Legitimate Ruqyah for Treatment

Ruqyah — the practice of reciting Quranic verses and prophetic supplications over an afflicted person for the purpose of healing — is the primary legitimate treatment for magic, jinn possession, and the evil eye in Islam. Wahid Abdussalam Bali provides a detailed account of the conditions, methods, and protocols for legitimate ruqyah, carefully distinguishing it from illegitimate practices that borrow Islamic terminology while violating Islamic principles.

The prophetic basis for ruqyah is well established. The companions of the Prophet regularly performed ruqyah upon one another and presented it to the Prophet for evaluation; he approved those forms that did not involve shirk or incomprehensible words and rejected those that did. The Prophet himself performed ruqyah — including over himself and members of his family — and taught specific recitations for this purpose. The famous hadith in which a companion performed ruqyah with Al-Fatiha over a man who had been stung by a scorpion, receiving a flock of sheep as compensation, was explicitly approved by the Prophet with the words: 'You did well. How did you know that it is a ruqyah?' This event established that ruqyah with the Quran is legitimate and may even be performed in exchange for compensation.

The conditions for legitimate (shar'iyyah) ruqyah are well-defined by scholars. First, it must consist entirely of Quranic recitation, prophetic supplications, or requests addressed directly to Allah — no words of unknown meaning, no invocations of jinn or angels, no requests directed to anyone other than Allah. Second, it must be performed in Arabic or a language clearly understood by those involved. Third, the performer and recipient must believe that the ruqyah's effect comes only from Allah, not from the words themselves or the person performing them. Fourth, there must be no prohibited materials involved: no blood, no amulets containing unlawful content, no food or drink contaminated with prohibited substances.

Bali describes the typical ruqyah session in detail. The practitioner begins with recitation of Al-Fatiha, followed by Ayat al-Kursi, the al-Mu'awwidhatayn, and other specified protective and healing verses. The recitation may be done directly over the afflicted person, blown gently onto them, or recited over water that the person then drinks or washes with — all of which are established by practice from the prophetic tradition or the companions. The practitioner may place their hand on the afflicted area while reciting, following the example of the Prophet who would place his hand on the site of pain when treating with ruqyah.

For cases of suspected magic that have been physically embedded in objects (as in the Prophet's case), finding and destroying the physical vehicle of the spell can contribute to its dissolution. Bali presents the scholarly discussion of whether this step is necessary or merely helpful, concluding that when the physical object can be identified and retrieved without involving any prohibited means, its destruction is beneficial.

Self-ruqyah — performing the recommended recitations upon oneself — is both legitimate and recommended by Islamic scholars. The person who has memorized the protective and healing recitations of the Quran has a powerful tool for their own protection and treatment that is always available to them. Bali provides a detailed self-ruqyah protocol that believers can practice independently, emphasizing that the most effective ruqyah is that performed by someone whose own spiritual state is strong through regular prayer, Quran recitation, dhikr, and avoidance of sin.

The chapter warns against the many charlatans who present themselves as ruqyah practitioners while actually engaging in magic themselves — claiming to treat magic with techniques that themselves involve prohibited practices. Signs of an illegitimate practitioner include: asking for the names of parents rather than the afflicted person (a feature of magical practice rather than Quranic treatment); producing written amulets with incomprehensible symbols or numbers; giving the patient strange substances to consume, burn, or bury; charging exorbitant fees; or claiming special powers beyond what any ordinary Muslim possesses.