Islamic ruqyah is reciting Quran, established supplications, or clear permissible words over a sick or afflicted person, seeking healing from Allah alone.

Yes. Ruqyah is established in the Sunnah when it is free from shirk and prohibited matters.

Among the conditions of Islamic ruqyah are:

• That it be with the words of Allah, His names and attributes, or permissible supplication.
• That it be in understandable language, not talismans.
• That it be free of shirk and seeking help from devils.
• That the one reciting and the one treated believe healing is from Allah alone.
• That it not contain anything prohibited or transgressive.

Yes. A person performing ruqyah on himself is among the most beneficial forms, because it combines recitation, supplication, presence of heart, and good reliance upon Allah.

When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم felt pain, he would recite the Mu‘awwidhat over himself and blow lightly.

A Muslim may perform ruqyah on himself in a simple way:

• Make wudu if easy.
• Remember that healing is from Allah alone.
• Recite Al-Fatihah, Ayat al-Kursi, the last two verses of Al-Baqarah, Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq, and An-Nas.
• Recite established ruqyah supplications.
• Blow lightly into the hands and wipe whatever he can of his body, or place his hand on the place of pain if appropriate.
• Repeat ruqyah without believing in a required number that is not established.
• Combine ruqyah with du‘a, repentance, preserving adhkar, and permissible treatment when needed.

No fixed number is required for every ruqyah except what evidence establishes in some adhkar and surahs. A Muslim recites what is easy and repeats according to need without believing a specific number is obligatory or that healing is tied to the number itself.

Yes. It is permissible to perform ruqyah on children, and it is an act of kindness toward them. Parents recite Quran and established supplications over their children while teaching them adhkar according to their age.

The child is treated by reciting Al-Fatihah, Ayat al-Kursi, the Mu‘awwidhat, and supplicating for protection and healing. Among beneficial supplications is:

Parents should preserve morning and evening adhkar, avoid spreading children’s photos in ways that open doors to temptation and envy, and avoid obsessive fear or accusing people.

Among the greatest things to recite are:

• Surat Al-Fatihah.
• Ayat al-Kursi.
• The last two verses of Surat Al-Baqarah.
• Surat Al-Ikhlas.
• Surat Al-Falaq.
• Surat An-Nas.
• Verses of healing.
• Verses reported in the context of nullifying magic.

Among the established supplications are:

Yes. The evil eye is real and envy exists, but it is not permissible to accuse people without evidence or to make every illness or hardship about the evil eye.

No. Symptoms alone do not prove that a person is afflicted by evil eye or magic, because many symptoms may be psychological, medical, due to exhaustion, stress, or life problems. Ruqyah is beneficial by Allah’s permission in all cases, but one may not assert a diagnosis without evidence.

It is a mistake to make every distress, illness, or dispute about evil eye or magic, because that opens the door to obsessive fear, bad suspicion, and accusing innocent people.

It is not permissible to accuse someone of giving you the evil eye or envy without evidence. The evil eye may occur unintentionally, and there may be no evil eye at all. One must guard the tongue, think well of others, and focus on protection, ruqyah, and du‘a.

Yes. Magic exists and Allah mentioned it in the Quran, but it does not harm except by Allah’s universal permission. It is not permissible to go to magicians or soothsayers to treat it.

It is not permissible to go to magicians, soothsayers, fortune-tellers, or anyone who claims knowledge of the unseen or tells people who bewitched them or where magic was placed through unseen methods. This is a dangerous door that corrupts belief and opens attachment to devils.

It is not permissible to treat magic with magic, nor to seek nearness to devils or use talismans and prohibited acts to undo magic. Magic is treated with Islamic ruqyah, repentance, adhkar, du‘a, and permissible means.

It is not permissible to hang amulets and charms to repel the evil eye, magic, or illness, because this is attachment to other than Allah. It may be shirk depending on what it contains and what the person believes.

Islamic ruqyah is clear. It is done with Quran and supplication, and it contains Tawhid and reliance upon Allah. Sorcery involves talismans, seeking help from jinn, asking for the mother’s name, slaughtering for other than Allah, amulets, claiming unseen knowledge, or prohibited instructions.

Among the signs of a proper raqi are:

• He recites Quran and clear supplications.
• He affirms that healing is from Allah alone.
• He does not claim knowledge of the unseen.
• He does not ask for the mother’s name.
• He does not request slaughter, incense, or personal traces in suspicious ways.
• He observes Islamic boundaries with women.
• He does not plant fear and obsessive doubts in people.
• He does not turn ruqyah into exploitation and trade.

Among the signs of a charlatan are:

• Using talismans and unclear words.
• Seeking help from jinn.
• Asking for the mother’s name.
• Claiming to know who did magic or envy.
• Requesting slaughter for other than Allah or special incense.
• Giving amulets and charms.
• Touching women or being alone with them.
• Demanding exaggerated money while frightening people.
• Telling the patient to abandon prayer or do something prohibited.

It is permissible to take payment for ruqyah according to many scholars if the ruqyah is Islamic, but ruqyah should not become trade and exploitation of people’s need and fear.

No. Ruqyah is a legislated cause, and medical treatment is a permissible cause. There is no contradiction between them. A Muslim combines ruqyah, du‘a, and reliance upon Allah with visiting doctors and taking means.

It is permissible to listen to Quran and recorded ruqyah, and there is good and benefit in that in sha Allah. However, it does not replace a person reciting over himself or someone else reciting directly over him, because ruqyah in its origin is recitation, supplication, light blowing, and presence of heart.

A Muslim should make recordings a helpful aid, not a complete replacement for Islamic ruqyah and du‘a.

According to many scholars, it is permissible to recite over water or oil and use it, as long as this is free from false beliefs, invented methods, or attachment to the object itself, while maintaining the belief that healing is from Allah alone.

It is not permissible for a raqi to touch a non-mahram woman or be alone with her. Ruqyah does not make violating the Shariah permissible. A woman may recite over herself, be treated by one of her mahrams, or be treated by a raqi without touching or seclusion and with a mahram or women present.

Yes. It is legislated for a Muslim to recite Quran in his home, especially Surat Al-Baqarah, preserve the adhkar, and purify the home from sins and prohibited things.

He treats that with Tawhid, seeking refuge in Allah, preserving prayer, morning and evening adhkar, reciting Quran, leaving sins, and not following fear and imagination.

Whoever is afflicted with severe obsessive thoughts should combine ruqyah and adhkar with consulting trustworthy specialists when needed, and should not allow waswasah to lead his life and worship.

Frequent legislated ruqyah is not weakness in reliance if the heart is attached to Allah. But part of complete tawakkul is not becoming attached to raqis, not thinking healing is in their hands, and not going from one raqi to another in fear and obsessive anxiety.

No. Comfort or fatigue after ruqyah does not allow a definite diagnosis. A person may benefit from ruqyah and feel calm, or he may be affected psychologically or physically for many reasons. No accusation against people or certainty of magic or evil eye should be built upon that.