Zaynab, the wife of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, told that Abdullah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying: spells, charms and love-potions are polytheism. I asked: Why do you say this? I swear by Allah, when my eye was discharging I used to go to so-and-so, the Jew, who applied a spell to me. When he applied the spell to me, it calmed down. Abdullah said: That was just the work of the Devil who was picking it with his hand, and when he uttered the spell on it, he desisted. All you need to do is to say as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to say: Remove the harm, O Lord of men, and heal. Thou art the Healer. There is no remedy but Thine which leaves no disease behind.  

سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ إِنَّ الرُّقَى وَالتَّمَائِمَ وَالتِّوَلَةَ شِرْكٌ قَالَتْ قُلْتُ لِمَ تَقُولُ هَذَا وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ كَانَتْ عَيْنِي تَقْذِفُ وَكُنْتُ أَخْتَلِفُ إِلَى فُلاَنٍ الْيَهُودِيِّ يَرْقِينِي فَإِذَا رَقَانِي سَكَنَتْ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ إِنَّمَا ذَاكِ عَمَلُ الشَّيْطَانِ كَانَ يَنْخَسُهَا بِيَدِهِ فَإِذَا رَقَاهَا كَفَّ عَنْهَا إِنَّمَا كَانَ يَكْفِيكِ أَنْ تَقُولِي كَمَا كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ أَذْهِبِ الْبَاسَ رَبَّ النَّاسِ اشْفِ أَنْتَ الشَّافِي لاَ شِفَاءَ إِلاَّ شِفَاؤُكَ شِفَاءً لاَ يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا  

“There was an old woman who used to enter upon us and perform Ruqyah from erysipelas: Contagious disease which causes fever and leaves a red coloration of the skin. We had a bed with long legs, and when ‘Abdullah entered he would clear his throat and make noise. He entered one day and when she heard his voice she veiled herself from him. He came and sat beside me, and touched me, and he found a sting. He said: ‘What is this?’ I said: ‘An amulet against erysipelas.’ He pulled it, broke it and threw it away, and said: ‘The family of ‘Abdullah has no need of polytheism.’ I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “Ruqyah (i.e., which consist of the names of idols and devils etc.), amulets and Tiwalah (charms) are polytheism.’” “I said: ‘I went out one day and so-and-so looked at me, and my eye began to water on the side nearest him. When I recited Ruqyah for it, it stopped, but if I did not recite Ruqyah it watered again.’ He said: ‘That is Satan, if you obey him he leaves you alone but if you disobey him he pokes you with his finger in your eye. But if you do what the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to do, that will be better for you and more effective in healing. Sprinkle water in your eye and say: Adhhibil-bas Rabban-nas, washfi Antash-Shafi, la shifa’a illa shafi’uka, shafi’an la yughadiru saqaman (Take away the pain, O Lord of mankind, and grant healing, for You are the Healer, and there is no healing but Your healing that leaves no trace of sickness).’”  

كَانَتْ عَجُوزٌ تَدْخُلُ عَلَيْنَا تَرْقِي مِنَ الْحُمْرَةِ وَكَانَ لَنَا سَرِيرٌ طَوِيلُ الْقَوَائِمِ وَكَانَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ إِذَا دَخَلَ تَنَحْنَحَ وَصَوَّتَ فَدَخَلَ يَوْمًا فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ صَوْتَهُ احْتَجَبَتْ مِنْهُ فَجَاءَ فَجَلَسَ إِلَى جَانِبِي فَمَسَّنِي فَوَجَدَ مَسَّ خَيْطٍ فَقَالَ مَا هَذَا فَقُلْتُ رُقًى لِي فِيهِ مِنَ الْحُمْرَةِ فَجَذَبَهُ وَقَطَعَهُ فَرَمَى بِهِ وَقَالَ لَقَدْ أَصْبَحَ آلُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَغْنِيَاءَ عَنِ الشِّرْكِ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ إِنَّ الرُّقَى وَالتَّمَائِمَ وَالتِّوَلَةَ شِرْكٌ قُلْتُ فَإِنِّي خَرَجْتُ يَوْمًا فَأَبْصَرَنِي فُلاَنٌ فَدَمَعَتْ عَيْنِي الَّتِي تَلِيهِ فَإِذَا رَقَيْتُهَا سَكَنَتْ دَمْعَتُهَا وَإِذَا تَرَكْتُهَا دَمَعَتْ قَالَ ذَاكِ الشَّيْطَانُ إِذَا أَطَعْتِيهِ تَرَكَكِ وَإِذَا عَصَيْتِيهِ طَعَنَ بِإِصْبَعِهِ فِي عَيْنِكِ وَلَكِنْ لَوْ فَعَلْتِ كَمَا فَعَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَانَ خَيْرًا لَكِ وَأَجْدَرَ أَنْ تَشْفِينَ تَنْضَحِينَ فِي عَيْنِكِ الْمَاءَ وَتَقُولِينَ أَذْهِبِ الْبَاسْ رَبَّ النَّاسْ اشْفِ أَنْتَ الشَّافِي لاَ شِفَاءَ إِلاَّ شِفَاؤُكَ شِفَاءً لاَ يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا  

[Machine] "When Abdullah returned from a need, he would go to the door, clear his throat, and spit, disliking that anyone from us would approach something he disliked. She said, 'One day, he came and cleared his throat.' She said, 'I had an old woman who used to recite over me for hay fever. So, I brought her in and placed her under the bed. He entered and sat next to me and saw a string around my neck. He asked, 'What is this string?' She said, 'I said, It's a string that I use to recite with.' So, he took it and cut it, and then he said, 'Indeed, the family of Abdullah are rich enough to forgo using shirk practices. I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, 'Indeed, ruqyahs, talismans, and amulets are shirk.' She said, 'So, I asked him, 'Why do you say this while my eyes were being afflicted, and I used to go to so-and-so, a Jewish man, for him to recite over me, and when he did, I would recover?' He said, 'Indeed, that was the work of the Shaytan. He would touch her with his hand, but when you performed the ruqyah, he would remove his hand. It would be sufficient for you to say as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'Remove the harm, O Lord of mankind, and heal, for You are the Healer. There is no healing but Your healing, a healing that leaves no sickness.'"  

كَانَ عَبْدُ اللهِ إِذَا جَاءَ مِنْ حَاجَةٍ فَانْتَهَى إِلَى الْبَابِ تَنَحْنَحَ وَبَزَقَ كَرَاهِيَةَ أَنْ يَهْجُمَ مِنَّا عَلَى شَيْءٍ يَكْرَهُهُ قَالَتْ وَإِنَّهُ جَاءَ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ فَتَنَحْنَحَ قَالَتْ وَعِنْدِي عَجُوزٌ تَرْقِينِي مِنَ الْحُمْرَةِ فَأَدْخَلْتُهَا تَحْتَ السَّرِيرِ فَدَخَلَ فَجَلَسَ إِلَى جَنْبِي فَرَأَى فِي عُنُقِي خَيْطًا قَالَ مَا هَذَا الْخَيْطُ؟ قَالَتْ قُلْتُ خَيْطٌ أُرْقِيَ لِي فِيهِ قَالَتْ فَأَخَذَهُ فَقَطَعَهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّ آلَ عَبْدِ اللهِ لَأَغْنِيَاءُ عَنِ الشِّرْكِ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ إِنَّ الرُّقَى وَالتَّمَائِمَ وَالتِّوَلَةَ شِرْكٌ قَالَتْ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ لِمَ تَقُولُ هَذَا وَقَدْ كَانَتْ عَيْنِي تَقْذِفُ فَكُنْتُ أَخْتَلِفُ إِلَى فُلَانٍ الْيَهُودِيِّ يَرْقِيهَا وَكَانَ إِذَا رَقَاهَا سَكَنَتْ؟ قَالَ إِنَّمَا ذَلِكَ عَمَلُ الشَّيْطَانِ كَانَ يَنْخُسُهَا بِيَدِهِ فَإِذَا رَقَيْتِهَا كَفَّ عَنْهَا إِنَّمَا كَانَ يَكْفِيكِ أَنْ تَقُولِي كَمَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ أَذْهِبِ الْبَاسَ رَبَّ النَّاسِ اشْفِ أَنْتَ الشَّافِي لَا شِفَاءَ إِلَّا شِفَاؤُكَ شِفَاءً لَا يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا  

Zaynab, the wife of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, told that Abdullah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying: spells, charms and love-potions are polytheism. I asked: Why do you say this? I swear by Allah, when my eye was discharging I used to go to so-and-so, the Jew, who applied a spell to me. When he applied the spell to me, it calmed down. Abdullah said: That was just the work of the Devil who was picking it with his hand, and when he uttered the spell on it, he desisted. All you need to do is to say as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to say: Remove the harm, O Lord of men, and heal. Thou art the Healer. There is no remedy but Thine which leaves no disease behind. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 3883)   

سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ إِنَّ الرُّقَى وَالتَّمَائِمَ وَالتِّوَلَةَ شِرْكٌ قَالَتْ قُلْتُ لِمَ تَقُولُ هَذَا؟ وَاللهِ لَقَدْ كَانَتْ عَيْنِي تَقْذِفُ فَكُنْتُ أَخْتَلِفُ إِلَى فُلَانٍ الْيَهُودِيِّ يَرْقِينِي فَإِذَا رَقَانِي سَكَنَتْ فَقَالَ عَبْدُ اللهِ إِنَّمَا كَانَ ذَلِكَ عَمَلَ الشَّيْطَانِ كَانَ يَنْخُسُهَا بِيَدِهِ فَإِذَا رَقَاهَا كَفَّ عَنْهَا إِنَّمَا كَانَ يَكْفِيكِ أَنْ تَقُولِي كَمَا كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ أَذْهِبِ الْبَأْسَ رَبَّ النَّاسِ اشْفِ أَنْتَ الشَّافِي لَا شِفَاءَ إِلَّا شِفَاؤُكَ شِفَاءً لَا يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا