al-Istishfa bil-Quran al-Karim
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- Dar al-Nasiha
al-Istishfa bil-Quran al-Karim (Seeking Healing through the Noble Quran) is a treatise by Ali bin Ghazi al-Tuwaijri examining the scriptural foundations, rulings, and practical guidelines for seeking physical and spiritual healing through the Quran .
Purpose and Scope
The author states that he compiled the work to remind Muslims of the virtue of seeking treatment through God's Book for both physical and spiritual ailments (diseases of the body and the heart) . He notes that many Quranic commentators did not treat the subject at length, and highlights the need to clarify legitimate methods of healing in light of the prevalence of unrecognized illnesses, modern medical limitations, and the widespread practice of sorcery and charlatanism . The book also aims to instruct both practitioners (ruqāh) and patients (murqiyyūn) regarding lawful incantations (ruqyah) and warn them against theological and practical violations .
Structure and Contents
The work is organized into an introduction, two primary sections (mabhathān), a conclusion, and academic indexes :
- Introduction: Outlines the significance of the topic and the author's reasons for writing .
- First Section: Evidences from the Quran and Sunnah on the Legitimacy of Seeking Healing through the Quran: Divided into two subsections (matlabān). The first analyzes Quranic texts designating the scripture as a cure—such as verses from Surah Yunus (10:57) and Surah al-Isra (17:82)—incorporating classical commentaries from exegetes including al-Tabari, Ibn Kathir, and Ibn al-Qayyim . The second subsection reviews prophetic traditions establishing the permissibility and practice of ruqyah, such as Abu Sa'id al-Khudri's recitation of Surat al-Fatiha for a scorpion sting, Aisha's accounts of the Prophet ﷺ reciting the protective surahs (al-Mu'awwidhat), and his instruction to treat patients with the Book of Allah .
- Second Section: The Method of Seeking Healing through the Quran, Requisite Qualities, and Prohibitions: Divided into four subsections detailing: (1) prophetic descriptions of administering treatment with the Quran and Sunnah, including recitation, dry-spitting (nafth or tafl), wiping over the body, and reciting over water; (2) required qualities of the practitioner, primarily sound creed based on the way of the righteous predecessors (al-salaf al-salih), sincerity, piety, and avoidance of polytheism (shirk) and religious innovations; (3) required qualities of the patient, including correct belief, reliance on God alone, conviction that cure comes from God's words rather than the practitioner's person, and patience; and (4) cautions and prohibitions to avoid during ruqyah .
- Conclusion: Summarizes the findings of the study, emphasizing that the entire Quran provides healing for every Muslim, that its efficacy is not confined to specific individuals, and that ruqyah using sound prophetic supplications or water is permissible .
Methodological Approach
In his research methodology, al-Tuwaijri references every cited Quranic verse by its surah name and verse number, grades and extracts hadiths from standard collections, relies on authentic (sahih) narrations while citing grading authorities for reports outside the Two Sahihs (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim), defines unfamiliar terminology, provides brief biographies for lesser-known figures, and documents all scholarly quotations directly from their sources . The text concludes with indexes for Quranic verses, prophetic traditions, biographical names, cited bibliography, and subjects .
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