Ruqyah Shariah: The Islamic Method of Treating Black Magic (Sihr)

Aisha (RA) reported that when the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ fell ill, the angel Jibreel would recite over him: “Bismillahi arqeeka, min kulli shay’in yu’dheeka, min sharri kulli nafsin aw ‘ayni hasid, Allahu yashfeeka, bismillahi arqeeka” – “In the name of Allah I perform ruqyah for you, from everything that troubles you, from the evil of every soul or envious eye, may Allah cure you, in the name of Allah I perform ruqyah for you.” The hadith, preserved in Sahih Muslim, is often the first thing taught to someone learning ruqyah shariah, because it shows the practice modeled for the Prophet ﷺ himself, not merely prescribed by him for others.

What Ruqyah Actually Is

Ruqyah means a spoken remedy: specific verses of the Quran, the names and attributes of Allah, and authentic prophetic supplications recited over someone who is unwell, whether the illness is physical or the kind attributed to sihr, the evil eye, or jinn interference. It existed in pre-Islamic Arabia too, though much of it involved invoking jinn or unnamed spirits. When companions asked whether their old ruqyah could still be used, the Prophet ﷺ drew the line precisely: “Show me your ruqyah. There is no harm in ruqyah so long as it does not contain shirk.” Nothing in it may call on any being besides Allah – a single condition that separates lawful ruqyah from amulets, charms, and spirit-invocation.

The Verses Recited Most Often

Certain passages recur constantly in ruqyah practice for how directly they address protection from harm. Ayat al-Kursi (Surah al-Baqarah, 2:255) describes Allah’s complete and unmatched dominion over creation, and the Prophet ﷺ taught that reciting it at night keeps a person guarded until morning. Al-Falaq and An-Nas, the Quran’s final two surahs, were revealed as a means of seeking refuge – the first from the harm of the night, of blowers upon knots, and of the envier; the second from the whispering of Shaytan directly. The opening and closing verses of Surah al-Baqarah and Surah al-Kafirun’s declaration of pure monotheism round out the core recitations taught to someone practicing ruqyah on themselves or a family member.

The Spell Against the Prophet Himself

Sahih al-Bukhari, on the authority of Aisha (RA), preserves the clearest proof scholars cite that magic is real and that ruqyah works against it. A man named Labid ibn al-A’sam cast a spell against the Prophet ﷺ using strands of his hair and a comb, hidden inside the spathe of a male date palm and sunk into a well called Dhi Arwan. The Prophet ﷺ began suffering symptoms with no apparent physical cause, until Allah showed him in a dream where the item was hidden and who had placed it there. Companions retrieved it, and as it was undone, his condition eased. Aisha (RA) reported that he never confronted Labid over it or sought retaliation – he sought Allah’s protection and moved on, which later scholars point to as evidence that the prescribed response to sihr is spiritual treatment, not revenge.

Beyond Recitation Alone

Ruqyah was never limited to words alone. The Prophet ﷺ described black seed (habbat al-sawda, Nigella sativa) as containing a cure for every ailment except death itself, and separately approved of cupping (hijamah) as physical treatment. In practice, this pairs with reciting directly into a sick person’s ear, reciting over water that is then drunk or used for washing, and blowing gently onto the hands after recitation before wiping them over the body – a method the Prophet ﷺ used on his own family, and one Aisha (RA) continued using on him during his final illness once he was too weak to do it himself.

Why Scholars Rule Out Every Alternative

Classical and contemporary scholars, from Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah in his medical writings to modern authorities such as Sheikh Abdul Aziz ibn Baz, agree on one point without exception: someone who believes they are affected by sihr must never approach a fortune-teller, a soothsayer, or a magician for a counter-spell, even one claiming to work “with the Quran.” Countering magic with magic replaces one form of shirk with another, since it necessarily appeals to the jinn for cooperation. Ruqyah appeals to nobody but Allah, and its permissibility rests on precisely that distinction.

Alongside Medicine, Not Instead of It

Scholars are just as firm on a point often missed: ruqyah was never meant to replace ordinary medical treatment. In Sahih al-Bukhari, the Prophet ﷺ teaches that Allah has not sent down any disease without also sending down its cure, known to those who have learned it and unknown to those who have not. A Bedouin once asked him whether seeking medical treatment was appropriate at all, given that some Muslims believed illness should simply be endured as divine decree; the Prophet ﷺ answered that yes, they should seek treatment, since Allah does not create a disease without also creating its remedy – old age alone excepted. Scholars cite this pairing to correct a persistent error: someone who suspects sihr is expected to see a physician for any genuine underlying condition at the same time as pursuing ruqyah, not treat the two as competing options where choosing one excuses neglecting the other.

Readers looking into the symptoms that typically prompt someone to seek ruqyah in the first place may want to follow up with our discussion of Signs and Symptoms of Sihr (Black Magic) According to Quran and Sunnah.