Seeking protection by means of the ruqyahs, du‘aa’s and adhkaar that are prescribed in Islam is the teaching and practice of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). He (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) often sought refuge with Allah “from vitiligo, insanity, leprosy and bad diseases.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (no. 1554)’ classed as saheeh by an-Nawawi in al-Adhkaar (483) and by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“Bad diseases” includes that which is now known as cancer – we ask Allah to keep us safe and sound – for it is one of the worst diseases. The individual should be keen to learn such hadiths and to follow the example of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) as described in these reports. End quote.
Sharh Riyaadh as-Saaliheen (6/40).
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to offer du‘aa’ praying that epidemics be taken away from Madinah. That is quoted as evidence by scholar for the permissibility of praying that epidemics be taken away or warded off.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Some people could not understand the du‘aa’ asking that epidemics be taken away, because they thought that this du‘aa’ implies taking away death, and as death is something that is decreed and inevitable, this du‘aa’ [in their view] is meaningless.
My response to that is that this does not contradict the concept of worshipping Allah through du‘aa’ [supplication], because it may be among the causes of one’s lifespan being extended or sickness being relieved. There are mutawaatir hadiths which speak of seeking refuge with Allah from insanity, leprosy, bad diseases, evil behaviour, whims and desires, and sickness. The one who objects to treating sickness by means of du‘aa’ must also object to treating sickness by means of medicines, but no one says that except some outliers who went against the majority, and the saheeh hadiths refute their view.
Turning to du‘aa’ brings another benefit that is not found in any other means of treating sickness, because it involves humbling oneself before the Lord, may He be glorified. In fact, not offering du‘aa’ is akin to refraining from doing righteous deeds and relying on what is decreed, which would imply that one should give up striving completely! Warding off calamity by means of du‘aa’ is like warding off arrows by means of a shield, and it is not one of the conditions of belief in the divine decree that one should not shield oneself from arrows.
End quote from Fath al-Baari (10/133).
There are many saheeh (sound) hadiths which urge the Muslim to recite du‘aa’s and adhkaar for protection from harms and ills, the general meaning of which includes protection from being stricken by various diseases and epidemics. These du‘aa’s include the following:
1.
It was narrated that ‘Uthmaan ibn ‘Affaan (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say:
“Whoever says ‘Bismillah illadhi la yadurru ma‘a ismihi shay’un fi’l-ard wa la fi’l-sama’ wa huwa al-samee‘ ul-‘aleem (In the name of Allah with Whose name nothing can harm on earth or in heaven, and He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing)’, three times, will not be stricken with a sudden affliction until morning comes, and whoever says them when morning comes will not be stricken with a sudden affliction until evening comes.”
Narrated by Abu Dawood (5088). Also narrated by at-Tirmidhi, who classed it as saheeh, as follows:
“There is no one who says in the morning of every day and the evening of every night ‘Bismillah illadhi la yadurru ma‘a ismihi shay’un fi’l-ard wa la fi’l-sama’ wa huwa al-samee‘ ul-‘aleem (In the name of Allah with Whose name nothing can harm on earth or in heaven, and He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing)’, three times but nothing will harm him.”
2.
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: A man came to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah, I was stung by a scorpion last night. He said: “If you had said, when evening came, ‘A’oodhu bi kalimaat Allah at-taammaaati min sharri ma khalaq (I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of that which He has created)’, it would not have harmed you.”
Narrated by Muslim (2709).
3.
It was narrated that ‘Abdullah ibn Khubayb (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We went out on a rainy and very dark night, looking for the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to lead us in prayer. We found him and he said: “Did you pray?” But I did not say anything. He said: “Say,” but I did not say anything. Then he said: “Say,” but I did not say anything. Then he said: “Say,” and I said: What should I say, O Messenger of Allah? He said: “Say: Qul huwa Allaahu Ahad and al-Mu’awwidhatayn, in the evening and in the morning, three times, and they will suffice you against all things.”
Narrated by at-Tirmidhi (3575) and Abu Dawood (5082).
Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
One of the means of attaining security, well-being, peace of mind and safety from all ills is to seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of that which He has created, three times every morning and evening, by saying: “A‘oodhu bi kalimaat Allaah at-taammaati min sharri ma khalaq (I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allah from the evil of that which He has created).” There are hadiths which indicate that this is one of the means of attaining well-being. Similarly, one may say “Bismillah illadhi la yadurru ma‘a ismihi shay’un fi’l-ard wa la fi’l-sama’ wa huwa al-samee‘ ul-‘aleem (In the name of Allah with Whose name nothing can harm on earth or in heaven, and He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing)’, three times every morning and evening, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stated that whoever says it three times in the morning, nothing will harm him until evening comes, and whoever says it three times in the evening, nothing will harm him until morning comes.
All of these adhkaar and prayers seeking refuge with Allah, that come from the Qur’an and Sunnah, are among the means of attaining protection, safety and security from all ills.
Every believing man and woman should recite them at the appropriate times, and do so regularly, with certainty, trusting in their Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, Who is in control of all things, Who has knowledge of all things, Who is able to do all things; there is no god but He and no lord except He; in His hand is the control of all things, the power to withhold, cause harm and bring benefit, and He is the Sovereign of all things, may He be glorified and exalted.
Fataawa ash-Shaykh Ibn Baaz (3/454, 455).
4.
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) never failed to say these supplications when evening came and when morning came: “Allahumma inni as’aluka al-‘aafiyata fi’d-dunya wa’l-aakhirah. Allahumma inni as’aluka al-‘afwa wa’l-‘aafiyata fi deeni wa dunyaaya wa ahli wa maali. Allahumma astur ‘awraati wa aamin raw‘aati. Allahumm ihfazni min bayni yadayya wa min khalfi wa ‘an yameeni wa ‘an shimaali, wa min fawqi, wa a‘oodhu bi ‘azamatika an ughtaala min tahti (O Allah, I ask You for well-being in this world and in the Hereafter. O Allah, I ask You for pardon and well-being in my faith, my worldly affairs, my family and my wealth. O Allah, conceal my faults and protect me from that which causes me to worry. O Allah, protect me from before me and from behind me, from my right and from my left, and from above me, and I seek refuge in Your greatness lest I be destroyed from beneath me).”
Narrated by Abu Dawood (5074) and Ibn Maajah (3871). Classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
Shaykh Abu’l-Hasan al-Mubaarakfoori (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“O Allah, I ask You for well-being” means: Safety from anything that could undermine my faith and from worldly hardships. It was also said that what is meant is safety from sicknesses and calamities; or not being tested by them, and being granted patience in bearing them and acceptance of the divine decree. The word ‘aafiyah (well-being) refers to when Allah preserves a person and protects him from that which is disliked, and grants him well-being and protection from troubles and calamities.
“O Allah, I ask You for pardon” means: I ask You to erase my sins and overlook them.
“and well-being” means: being free from faults.
“in my faith and my worldly affairs” means” and everything that isconnected to them.
Mirqaat al-Mafaateeh Sharh Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh (8/139).
5.
It was narrated that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: One of the du‘aa’s of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was: “Allahumma inni a‘oodhu bika min zawaali ni‘amatika wa tahawwul ‘aafiyatika wa fujaa’ati niqmatika wa jamee‘i sakhatika (O Allah, I seek refuge with You from the withdrawing of Your blessing, and the loss of the well-being that You granted me, and the sudden onset of Your wrath, and anything that may lead to Your displeasure).”
Narrated by Muslim (2739).
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: [The word translated here as] loss refers to a change in something and disconnection from something. It is as if he was asking for continual well-being, which is protection from pain and sickness.
Fayd al-Qadeer (2/140).
Al-‘Azeemabaadi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“the loss of the well-being that You granted me” refers to health being replaced with sickness, and independence of means being replaced with poverty.
‘Awn al-Ma‘bood Sharh Sunan Abi Dawood (4/283).
6.
It was narrated from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to say: “Allahumma inni a ‘oodhu bika min al-barasi wa’l-junooni wa’l-judhaami wa min sayyi’ il-asqaam (O Allah, I seek refuge with you from leprosy, and from insanity, and from paralysis, and from evil diseases).”
Narrated by Ahmad (12592), Abu Dawood (1554) and an-Nasaa’i; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.
At-Teebi said: The reason why he did not seek refuge with Allah from sicknesses in general terms is that some sicknesses may be easy to bear but bring a great deal of reward if one bears them with patience and they are not chronic, such as fevers, headaches and inflammations of the eye. Rather the hadith is seeking refuge with Allah from chronic sickness, which can lead a person into a situation where a close friend will flee from him and he will not have many people around him to comfort him and take care of him, and – moreover – may carry a great deal of stigma.
Narrated by al-‘Azeemabaadi in ‘Awn al-Ma‘bood.