What is ruqyah?
Ruqyah (رُقْيَة) is treatment by reciting the words of Allah and the authentic supplications of His Messenger ﷺ, seeking cure and protection from Allah alone. It is the lawful alternative to the amulets, charms and soothsayers ruled out on Non-Islamic Practices. The Quran itself is named a healing:
وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ ٱلْقُرْءَانِ مَا هُوَ شِفَآءٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
"And We send down of the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy for the believers."
Quran 17:82 (Al-Isrāʾ)
The Companions used al-Fātiḥah to cure a man stung by a scorpion, and when they told the Prophet ﷺ, he smiled and said, "How do you know that Surat-al-Fatiha is a Ruqya?" and approved taking a reward for it (Sahih al-Bukhari 5736). Ruqyah is a Sunnah — but only within limits.
Lawful ruqyah — its three conditions
The scholars, from the ḥadīth of ʿAwf ibn Mālik, set three conditions that separate a permitted ruqyah from a forbidden one:
"Let me know your invocation"; and said: "There is no harm in the invocation as long as there is no polytheism in it."
Narrated by ʿAwf ibn Mālik — Sahih Muslim — site reader no. 5585, Kitab al-Salam
So ruqyah is lawful when: (1) it is with the words of Allah, His names and attributes, or authentic supplications; (2) it is in Arabic or a clear, understood meaning; and (3) one believes it works only by Allah's decree, not by itself.
What is forbidden: amulets and charms with unknown or shirk words; calling upon jinn; and going to "spiritual healers," fortune-tellers or soothsayers who claim the unseen — "Whoever … consults a soothsayer, then he has disbelieved in what was revealed to Muhammad ﷺ" (Jāmiʿ at-Tirmidhī 135).
How to perform ruqyah on yourself
The Prophet ﷺ would treat himself and his family this way — no intermediary is needed. The best raqi for you is you.
Exactly as the Prophet ﷺ did when ill — from the authentic Sunnah.
Self-ruqyah step by step, from the authentic Sunnah. Step 1: begin with sincerity and reliance on Allah alone as the only healer. Step 2: recite Surah al-Fatiha, the greatest ruqyah, Sahih al-Bukhari 5736. Step 3: recite Ayat al-Kursi, Quran 2:255, and the last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah. Step 4: recite the three protective surahs, al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and an-Nas, three times, blowing lightly into the palms and wiping them over the body, as the Prophet did each night and in illness, Sahih al-Bukhari 5017 and 5748. Step 5: place the hand on the place of pain and say Bismillah three times, then seven times: I seek refuge with Allah and with His Power from the evil that I find and that I fear, Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Salam, site reader no. 5590. Step 6: supplicate seven times: I ask Allah the Magnificent, Lord of the Magnificent Throne, to cure you, Jami at-Tirmidhi 2083 and Sunan Abi Dawud 3106. The key point: all cure is from Allah; the recitation is a means He appointed, not a power of its own.
- Begin with sincerity & tawakkul — turn to Allah as the only Healer (ash-Shāfī); the words are a means He appointed, not a power in themselves.
- Recite Sūrah al-Fātiḥah — the greatest ruqyah. Bukhari 5736
- Recite Āyat al-Kursī (2:255) and the last two verses of al-Baqarah (2:285–286).
- Recite the three protective sūrahs — al-Ikhlāṣ, al-Falaq, an-Nās ×3, blowing lightly into the palms and wiping them over the body, as the Prophet ﷺ did each night and in illness. Bukhari 5017 · 5748
- Place your hand where it hurts, say "Bismillāh" ×3, then ×7: "aʿūdhu billāhi wa qudratihi min sharri mā ajidu wa uḥādhir" (I seek refuge with Allah and with His Power from the evil that I find and that I fear). Muslim, K. al-Salam · reader no. 5590
- Supplicate ×7: "as'alu-llāha-l-ʿaẓīma rabba-l-ʿarshi-l-ʿaẓīmi an yashfiyak" (I ask Allah the Magnificent, Lord of the Mighty Throne, to cure you). Tirmidhi 2083 · Abu Dawud 3106
The heart of it: all cure is from Allah — "and when I am ill, it is He who cures me" (26:80). The recitation is a Sunnah means; the healing is His decree. Combine it with the morning & evening adhkār and lawful medicine.
What to recite, in full
The steps above name these; here they are, so nothing has to be looked up somewhere else at the moment it is needed. The Arabic is the same mushaf the Qur'an reader serves — it is not retyped — and the English is the Yusuf Ali translation the site's search uses. Recite what you can; a person who cannot yet read Arabic is not shut out of this, and the Prophet ﷺ taught supplications in ordinary speech alongside the Qur'an. The intention is to ask Allah, and He understands every tongue.
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. (1:1)
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds; (1:2)
ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Most Gracious, Most Merciful; (1:3)
مَـٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ
Master of the Day of Judgment. (1:4)
إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ
Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek. (1:5)
ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ
Show us the straight way, (1:6)
صِرَٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ ٱلْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ
The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray. (1:7)
The Prophet ﷺ called it a ruqyah in the plainest terms. A companion recited it over a tribal chief who had been stung, and when they asked him about it he smiled and said, "How do you know that Surat-al-Fatiha is a Ruqya?" (Sahih al-Bukhari 5736)
Quran 1:1–7
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ ۚ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌۭ وَلَا نَوْمٌۭ ۚ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ ۚ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍۢ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ ۚ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ ۖ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ
Allah! There is no god but He,-the Living, the Self-subsisting, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permitteth? He knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures as) before or after or behind them. Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as He willeth. His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth, and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving them for He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory). (2:255)
Recited at bedtime: "Allah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with you and no satan will come near you till morning." (Sahih al-Bukhari 2311)
Quran 2:255
ءَامَنَ ٱلرَّسُولُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۚ كُلٌّ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَلَـٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍۢ مِّن رُّسُلِهِۦ ۚ وَقَالُوا۟ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا ۖ غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
The Messenger believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His angels, His books, and His messengers. "We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His messengers." And they say: "We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys." (2:285)
لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا ٱكْتَسَبَتْ ۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَآ إِصْرًۭا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦ ۖ وَٱعْفُ عَنَّا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَٱرْحَمْنَآ ۚ أَنتَ مَوْلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
On no soul doth Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray:) "Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden Like that which Thou didst lay on those before us; Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. Thou art our Protector; Help us against those who stand against faith." (2:286)
"If somebody recited the last two Verses of Surat Al-Baqara at night, that will be sufficient for him." (Sahih al-Bukhari 5009)
Quran 2:285–286
قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ
Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; (112:1)
ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ
Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; (112:2)
لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ
He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; (112:3)
وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌۢ
And there is none like unto Him. (112:4)
One of the three the Prophet ﷺ recited into his palms each night and in illness, then wiped over what he could reach of himself. (Sahih al-Bukhari 5017)
Quran 112:1–4
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ
Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the Dawn (113:1)
مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ
From the mischief of created things; (113:2)
وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ
From the mischief of Darkness as it overspreads; (113:3)
وَمِن شَرِّ ٱلنَّفَّـٰثَـٰتِ فِى ٱلْعُقَدِ
From the mischief of those who practise secret arts; (113:4)
وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ
And from the mischief of the envious one as he practises envy. (113:5)
The second of the three. In Aishah's narration, when his illness grew heavy she recited them over him and wiped with his own hand, seeking its blessing. (Sahih al-Bukhari 5016)
Quran 113:1–5
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلنَّاسِ
Say: I seek refuge with the Lord and Cherisher of Mankind, (114:1)
مَلِكِ ٱلنَّاسِ
The King (or Ruler) of Mankind, (114:2)
إِلَـٰهِ ٱلنَّاسِ
The god (or judge) of Mankind,- (114:3)
مِن شَرِّ ٱلْوَسْوَاسِ ٱلْخَنَّاسِ
From the mischief of the Whisperer (of Evil), who withdraws (after his whisper),- (114:4)
ٱلَّذِى يُوَسْوِسُ فِى صُدُورِ ٱلنَّاسِ
(The same) who whispers into the hearts of Mankind,- (114:5)
مِنَ ٱلْجِنَّةِ وَٱلنَّاسِ
Among Jinns and among men. (114:6)
The third. These two — al-Falaq and an-Nas — are al-Mu'awwidhatayn — literally, the two of seeking refuge. (Sahih al-Bukhari 5016)
Quran 114:1–6
Order is not a ritual requirement — these are means the Prophet ﷺ used and taught, not a formula that fails if a step is missed. What is required is that the healing is asked of Allah alone. The three conditions that make a ruqyah lawful are the part worth reading twice.
The evil eye (al-ʿayn) and its cure
The evil eye is real, and the Prophet ﷺ affirmed it plainly:
"The influence of an evil eye is a fact; if anything would precede the destiny it would be the influence of an evil eye, and when you are asked to take bath (as a cure) from the influence of an evil eye, you should take bath."
Narrated by Ibn ʿAbbās — Sahih Muslim — site reader no. 5555
Prevention: when you see something you admire, invoke blessing — say "mā shāʾa-llāhu, tabāraka-llāh" and make duʿāʾ of barakah for it, so you do not unknowingly harm it; and guard yourself with the morning and evening adhkār. Treatment: ruqyah as above; and if the one who cast the eye is known, he performs wuḍūʾ/ghusl and that water is poured over the afflicted, a remedy the Prophet ﷺ prescribed (Sunan Abī Dāwūd 3880).
Siḥr (magic) — and never fighting it with magic
Siḥr is real, and to practise it is disbelief: "…but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic" (2:102). Yet its cure is never more magic. Going to a magician to "undo" magic (nushrah by siḥr) "pertains to the work of the devil" (Sunan Abī Dāwūd 3868). The believer's weapons are lawful ruqyah, the adhkār, and the means of the Sunnah — such as the Prophet's ﷺ words: "He who eats seven 'Ajwa dates every morning, will not be affected by poison or magic on the day he eats them" (Sahih al-Bukhari 5445). Above all, the muʿawwidhāt (al-Falaq & an-Nās) were revealed as protection against exactly this.
Lawful ruqyah
- Reciting the Quran & authentic duʿāʾ on oneself & others
- Al-Fātiḥah, Āyat al-Kursī, the three protective sūrahs
- Believing cure comes only from Allah
- Blowing into the hands & wiping, as the Sunnah
- Pairing it with the adhkār and lawful medicine
Unlawful — avoid entirely
- Amulets & charms with unknown or shirk words
- "Healers" who claim the unseen, or demand names of mothers
- Fighting magic with magic (nushrah)
- Calling upon jinn or the dead for help
- Believing the object or reciter cures of itself
Frequently asked questions
Can I do ruqyah on myself, or must I see a "raqi"?
You can — and it is better. The Prophet ﷺ performed ruqyah on himself, and taught his family to. No special person, gift, or payment is required. If you seek help from another, choose a person of known religion and uprightness who recites only Quran and authentic duʿāʾ; flee anyone who asks for your mother's name, a photo, an animal to slaughter, or works in secret — those are marks of siḥr, not ruqyah.
Are amulets (taʿwīdh) containing Quran allowed?
There is a difference of opinion, but the stronger view of the Salaf — including Ibn Masʿūd and the position acted on by many verifying scholars — is to avoid hanging any amulet, even one with Quran. The Prophet ﷺ said, "spells, charms and love-potions are polytheism" (Sunan Abī Dāwūd 3883, from Ibn Masʿūd), and blocking the means to shirk is safer, since it opens the door to hanging non-Quranic charms too. Recite the Quran onto yourself instead of wearing it.
Does ruqyah replace going to a doctor?
No — the two go together. The Prophet ﷺ said, "There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment" (Sahih al-Bukhari 5678), and he himself was treated with medicine. Seek lawful medical treatment and make ruqyah, both as means, while your reliance (tawakkul) rests on Allah who alone cures. Neglecting medicine is not tawakkul; it is neglect.
How often should I recite it?
The protective sūrahs (al-Ikhlāṣ, al-Falaq, an-Nās) are a daily Sunnah — the Prophet ﷺ recited them into his hands every night, and after every obligatory prayer. Āyat al-Kursī after each prayer and before sleep guards you until morning (Sahih al-Bukhari 2311). For an ailment, repeat the ruqyah sincerely as often as needed; consistency with the adhkār is the believer's daily fortress.
Take the full guide with you
The lawful cure by the Quran and authentic Sunnah — its conditions, self-ruqyah step by step, and treating the evil eye and magic the Sunnah way, seeking from Allah alone — every claim cited, in one PDF.
- The three conditions of lawful ruqyah
- Self-ruqyah, step by step
- The evil eye & siḥr — the Sunnah cure
- What to avoid entirely
Related: Non-Islamic Practices · Morning & Evening Adhkār · Shirk & Khurafat · Duas & Dhikr · Medicine in Islam
