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Trust in Allah (tawakkul) comes first
Before you open your mouth, settle your heart. Trust in Allah (tawakkul) is the foundation that everything else stands on. The verses you are about to recite are not a code you trigger; they are a conversation with the One who hears. He decreed the trial that brought you to this page, and He is the only One who can lift it. Tie your camel and trust in Allah - take the means, but place your reliance on the One who created the means.
Narrated by Anas ibn Malik (radiy-Allahu anhu)
قَالَ رَجُلٌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَعْقِلُهَا وَأَتَوَكَّلُ أَوْ أُطْلِقُهَا وَأَتَوَكَّلُ قَالَ اعْقِلْهَا وَتَوَكَّلْA man said: 'O Messenger of Allah, shall I tie my camel and rely upon Allah, or shall I leave it loose and rely upon Allah?' He said: 'Tie it and rely upon Allah.'
That is the prophetic frame for ruqyah. The recitation is your tied camel. Tawakkul is the trust placed in Allah after the recitation, before the recitation, and during every syllable of it. Allah is the One you rely on in every situation - in health and in trial, in clarity and in confusion, in the first ta'awwudh and in the last du'a of the session.
وَٱتَّبَعُوا۟ مَا تَتْلُوا۟ ٱلشَّيَٰطِينُ عَلَىٰ مُلْكِ سُلَيْمَٰنَ وَمَا كَفَرَ سُلَيْمَٰنُ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱلشَّيَٰطِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ يُعَلِّمُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ ٱلسِّحْرَ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَى ٱلْمَلَكَيْنِ بِبَابِلَ هَٰرُوتَ وَمَٰرُوتَ وَمَا يُعَلِّمَانِ مِنْ أَحَدٍ حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَآ إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ فِتْنَةٌ فَلَا تَكْفُرْ فَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مِنْهُمَا مَا يُفَرِّقُونَ بِهِۦ بَيْنَ ٱلْمَرْءِ وَزَوْجِهِۦ وَمَا هُم بِضَآرِّينَ بِهِۦ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ وَيَتَعَلَّمُونَ مَا يَضُرُّهُمْ وَلَا يَنفَعُهُمْ وَلَقَدْ عَلِمُوا۟ لَمَنِ ٱشْتَرَىٰهُ مَا لَهُۥ فِى ٱلْءَاخِرَةِ مِنْ خَلَـٰقٍ وَلَبِئْسَ مَا شَرَوْا۟ بِهِۦٓ أَنفُسَهُمْ لَوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ ١٠٢And they followed [instead] what the devils had recited during the reign of Solomon. It was not Solomon who disbelieved, but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic and that which was revealed to the two angels at Babylon, Harut and Marut. But the two angels do not teach anyone unless they say, 'We are a trial, so do not disbelieve [by practicing magic].' And [yet] they learn from them that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife. But they do not harm anyone through it except by permission of Allah. And the people learn what harms them and does not benefit them. But the Children of Israel certainly knew that whoever purchased the magic would not have in the Hereafter any share. And wretched is that for which they sold themselves, if they only knew.
Hold this phrase in your chest the entire session: except by permission of Allah (مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ) [from Qur'an 2:102]. There is no parallel kingdom, no second god, no rival decree. The magician (sahir), the envier (al-hasid), the jinn (al-jinni) - each one passes through the One who decreed it before it ever reaches you. You are not facing a power that competes with Allah; you are facing something that Allah Himself permitted, for a wisdom He knows. And He alone can lift it.
Open with praising Allah (hamd) and salawat on the Prophet
The proper adab (etiquette) of any supplication (du'a) follows a four-step shape that the Companions learned directly from the Prophet(ﷺ): first, praise Allah (al-hamd); second, send salawat on the Prophet(ﷺ); third, ask for what you need; fourth, close with salawat again. Before reciting a single Qur'anic verse for ruqyah, sit and say: الحمد لله رب العالمين - all praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds. Then send the full salawat the Prophet himself taught:
Narrated by Ka'b ibn 'Ujrah (radiy-Allahu anhu) via 'Abdur-Rahman ibn Abi Layla
قُولُوا اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌSay: O Allah, send Your mercy on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your mercy on Ibrahim and on the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious. O Allah, send Your blessings on Muhammad and on the family of Muhammad, as You sent Your blessings on Ibrahim and on the family of Ibrahim. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy, Glorious.
This is the Salawat al-Ibrahimiyyah - the formula taught by the Prophet(ﷺ)when his Companions asked him how they should send salawat upon him. Recite it before opening any personal supplication, and close every personal supplication with it. Allah loves to be praised; the Prophet(ﷺ)said that a du'a sent without salawat remains mawquf (suspended) between earth and heaven, and the salawat is what lifts it through.
Istighfar throughout the session: seek forgiveness as you recite
Istighfar - seeking the forgiveness of Allah - is not a separate practice from ruqyah; it is woven into it. Sins darken the heart, and a darkened heart receives the recitation less than a heart that has been recently scrubbed by repentance. Throughout the session, between the verses and the supplications, repeat the short formula: أستغفر الله وأتوب إليه - I ask the forgiveness of Allah and I turn to Him in repentance. And at least once in every session, recite the strongest single istighfar formula in the Sunnah:
Narrated by Zayd, the freed slave of the Prophet (radiy-Allahu anhu)
مَنْ قَالَ أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ وَأَتُوبُ إِلَيْهِ غُفِرَ لَهُ وَإِنْ كَانَ قَدْ فَرَّ مِنَ الزَّحْفِWhoever says: 'I ask the forgiveness of Allah, beside Whom there is no deity, the Living, the Self-Subsisting, and I turn to Him in repentance,' will be forgiven, even if he has fled from the battlefield.
And once a day, anchor the istighfar with Sayyid al-Istighfar - the Master of Seeking Forgiveness - which is the single most comprehensive formula of repentance in the Sunnah:
Narrated by Shaddad ibn Aws (radiy-Allahu anhu)
سَيِّدُ الاِسْتِغْفَارِ أَنْ تَقُولَ اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي، لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَىَّ وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي، فَاغْفِرْ لِي، فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَThe master du'a of seeking forgiveness is to say: 'O Allah, You are my Lord. There is no deity but You. You created me and I am Your servant; I am bound to You by Your covenant and Your promise as best I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your blessing upon me, and I confess my sin. So forgive me, for none forgives sins but You.'
The adhan as a barrier against Shaytan
The Prophet(ﷺ)said that when the adhan (call to prayer) is pronounced, Shaytan turns and flees. The sound of Allah's name being raised is enough to drive him from the surroundings of the believer. This is not the call to prayer that the muezzin makes for the congregation; it is the same words, sounded aloud, in your home or your room, by you, as a means of cleansing the air of any shaytanic presence before ruqyah begins.
Narrated by Abu Hurairah (radiy-Allahu anhu)
إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلاَةِ أَدْبَرَ الشَّيْطَانُ وَلَهُ ضُرَاطٌ حَتَّى لاَ يَسْمَعَ التَّأْذِينَWhen the Adhan is pronounced, Shaytan takes to his heels and passes wind with noise during his flight in order not to hear the Adhan.
This is a Sunnah-supported practice, not an obligation. If you live alone, or with family who understands, calling the adhan aloud once before beginning the ruqyah - especially if the room has felt heavy, or there has been a sense of unease - clears the space. Then begin the recitation knowing that whatever lingered has already turned and fled at the sound of الله أكبر.
Shaytan has no power over a believer who relies on Allah
Before you face anything in this ruqyah - any sensation, any voice, any name, any dream, any frightening suggestion - settle this single point in your heart: shaytan has no power over you whatsoever, except by Allah's permission. This is not a slogan; it is the verdict of Allah in His own Book, repeated across more than one surah and from more than one angle.
إِنَّهُۥ لَيْسَ لَهُۥ سُلْطَـٰنٌ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ إِنَّمَا سُلْطَـٰنُهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ يَتَوَلَّوْنَهُۥ وَٱلَّذِينَ هُم بِهِۦ مُشْرِكُونَIndeed, there is for him no authority over those who have believed and rely upon their Lord. His authority is only over those who take him as an ally and those who through him associate others with Allah.
This is the foundational statement. Iman + tawakkul = laysa lahu 'alayhim sultan (إِنَّهُۥ لَيْسَ لَهُۥ سُلْطَـٰنٌ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ) [from Qur'an 16:99]. The word the Qur'an uses for shaytan's "power" here is sultan - authority, dominion, the right to act. Allah is explicitly stripping him of it over the believer who relies on Allah. His remaining "sultan" is reserved for those who already chose him as their wali. You are not in that group.
إِنَّ عِبَادِي لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَٰنٌ إِلَّا مَنِ اتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ الْغَاوِينَ ٤٢Indeed, My servants - no authority will you have over them, except those who follow you of the deviators.
This is Allah's direct address to Iblis on the day of his expulsion. The decree was set then, in eternity: shaytan has zero authority over "My servants" - those whose hearts belong to Allah. Ibn Kathir, in his tafsir of this verse, says plainly: "This is a guarantee from Allah Most High for the people of His obedience, that none of His enemies will overpower them." Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal - the imam of the Hanbali school, the most cautious in matters of the unseen - taught his students this verse as the answer to every fear of jinn or shayatin: the believer's default position is that he is in "'ibadi", and the protection has already been issued.
إِنَّمَا ذَٰلِكُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ يُخَوِّفُ أَوْلِيَآءَهُۥ فَلَا تَخَافُوهُمْ وَخَافُونِ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ ١٧٥That [warning] is only [from] Satan, who frightens [you] of his supporters. So do not fear them, but fear Me, if you are [indeed] believers.
Read the verse again carefully. The fear itself - the suggestion that you should be afraid of a magician, a jinn, a curse - that fear is Shaytan's project. He has no real weapon left, so he sells you imaginary ones. The believer's correct response is in the same verse: فَلَا تَخَافُوهُمْ وَخَافُونِ [from Qur'an 3:175] - do not fear them; fear Me. Fear of Allah crowds out every other fear. There is no room in a heart full of khashyat-Allah for a magician's name.
Narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas (radiy-Allahu anhuma)
يَا غُلاَمُ إِنِّي أُعَلِّمُكَ كَلِمَاتٍ احْفَظِ اللَّهَ يَحْفَظْكَ احْفَظِ اللَّهَ تَجِدْهُ تُجَاهَكَ إِذَا سَأَلْتَ فَاسْأَلِ اللَّهَ وَإِذَا اسْتَعَنْتَ فَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللَّهِ وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ الأُمَّةَ لَوِ اجْتَمَعَتْ عَلَى أَنْ يَنْفَعُوكَ بِشَيْءٍ لَمْ يَنْفَعُوكَ إِلاَّ بِشَيْءٍ قَدْ كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ لَكَ وَلَوِ اجْتَمَعُوا عَلَى أَنْ يَضُرُّوكَ بِشَيْءٍ لَمْ يَضُرُّوكَ إِلاَّ بِشَيْءٍ قَدْ كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ رُفِعَتِ الأَقْلاَمُ وَجَفَّتِ الصُّحُفُO young man, I will teach you some words: Be mindful of Allah and He will protect you. Be mindful of Allah and you will find Him before you. When you ask, ask Allah; when you seek aid, seek the aid of Allah. Know that if the entire nation were to gather to benefit you, they would not benefit you except with what Allah has already written for you. And if they were to gather to harm you, they would not harm you except with what Allah has already written against you. The pens have been lifted and the pages have dried.
This is the Prophet's (ﷺ) private instruction to a young boy who would grow up to be one of the greatest scholars of the Qur'an, 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas (رضي الله عنه). Imam al-Tirmidhi himself graded it hasan sahih. Read the ceiling it puts on every harm: not a magician, not a kahin, not a hasid, not a jinn, not an entire nation united against you, can harm you with anything except what Allah has already written. The pens have already been lifted. The pages have already dried. The recitation you are doing right now is your participation in the same decree that Allah has already written for your protection.
Why fear has no place during ruqyah
People come to ruqyah with a long list of fears. Some feel a sense of darkness in the room. Some have vivid or disturbing dreams. Some feel a tightness in the chest or a heaviness in the head while reciting. Some hear about a specific magician (sahir) by name and feel the name itself has power. None of these is a reason to stop, and none of these is a reason to be afraid. They are within Allah's decree, and the very recitation you are doing is your shield.
The fear
I felt a strange physical reaction while reciting (tingling, heat, tears, a yawn that would not stop).
The answer
This is the body responding to the word of Allah. It is within His decree, not above it. Keep reciting. The verses are not what is harming you; they are what is healing you.
The fear
I am afraid that someone has done black magic (sihr) on me and naming them would activate it.
The answer
Names have no power. Allah's words have power. The magician and his name are both subject to the same Lord you are calling upon. Recite, and do not look at the name as a threat. It is not.
The fear
I had a frightening dream after a session. Did it make things worse?
The answer
No. A dream cannot harm you. The Prophet's guidance for a bad dream is to seek refuge in Allah from its evil, spit lightly three times to the left, and turn to the other side. Do not narrate it. The recitation is still working.
The fear
I don't feel anything when I recite. Am I doing it wrong?
The answer
No. Sensation is not the proof. Tawakkul is. The verses do their work whether you feel anything or not. Many believers heal with no physical sign at all. Keep going.
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ يُقَٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ يُقَٰتِلُونَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱلطَّٰغُوتِ فَقَٰتِلُوٓا۟ أَوْلِيَآءَ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنِ إِنَّ كَيْدَ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنِ كَانَ ضَعِيفًا ٧٦Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah, and those who disbelieve fight in the cause of taghut. So fight against the allies of Satan. Indeed, the plot of Satan has ever been weak.
This is Allah's own verdict, not the believer's wishful thinking. Shaytan (al-shaytan) and the magicians (al-sahara) and the enviers (al-hasidin) are weak before Allah's words. The only One you should ever fear is the One you are calling upon - and He is not against you in this. He invited you to call.
If a jinn speaks through the patient - never trust a single word
This is the most important warning for anyone who recites ruqyah over another person. Sometimes - rarely, but it happens - a voice will answer from the patient's mouth. It may give a name. It may give a date. It may name a relative as the "sender" of the sihr. It may describe an object "buried in the garden". Every word out of that mouth is, by the Prophet's own ruling, the speech of a kadhub - a habitual liar. Treat it accordingly.
Narrated by Abu Hurairah (radiy-Allahu anhu)
وَكَّلَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِحِفْظِ زَكَاةِ رَمَضَانَ، فَأَتَانِي آتٍ، فَجَعَلَ يَحْثُو مِنَ الطَّعَامِ، فَأَخَذْتُهُ فَقُلْتُ لأَرْفَعَنَّكَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم. فَذَكَرَ الْحَدِيثَ فَقَالَ إِذَا أَوَيْتَ إِلَى فِرَاشِكَ فَاقْرَأْ آيَةَ الْكُرْسِيِّ لَنْ يَزَالَ عَلَيْكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ حَافِظٌ، وَلاَ يَقْرَبُكَ شَيْطَانٌ حَتَّى تُصْبِحَ. فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم "صَدَقَكَ وَهْوَ كَذُوبٌ، ذَاكَ شَيْطَانٌ".Abu Hurairah was assigned to guard the zakat of Ramadan. A thief came, gathering food. Abu Hurairah caught him and said: 'I will take you to the Messenger of Allah!' The man told him that whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi when going to bed will have a protector from Allah and no Shaytan will come near him until morning. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'He spoke truthfully to you, though he is a liar. That was a Shaytan.'
The Prophet's (ﷺ) ruling: saddaqaka wa huwa kadhub. Even when a shaytan happens to convey something that is - in itself - true, the Prophet still classified the speaker as kadhub: a structural, habitual liar. The defective class of the speaker does not change because one sentence came out correctly. Now apply that to the voice that may answer during your ruqyah session: if even a shaytan who told the truth about Ayat al-Kursi is still kadhub, then the jinn naming your sister-in-law as the source of sihr is - at default - lying. Out of one hundred such utterances, the Prophet's framework gives you somewhere between zero and one to be true; and you have no way to know which one.
Never do
- Repeat the name the jinn gives to any family member.
- Cut relations with the relative the jinn names.
- Search for buried objects in the place the jinn describes.
- Take any retaliatory or {"counter-sihr"} action - that itself would be the worst sihr.
- Address the jinn directly, command it, or try to negotiate with it. Address only Allah.
Always do
- Return immediately to recitation - Ayat al-Kursi, the last two ayat of Al-Baqarah, the three Mu'awwidhat.
- Increase istighfar quietly between the verses.
- Ask Allah - in your own language - to dismantle whatever needs dismantling and to expose only what He wills.
- If physical reaction stops, end the session and return to it tomorrow. Long-running theatrics serve the raqi's ego, not the patient.
- Trust that Allah is dismantling it whether you can {"see it"} happen or not.
There is no fixed sequence - conviction is what carries the recitation
وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ ٱلْقُرْءَانِ مَا هُوَ شِفَآءٌۭ وَرَحْمَةٌۭ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۙ وَلَا يَزِيدُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ إِلَّا خَسَارًۭا ٨٢And We send down of the Qur'an that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss.
Allah did not specify which surah heals which complaint, in which order, with which counts. He said: "of the Qur'an" - min al-Qur'an (وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ ٱلْقُرْءَانِ مَا هُوَ شِفَآءٌۭ وَرَحْمَةٌۭ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ) [from Qur'an 17:82]. Any portion of the Qur'an, recited with iman and tawakkul, is shifa'. The Companion who recited Surah Al-Fatihah over the chief of a tribe (Sahih al-Bukhari 5736, Sahih Muslim 2201) recited what came to him; he had not been taught a "sequence". The Prophet (ﷺ) approved with his famous question: "wa ma adraka annaha ruqya" - "how did you know it was a ruqyah?" The point is settled: there is no secret order. There is the Book of Allah and your conviction.
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim, in Zad al-Ma'ad and in al-Tibb al-Nabawi, makes this the central observation: the strength of the ruqyah is not in the count, not in the order, not in some hidden combination - it is in the heart of the reciter and his certainty that Allah hears. "If the reciter has firm faith and the patient has firm faith, the speech of Allah works. If the reciter is half-hearted, the speech remains true but the channel is closed." Ibn Taymiyyah in Majmu' al-Fatawa made the same observation: the ruqyah of a half-believer who recites the longest surah is weaker than the ruqyah of a sincere believer who recites "bismillah".
The practical consequence: stop worrying about whether you "did it in the right order". Recite what you remember, in whatever order it comes to you. The Qur'an is not a sequence of magic spells; it is the Speech of Allah. The believer is not complaining to a person, not complaining to a jinn; he is asking Allah to lift the calamity. Read anything from the Qur'an with that intention; in sha'a Allah, it will work.
And one last piece of reassurance that every reciter and every patient must internalise: if the patient shows no visible reaction, that does not mean the ruqyah is not working. Not every body reacts. Some patients yawn, weep, shake; others sit perfectly still and yet the sihr is being undone by Allah verse by verse. The Prophet (ﷺ) recited Surah Al-Falaq and Surah An-Nas over himself in his final illness (Sahih al-Bukhari 5751); 'Aishah (رضي الله عنها) reported no shaking, no screaming - just recitation, his own hand placed where it ached. Treat absence of reaction as the normal case, not as failure. Continue.
Opening: the starting du'as and dhikr
Open every session in the same way the Qur'an itself opens. First seek refuge (ta'awwudh), then say Bismillah, then recite Surah Al-Fatihah. This is not a magical opening; it is the standard prophetic doorway into the recitation of Allah's book.
Say first
أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
A'udhu billahi mina ash-shaytan ir-rajim - I seek refuge in Allah from the rejected shaytan.
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
Bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r-Rahim - In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ١ ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ ٢ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ٣ مَٰلِكِ يَوْمِ ٱلدِّينِ ٤ إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ ٥ ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ ٦ صِرَٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ ٱلْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ ٧In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is for Allah, Lord of all worlds, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, Master of the Day of Judgement. You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help. Guide us to the straight path, the path of those You have blessed, not of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor of those who have gone astray.
The Prophet (ﷺ) himself approved Surah Al-Fatihah as ruqyah, and a Companion recited it over a snake-bitten chief who recovered. This is the original ruqyah of the Qur'an itself.
ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلْحَىُّ ٱلْقَيُّومُ لَا تَأْخُذُهُۥ سِنَةٌ وَلَا نَوْمٌ لَّهُۥ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشْفَعُ عِندَهُۥٓ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهِۦ يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىْءٍ مِّنْ عِلْمِهِۦٓ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُۥ حِفْظُهُمَا وَهُوَ ٱلْعَلِىُّ ٱلْعَظِيمُ ٢٥٥Allah - there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what will be after them, and they encompass nothing of His knowledge except for what He wills. His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and their preservation tires Him not. And He is the Most High, the Most Great.
Narrated by Abu Hurairah (radiy-Allahu anhu)
إِذَا أَوَيْتَ إِلَى فِرَاشِكَ فَاقْرَأْ آيَةَ الْكُرْسِيِّ لَنْ يَزَالَ مَعَكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ حَافِظٌ وَلاَ يَقْرَبُكَ شَيْطَانٌ حَتَّى تُصْبِحَWhen you go to bed, recite Ayat al-Kursi; a guardian from Allah will remain with you, and no shaytan will come near you until morning.
ءَامَنَ ٱلرَّسُولُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ كُلٌّ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَلَٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِۦ وَقَالُوا۟ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا ٱكْتَسَبَتْ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَآ إِصْرًا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦ وَٱعْفُ عَنَّا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَٱرْحَمْنَآ أَنتَ مَوْلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَThe Messenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and so have the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His books and His messengers, saying, 'We make no distinction between any of His messengers.' And they say, 'We hear and we obey. Your forgiveness, our Lord, and to You is the final destination.' Allah does not charge a soul except with that within its capacity. It will have what it has earned, and it will bear what it has earned. 'Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred. Our Lord, lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people.'
Narrated by Abu Mas'ud al-Ansari (radiy-Allahu anhu)
مَنْ قَرَأَ بِالآيَتَيْنِ مِنْ آخِرِ سُورَةِ الْبَقَرَةِ فِي لَيْلَةٍ كَفَتَاهُWhoever recites the last two ayat of Surat al-Baqarah at night, they will suffice him.
قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ١ ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ ٢ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ ٣ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُۥ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌۢ ٤Say: He is Allah, the One. Allah is the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born. Nor is there to Him any equivalent.
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلْفَلَقِ ١ مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ ٢ وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ ٣ وَمِن شَرِّ ٱلنَّفَّٰثَٰتِ فِى ٱلْعُقَدِ ٤ وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ ٥Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak, from the evil of that which He created, and from the evil of darkness when it settles, and from the evil of the blowers in knots, and from the evil of an envier when he envies.
قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ ٱلنَّاسِ ١ مَلِكِ ٱلنَّاسِ ٢ إِلَٰهِ ٱلنَّاسِ ٣ مِن شَرِّ ٱلْوَسْوَاسِ ٱلْخَنَّاسِ ٤ ٱلَّذِى يُوَسْوِسُ فِى صُدُورِ ٱلنَّاسِ ٥ مِنَ ٱلْجِنَّةِ وَٱلنَّاسِ ٦Say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, the King of mankind, the God of mankind, from the evil of the retreating whisperer who whispers in the breasts of mankind, from among the jinn and mankind.
Narrated by Abdullah ibn Khubayb (radiy-Allahu anhu)
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ وَالْمُعَوِّذَتَيْنِ حِينَ تُمْسِي وَحِينَ تُصْبِحُ ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍ تَكْفِيكَ مِنْ كُلِّ شَىْءٍRecite Surat al-Ikhlas and the two Mu'awwidhatayn (al-Falaq and an-Nas) three times in the morning and three times in the evening; they will suffice you against everything.
Then add this short formula, narrated for morning and evening but suitable to open any ruqyah session as well. The Companion who narrated it said that whoever says it three times in the morning and three times in the evening, nothing shall harm him.
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الَّذِي لَا يَضُرُّ مَعَ اسْمِهِ شَيْءٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي السَّمَاءِ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
Bismillahi-lladhi la yadurru ma'a-smihi shay'un fi-l-ardi wa la fi-s-sama'i wa huwa-s-Sami'u-l-'Alim - In the Name of Allah, with whose Name nothing on earth or in heaven can harm; and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.
Narrated by Uthman ibn Affan (radiy-Allahu anhu) (via Aban ibn Uthman)
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الَّذِي لاَ يَضُرُّ مَعَ اسْمِهِ شَىْءٌ فِي الأَرْضِ وَلاَ فِي السَّمَاءِ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُIn the name of Allah, with whose Name nothing on earth or in heaven can harm; and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.
Step-by-step protocol
The following sequence is the consensus prophetic protocol. Wudu is preferred but not required. A quiet room is preferred but not required. Facing the Qiblah is preferred but not required. None of these is a condition for the recitation to be valid - they are courtesies of presence. The condition is tawakkul.
- Preparation. Make wudu if you can. Sit comfortably in a quiet place, preferably facing the Qiblah. Have a glass of water beside you to recite over and drink afterwards.
- Step 1: ta'awwudh and Bismillah. Open with a'udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajim, then Bismillahi-r-Rahmani-r-Rahim. Settle your heart on Allah.
- Step 2: Surah Al-Fatihah. Recite the seven verses slowly and audibly. This is the original ruqyah of the Qur'an as confirmed by the Prophet himself.
- Step 3: Ayat al-Kursi (2:255). Recite it once with concentration. The Prophet promised a guardian from Allah for anyone who recites it before sleeping.
- Step 4: the last two verses of Al-Baqarah (2:285-286). Recite both verses. The Prophet said whoever recites them at night, they will suffice him.
- Step 5: the three Mu'awwidhat. Recite Surah Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq, and An-Nas - either once each with full presence, or three times each as in the morning and evening adhkar (the daily remembrances). The Prophet recited these and blew (nafath) into his hands and wiped over his body every night.
- Step 6: place hand on pain and pray the Prophet's formula. Place your right hand on the place that hurts. Say 'Bismillah' three times. Then say seven times: A'udhu bi-'izzatillahi wa qudratihi min sharri ma ajidu wa uhadhir (I seek refuge in the might and power of Allah from the evil of what I find and dread).
- Step 7: closing du'a. Recite the Prophet's du'a for healing: Adhhibi-l-ba'sa Rabba-n-nas, ishfi anta-sh-Shafi, la shifa'a illa shifa'uka, shifa'an la yughadiru saqaman (Remove the harm, O Lord of mankind, heal - You are the Healer; there is no healing but Your healing, a healing that leaves no illness behind).
- Step 8: personal du'a in your own language. Then speak to Allah in your own words. Tell Him your situation. Ask Him for what you need. Allah hears every language; you do not need anyone's permission, and you do not need to translate into Arabic first.
Narrated by Uthman ibn Abi al-As ath-Thaqafi (radiy-Allahu anhu)
ضَعْ يَدَكَ عَلَى الَّذِي تَأَلَّمَ مِنْ جَسَدِكَ وَقُلْ بِاسْمِ اللَّهِ ثَلاَثًا وَقُلْ سَبْعَ مَرَّاتٍ أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ وَقُدْرَتِهِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا أَجِدُ وَأُحَاذِرُPlace your hand on the part of your body that pains you and say 'bismillah' three times. Then say seven times: 'I seek refuge in Allah and in His power from the evil of what I feel and fear.'
Narrated by Aishah (radiy-Allahu anha)
اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ النَّاسِ أَذْهِبِ الْبَاسَ اشْفِهِ وَأَنْتَ الشَّافِي لاَ شِفَاءَ إِلاَّ شِفَاؤُكَ شِفَاءً لاَ يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًاO Allah, Lord of mankind, remove the harm and cure him. You are the Healer. There is no healing except Your healing - a healing that leaves behind no illness.
Narrated by Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (radiy-Allahu anhu)
بِاسْمِ اللَّهِ أَرْقِيكَ مِنْ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ يُؤْذِيكَ مِنْ شَرِّ كُلِّ نَفْسٍ أَوْ عَيْنِ حَاسِدٍ اللَّهُ يَشْفِيكَ بِاسْمِ اللَّهِ أَرْقِيكَIn the name of Allah I perform ruqyah for you, from everything that harms you, from the evil of every soul or envious eye. May Allah cure you. In the name of Allah I perform ruqyah for you.
Allah's single name is enough
Notice the phrasing of the morning-evening hadith above. With His Name nothing can harm. Not seven names. Not a long incantation. His Name. Singular. The believer who realises this needs no amulet, no oil, no specialist, no fortune-teller, no number sequence. The Name of Allah is itself the protection.
Narrated by Safiyyah (radiy-Allahu anha) from one of the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him)
مَنْ أَتَى عَرَّافًا فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ شَىْءٍ لَمْ تُقْبَلْ لَهُ صَلاَةٌ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةًWhoever visits a diviner and asks him about anything, his prayer is not accepted for forty nights.
The contrast is sharp. On one side: Allah's single Name, which protects. On the other side: the fortune-teller and the magician, whose visit cancels forty nights of accepted prayer. The believer chooses the first. Always. Without negotiation.
Additional protective adhkar to weave through every session
Beyond the core Qur'anic recitation and the Bismillah-illadhi formula, the Sunnah preserves several short adhkar that the Prophet(ﷺ)himself repeated as personal shields. Weave them in. Repeat them at any pause in the session. Their brevity is a feature, not a flaw: they are designed to be repeatable until the heart absorbs the meaning.
1. Refuge in the Perfect Words of Allah - A'udhu bi-kalimatillahi-t-tammat min sharri ma khalaq (مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ) [the closing phrase echoes Qur'an 113:2]. The Prophet(ﷺ)said whoever recites this at any place, nothing will harm him in that place until he leaves. Recite it on entering a new room, on lying down to sleep, before any moment of unease.
Narrated by Khawlah bint Hakim as-Sulamiyyah (radiy-Allahu anha)
مَنْ نَزَلَ مَنْزِلًا ثُمَّ قَالَ أَعُوذُ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ التَّامَّاتِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ لَمْ يَضُرَّهُ شَيْءٌ حَتَّى يَرْتَحِلَ مِنْ مَنْزِلِهِ ذَلِكَWhoever stays at a place and says: 'I seek refuge in the Perfect Words of Allah from the evil of what He has created,' nothing will harm him until he leaves that place.
2. The hundredfold tahlil - La ilaha illallah, wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamd, wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadir. Whoever says this one hundred times in a day receives the reward of freeing ten slaves, one hundred good deeds, the erasure of one hundred sins, and a shield from Shaytan until evening.
Narrated by Abu Hurairah (radiy-Allahu anhu)
مَنْ قَالَ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ فِي يَوْمٍ مِائَةَ مَرَّةٍ كَانَتْ لَهُ عَدْلَ عَشْرِ رِقَابٍ وَكُتِبَتْ لَهُ مِائَةُ حَسَنَةٍ وَمُحِيَتْ عَنْهُ مِائَةُ سَيِّئَةٍ وَكَانَتْ لَهُ حِرْزًا مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ يَوْمَهُ ذَلِكَ حَتَّى يُمْسِيَ وَلَمْ يَأْتِ أَحَدٌ أَفْضَلَ مِمَّا جَاءَ بِهِ إِلاَّ أَحَدٌ عَمِلَ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَWhoever says: 'There is no deity but Allah alone, He has no partner, His is the dominion and to Him belongs all praise, and He is over all things omnipotent' one hundred times in a day, it will be equal in reward to freeing ten slaves, one hundred good deeds will be recorded for him, one hundred sins will be wiped from him, and it will be a shield from the shaytan for that day until evening. None will surpass it except one who does more.
3. The declaration of sufficiency - Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal-wakil (حَسْبُنَا ٱللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ ٱلْوَكِيلُ) [from Qur'an 3:173] - Allah is sufficient for us, and the best disposer of affairs. This was the response of the believers when told a great army had gathered against them; Allah recorded it in the Qur'an as the response that increased their iman:
ٱلَّذِينَ قَالَ لَهُمُ ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّ ٱلنَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُوا۟ لَكُمْ فَٱخْشَوْهُمْ فَزَادَهُمْ إِيمَٰنًا وَقَالُوا۟ حَسْبُنَا ٱللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ ٱلْوَكِيلُ ١٧٣Those to whom people said: 'Indeed, the people have gathered against you, so fear them.' But it merely increased them in faith, and they said: 'Sufficient for us is Allah, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.'
4. The transfer of power - La hawla wa la quwwata illa billah - there is no might and no power except with Allah. The Prophet(ﷺ)called this one of the treasures of Paradise. Recite it when feeling weak, when fear rises, when a task seems beyond your strength. It is the most direct way to displace the self's panic with reliance on Allah.
Recite aloud, not in a whisper
Recite audibly enough that you hear yourself clearly. Several classical scholars - including Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (رحمه الله) and Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله) - explicitly recommended loud recitation when the ruqyah is for cases of black magic (sihr) or jinn-related affliction. The voice carries the conviction, the conviction carries the heart, and the recitation reaches both your own chest and any unseen presence in the room.
Narrated by Aishah (radiy-Allahu anha)
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ إِذَا أَوَى إِلَى فِرَاشِهِ كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ جَمَعَ كَفَّيْهِ ثُمَّ نَفَثَ فِيهِمَا فَقَرَأَ فِيهِمَا قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ وَ قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ وَ قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ النَّاسِ ثُمَّ يَمْسَحُ بِهِمَا مَا اسْتَطَاعَ مِنْ جَسَدِهِ يَبْدَأُ بِهِمَا عَلَى رَأْسِهِ وَوَجْهِهِ وَمَا أَقْبَلَ مِنْ جَسَدِهِ يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ ثَلاَثَ مَرَّاتٍWhenever the Prophet went to bed every night, he used to cup his hands together and blow over them after reciting Surat Al-Ikhlas, Surat Al-Falaq and Surat An-Nas, and then rub his hands over whatever parts of his body he was able to rub, starting with his head, face and front of his body. He used to do that three times.
The narration uses the word nafath - a light blowing with a small amount of saliva, audible enough to be heard. Do not mumble. Do not perform ruqyah in a way that hides the recitation from yourself. Recite, blow, wipe. Then move on. There is nothing to fear in any of it.
Closing: the Prophet's du'a for healing
End every session the way the Prophet (ﷺ) ended his visits to the sick. This is the gentlest, most direct du'a in the Sunnah for the removal of harm and the granting of healing. Recite it over yourself, over your child, over your spouse, over anyone whose pain Allah has placed under your care.
Narrated by Ibn Abbas (radiy-Allahu anhu)
أَعُوذُ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ التَّامَّةِ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ وَهَامَّةٍ، وَمِنْ كُلِّ عَيْنٍ لاَمَّةٍI seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from every devil, every harmful creature, and every envious eye.
Narrated by Shaddad ibn Aws (radiy-Allahu anhu)
سَيِّدُ الاِسْتِغْفَارِ أَنْ تَقُولَ اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي، لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ، خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ، وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ، أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ، أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَىَّ وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي، فَاغْفِرْ لِي، فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَThe master du'a of seeking forgiveness is to say: 'O Allah, You are my Lord. There is no deity but You. You created me and I am Your servant; I am bound to You by Your covenant and Your promise as best I can. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge Your blessing upon me, and I confess my sin. So forgive me, for none forgives sins but You.'
After the session
Do not analyse the session for hidden signs. Do not test yourself. Do not interpret every yawn or tear as a diagnosis. Drink the water you recited over. Pray your obligatory salah on time. Keep the morning and evening adhkar (the daily remembrances). Sleep on your right side after reciting Ayat al-Kursi. The session does not end when you close your mouth - it continues through your obedience over the next day.
Narrated by Abu Hurairah (radiy-Allahu anhu)
لاَ تَجْعَلُوا بُيُوتَكُمْ مَقَابِرَ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ يَنْفِرُ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ الَّذِي تُقْرَأُ فِيهِ سُورَةُ الْبَقَرَةِDo not make your houses as graveyards. Verily, the shaytan flees from the house in which Surah al-Baqarah is recited.
وَإِمَّا يَنزَغَنَّكَ مِنَ ٱلشَّيْطَٰنِ نَزْغٌ فَٱسْتَعِذْ بِٱللَّهِ إِنَّهُۥ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ٢٠٠And if there comes to you from Satan an evil suggestion, then seek refuge in Allah. Indeed, He is Hearing and Knowing.
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُوٓا۟ إِيمَٰنَهُم بِظُلْمٍ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ لَهُمُ ٱلْأَمْنُ وَهُم مُّهْتَدُونَ ٨٢They who believe and do not mix their belief with injustice - those will have security, and they are rightly guided.
The verse promises security (al-amn) to the believer whose tawheed is unmixed. That is the long-term protection your daily recitation builds. The ruqyah session is one moment; the life of tawheed around it is the wider cure.
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ وَنَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِۦ نَفْسُهُۥ وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ ٱلْوَرِيدِ ١٦And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than his jugular vein.
Close the day on this thought. Allah is closer to you than your jugular vein. The ruqyah you recited was not a long-distance call. The One who hears was already with you, before the first word, throughout it, and after the last one. The whole reason fear has no place in this practice is that you are not alone in the room. You never were.
?Do I have to be in wudu to perform ruqyah on myself?
?What if I cannot recite Arabic properly?
?How often should I do a full ruqyah session?
?Is it okay to recite over water or olive oil and drink it or apply it?
?I feel afraid even thinking about doing ruqyah on myself. What do I do?
Extended ruqyah verse collections
Read this first
Reading every collection in full, in order, is not required. A complete ruqyah can be Surah Al-Fatihah recited once with a quiet heart. The collections below are extensions — grouped Qur'anic passages compiled by scholars of ruqyah for specific situations (a stubborn jinn refusing to leave, the evil eye, daily protection, sihr, or a long session needing more material). Pick what fits the situation, recite slowly, and trust that the One you are reciting to hears every word. Quantity does not heal; sincerity and Allah's permission do.
Source for the verse selections: the Ruqyah Support BD compilations (ayat al-khuruj, ayat al-harq, ayat for the evil eye, common ayate karima, ayat for sihr). Click any reference to read the full Arabic with translation on quran.com.
1. Ayat al-Khuruj — verses commanding to come out
When a possessing jinn refuses to leave during ruqyah, reciters traditionally read the Qur'anic passages that speak of expulsion, exit, and bringing-out — verses where Allah commands or describes things being driven out, brought out, or expelled. The patient's body is not the target; the recitation reaches the jinn through the Qur'an's authority, not through volume or repetition counts.
- Al-Baqarah: 2:72-73, 2:84-85, 2:149-150, 2:191, 2:243
- Āl ʿImrān: 3:27
- An-Nisāʾ: 4:75
- Al-Māʾidah: 5:22-25
- Al-Anʿām: 6:93, 6:95
- Al-Aʿrāf: 7:13, 7:18, 7:25, 7:58, 7:82
- At-Tawbah: 9:57, 9:64
- Yūnus: 10:31
- Ibrāhīm: 14:13
- Al-Ḥijr: 15:34
- An-Naḥl: 16:69, 16:78
- Ṭā Hā: 20:55
- Al-Anbiyāʾ: 21:22
- Al-Muʾminūn: 23:35, 23:106-107
- An-Nūr: 24:53
- Ash-Shuʿarāʾ: 26:57, 26:167
- An-Naml: 27:37, 27:67
- Al-Qaṣaṣ: 28:20-21
- Ar-Rūm: 30:19, 30:25
- Saba & Fāṭir & Yāsīn & Ghāfir & Az-Zukhruf: 34:2, 35:37, 36:33, 40:11, 43:11
- Muḥammad / Al-Fatḥ / Qāf / Adh-Dhāriyāt: 47:13, 47:29, 48:22, 50:42, 51:35
- Al-Qamar / Ar-Raḥmān / Al-Ḥashr / Al-Munāfiqūn / Aṭ-Ṭalāq / Al-Maʿārij / Nūḥ / Al-Inshiqāq / Aṭ-Ṭāriq / Az-Zalzala: 54:7, 55:22, 59:2, 63:8, 65:1-2, 70:43, 71:18, 84:1-5, 86:7, 99:2
2. Verses for the evil eye and envy (al-ʿayn wa al-ḥasad)
The evil eye is real (the Prophet ﷺ said so explicitly in Sahih Muslim 2188), and its remedy is recitation, not amulets. The verses below appear in classical and contemporary ruqyah compilations for envy, the harming gaze, and jealousy.
- Al-Fātiḥah (1:1-7)
- Al-Baqarah: 2:20, 2:69, 2:109, 2:247, 2:255 (Ayat al-Kursī), 2:269, 2:285-286
- Āl ʿImrān / An-Nisāʾ / Al-Māʾidah / Al-Anʿām: 3:143, 4:54, 5:45, 6:103
- Al-Aʿrāf / Al-Anfāl / At-Tawbah: 7:108, 8:6, 9:127
- Yūsuf: 12:67, 12:84
- Al-Kahf / Al-Anbiyāʾ / An-Naml / Yāsīn: 18:39-40, 21:61, 27:15-16, 36:9
- Aṣ-Ṣāffāt / Ghāfir / Qāf / Adh-Dhāriyāt / Al-Qamar / Ar-Raḥmān: 37:88-89, 37:98, 40:19, 50:6, 51:44, 54:12, 55:66-67
- Al-Mulk / Al-Qalam: 67:3-4, 68:50-52
- Al-Falaq (entire) & An-Nās (entire)
3. Common āyāt al-karīma — general protection verses
For daily personal protection (waking, sleep, travel, after the obligatory prayers), and for any non-specific ruqyah session where the reciter wants a broader set of verified verses with no particular target — magic, illness, or fear.
- Al-Fātiḥah (1:1-7)
- Opening of Al-Baqarah: 2:1-5
- Al-Baqarah: 2:102, 2:163-164, 2:255 (Ayat al-Kursī), 2:285-286
- Āl ʿImrān: 3:18, 3:26-27
- Al-Aʿrāf: 7:54-56
- End of Al-Muʾminūn: 23:115-118
- Opening of Aṣ-Ṣāffāt: 37:1-10
- Al-Aḥqāf: 46:29-32 (the jinn listen to the Qur'an)
- Ar-Raḥmān: 55:33-36
- End of Al-Ḥashr: 59:21-24 (the most beautiful names)
- Opening of Al-Jinn: 72:1-9
- The three Muʿawwidhāt: Al-Ikhlāṣ, Al-Falaq, An-Nās
4. Verses for sihr (black magic)
The shortest collection, because the Qur'an's answer to sihr is direct: Allah will void it. These passages narrate Mūsā's confrontation with Pharaoh's magicians and the three refuge surahs that the Prophet ﷺ himself was treated with when sihr was worked against him (Sahih al-Bukhari 5763).
- Al-Aʿrāf: 7:117-122 (Mūsā's staff swallows their illusions)
- Yūnus: 10:81-82 (“Allah will void it”)
- Ṭā Hā: 20:69 (“the magician never succeeds wherever he comes”)
- Al-Ikhlāṣ, Al-Falaq, An-Nās — the surahs the Prophet ﷺ was treated with (112, 113, 114)
5. Āyāt al-ḥarq — verses describing burning and divine punishment
Read in two situations: (1) when a stubborn jinn refuses to leave and persists in denial after the khurūj verses, or (2) when burning a discovered sihr knot or written object to break its hold. The verses describe the Fire of Hell, the punishment of Pharaoh and the deniers, and Allah's authority to punish — they are recited not as a threat from the reciter, but as a quoting of Allah's own decree.
- Al-Baqarah: 2:255, 2:266
- Āl ʿImrān: 3:10, 3:116, 3:181
- An-Nisāʾ / Al-Māʾidah / Al-Aʿrāf / Al-Anfāl: 4:56, 5:37, 7:38, 8:50
- Ibrāhīm / Al-Ḥijr / Al-Kahf / Maryam / Ṭā Hā: 14:16-17, 15:16-18, 18:29, 19:4, 20:97
- Al-Anbiyāʾ / Al-Ḥajj: 21:39, 21:68, 21:98, 22:19-22, 22:72
- Al-Muʾminūn / An-Naml / Al-ʿAnkabūt / Al-Aḥzāb: 23:103-104, 27:90, 29:24, 33:66
- Fāṭir / Aṣ-Ṣāffāt / Ghāfir / Muḥammad / Al-Fatḥ: 35:36-37, 37:7-10, 40:6, 40:72, 47:15, 47:22, 48:22
- Ad-Dukhān / Qāf / Adh-Dhāriyāt / Al-Qamar / Ar-Raḥmān / Al-Wāqiʿah: 44:43-50, 50:42, 51:35, 54:48, 55:31-35, 56:51-55
- Al-Mulk / Al-Jinn / Al-Burūj / Aṭ-Ṭāriq / Al-Layl / Al-Qāriʿah / Al-Humazah: 67:5-8, 72:8-9, 72:14-15, 85:10, 86:1-4, 92:14-16, 101:8-11, 104:4-9