The Ruling on Ruqyah (Healing by Qur'anic Recitation) for the Sick and Taking a Fee for It
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Question:
What is the ruling on some of our Muslim brothers who use the clear verses of Allah from the Noble Qur'an to treat the sick and the insane? We know that these people use them as water or with cows, and they recite and make it into a patient and put it on eggs. I also inform you that most of the ones I know do not take a fee for this, but there are others who take from them, or even extort them, especially the ignorant, and particularly women. I ask for clarification on this, as I suffer from this problem greatly in one of the Muslim lands, and many people issue fatwas, and we are repentant. Aww.
Answer:
Yes. Reciting over the sick and the insane with the verses is not a futile matter; it is prescribed. Allah, (Exalted and Majestic is He), made the Qur'an a healing for people, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Companions used to treat with the Qur'an. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Excuse me for you"Sunan Abi Dawud 3886Sahih (Al-Albani) so that you may be partners. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was treated by Jibril, and he treated his Companions with the verses of the Qur'an. When the Companions were traveling, they stopped at a place in the desert, and some of the Bedouins who had stopped with them came to them and mentioned that their master, meaning their chief, had been afflicted. They asked, "Do you have ruqyah?" They said, "Yes." So one of the Companions stood up and treated him with al-Fatihah, "Praise be to Allah," blowing on him and reciting until he stood up as if he had been untied from a rope, and Allah cured him. They gave them a piece of sheep that they had agreed upon for them. When they came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), they informed him, and he said, Sunan Abi Dawud 3418Sahih (Al-Albani) making it clear to them the permissibility of this, peace and blessings be upon him.
So there is no harm in his treating them with the verses and good supplications, and asking Allah for the sick person's healing and well-being. The insane person is also treated, perhaps Allah will cure him of what has befallen him. But he must fear Allah, so he does not resort to other things like fortune-telling, sorcery, and calling the jinn. No, that is what is wrong. But if he treats with the Qur'an and good supplications like with which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) treated, and with which the Companions treated, so Jibril treated the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) , and the Prophet treated Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shammās with the Qur'an, reading it in water and pouring it over him, so there is no harm in that. But beware of the fortune-tellers who deal with the service of the devils and the jinn and the sorcerers; this is wrong. It is not permissible to visit them or ask them. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, Sahih Muslim 2230 a day. And the diviner uses the jinn and seeks help from the jinn, and in another hadith, the scales of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.
So the fortune-tellers who claim the unseen, who claim knowledge of the unseen, use the jinn and the devils. They are not to be visited, nor asked, nor is it permissible to approach them, nor ask them, nor seek healing from them. As for the people of religion and faith who are known, if they recite over the sick person, whether for a fee or without a fee, whether they are given something or not, there is no harm in that, on the condition that he reads the Qur'an or good supplications, or reads in water or writes it in a plate or on a paper with saffron or a handful that he drinks; the scholars did this and there is no harm in that. But the best of that is that he reads over him, blows on him, or in what he drinks or pours over him. All of this is beneficial by the permission of Allah. Yes.
What is the ruling on some of our Muslim brothers who use the clear verses of Allah from the Noble Qur'an to treat the sick and the insane? We know that these people use them as water or with cows, and they recite and make it into a patient and put it on eggs. I also inform you that most of the ones I know do not take a fee for this, but there are others who take from them, or even extort them, especially the ignorant, and particularly women. I ask for clarification on this, as I suffer from this problem greatly in one of the Muslim lands, and many people issue fatwas, and we are repentant. Aww.
Answer:
Yes. Reciting over the sick and the insane with the verses is not a futile matter; it is prescribed. Allah, (Exalted and Majestic is He), made the Qur'an a healing for people, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Companions used to treat with the Qur'an. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Excuse me for you"
your invocations to me. There is no harm in invocations so long as
رقاكم لا بأس بالرقى ما لمNarrated Abu Sa’id Al Khudri: Some of the Companions of Prophet (ﷺ) went on a journey. They encamped with a clan of the Arabs and sought hospitality from them, but they refused to provide them with any hospitality. The chief of the clan was stung by a scorpion or bitten by a snake. They gave him all sorts of treatment, but nothing gave him relied. One of them said: Would that you had gone to those people who encamped with you ; some of them might have something which could give you relief to your companion. (So they went and) one of them said: Our chief has been stung by a scorpion or bitten by a snake. We administered all sorts of medicine but nothing gave him relief. Has any of you anything, i.e. charm, which gives healing to our companion. One of those people said: I shall apply charm; we sought hospitality from you, but you refused to entertain us. I am not going to apply charm until you give me some wages. So they offered them a number of sheep. He then came to and recited Faithat-al-Kitab and spat until he was cured as if he were set free from a bond. Thereafter they made payment of the wages as agreed by them. They said: Apportion (the wages). The man who applied the charm said: Do not do until we come to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and consult him. So they came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) next morning and mentioned it to him. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: From where did you learn that it was a charm ? You have done right. Give me a share along with you.
أحسنتم واضربوا لي معكم بسهمSo there is no harm in his treating them with the verses and good supplications, and asking Allah for the sick person's healing and well-being. The insane person is also treated, perhaps Allah will cure him of what has befallen him. But he must fear Allah, so he does not resort to other things like fortune-telling, sorcery, and calling the jinn. No, that is what is wrong. But if he treats with the Qur'an and good supplications like
O Allah, remove the illness, O Lord of mankind, and intercede that there be no healing for you, and intercede that no sickness be planted. This
اللهم اذهب إلى اللباس رب الناس واشفع أن لا شفاك واشفع أن لا يغرس سقما هذهIn the name of Allah, I treat you from everything that harms you, from the evil of people, or from the evil of the jinn, may Allah heal you. In the name of Allah, I treat you
بسم الله يرقيك من كل شيء يؤذيك من شرك الناس أو يجعل نحاس الله يشفيك بسم الله يرقيكHe who visits a diviner ('Arraf) and asks him about anything, his prayers extending to forty nights
من أتى عرافا فسأله عن شيء لم تقبل له صلاة أربعينWhoever visits a diviner or a fortune-teller and believes in what he says has disbelieved in what
من أتى عرافا أو كاهنا وصدقه فيقول فقد كفر بماSo the fortune-tellers who claim the unseen, who claim knowledge of the unseen, use the jinn and the devils. They are not to be visited, nor asked, nor is it permissible to approach them, nor ask them, nor seek healing from them. As for the people of religion and faith who are known, if they recite over the sick person, whether for a fee or without a fee, whether they are given something or not, there is no harm in that, on the condition that he reads the Qur'an or good supplications, or reads in water or writes it in a plate or on a paper with saffron or a handful that he drinks; the scholars did this and there is no harm in that. But the best of that is that he reads over him, blows on him, or in what he drinks or pours over him. All of this is beneficial by the permission of Allah. Yes.
Source
فتاوى الحج ١٤١٠ هـ - ٦ — archive.org (43:05)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.