What Is Ruqyah? Healing and Refuge Through the Qur'an

In moments of illness and distress, turning to one's Lord and asking Him for healing is one of the most natural directions Islam offers. Ruqyah is a concrete form of that turning: seeking refuge in Allah through verses of the Qur'an and supplications taught by the Prophet. But what exactly is ruqyah, what is its place in the Sunnah, and where is the line between lawful ruqyah and forbidden exploitation? This article addresses the question with its sources.

What Is Ruqyah?

Linguistically, ruqyah means "to recite and blow, seeking refuge in Allah through supplication." As a religious term it refers to reciting verses of the Qur'an and ma'thur supplications (those transmitted from the Prophet) over a sick person, with the aim of healing or protection from harm. As the Encyclopedia of Islam (TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi) notes in its entry on ruqyah, the roots of the practice reach back to pre-Islamic Arab society; yet the amulets, charms, and incantations of that era were often laced with shirk — associating partners with Allah. Islam purified this tradition of everything contrary to tawhid and reshaped it into a form of supplication and refuge that ties the source of healing to Allah alone.

This distinction is the key to understanding ruqyah: the words recited in ruqyah are not a spell but a prayer. What brings benefit or harm is neither the verses nor the reciter, but Allah Most High — the One who revealed those verses, created the universe, and grants healing to whom He wills.

The Basis of Ruqyah in the Qur'an and Sunnah

The Qur'an openly declares itself a source of healing. In Surah al-Isra, Allah says:

And We send down of the Qur'an that which is a healing and a mercy for the believers, but it increases the wrongdoers only in loss.

This verse emphasizes that the Qur'an is first and foremost a healing for hearts and souls; the bond formed with it cleanses the believer of both spiritual illness and fear. Likewise, Surah al-Falaq and Surah al-Nas (the Muawwidhatayn) are supplications that directly teach seeking refuge in Allah from every evil:

Say: "I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak, from the evil of what He created, and from the evil of darkness when it settles, and from the evil of the blowers in knots, and from the evil of an envier when he envies."

The Prophet (peace be upon him) recited these surahs for both protection and healing and taught them to his community. ʿAʾishah reported that when the Messenger of Allah fell ill, he would recite the Muawwidhatayn (Surah al-Falaq and Surah al-Nas) over himself and blow into his hands, then wipe his hands over his body, hoping for their blessing.

The Ruqyah the Angel Jibril Recited Over the Prophet

One of the strongest proofs for the lawfulness of ruqyah is the supplication that the angel Jibril himself recited over the Prophet. Abu Saʿid al-Khudri reported that when the Prophet fell ill, Jibril came to him and said:

In the Name of Allah I recite over you (a ruqyah), from everything that harms you, from the evil of every soul or the eye of an envier. May Allah heal you. In the Name of Allah I recite over you.

This supplication captures the essence of ruqyah: from beginning to end it opens with the Name of Allah, takes refuge in Him, and awaits healing from Him alone.

Ruqyah with Surah al-Fatihah

A group of Companions, while travelling, camped near a tribe whose chief had been stung by a scorpion. The tribespeople asked whether anyone among the Companions could recite over him and seek healing. One Companion recited Surah al-Fatihah and blew over the sick man, who recovered by Allah's permission. When the Companions came to the Prophet to ask whether what they had done was lawful, the Messenger of Allah asked in wonder:

How did you know that al-Fatihah is a ruqyah?

The Prophet approved of what they had done and said, "The most rightful thing for which you take a reward is the Book of Allah." This report clearly establishes the lawfulness of seeking healing with the verses of the Qur'an, foremost among them Surah al-Fatihah. You can look more closely at the relevant texts in our Qur'an and hadith sections.

The Conditions for Lawful Ruqyah

The majority of scholars agree that ruqyah is permissible provided certain conditions are met. The Encyclopedia of Islam entry summarizes these conditions as follows:

• The words recited must be intelligible and lawful: Only verses of the Qur'an, the Beautiful Names of Allah, and supplications transmitted from the Prophet are recited. Words of unknown meaning or of a talismanic nature are not used.
• One must believe that healing comes from Allah: It is Allah — not the verses and not the reciter — who brings benefit or harm. This conviction is the essential measure that keeps ruqyah within the bounds of tawhid.
• There must be no shirk or exploitation: Appealing to stars, jinn, or unseen powers, tying knots and blowing on them, and similar pre-Islamic customs are strictly forbidden.

The Difference Between Ruqyah and Exploitation

The line between ruqyah and the exploitation practiced by charlatans is very clear. The Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), through its High Board of Religious Affairs, has stated that reciting the Qur'an and supplications while hoping for healing by Allah's permission is permissible; but practices carried out to deceive people, to claim knowledge of the unseen, or to extract material gain are religiously forbidden. In the Board's words, lawful ruqyah is performed with the conviction that healing comes from Allah alone and without leading to exploitation.

Accordingly, anyone who claims to know the unseen, puts people into debt, collects money through fear, or relies on amulets and talismans is not performing ruqyah but engaging in plain exploitation. Turning to such things can drag a person into superstition through fear of the evil eye. Yet the believer's true refuge is a firm faith that the unseen is known to Allah alone.

How Is Ruqyah Performed?

When a person wishes to perform ruqyah on themselves or a loved one, they may follow this framework:

1. Intention and reliance on Allah (tawakkul): One begins knowing in the heart that healing is awaited from Allah. Ruqyah is a means; healing is the Divine Decree of Allah.
2. Reciting the verses and supplications: Surah al-Fatihah, Ayat al-Kursi, and Surahs al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq, and al-Nas are the most commonly recited passages. Reciting them with attention to their meaning is meritorious.
3. Blowing and supplication: After reciting, gently blowing into the hands and wiping them over the face and body accords with the Prophet's practice. One then asks Allah for healing with a sincere supplication.

What matters is that this recitation becomes not a habit or ritual but the supplication of a heart turning to its Lord.

Conclusion

Understood correctly, ruqyah is a beautiful way for the believer to seek refuge in the Lord, to seek healing through the Qur'an, and to strengthen reliance upon Him. Misunderstood, it opens the door to exploitation and superstition. The single measure that distinguishes these two extremes is the belief of tawhid: faith that benefit and harm come from Allah alone. For binding rulings on personal situations, one should consult competent authorities such as the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet); this article is general information grounded in sources, not a fatwa.

References

1. Surah al-Isra, 82 — kuran.diyanet.gov.tr (Diyanet translation).
2. Surah al-Falaq, 1-5 — kuran.diyanet.gov.tr (Diyanet translation).
3. Sahih al-Bukhari, Medicine, no. 5735 — narrated by ʿAʾishah (reciting the Muawwidhatayn); verified via hadeethenc.com.
4. Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Salam, no. 2186 — narrated by Abu Saʿid al-Khudri (the ruqyah of Jibril); verified via hadeethenc.com.
5. Sahih al-Bukhari, Medicine, no. 5736 — ruqyah with Surah al-Fatihah (the scorpion-sting incident).
6. "Ruqyah" entry, Encyclopedia of Islam (TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi) — islamansiklopedisi.org.tr.
7. High Board of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), fatwa on the permissibility of ruqyah — kurul.diyanet.gov.tr.