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Reciting Ruqyah verses as compiled in some books

Question

Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu, Shaykh. What do you say about reading “Manzil”, which is a compilation of some verses or Surahs from the Quran for protection against the evil influence of the jinn, magic, and other evils in the books Al-Qawl Al-Jameel and the Beheshti Zewir by Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Deh’lawi and by Moulana Asharf Ali Thanwi respectively? Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Deh’lawi writes in his book Al-Qawl Al-Jameel that there are thirty-three verses which ward off the effects of magic and that they are a protection against the devils, thieves, and harmful wild beasts. And in Beheshti Zewir, Hadhrat Moulana Asharf Ali Thanwi R.A. writes that if one suspects anyone to be afflicted by the evil effects of the jinn, then these verses should be written and made up as an amulet and then hung on the victim’s neck so that the amulet be in the place of a pendant, near the heart. These verses should be read and infused into water by blowing thereon and then subsequently sprinkled onto the victim. If the ill effect is in a house, then this water may be sprinkled inside and outside the four corners of the house. Is it correct to follow these procedures? Has this been mentioned in the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam? If not, then why would these pious people have made up these compilations of these verses or Surahs from the Quran? Some great scholars of Islam permit us to recite their book or recite their way or system of reciting these particular verses and Surahs, is it not so? Would it be Bid‘ah (religious innovations) to recite their way of reciting these verses and Surahs? Moreover, what is the authenticity of the virtues of some verses and Surahs of the Quran in a compiled book named Mustand Majmoao Wazaif by Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzi?Please take your time and provide me with authentic evidence. Please do not just provide a link to any similar questions. It is very important for me to know because people follow this book blindly. May Allaah reward you.

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

We are not aware of the books which you mentioned in the question.

If these books include Quranic verses and legitimate supplications and are free from Islamic violations, such as talismans (incomprehensible writings) and seeking the help of the jinn and the like, then there is nothing wrong in benefiting from them and performing Ruqyah (healing through Quranic recitation and supplications) with those verses, because the entire Quran is a cure for moral and physical diseases, as has been determined by the scholars.

'Awf ibn Maalik Al-Ashja'i, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated, “We practiced Ruqyah in the Jaahiliyyah (the pre-Islamic Era of Ignorance), and we asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what do you say about it?’ He said, ‘Let me know your Ruqyahs. There is no harm in Ruqyah as long as it does not involve Shirk (polytheism).’” [Muslim]

We are not aware of any text in the Shariah about assigning certain verses or Soorahs as Ruqyah for a particular illness. Some scholars consider that assigning verses and Soorahs for certain purposes without proof is an innovation and a newly invented matter. Abu Shaamah said, “...likewise are those who collect some verses which they particularly recite, and they call them the verses of protection while there is no evidence for this, so it should be known that all this is innovation, and it does not belong to the Shariah. Rather, it gives the impression that it is from the Shariah, whereas in reality it is not.

In our view, it is better in order to be on the safe side to seek healing from the Quran in general and avoid specifying certain verses or Soorahs lest this practice be included in the name of innovation.

However, if one recites specific verses or certain supplications that are free from Shirk for a specific purpose out of following the experiences of some scholars and righteous people and without attributing this to the Shariah, then we hope that there is nothing wrong with it.

Dr. Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah Aal 'Abdul-Kareem said in his thesis for the Master Degree:

Practical innovations related to the Quran (p. 415): In brief, the Ruqyah that is specified without any basis in religion, it is not correct to attribute it to the Shariah, even if it is valid to perform Ruqyah with it because of it being free from Shirk… If some people who perform Ruqyah find that some verses have an effect, it is not permissible for them to claim that this effect is one of the virtues of the Soorah or one of the characteristics of the verse, and they are not entitled to legislate this to others unless there is evidence in the Shariah for it. The effect of any verse from the Quran may have other reasons, such as the certainty of the person who performs Ruqyah as well as the person on whom the Ruqyah is performed, that the Quran cures, or the acceptance of the Ruqyah by the person on whom the Ruqyah is performed... On the other hand, it is not permissible to prevent the person who performs Ruqyah from reciting what he wishes of verses that he considers to be effective, even if he only recites some of them, as long as he does not claim that they have a virtue or a characteristic that is not reported in the Sunnah.

Allah knows best.

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