Three Levels Of Treatment
Treatment has three levels, in order:
- Protect yourself before harm comes. This is the most important level. Keep the daily Sunnah: salah, repentance, Qur’an, and morning and evening adhkar. See Protection and Recitations.
- Perform ruqyah on yourself when you are able. This page explains how.
- Seek a reliable raqi only when self-ruqyah is not realistic, then return to levels one and two.
Self-ruqyah itself has two situations. While a person still has the ability to recite and focus, self-ruqyah is the first and best path. When a person is fully overwhelmed and cannot recite, they may need a trusted family member or a reliable raqi to recite for them. Even then, the goal is to return the person to their own worship and adhkar.
Before You Begin
Ruqyah is seeking cure from Allah. Its strength is in tawhid and reliance on Him, not in technique. Before reciting:
- Make your intention sincere: you are seeking cure from Allah alone.
- Have wudu if you are able.
- Have firm belief that the Qur’an is a healing and a mercy.
- Bring presence of heart, humility, and dependence on Allah. Add praise of Allah and prayers upon the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam.
This is not a confrontation with jinn and not a performance. A person reciting for themselves or their family does not need any dramatic reaction. The Qur’an does its work by Allah’s permission whether or not anything visible happens.
The Basic Method
- Begin with the isti`adhah (seeking refuge) and basmalah before each portion.
- Recite the chosen Qur’an, with the intention of ruqyah and seeking cure.
- After a portion, blow lightly into your hands (a light dry breath, nafth) and wipe over the head, face, and body. You may also blow lightly toward the area of discomfort.
- Move to the next portion, seek refuge and say the basmalah again, recite, and blow.
- Repeating the full recitation three times is recommended for completeness.
You may also recite over water and then drink it or wash with it. A well-known practice is reciting Ayat al-Kursi over water seven times and drinking it; the number seven here comes from experience (tajribah), not a fixed obligation.
A Recitation Program
The following recitations are used for self-ruqyah. Recite the isti`adhah and basmalah before each portion, and repeat the set up to three times.
- Surat al-Fatihah — the opening of the Qur’an, used for ruqyah in the Sunnah.
- Surat al-Baqarah 1–5 (to …wa ula’ika humu al-muflihun).
- Al-Baqarah 163–164.
- Ayat al-Kursi — al-Baqarah 255.
- The last two verses of al-Baqarah — 285–286.
- Al `Imran 18–19.
- Al-A`raf 54–56.
- For suspected sihr: al-A`raf 117–122 (the defeat of Pharaoh’s magicians).
- For suspected sihr: Yunus 79–82.
- For suspected sihr: Ta-Ha 65–69.
- Ar-Ra`d 28 and 30–31 (…by the remembrance of Allah hearts find rest).
- Al-Isra 81–82 (…falsehood is bound to vanish / …healing and mercy).
- Al-Mu’minun 115–118.
- As-Saffat 1–10.
- Al-Ahqaf 29–32 (the jinn who listened to the Qur’an).
- Ar-Rahman 33–36.
- The last three verses of al-Hashr — 59:22–24.
- Surat al-Jinn 1–9.
- Surat al-Buruj.
- The last three surahs — al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq, and al-Nas.
Prophetic Du`as For Ruqyah
After reciting Qur’an, add these authentic supplications of the Prophet, salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam.
The du`a Jibril recited over the Prophet
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ أَرْقِيكَ، مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ يُؤْذِيكَ، مِنْ شَرِّ كُلِّ نَفْسٍ أَوْ عَيْنٍ حَاسِدٍ، اللَّهُ يَشْفِيكَ، بِسْمِ اللَّهِ أَرْقِيكَ
Transliteration: Bismillahi arqik, min kulli shay’in yu’dhik, min sharri kulli nafsin aw `aynin hasid, Allahu yashfik, bismillahi arqik.
Meaning summary: In Allah’s name I perform ruqyah over you, from everything that harms you, from the evil of every soul or every envious eye; may Allah cure you; in Allah’s name I perform ruqyah over you. (Reported in Sahih Muslim.)
Asking Allah, the Lord of people, to remove the harm
اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ النَّاسِ، أَذْهِبِ الْبَأْسَ، اشْفِ أَنْتَ الشَّافِي، لَا شِفَاءَ إِلَّا شِفَاؤُكَ، شِفَاءً لَا يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا
Transliteration: Allahumma Rabban-nas, adhhibil-ba’s, ishfi anta ash-Shafi, la shifa’a illa shifa’uk, shifa’an la yughadiru saqama.
Meaning summary: O Allah, Lord of people, remove the harm and cure; You are the Healer; there is no cure but Your cure, a cure that leaves no illness behind. (Reported in al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
You may add more du`a in your own words: more praise of Allah, more humility, and more asking. Depend on Allah completely and do not panic. The one reciting should remember that shaytan is weak before the Qur’an.
Water, Oil, And Leaves
Ruqyah may also be done by reciting over things that are then used by the person. These are ordinary lawful aids, not magic, and they carry no benefit except by Allah’s permission:
- Water — recite over it and drink it or wash with it.
- Olive oil and black seed (among other oils) — recite over the oil, then apply it.
- Sidr (lote) leaves — crushed into water that is recited over, then used to wash, a long-known practice especially mentioned for the evil eye.
Recite Qur’an and the du`as above over the water, oil, or leaves with the intention of cure, then use them. Do not add names, codes, symbols, or anything outside the Qur’an and Sunnah. Anything like that turns a lawful means into something forbidden. See Safe Ruqyah and False Healers.
When To Seek More Help
Begin with self-ruqyah and protection. Seek a reliable raqi if you are unable to recite, losing control, or not improving — choosing someone by the standards on Safe Ruqyah and False Healers.
Ruqyah is not a replacement for medical and mental-health care. Seizures, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, psychosis, severe depression, and other serious symptoms need qualified professional help. A person may seek cure from Allah through Qur’an while also using lawful medical means. If there is immediate danger, seek emergency help first.