Healing · protection · Sunnah
Ruqyah With Ayatul Kursi: How to Do It the Sunnah Way
By Zakir Mohammed · updated 6 November 2026 · 7 min read
Search for “Ayatul Kursi ruqyah” and you will find two very different worlds. In one, there are simple instructions from the Sunnah: recite over yourself, blow lightly, wipe, trust Allah. In the other, there are numbers, rituals, special water sold in bottles, papers to wear around the neck and long lists of conditions that nobody can trace back to the Prophet ﷺ.
This article is about the first world. It explains what ruqyah is, where Ayatul Kursi fits into it, how the Prophet ﷺ and his companions actually did it, and which popular practices scholars warn against. If you or someone you love is going through a hard time, the aim is to give you something clear and authentic you can do today.
What ruqyah means
Ruqyah means reciting words over a person to seek healing or protection from Allah. In the Sunnah it is done with the Quran, with the names and attributes of Allah, and with du’as taught by the Prophet ﷺ. It can be done for illness, pain, the evil eye, fear, bad dreams, the harm of jinn or magic, and general anxiety.
The companions used to do ruqyah before Islam too, often with words that contained shirk. When they asked the Prophet ﷺ about it, his answer drew a clear line:
“Show me your ruqyahs. There is no harm in ruqyah as long as it does not contain shirk.”
Sahih Muslim 2200, from ‘Awf ibn Malik
Scholars took three conditions from this hadith and others like it. A permissible ruqyah is made of the words of Allah or His names and attributes, or of du’a; it is in a language that is understood, so nothing hidden or unknown is being said; and the person believes that healing comes from Allah alone, not from the words or the reciter.
Where Ayatul Kursi fits
There is no single hadith that says “do ruqyah with Ayatul Kursi” in those words. Its place in ruqyah comes from several authentic sources taken together:
- The Prophet ﷺ confirmed that reciting it before sleep keeps devils away until morning (Sahih al-Bukhari 2311). Protection from devils is one of the main purposes of ruqyah.
- He called it the greatest verse of the Quran (Sahih Muslim 810).
- Allah describes the Quran as “a healing and a mercy for the believers” (al-Isra’ 17:82).
- The scholars of every generation have included it in ruqyah, along with al-Fatihah, the last verses of al-Baqarah and the three Quls.
That is why almost every authentic ruqyah routine you will find starts with al-Fatihah and Ayatul Kursi.
How the Prophet ﷺ did ruqyah
We do not have to guess the method, because the Sunnah describes it.
‘A’ishah said: “Every night when the Prophet ﷺ went to bed, he would put his palms together, blow into them and recite Qul huwa Allahu ahad, Qul a’udhu bi rabbil-falaq and Qul a’udhu bi rabbin-nas. Then he would wipe over whatever he could of his body, starting with his head and face and the front of his body. He did that three times.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 5017
When he was ill in his final days, ‘A’ishah recited the same surahs, blew, and wiped him with his own hand, hoping for its blessing (Sahih al-Bukhari 5016).
The companions used the Quran in the same way. Abu Sa’id al-Khudri recited al-Fatihah over a tribal chief who had been stung by a scorpion, and he got up as if released from a rope. When they told the Prophet ﷺ, he asked: “How did you know that it is a ruqyah?” (Sahih al-Bukhari 2276).
And when a companion complained of pain in his body, the Prophet ﷺ told him to put his hand on the place that hurt, say bismillah three times, and then say seven times: a’udhu billahi wa qudratihi min sharri ma ajidu wa uhadhir, “I seek refuge in Allah and His power from the evil of what I feel and fear” (Sahih Muslim 2202).
A simple ruqyah routine with Ayatul Kursi
Putting those narrations together, here is a routine that stays inside the Sunnah. You can do it for yourself, which is the best form, or over a family member.
- Sit calmly and intend that you are asking Allah alone for healing and protection.
- Recite al-Fatihah, slowly and clearly.
- Recite Ayatul Kursi. Many people repeat it three times; that is a reasonable practice, though no fixed number is required.
- Recite the last two verses of al-Baqarah (2:285–286). The Prophet ﷺ said whoever recites them at night, they will suffice him (Sahih al-Bukhari 5009).
- Recite al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and an-Nas, three times each.
- Blow lightly with a little breath into your palms or over the person, and wipe over the body, starting with the head and face.
- If there is pain in one place, put your hand there and say the du’a from Sahih Muslim 2202: bismillah three times, then a’udhu billahi wa qudratihi min sharri ma ajidu wa uhadhir seven times.
- Make du’a in your own words. Ask Allah directly, in any language, for what you need.
Blowing: scholars describe it as a light breath with a very small amount of moisture, called nafth. It is not spitting. Many people recite over a cup of water and drink it or wash with it; several early scholars allowed this, and others preferred to stick to reciting directly.
Doing ruqyah for yourself is better
Many people assume ruqyah has to be done by a specialist. The Sunnah suggests the opposite. The Prophet ﷺ did ruqyah for himself every night. He described the seventy thousand of his nation who enter Paradise without account as those who “do not ask others for ruqyah”, among other qualities, and who rely on their Lord (Sahih al-Bukhari 5705, Sahih Muslim 220).
Scholars explain that asking someone else for ruqyah is permitted, and the Prophet ﷺ allowed it, but reciting over yourself shows greater reliance on Allah. A parent reciting over their own child, or a spouse over their spouse, follows the same spirit. You do not need a certificate to recite Ayatul Kursi.
Practices scholars warn against
This is where most of the harm happens, so it is worth being direct.
Amulets and taweez. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Ruqa, tama’im and tiwalah are shirk” (Sunan Abi Dawud 3883). Here ruqa means the shirk-filled incantations, tama’im are amulets hung on people or animals, and tiwalah is a charm for love. Scholars differ about amulets that contain only Quran, but many of them forbid those as well, to close the door to the forbidden kind, to protect the Quran from being taken into the toilet and worn carelessly, and because the Sunnah way is to recite, not to hang.
- Unknown words and symbols. Any ruqyah with numbers, letters, squares, names of jinn or words nobody can explain is outside the conditions in Sahih Muslim 2200.
- Raqis who ask for names of your mother or your star sign, claim to “see” who did magic to you, or tell you a relative is to blame. Claims about the unseen are a known sign of fortune-telling, and the Prophet ﷺ warned strongly against going to fortune-tellers (Sahih Muslim 2230).
- Fixed numbers with special powers. Reciting Ayatul Kursi 313 or 1,000 times as a guaranteed cure has no basis in the Sunnah. Repeating it is good in itself, but promising a result tied to a number is an invention. See weak hadith about Ayatul Kursi.
- Paying large sums or being alone with a stranger. Ruqyah is not a reason to set aside Islamic manners, and a woman should not be alone with an unrelated man for it.
Ruqyah and medicine
Ruqyah does not replace taking normal means. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Allah has not sent down a disease without sending down a cure for it” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5678), and he took medicine himself. Recite over yourself, and also use the treatment that is available to you. Both are taking a means, and the healing in both comes from Allah.
The same applies to anxiety and fear. Ayatul Kursi can bring real calm to the heart, and we wrote about that in Ayatul Kursi for anxiety and fear. Recitation and getting help work together, not against each other.
Questions readers ask
Can I play a ruqyah recording instead of reciting?
Listening to the Quran is good and brings reward and calm. Many scholars point out, though, that the ruqyah described in the Sunnah is someone reciting over the person with intention. If you are able to recite, do it yourself, and use recordings as an extra. Our audio page is useful for learning the correct pronunciation.
Can I do ruqyah for my house?
The Sunnah speaks of reciting Surah al-Baqarah in the home, because Shaytan flees from a house where it is recited (Sahih Muslim 780). Reciting Ayatul Kursi and al-Baqarah in the home is a good practice. There is no authentic ritual of walking around each room spraying water.
How long should I continue?
As long as you need it. Many people make the evening routine above a permanent habit, which is exactly what the Prophet ﷺ did every night of his life.
The heart of it
Ruqyah in the Sunnah is quiet and simple. A believer sits down, recites the words of Allah, blows lightly into their hands, wipes over themselves, and asks Allah for help. Ayatul Kursi belongs at the centre of that, because it is entirely about the One being asked: the Ever-Living, who never sleeps, whose knowledge surrounds everything, and who is never tired of guarding the heavens and the earth.
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Written by Zakir Mohammed
Every hadith is quoted with its collection and number, and graded as the scholars named beside it. Corrections are welcome: contact us.