The Story of the Epileptic Woman and the Prophet’s Supplication for Her

Question:
May Allah bless you. Honorable Shaykh, this person is asking about the hadith of the woman who came to the Messenger “Will I not be seized by epilepsy and will I not be exposed?” so he made a supplication for her. What is the story of this, Honorable Shaykh? And did the woman continue to suffer from this illness?

Answer:
Yes, this is a woman who has epilepsy; she is afflicted with it because of a jinn that haunts her. She came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and asked him to supplicate to Allah for her healing from this epilepsy. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave her the choice between being patient and having Paradise, or him supplicating for her so that Allah would heal her. She chose patience in seeking Paradise. She said, “O Messenger of Allah, I am exposed, so supplicate to Allah that I not be exposed,” meaning when the epilepsy and the affliction of the jinn overtook her. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated for her, and she continued to have seizures but was not exposed. Yes.