al-Ruqyah al-Shariyah
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- al-Ruqyah al-Shariyah
al-Ruqyah al-Shariyah (Arabic: al-Ruqyah al-Shar‘iyyah min al-Qur’an al-Karim wa-al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyyah, "Legitimate Incantation from the Noble Quran and Prophetic Sunnah") is a handbook on Islamic spiritual healing compiled by Khalid ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Juraysi as the sixth installment of his Zad al-Mu'min ("Provision of the Believer") series .
Background and Methodology
The work was compiled as a practical guide for reciting Quranic verses and prophetic supplications to treat spiritual and non-physical afflictions, such as the evil eye (al-‘ayn), envy (al-hasad), sorcery (al-sihr), and demonic possession (al-mass) . Al-Juraysi had earlier authored a related booklet titled Irq Nafsaka wa-Ahlaka bi-Nafsika ("Perform Ruqyah on Yourself and Your Family Yourself"), where verses were arranged thematically according to the common practice of healers . In al-Ruqyah al-Shariyah, however, he organized the Quranic passages according to the standard order of the mushaf to seek blessings and facilitate memorization .
In selecting texts, the author included both explicit textual invocations and broader Quranic passages conveying therapeutic meaning, citing the verse وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاءٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ("And We send down of the Quran that which is healing and mercy for the believers") and the prophetic permission لاَ بَأْسَ بِالرُّقى مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيه شِرْكٌ ("There is no harm in incantations as long as there is no polytheism in them") . For prophetic prayers, he adhered to authentic (sahih) or good (hasan) narrations, noting the status of any weak reports if cited . Theoretical discussions were omitted from the text to serve as an immediate manual for practice, with references directed to his other treatises—including al-Tahsin min Kayd al-Shayatin, al-Hidhr min al-Sihr, and al-Fatawa al-Dhahabiyyah fi al-Ruqa al-Shar'iyyah—for expanded discussions . The text was also accompanied by an audio recording to assist those unable to read .
Structure and Contents
The manual opens with practical instructions outlining recommended etiquettes for the practitioner (al-raqi) and the recipient (al-marqi), such as maintaining ritual purity, facing the qiblah, contemplating the meanings with humility, light dry-spitting (al-nafth), placing the hand over the area of pain or forehead (observing modesty restrictions with non-mahram women), and repeating specific verses three, five, or seven times depending on response . He also emphasizes holding sincere intentions for healing and guidance, choosing appropriate grammatical phrasing when reciting over oneself or others, and reciting aloud in a moderate voice .
The invocations are arranged into three tiers based on length and the condition or time available to the recipient :
- Brief Ruqyah (al-Ruqyah al-Mawjazah): Opens with Quranic verses of praise followed by selected surahs and short passages, designed for daily preservation and swift healing .
- Intermediate Ruqyah (al-Ruqyah al-Mutawassitah): An expanded selection of Quranic passages and prophetic supplications .
- Extended Ruqyah (al-Ruqyah al-Mutawwalah): A comprehensive compilation featuring extensive Quranic readings and supplications, which can be read in intervals allowing the patient to rest .
Reception
The work received a foreword and commendation from the Saudi scholar Abdullah ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Jibreen, who praised al-Juraysi's selection and tripartite division of the invocations and noted the efficacy of legitimate ruqyah for spiritual ailments that modern medicine does not address with pharmaceuticals or physical remedies .
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