Does Reciting the Quran Over Water for Healing Count as Ruqya?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question

Does reciting the Quran over water and drinking it constitute “ruqya”?

Would this practice disqualify a believer from being among the honored people described in the hadith who will enter Paradise without reckoning or punishment?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

Yes. Reciting the Quran and blowing into water is a type of Ruqya. It does not, however, disqualify one from being one of the 70,000 people who enter Paradise without reckoning according to one of two valid interpretations.

The Narration in Question

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said,

“70,000 people of my community will enter Paradise without reckoning. They are those who do not take Ruqya, nor take omens, and they rely upon their Lord.” [Bukhari; Muslim]

The Two Interpretations

Some said the meaning of not taking Ruqya is that one does not take on Ruqya with anything except for the words of the Quran.

Others interpreted this literally. This means that the 70,000 are those who never do Ruqya at all. [‘Ali Qari, Mirqat al-Mafatih]

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he went on to study at Darul Uloom Seminary in New York and completed his studies at Darul Mustafa in Tarim, Yemen.

There, he completed the memorization of the Quran and his study of Islamic Sciences. Throughout his years of study, he was blessed to learn from many great scholars: Habib Umar bin Hafiz, Habib Kazhim al-Saqqaf, Shaykh ‘Umar bin Husayn al-Khatib, and others.

Upon returning, he joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.