection, or claiming that protection cannot be obtained without it.

• - Requesting private photographs or prohibited exposure of the body, or threatening that harm will befall the patient if they stop paying or attending sessions.

Verifying Before Making Accusations

Some of these acts are clearly forbidden, such as invoking jinn and sacrificing to them, while others are indicators that must be understood in context. Merely using ordinary incense or asking for family information for a known purpose is not evidence of sorcery. Likewise, the established treatment for the evil eye that involves asking the known person responsible for it to wash, as reported in Sahih Muslim, no. 2188, is not the same as unexplained requests for clothing and personal items.

You do not have to prove that someone practices sorcery before refusing their forbidden request or stopping dealings with them. At the same time, do not spread an accusation without evidence or judge a particular person's Islam on mere suspicion. Instead, explain the act and its details to people of knowledge, and report assault or fraud to the appropriate authorities when necessary.

Why Is Sorcery Dangerous?

A sick person may become attached to someone other than Allah, fall into invoking devils, or spend their money on false promises. They may accuse their wife or brother of sorcery because a practitioner named them, damaging their home and severing family ties without evidence. An illness requiring treatment may also go undiagnosed for longer because the person has been told that everything they are experiencing is caused by the evil eye or possession.

The cause of an illness is not established merely because a person cries or yawns during recitation, or improves after a session. Improvement alone neither makes a forbidden method permissible nor proves a claim to knowledge of the unseen.

Is Everyone Who Recites Over People a Legitimate Raqi?

No. Someone who engages in false practices may mix Quranic verses with talismanic formulas or prohibited acts. A beautiful voice, particular clothing, a large following, or testimonials from people who say they benefited are not enough. Examine what the person actually says and does, and ask scholars known for tawheed and adherence to the Sunnah about anything you find unclear.

What Should You Do If You Doubt Someone?

1. 1. Stop the session or your dealings with the practitioner if they request something forbidden or expose you to harm. Do not face a dangerous situation alone.

2. 2. Do not hand over private photographs, documents, or additional money in response to a threat. Seek help if you are being blackmailed.

3. 3. Ask a trustworthy scholar about the specific words or act, rather than merely describing the person as strange.

4. 4. Keep any messages or receipts you have if you need to make a complaint, without publicly sharing your private information or accusations.

5. 5. Return to clear, permissible ruqyah and adhkar, and seek an appropriate medical assessment if you are ill.