Surat al-Fatihah is a ruqyah (healing); Story of the tribesman who was cured after its ruqyah

Some of the companions of the Prophet ﷺ came across a tribe amongst the tribes of the Arabs, and that tribe did not entertain them. While they were in that state, the chief of that tribe was bitten by a snake (or stung by a scorpion). They said, (to the companions of the Prophet ﷺ ), "Have you got any medicine with you or anybody who can treat with Ruqya?" The Prophet's companions said, "You refuse to entertain us, so we will not treat (your chief) unless you pay us for it." So they agreed to pay them a flock of sheep. One of them (the Prophet's companions) started reciting Surat-al-Fatiha and gathering his saliva and spitting it (at the snake-bite). The patient got cured and his people presented the sheep to them, but they said, "We will not take it unless we ask the Prophet (whether it is lawful)." When they asked him, he smiled and said, "How do you know that Surat-al-Fatiha is a Ruqya? Take it (flock of sheep) and assign a share for me."

عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ ؓ أَنَّ نَاسًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَتَوْا عَلَى حَىٍّ مِنْ أَحْيَاءِ الْعَرَبِ فَلَمْ يَقْرُوهُمْ فَبَيْنَمَا هُمْ كَذَلِكَ إِذْ لُدِغَ سَيِّدُ أُولَئِكَ فَقَالُوا هَلْ مَعَكُمْ مِنْ دَوَاءٍ أَوْ رَاقٍ فَقَالُوا إِنَّكُمْ لَمْ تَقْرُونَا وَلاَ نَفْعَلُ حَتَّى تَجْعَلُوا لَنَا جُعْلاً فَجَعَلُوا لَهُمْ قَطِيعًا مِنَ الشَّاءِ فَجَعَلَ يَقْرَأُ بِأُمِّ الْقُرْآنِ وَيَجْمَعُ بُزَاقَهُ وَيَتْفِلُ فَبَرَأَ فَأَتَوْا بِالشَّاءِ فَقَالُوا لاَ نَأْخُذُهُ حَتَّى نَسْأَلَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَسَأَلُوهُ فَضَحِكَ وَقَالَ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ أَنَّهَا رُقْيَةٌ خُذُوهَا وَاضْرِبُوا لِي بِسَهْمٍ

Is there any incantator amongst you, at the chief of the tribe has bgen stung by a scorpion? A person amongst us said: 'Yes. So he came to him and he practised incan- tation with the help of Sura al-Fatiha and the person became all right. He was given a flock of sheep (as recompense), but he refused to accept that, saying: I shall make a mention of it to Allah's Apostle ﷺ, and if he approves of it. then I shall accept it. So we came to Allah's Apostle ﷺ and made a mention of that to him and he (that person) said: Messenger of Allah by Allah, I did not practice incantation but with the help of Sura al-Fatiha of the Holy Book. He (the Holy Prophet) smiled and said: How did you come to know that it can be used (as incactation)? - and then said: Take out of that and allocate a share for me along with your share.

أَنَّ نَاسًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَانُوا فى سَفَرٍ فَمَرُّوا بِحَىٍّ مِنْ أَحْيَاءِ الْعَرَبِ فَاسْتَضَافُوهُمْ فَلَمْ يُضِيفُوهُمْ فَقَالُوا لَهُمْ هَلْ فِيكُمْ رَاقٍ فَإِنَّ سَيِّدَ الْحَىِّ لَدِيغٌ أَوْ مُصَابٌ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنْهُمْ نَعَمْ فَأَتَاهُ فَرَقَاهُ بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ فَبَرَأَ الرَّجُلُ فَأُعْطِيَ قَطِيعًا مِنْ غَنَمٍ فَأَبَى أَنْ يَقْبَلَهَا وَقَالَ حَتَّى أَذْكُرَ ذَلِكَ لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَأَتَى النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَذَكَرَ ذَلِكَ لَهُ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهِ مَا رَقَيْتُ إِلاَّ بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ فَتَبَسَّمَ وَقَالَ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ أَنَّهَا رُقْيَةٌ ثُمَّ قَالَ خُذُوا مِنْهُمْ وَاضْرِبُوا لِي بِسَهْمٍ مَعَكُمْ

We landed at a place where a woman came to us and said: A scorpion has bitten the chief of the tribe. Is there any incantator amongst you? A person amongst us stood up (and went with her). We had no idea that he had been a good incantator but he practiced incantation with the help of Sura al-Fatiha and the (the chief) was all right. They gave him a flock of sheep and served us milk. We said (to him): Are you a good incantator. Thereupon he said: I did not do it but by the help of Sura al-Fatiha. He said: Do not drive (these goats) until we go to Messenger of Allah ﷺ and find out (whether it is permissible to accept (this reward of incantation). So we came to Allah's Apostle ﷺ and made a mention of that to him, whereupon he said: How did you come to know that this (Sura al-Fatiha) could be used as an incantation? So distribute them (amongst those who had been present there with him) and allocate a share of mine also.

إِنَّ سَيِّدَ الْحَىِّ سَلِيمٌ لُدِغَ فَهَلْ فِيكُمْ مِنْ رَاقٍ فَقَامَ مَعَهَا رَجُلٌ مِنَّا مَا كُنَّا نَظُنُّهُ يُحْسِنُ رُقْيَةً فَرَقَاهُ بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ فَبَرَأَ فَأَعْطَوْهُ غَنَمًا وَسَقَوْنَا لَبَنًا فَقُلْنَا أَكُنْتَ تُحْسِنُ رُقْيَةً فَقَالَ مَا رَقَيْتُهُ إِلاَّ بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ لاَ تُحَرِّكُوهَا حَتَّى نَأْتِيَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَأَتَيْنَا النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَذَكَرْنَا ذَلِكَ لَهُ فَقَالَ مَا كَانَ يُدْرِيهِ أَنَّهَا رُقْيَةٌ اقْسِمُوا وَاضْرِبُوا لِي بِسَهْمٍ مَعَكُمْ

[Machine] "Indeed, the master of the house is safe, so is there anyone among you who can recite Qur'an gracefully? He said, then a man stood up with her whom we did not think could recite it well. So, he went with her and separated from her. Then, he returned healed, so they gave him thirty sheep. He said, and they also used to give us milk to drink. When he came back to us, we said to him, 'Were you able to recite it well?' He said, 'No, I only recited the Opening Chapter of the Book.' Then, I told them, 'Do not disclose anything until we go to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ .' When we arrived, we went to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and I mentioned it to him. He said, 'He did not know that it was a form of recitation for healing. So, take an oath and shoot an arrow with me.'"

إِنَّ سَيِّدَ الْحَيِّ سَلِيمٌ فَهَلْ مِنْكُمْ مِنْ رَاقٍ؟ قَالَ فَقَامَ مَعَهَا رَجُلٌ مَا كُنَّا نَظُنُّهُ يُحْسِنُ رُقْيَةً فَانْطَلَقَ مَعَهَا فَرَقَاهُ فَبَرِئَ فَأَعْطَوْهُ ثَلَاثِينَ شَاةً قَالَ وَأَحْسَبُهُ قَدْ قَالَ وَأَسْقَوْنَا لَبَنًا فَلَمَّا رَجَعَ إِلَيْنَا قُلْنَا لَهُ أَكُنْتَ تُحْسِنُ رُقْيَةً؟ قَالَ لَا إِنَّمَا رَقَيْتُهُ بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ لَهُمْ لَا تُحْدِثُوا فِيهَا شَيْئًا حَتَّى نَأْتِيَ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فَلَمَّا قَدِمْنَا أَتَيْنَا رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فَذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لَهُ فَقَالَ مَا كَانَ يُدْرِيهِ أَنَّهَا رُقْيَةٌ اقْسِمُوا وَاضْرِبُوا بِسَهْمِي مَعَكُمْ

We landed at a place where a woman came to us and said: A scorpion has bitten the chief of the tribe. Is there any incantator amongst you? A person amongst us stood up (and went with her). We had no idea that he had been a good incantator but he practiced incantation with the help of Sura al-Fatiha and the (the chief) was all right. They gave him a flock of sheep and served us milk. We said (to him): Are you a good incantator. Thereupon he said: I did not do it but by the help of Sura al-Fatiha. He said: Do not drive (these goats) until we go to Messenger of Allah ﷺ and find out (whether it is permissible to accept (this reward of incantation). So we came to Allah's Apostle ﷺ and made a mention of that to him, whereupon he said: How did you come to know that this (Sura al-Fatiha) could be used as an incantation? So distribute them (amongst those who had been present there with him) and allocate a share of mine also. (Using translation from Muslim 2201c)

إِنَّ سَيِّدَ الْحَيِّ سُلَيْمٌ لُدِغَ فَهَلْ فِيكُمْ مِنْ رَاقٍ؟ قَالَ فَقَامَ مَعَهَا رَجُلٌ مِنَّا كُنَّا نَظُنُّهُ يُحْسِنُ رُقْيَةً فَرَقَى بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ فَبَرَأَ فَأَعْطَوْهُ غَنَمًا وَسَقَوْهُ لَبَنًا قَالَ فَقُلْتُ لَا تُحَرِّكُوهُ حَتَّى نَأْتِيَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَأَتَيْنَا النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَذَكَرْنَا ذَلِكَ لَهُ فَقَالَ «مَا كَانَ يُدْرِيهِ أَنَّهَا رُقْيَةٌ؟ اقْسِمُوا وَاضْرِبُوا لِي بِسَهْمٍ مَعَكُمْ»

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent thirty men and we arrived at a tribe at night, but they refused to host us. So we camped on the outskirts and their leader was bitten. They came to us and asked if any of us could perform Ruqyah (healing recitation). We said yes, so they told us to proceed, but we asked them to give us sheep as compensation for hosting us. They gave us thirty sheep, and I went with them and started reciting the opening chapter of the Quran (Al-Fatiha) and wiped the place where their leader was bitten until he was healed. They gave us the sheep and I said: "By Allah, I will not eat it. I do not know what Ruqyah is nor do I possess the skill of performing Ruqyah." When we returned to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ , we informed him about what had happened. He said: "How do you know that it is a Ruqyah? What made you think of it as a Ruqyah? Eat it and present it to me as well." He then took an arrow and said, "Hisham contradicted it," and he narrated it from Abu Bishr, who narrated it from Abu al-Muwakkil and said that Abu Sa'id also narrated it.

بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ ثَلَاثِينَ رَجُلًا فَنَزَلْنَا بِقَوْمٍ لَيْلًا فَأَبَوْا أَنْ يُضَيِّفُونَا فَنَزَلْنَا نَاحِيَةً فَلُدِغَ سَيِّدُهُمْ فَأَتَوْنَا فَقَالُوا هَلْ فِيكُمْ أَحَدٌ يَرْقِي؟ قُلْنَا نَعَمْ قَالُوا فَانْطَلِقْ قُلْنَا لَا إِلَّا أَنْ تَجْعَلُوا لَنَا جُعْلًا أَبَيْتُمْ أَنْ تُضَيِّفُونَا فَجَعَلُوا لَنَا ثَلَاثِينَ شَاةً فَانْطَلَقْتُ مَعَهُمْ فَجَعَلْتُ أَقْرَأُ فَاتِحَةَ الْكِتَابِ وَأَمْسَحُ الْمَكَانَ الَّذِي لُدِغَ حَتَّى بَرَأَ فَأَعْطَوْنَا الْغَنَمَ فَقُلْتُ وَاللهِ مَا نَأْكُلُ مَا أَدْرِي مَا الرُّقْيُ وَلَا أُحْسِنُ الرُّقْيُّ فَلَمَّا قَدِمْنَا أَتَيْنَا رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فَأَخْبَرْنَاهُ فَقَالُ «وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ أَنَّهَا رُقْيَةٌ وَمَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّهَا رُقْيَةٌ نَعَمْ فَكُلُوهَا وَاضْرِبُوا لِي مَعَكُمْ بِسَهْمٍ» خَالَفَهُ هُشَيْمٌ وَرَوَاهُ عَنْ أَبِي بِشْرٍ عَنْ أَبِي الْمُتَوَكِّلِ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent thirty men and we arrived at a people at night, but they refused to host us. So we camped nearby, and their leader was bitten. They came to us and asked if any of us could recite Ruqyah. We said yes, and they told us to go, but we refused unless they provided something for us. So they gave us thirty sheep, and I went with them. I started reciting Surah Al-Fatiha and wiped the place where he was bitten until he was healed. They gave us the sheep, but I said, "By Allah, I will not eat it. I don't know what Ruqyah is, nor do I know how to perform it correctly." When we arrived in Medina, we went to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and informed him of what happened. He said, "How did you know that it was a Ruqyah, and what made you think it was a Ruqyah? Yes, eat it and give me some of it."

بَعَثَنَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ ثَلَاثِينَ رَجُلًا فَنَزَلْنَا بِقَوْمٍ لَيْلًا فَأَبَوْا أَنْ يُضَيِّفُونَا فَنَزَلْنَا نَاحِيَةً فَلُدِغَ سَيِّدُهُمْ فَأَتَوْنَا فَقَالُوا فِيكُمْ أَحَدٌ يَرْقِي؟ قُلْنَا نَعَمْ قَالُوا فَانْطَلِقْ قُلْنَا لَا إِلَّا أَنْ تَجْعَلُوا لَنَا جُعْلًا أَبَيْتُمْ أَنْ تُضَيِّفُونَا فَجَعَلُوا لَنَا ثَلَاثِينَ شَاةً فَانْطَلَقْتُ مَعَهُمْ فَجَعَلْتُ أَقْرَأُ فَاتِحَةَ الْكِتَابِ وَأَمْسَحُ الْمَكَانَ الَّذِي لُدِغَ حَتَّى بَرِأَ فَأَعْطَوْنَا الْغَنَمَ فَقُلْتُ وَاللهِ لَا نَأْكُلُهَا مَا أَدْرِي مَا الرَّقْيُ وَلَا أُحْسِنُ الرَّقْيَ فَلَمَّا قَدِمْنَا الْمَدِينَةَ أَتَيْنَا رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فَأَخْبَرْنَاهُ فَقَالَ «وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ أَنَّهَا رُقْيَةٌ وَمَا عَلَّمَكَ أَنَّهَا رُقْيَةٌ؟ نَعَمْ فَكُلُوهَا وَاضْرِبُوا لِي مَعَكُمْ بِسَهْمٍ»

Some of the companions of the Prophet ﷺ came across a tribe amongst the tribes of the Arabs, and that tribe did not entertain them. While they were in that state, the chief of that tribe was bitten by a snake (or stung by a scorpion). They said, (to the companions of the Prophet ﷺ ), "Have you got any medicine with you or anybody who can treat with Ruqya?" The Prophet's companions said, "You refuse to entertain us, so we will not treat (your chief) unless you pay us for it." So they agreed to pay them a flock of sheep. One of them (the Prophet's companions) started reciting Surat-al-Fatiha and gathering his saliva and spitting it (at the snake-bite). The patient got cured and his people presented the sheep to them, but they said, "We will not take it unless we ask the Prophet (whether it is lawful)." When they asked him, he smiled and said, "How do you know that Surat-al-Fatiha is a Ruqya? Take it (flock of sheep) and assign a share for me." (Using translation from Bukhārī 5736)

أَنَّ نَاسًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَتَوْا حَيًّا مِنْ أَحْيَاءِ الْعَرَبِ فَلَمْ يُقْرُوهُمْ فَبَيْنَا هُمْ كَذَلِكَ إِذْ لُدِغَ سَيِّدُ أُولَئِكَ فَقَالَ هَلْ فِيكُمْ دَوَاءٌ أَوْ رَاقٍ؟ فَقَالَ إِنَّكُمْ لَمْ تُقْرُونَا فَلَا نَفْعَلُ حَتَّى تَجْعَلُوا لَنَا جُعْلًا فَجَعَلُوا لَهُمْ قَطِيعًا مِنَ الشَّاءِ فَجَعَلَ يَقْرَأُ بِأُمِّ الْقُرْآنِ وَيَجْمَعُ بُزَاقَهُ وَيَتْفِلُ فَبَرَأَ الرَّجُلُ فَأَتَوْا بِالشَّاءِ فَقَالُوا لَا نَأْخُذُهَا حَتَّى نَسْأَلَ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ فَسَأَلُوا رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَضَحِكَ وَقَالَ «وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ أَنَّهَا رُقْيَةٌ؟ خُذُوهَا فَاضْرِبُوا لِي بِسَهْمٍ»