Version: 7th June 2021.
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Bismillahi Walhamdulilah wa salatu wa salam ala Rasulilah.
INTRODUCTION
I am writing this short article because I was asked if the methods I describe in the first practical self ruqya video are according to the sunnah. The short answer to this question is an emphatic YES, WALHAMDULILAH!
Before I explain the reason why I believe my methods are NOT bidah, we need to understand that there is no evidence from the Shariah that differentiates the way we deal with spiritual ailments (sihr or ayn) and physical ailments (cancer or diabetes), in terms of:
(RULE 1.) TREATMENT: we can use ANY form of treatment for any spiritual or physical ailments as long as these treatments are halal and don’t contain anything haram or shirk. We may even invent new forms of treatment for both types of ailments. Therefore, I can use hijama to treat jinn possession and I can also use hijama to treat a migraine. I can use paracetamol or any NEW medicine or any NEW medical procedure to treat a muscle sprain (a physical illness) and I can also use exactly the same things, that I used to treat the muscle sprain, to treat the pain that is associated with jinn possession (a spiritual illness). The main point here is that the treatment of any spiritual or physical disease is NOT fixed by the Shariah so we can treat them with whatever is Islamically permissible to use.
(RULE 2.) DESCRIPTION OR DEFINING: we can explain or define in our own words what a new or old disease is and how we think a spiritual or physical ailment actually works or how we think it actually causes sickness in humans in order to explain the phenomena to patients or other professionals. So if I use my own words or ideas or concepts to talk about how I believe ayn affects people or the sihr network or hasd network then there is nothing wrong with that, just like there is no bidah when a medical doctor decribes how a particular physical disease works or how it affects people.
(RULE 3.) DISCOVERY: we can investigate and discover new spiritual or physical ailments and then suggest new forms of treatment for these NEW illnesses. Therefore, there is no problem with me talking about the ‘new’ spiritual illness that I call waswaas conditioning in Practical Self Ruqya PART 1 and how to diagnose and treat it. If you believe in waswas conditioning, like I do, then you haven’t committed a haram and if you disbelieve in it then you also haven’t done something haram because it has got absolutely nothing to do with haram or halal. It is just like believing or disbelieving in any disease like ‘Autism’.
THE 3 AREAS I JUST MENTIONED ABOVE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH WORSHIP AND ARE NOT ACTS OF WORSHIP IN OF THEMSELVES AND ARE NOT FIXED BY THE SHARIAH AND SO THEY CANNOT EVER BECOME A BIDAH IF WE ADD TO THEM OR MODIFY THEM!
Only one thing in PRACTICAL SELF RUQYA is fixed by the Shariah and that is RUQYA because it is an act of worship so it has specific rules and regulations that must be followed and nothing can be added to ruqya.
Now, lets look at some of the methods in Practical Self Ruqya that I teach and which people have questioned me about.
(A.) THE RUQYA I TEACH IS ACCORDING TO THE RULES OF RUQYA
The ruqya I teach in the video does not go against the rules of ruqya that the scholars agreed upon. It does not contain any shirk or bidah. Please read this fatwa: https://islamqa.info/en/175189
If people have a problem or issue with the general ruqya diagnosis that I demonstrate in the video ‘practical self ruqya part 1’, then they should read my article ‘the importance of ruqya diagnosis’, the link can be found below in the conclusion and which proves that there is nothing wrong with doing ruqya diagnosis. If people also have a problem with specific ruqya diagnosis that I demonstrate in the video ‘practical self part 2’, then they should read my article ‘specific ruqya diagnosis is not a bidah’, the link can also be found in the conclusion. The main point in these articles is that if the ruqya is beneficial and doesn’t contain any shirk then it is permissible to do because it does not go against the rules of ruqya that have been stated in the Shariah.
(B.) REPEATING THE SAME QURANIC AYAH DURING RUQYA DIAGNOSIS
In the fatwa below, you will see that it is not a problem to repeat an ayah in prayer and therefore there is no problem in repeating an ayah during ruqya. Also, all muslims agree on the fact that it is permissible for a muslim to continously repeat a certain ayah in order to help memorization of the Quran. So if it is permissible for hifdh then why isn’t it not permissible for ruqya! Those who disagree with repeating a certain ayah, have probably repeated ayahs during their own memorization of the Quran and they didn’t condemn themselves for that! https://islamqa.info/en/106529
(C.) READING RUQYA ON WATER.
With regards to reading ruqya on water then it will be sufficient to quote Sheikh Bin Baz (rahimullah) who said:
“There is nothing wrong with reciting over water or olive oil to treat the sick person, the one on whom a spell has been cast or the one who is insane, but reciting over the patient and blowing over him is better and preferable. Abu Dawood (may Allaah have mercy on him) narrated with a hasan isnaad that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) recited over water for Thaabit ibn Qays ibn Shammaas and poured it over him. And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is nothing wrong with ruqyah that does not involve shirk.” Muslim (4079). This saheeh hadeeth is general in meaning and includes ruqyah recited over the patient himself and ruqyah recited over water and olive oil etc. And Allaah is the Source of strength”. End quote.
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn Baaz (19/338).
(D.) DRINKING RUQYA DIAGNOSTIC WATER BEFORE READING RUQYA ISN’T A BIDAH
Sadly, it seems that some Muslims believe that the actual drinking ruqya diagnostic water itself is a bidah which is totally incorrect. It cannot ever be a bidah because drinking water is NOT a fixed act of worship like salah or hajj. If you don’t want to do it then that is fine but you cannot accuse others of bidah because they do it.
Ruqya diagnosis itself is not a bidah as I have explained in my article “The Importance of Ruqya Diagnosis” and so we are allowed to read ruqya over water with a diagnostic intention in our hearts.
You do not have to prepare and use the ruqya diagnostic water for self ruqya diagnosis as I do in my video Practical Self Ruqya Part 1. You can actually go straight to reading the self ruqya diagnosis as I do in my short ruqya diagnostic videos 7.1 & 7.5. The reason we STRONGLY RECOMMEND and advise using the ruqya diagnostic water, especially for the first time, is because you will get stronger reactions in the patient and yourself when it is combined with the actual reading of ruqya diagnosis ie there will be two sources of ruqya diagnosis: actual reading of ruqya diagnosis on the patient by the raqi (or the patient reading on himself) and the effects of the ruqya diagnostic water in the patient’s body. The resulting stronger reaction to the combined ruqya will leave no doubt in the patient’s mind that they have a spiritual disease.
(E.) READING RUQYA WITH THE 7 INTENTIONS
The ONLY difference between reading Quran for ruqya and reading Quran for the reward (like surah kahf on Fridays) is in the intention. We found that the more intentions you use during treatment the more effective your ruqya becomes, hence the 7 intentions. I remember doing self ruqya with just a general intention of cure (which is totally permissible) using surahs falaq and nass. The reason the intention was general, was because I did not know what was wrong with me exactly. I definitely knew I had a problem as I would react to the ruqya but I did not know what I was suffering from. However, once I diagnosed myself and then started using the 7 intentions, I felt much better and the ruqya felt very effective, especially when I added the main intention of getting cured which was “so that I could get back to worshiping Allah properly again without any illness”.
We ask those who have a problem with the 7 intentions to be precise and exact with regards to their criticism. All we are doing is telling patients to increase the number of intentions and in fact the intentions can be more than 7 if the patient expands intention 5 to include other illnesses they are suffering from so it is wrong to say that I have restricted the ruqya intentions to just 7.
There is no shirk or bidah or asking Allah for something haram with these 7 intentions and they are all to do with treatment so I ask patients not to just listen to doubters and request from those who reject the 7 intentions to prove that there is something wrong with them.
(F.) READING RUQYA FOR 1 HOUR A DAY IN 3 TWENTY MINUTE SESSIONS.
There is nothing in the Shariah that prevents someone from reading ruqya for 1 hour a day, divided up into three 20 minute sessions. The sunnah does not explicitly state how long ruqya should be read for and that is because individual patients will differ in their illnesses. Some may require more or less ruqya. We have found from experience that 1 hour a day ON AVERAGE is about right. This maybe done in one session or the 1 hour may be broken up into smaller sessions, the choice is left to the patient. We have not fixed the ruqya to 1 hour ONLY! So a patient can do more or less than an hour of ruqya, if they wish.
(G.) READING SURAHS FALAQ AND NASS, AYAH KURSI OR FATIHA 7 TIMES
This was taken from the hadith of the mushrik who received ruqya treatment from the sahabi where surah fatiha was read 7 times (Tirmidhi 2063: Sahih or Hasan) and from the ruqya advice from Sheikh Abdullah Jibreen (rahimullah) who described reading a ayah kursi, fatiha, falaq and nass 7 times based on the same hadith. Having said that, we are NOT restricting it to just 7 times.
(H.) READING SURAHS FALAQ & NASS AS A PAIR
All or most of the hadith that describe how the Nabi salulahu alayhi wasalam did self ruqya on himself, show us that he would read the last 2 Quls together as a pair and then blow on himself so there should not be any issue with someone pairing these two surahs together. (Please see the tafseer of surahs falaq and nass in Tafseer Ibn Kathir).
(I.) SELECTING ANY QURANIC AYAH FOR RUQYA
There is nothing wrong with selecting particular ayahs from the Quran for ruqya because the whole Quran was sent down as a cure so we can use any ayah for ruqya. Please read this fatwa as it explains that there is no problem in using or selecting any ayah of the Quran for ruqya.
https://islamqa.info/en/175189
(J.) USING A GREEN LASER
We have to remember here that the green laser that I use in video 1 is not an act of worship but a form treatment so it can NEVER be a bidah.
(K.) USING THE RUQYA SOUP
Even though it has in its name ‘ruqya’, the ruqya soup is a form of treatment and therefore it cannot ever be a bidah in of itself because it is not an act of worship. We are allowed to read ruqya over it and other liquids as explained above by Sheikh Bin Baz ( rahimullah). We can even read ruqya over our solid food items, like black seeds and dates as this does not go against the rules of ruqya, ie “no shirk” (Muslim: 2200) and it is beneficial to the patient (Al-Albani: Saheeh Jam’i 6019). On top of those two evidences, we can add that the Nabi (Salalahu alayhi wasalam) put some of his saliva onto his index finger and then put this finger into some soil and then he read ruqya on them to treat a Sahabi (Sahih Muslim). This shows that we can read ruqya on solid things, like soil, if there is a benefit and there is definitely a benefit, when you eat a food item or medicine that has had ruqya read over it. (The hadith also shows that saliva can be used and that a liquid and solid mixture can have ruqya read over it, just like the scholars say, in the fatwa below, that we can read ruqya on a mixture of sidr leaves and water to treat sihr).
We also know from the Sunnah that it is permissible read ruqya on the taweez, which is a solid object, to help the patient of sihr. Therefore, if we can read ruqya on the taweez, we can also read on other solids, if there is a benefit for the patient. (Please read the fatwa below on how to destroy a taweez).
https://islamqa.info/en/answers/60137/getting-rid-of-witchcraft-after-finding-it
If it is argued that the soil or taweez are not food items then we would say that there is NOTHING in the Shariah that stops us from eating or drinking something that has had ruqya read on it ie the food or drink does NOT become haram because ruqya was read on it. The main issue here is that if we can read ruqya on solid items or not, and the answer, from our aforementioned evidences, is that we can do that. However, if someone does not want to do that then that is fine.
Sheikh Bin Baz (rahimullah) and other scholars recommend reading ruqya treatment on a mixture of water and sidr leaves to treat sihr. Please see the fatwa below:
This recommendation from the scholars is the basis of the ruqya soup. We just added more beneficial ingredients to it and called it the ruqya soup.
The scholars who run islamweb, which is part of the Awqaf in Qatar, allow people to read ruqya on medicines in solid or liquid form ie they don’t believe that it is a problem to read on something solid, if it benefits the patient. Please see the fatwa below:
https://www.islamweb.net/en/fatwa/393778/reciting-quran-on-medicines
We have to point out as well that many food items can also be a natural medicine or have a therapeutic effect on a patient as mentioned by doctors. In fact, Ibn Qayyim lists a lot of food items that are therapeutic and beneficial to the human body in his book “The Prophetic Medicine”. Hence, if a person sees the food item as a form of medicine and he also reads ruqya treatment over it, then no one can blame him for that.
If you carefully look at this issue of reading ruqya on the ruqya soup, food and medicines and you ponder on the two main rules of ruqya that are mentioned in the Sunnah, then you would have to accept this ruqya and stop claiming that it is a bidah and not allowed.
The first rule for any ruqya is that it should not contain any shirk (Muslim: 2200) and Sheikh Bin Baz explained in the above fatwa on reading ruqya on water, that this hadith is very general in meaning. Thus, we can say that it can include reading on food items or medicines. The second rule is that it must be directly beneficial to the patient who is receiving the ruqya or who is doing self ruqya (Al-Albani: Saheeh Jam’i 6019) and this is clearly the case when people use these things. Therefore we can say that our ruqya on the ruqya soup, black seeds, mushroom soup, etc follows these two main rules and NO ONE CAN SAY THAT THEY DON’T!
In addition to all of this, we are not asking Allah for anything inappropriate or haram and we are not going against any of the rules of the Shariah.
The reason these two hadiths are very broad and general in meaning is so that ruqya can effectively deal with the many different kinds of diseases and even any new disease that might appear. They also allow us to adapt the application of ruqya to changing contexts or situations. For instance, this broadness allows us to invent or develop different methods to get the ruqya to the disease directly. So someone with bowel problems might read ruqya on his food instead of water so that the ruqya can get to the colon and stay there for longer. Likewise, someone with a blood disease, after consulting doctors, might read ruqya over the liquid contents in an intravenous medication or drip to get the ruqya directly into the blood. Another example would be a raqi doing ruqya over the phone or using a videophone. If the application of ruqya was not as broad, then we would not be allowed to do such treatments, but by the mercy of Allah it is, so we can do such actions and not worry about falling into sin because of a bidah in ruqya.
Those who say that reading on food items and medicines is not allowed have not understood that ruqya is quite broad in scope and it is not restricted as they see it. It seems that they see it, like the way they see salah and therefore they request that you prove every single action you do in ruqya with a hadith. However, if they understood the broadness of the two aforementioned hadiths, they would not constantly ask to prove every issue in ruqya. They have to make a distinction between ruqya and the other fixed acts of worship like salah. Yes, ruqya is a fixed act of worship but it is not as fixed as salah and that is because it is a type of medicine that needs flexibility so that it can deal with any disease and any situation. Hence, the accusations of bidah in ruqya are not as easy to establish as they are with salah. Yes, we can fall into bidah with ruqya but it is easier to do bidah in salah. Therefore, we must see ruqya like the way we see the reading of the Quran, the listening to the Quran and making dua. All three are fixed acts of worship but they have some flexibility so they can deal with different situations and contexts. This is how we need to see ruqya.
This is the understanding of Sheikh Bin Baz (rahimullah) and other scholars and that is why they believe you can read ruqya over a mixture of sidr leaves and water to treat sihr and they do not see this as a bidah (See below for the fatwa). There are no hadiths about reading ruqya over sidr leaves but that does not matter as the aforementioned 2 ruqya hadiths cover this situation. If we take on this understanding of ruqya that Sheikh Bin Baz (rahimullah) has, then a lot of arguing between the Muslims would stop and they would stop accusing each other of bidah and then patients would receive better care.
This broad and flexible understanding of ruqya is further demonstrated by the fact that the scholars allow ruqya to be done during hijama. If ruqya was so fixed as some people believe then the scholars would not allow ruqya to be done during hijama. Please see the fatwa below which is in Arabic.
https://islamqa.info/ar/answers/120033/
(L.) USING A FORK ON THE PATIENT’S UPPER FOREHEAD
Again, this is a form of treatment and not an act of worship therefore it cannot be classed as a bidah.
We found that the fork is very useful during treatment and diagnosis, especially during the general jinn possession diagnosis of children.
(M.) USING THE AYN PERPETRATOR’S CLOTHES OR SOMETHING THAT THEY TOUCHED
Remember ‘rule 1’ that I stated above, that the treatment of ayn or any other spiritual or physical ailment is not restricted or fixed so we can experiment and try different treatments as long as they are not haram. So if a person uses the ayn perpetrator’s ghusl water and some of their clothes, especially their undergarments, to help cure the ayn by soaking the clothes in water and then washing with this water then there is no problem with that because this is treatment and NOT an act of worship.
(N.) ONLY USING SURAH FALAQ AND NASS AS RUQYA
You should know that the real sunnah is to just use surahs falaq and nass for ruqya so I cannot understand why people are so against just using these 2 surahs or insisting that surah baqarah be used as ruqya. The Nabi salulahu alayhi wasalam NEVER used surah baqarah as ruqya on himself……HE ONLY USED SURAH FALAQ AND NASS. You may use surah baqarah or any other surah for ruqya but the best surahs to use for ruqya are surahs falaq and nass.
(O.) READING RUQYA OVER THE DRY FOOD ITEMS IN THE MAKING OF THE RUQYA SOUP TEA
Please see the above explanation about the ruqya soup as that will suffice as proof from the Shariah.
(P.) READING RUQYA OVER DRY BLACK SEEDS
Please see the above explanation about the ruqya soup as that will suffice as proof from the Shariah.
(Q.) READING RUQYA OVER THE MUSHROOM SOUP
Please see the above explanation about the ruqya soup as that will suffice as proof from the Shariah.
(R.) DOING SELF RUQYA IS VERY DANGEROUS
Ruqya is an act of worship to Allah that was practised by the Nabi salulahu alayhi wasalam and therefore it is an established sunnah. How is it that an act of worship is described as very dangerous! There is absolutely NO evidence in the sunnah to suggest that self ruqya is something dangerous. In fact, ruqya is the ONLY treatment that does not have any side effects because it is basically a dua to Allah and there is nothing physical about it except blowing and wiping the body with your hands.
Those patients who have fallen into major sins and then they attempt to do self ruqya and they find that their possessing jinn completely manifests and takes over the body and starts speaking, have no one else to blame but themselves because jinn ONLY completely take over sinful patients’ bodies. SELF RUQYA IS NOT TO BE BLAMED FOR THE JINN TAKING OVER! IT WAS THE PATIENT’S SINS THAT CAUSED THE JINN MANIFESTATION, NOT THE SELF RUQYA!
CONCLUSION
I hope that this short article clarifies to patients that the methods employed in Practical Self Ruqya are not against the sunnah and are definitely not a bidah.
Patients should not just accept any statement from a raqi or hijamist that our methods contain bidah but they should question such people and ask them to explain exactly where the bidah is in Practical Self Ruqya. If they don’t provide you with evidence or an adequate explanation then you should not accept what they are saying and continue using practical self ruqya.
Patients need to understand that reputable masjids that follow the sunnah such as ‘Luton Islamic Centre and Masjid Humera in East London’ have no issues with my methods and that’s why they ask me to do talks or they allow me to do talks. It is not easy to speak at these masjids. You can’t just turn up and start teaching people at these masjids because the students of knowledge and scholars that are connected to these masjids will thoroughly vet any potential speaker before he is allowed to speak or teach the Muslims. These masjids don’t want to be spreading bidah.
On top of the masjids supporting me, other organisations such as ‘Ruqya Support UK’ also promote my materials and you will also find my material on ummah website. Meaning, if the issue of me doing bidah was so clear cut then obviously these organisations and others would not promote my materials.
After reading and understanding this article, you may be interested to read these other articles that I wrote, which also illustrate that certain aspects of practical self ruqya are not bidah.
Reading Ruqya On The Sihr And Hasd Networks Is Not Bidah
Jinn Extraction Technique is not bidah