Dua for Healing (Shifa) — Authentic Duas and Ruqyah for Illness
Illness is one of the hardest tests a person faces, yet the Quran and Sunnah turn it into a door of closeness to Allah. Prophet Ibrahim ﷺ described his Lord with these words:
وَإِذَا مَرِضْتُ فَهُوَ يَشْفِينِ
“and when I become sick, He heals me,” (Quran 26:80)
Cure belongs to Allah alone. Medicines, doctors and treatments are means — but the Healer (Ash-Shafi) is Allah. That is why the Prophet ﷺ taught his ummah (community) specific words to say when sickness strikes: duas for one’s own pain, ruqyah (healing recitation) from the Quran, and beautiful words to say at the bedside of a sick loved one. Allah also tells us that His Book itself is a cure:
“O men, there has come to you an advice from your Lord, and a cure for the ailments of your hearts, and guidance and mercy for the believers.” (Quran 10:57)
“We reveal the Qur’ān, which is cure and mercy for the believers; and it adds nothing to the unjust but loss.” (Quran 17:82)
And for the believers, Allah describes the Quran as “guidance and cure” (Quran 41:44). Illness, carried with patience, is not wasted pain. The Prophet ﷺ said: “No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5641 — Sahih) Every hour of sickness borne patiently is quietly wiping away sins — and the duas below are the believer’s way of asking the Healer for a complete recovery in this world too. Below are the authentic, proven duas and ruqyah for healing — the duas with their Arabic text, transliteration, meaning and reference — so you can recite them with confidence.
1. The Prophet’s ﷺ Own Dua for the Sick — “Adhhib il-Ba’s”
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that whenever the Prophet ﷺ visited a patient, or a patient was brought to him, he would say:
أَذْهِبِ الْبَاسَ رَبَّ النَّاسِ، اشْفِ وَأَنْتَ الشَّافِي، لاَ شِفَاءَ إِلاَّ شِفَاؤُكَ، شِفَاءً لاَ يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا
Transliteration: Adhhib il-ba’sa Rabban-nas, ishfi wa antash-Shafi, la shifa’a illa shifa’uk, shifa’an la yughadiru saqama. Meaning: “Take away the disease, O the Lord of the people! Cure him as You are the One Who cures. There is no cure but Yours, a cure that leaves no disease.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5675 — Sahih)
Aisha also described how, when one of the family fell ill, the Prophet ﷺ would rub the sick person with his right hand and recite this same dua over him. (Sahih Muslim 2191 — Sahih) This is the first dua to learn: short, comprehensive, and from the lips of the Prophet ﷺ himself. You can read it for yourself, for your child, or for anyone who is unwell — see also our dua for a sick person.
2. Jibreel’s Ruqyah — The Words an Angel Recited
When the Prophet ﷺ himself fell ill, it was Jibreel (Gabriel) who came and performed ruqyah on him with these words:
بِاسْمِ اللَّهِ أَرْقِيكَ، مِنْ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ يُؤْذِيكَ، مِنْ شَرِّ كُلِّ نَفْسٍ أَوْ عَيْنِ حَاسِدٍ، اللَّهُ يَشْفِيكَ، بِاسْمِ اللَّهِ أَرْقِيكَ
Transliteration: Bismillahi arqeek, min kulli shay’in yu’dheek, min sharri kulli nafsin aw ‘ayni hasid, Allahu yashfeek, bismillahi arqeek. Meaning: “In the name of Allah I exorcise you from everything and safeguard you from every evil that may harm you and from the eye of a jealous one. Allah would cure you and I invoke the name of Allah for you.” (Sahih Muslim 2186 — Sahih)
If an angel chose these words for the Prophet ﷺ, they are among the finest words a believer can recite over himself or over a sick family member. This is especially so when the cause of the illness is unclear, or when envy and the evil eye are feared.
3. The Dua for Pain Anywhere in the Body
Uthman ibn Abi al-‘As (may Allah be pleased with him) complained to the Prophet ﷺ about a pain he had felt in his body since becoming Muslim. The Prophet ﷺ taught him a method and a dua: place your hand on the part of your body that hurts, say Bismillah three times, then say seven times:
أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ وَقُدْرَتِهِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا أَجِدُ وَأُحَاذِرُ
Transliteration: A’udhu billahi wa qudratihi min sharri ma ajidu wa uhadhir. Meaning: “I seek refuge with Allah and with His Power from the evil that I find and that I fear.” (Sahih Muslim 2202 — Sahih)
This is the Sunnah remedy for aches and pains — a headache, a toothache, a painful joint. Repeat it exactly as taught: the hand on the pain, Bismillah three times, and the dua seven times. We also keep this as a standalone dua for pain in the body.
4. Surah Al-Fatiha — The Ruqyah That Cured a Sting
A group of the Prophet’s ﷺ companions were travelling when the chief of a tribe was stung by a scorpion. Nothing helped him. One of the companions recited Surah Al-Fatiha over him as ruqyah — and the chief stood up as if he had been freed from a rope, completely cured. When they told the Prophet ﷺ, he approved of it and asked, “How did you come to know that Suratul-Fatiha was recited as Ruqya?” (Sahih al-Bukhari 2276 — Sahih)
Recite it over yourself or over a patient, and blow lightly afterwards, just as the companion did in this narration.
5. The Mu’awwidhat — Blowing Over Yourself Like the Prophet ﷺ
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: “Whenever Allah’s Messenger ﷺ became ill, he used to recite the Muawidhatan (i.e. the last two surahs of the Qur’an) and blow his breath over himself (after their recitation) and rubbed his hands over his body.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 4439 — Sahih)
She also said that when a member of his household fell ill, he would blow over them with the Mu’awwidhat. (Sahih Muslim 2192 — Sahih) The practice is simple: recite Al-Falaq and An-Nas, blow into your cupped hands, and wipe them over the body — for yourself when you are ill, and over your children and family when they are unwell.
6. The Dua of Prophet Ayyub ﷺ — Patience in Long Illness
Prophet Ayyub (Job) ﷺ endured severe illness with legendary patience, and his dua is preserved in the Quran for every sufferer:
أَنِّي مَسَّنِيَ الضُّرُّ وَأَنْتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ
Transliteration: Anni massaniyad-durru wa anta arhamur-rahimin. Meaning: “Here I am, afflicted by pain and You are the most merciful of all the merciful.” (Quran 21:83)
Notice the beauty of this dua: Ayyub ﷺ did not complain about Allah — he complained to Allah, and wrapped his pain in praise of Allah’s mercy. Allah answered him and restored his health. If your illness has been long, make this your daily dua. Read more in our dua of Ayyub (AS) for illness.
7. Visiting the Sick — The Dua Said Seven Times at the Bedside
Visiting the sick is a beloved Sunnah with a specific, powerful dua. The Prophet ﷺ said: “If anyone visits a sick person whose time (of death) has not come, and says with him seven times:
أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ رَبَّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ أَنْ يَشْفِيَكَ
Transliteration: As’alullah al-‘Azim, Rabbal-‘arshil-‘azim, an yashfiyak. Meaning: “I ask Allah, the Mighty, the Lord of the mighty Throne, to cure you” — Allah will cure him from that disease. (Sunan Abu Dawud 3106 — Sahih · Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 2083 — Sahih)
And the visitor himself is rewarded beyond measure: whoever visits his sick Muslim brother walks among the harvest of Paradise, and seventy thousand angels pray for him. (Sunan Ibn Majah 1442 — Hasan) So do not visit empty-handed: take these words with you — and see our words of comfort when visiting the sick.
8. Dua and Medicine Go Together
Islam never asks a sick person to choose between dua and treatment. The Bedouins once asked the Prophet ﷺ, “Messenger of Allah, should we make use of medical treatment?” He replied: “Make use of medical treatment, for Allah has not made a disease without appointing a remedy for it, with the exception of one disease, namely old age.” (Sunan Abu Dawud 3855 — Sahih)
Allah even placed cure in the everyday foods He created. Of honey He says: “From their bellies comes out a drink of various colors in which there is cure for people.” (Quran 16:69) The balanced way of the Sunnah is this: take the medicine your doctor prescribes, and hold firmly to the duas of the Prophet ﷺ — the means are from Allah’s creation, and the cure is from Allah alone. A heart at peace also heals faster; many readers pair these duas with the dua for anxiety and sadness, which the Prophet ﷺ taught for distress of the heart.
Common Questions
What is the best dua for healing? Begin with the dua the Prophet ﷺ himself used at the sickbed: Adhhib il-ba’sa Rabban-nas… (Bukhari 5675, Muslim 2191). For pain in a specific place, use the dua of Muslim 2202, and for general protection and cure, Jibreel’s ruqyah (Muslim 2186).
How many times should I recite these duas? Follow the numbers given in the Sunnah itself: Bismillah three times and the pain dua seven times (Muslim 2202); the bedside dua seven times (Abu Dawud 3106). For the other duas, there is no fixed count — recite them often and with presence of heart.
Can I recite ruqyah for someone else? Yes. The Prophet ﷺ recited over his family, Jibreel recited over him, and a companion recited Al-Fatiha over the stung chief (Bukhari 2276). Parents reciting over children and family members reciting over one another is exactly the practice of the first generation.
Should I stop my medicine and rely only on dua? No. The Prophet ﷺ explicitly commanded taking medical treatment (Abu Dawud 3855). Dua and medicine are partners, not rivals: treatment is the means, and Allah is the Healer.
Which chapters of the Quran are best for ruqyah? The ones the Prophet ﷺ and his companions actually used: Surah Al-Fatiha, which cured the stung chief (Bukhari 2276), and the Mu’awwidhat — Al-Falaq and An-Nas — which the Prophet ﷺ recited over himself whenever he was ill (Bukhari 4439). Build your daily ruqyah on these, together with the duas above, rather than on formulas whose sources cannot be verified.
Conclusion
Sickness is not a sign of Allah’s displeasure — it visited the prophets and the best of people. What turns illness into worship is how we respond: with patience like Ayyub ﷺ, with the words the Prophet ﷺ taught us, and with trust that the Healer is Allah. Learn the short dua Adhhib il-ba’s, keep Al-Fatiha and the Mu’awwidhat on your tongue, and never visit a sick person without the seven-times dua at his bedside. Share these duas with anyone who is unwell today — a few sincere words at the right moment can carry a sick heart further than we imagine. May Allah grant every sick person a cure that leaves no illness behind, and reward every patient believer for each moment of pain with sins forgiven and ranks raised.