Charging for the ruqyah

 

Is it permissible to charge for ruqyah?

The majority of Islamic scholars agree that it is permissible to charge for ruqyah. This is the consensus of the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i, Hanbali, and Zahiri schools of thought, and this view is held by Ibn Qudamah, Ibn Taymiyyah, Al-Suyuti and other prominent scholars of the Ummah.

It was narrated that Abu Sa’id al-Khudri r.a. said:

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent us, thirty horsemen, on a military campaign. We camped near some people and asked them for hospitality but they refused. Then their leader was stung by a scorpion and they said: ‘Is there anyone among you who can recite ruqyah for a scorpion sting?’ I said: ‘Yes, I can, but I will not recite ruqyah for him until you give us some sheep.’ They said: ‘We will give you thirty sheep.’ So we accepted them, and I recited Al-Hamd (i.e. Al-Fatihah) over him seven times. Then he recovered, and I took the sheep. Then some doubts occurred within ourselves. Then we said: ‘Let us not hasten (to make a decision concerning the sheep) until we come to the Prophet (ﷺ)’ So when we came back and I told him what I had done. He said: ‘How did you know that it is a ruqyah? Divide them up and give me a share as well.'” [ Sunan Ibn Majah, 2156 ]

Ibn Abbas r.a. narrated the same event described in the hadith of Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, in which the Prophet (ﷺ) added:

“Verily, the most deserving compensation for which is taken is Allah’s Book.”

Modes of charging

The raaqi (ruqyah practitioner) may charge the patient in two main ways:

• Conditional upon healing: receiving compensation only after the patient has fully recovered and the treatment is complete.

• Per session basis: receiving compensation after each individual ruqyah session as payment for the service provided.

Charging conditional upon healing

This type of charging has been mentioned in the hadith of Abu Sa’id r.a. that we quoted previously. People of the tribe gave the sheep in compensation after their leader was cured.

Imam ar-Ramli said:

“If the patient sets healing as a condition for treatment or the recitation of ruqyah, the reciter has the right to compensation if he heals him. But if no healing occurs, he will not receive compensation because the stipulated condition was not fulfilled.”

Imam al-Mardawi said:

“If the patient makes healing a condition for treatment, the physician has no right to compensation until he heals him.”

According to the opinion of the majority of scholars, the patient has the right to set healing as a condition for treatment or ruqyah. That is, if the reciter heals him, he deserves a certain compensation, and if he does not heal him, he will not be paid.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said:

“It is permissible for a physician to set a specific compensation that will be paid to him after the patient’s recovery, just as the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) were given a specified compensation for treating the chief of that tribe. One of them recited ruqyah over him until he recovered, then they took a flock of sheep as payment. The compensation was for the treatment, not for the recitation of the Qur’an.”

Charging on a per-session basis

When it comes to agreeing on compensation before reciting ruqyah, this is also permissible. The founders of all four legal schools permit taking compensation for ruqyah. The scholars cite the previously mentioned hadith of Abu Sa’id r.a. as evidence for this.

Imam Nawawi, in his commentary on this hadith, states:

“This is a clear permission to receive compensation for ruqyah with the recitation of the Fatihah and dhikr, and it is halal without being makrooh… This is the Shafi’i school’s position.” [ Sharh Muslim, Nawawi ]

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said:

“There is no harm in taking compensation for reciting ruqyah, and this was also the view of Imam Ahmad.”

Imam ar-Ramli said:

“If healing is not stipulated as a condition for ruqyah or treatment, for example, if the patient asks the reciter to recite al-Fatihah seven times, then he has the right to compensation, since healing was not made a condition.”

In the case of ruqyah performed for a pre-determined fee, it is recommended to specify the duration of the recitation or to clarify which surahs, verses, supplications, and adhkar will be recited, so that the patient knows what to expect during the treatment. This is because reciters differ in the length of their ruqyah sessions. In this way, potential disputes and dissatisfaction on either side can be avoided. We have heard of patients who complain about being charged a high price for a ruqyah session that lasted only about fifteen minutes, believing that for such a fee the session should have lasted longer, and that the patient’s rights were thereby neglected.

For the reciter, it is best to perform ruqyah without taking compensation, with the intention of helping Muslims and seeking reward from Allah. However, if he has a need or wishes to charge for treatment, it is better not to have a fixed price list, but instead to accept whatever compensation is offered for the recitation. If the reciter does have a set price list for treatment services, then he should adapt it to the society in which he lives. Charging high fees for ruqyah may cause people to avoid seeking treatment through the Qur’an, or lead them to form negative opinions about ruqyah and its practitioners, which can result in harmful consequences. [ dr Safet Kuduzović, Poslanička Medicina ]

Shaykh Dr. Abdullah at-Tajjar and Sami Mubarak said:

“Many ruqyah reciters today have gone beyond the proper limits, demanding large sums of money from people, to the extent that wealth has become their primary goal. They have mixed their intention with various worldly motives, so that there is no blessing in their recitation. A ruqyah reciter must first and foremost fear his Lord, and acquiring wealth should not be his main objective. He should not demand large sums from people but should instead take into account the condition of the patients.”