Abstract:
Islamic Medicine (Tibb al-Islam) is one of the branches of Islamic Sciences. It is a way of seeking medication ranging from spiritual to physical diseases. One of these aspects of medication in Islam is Ruqyah (exorcism). Ruqyah means a charm, spell, or incantation used as a means of seeking a cure for any illness by reciting Qur’an and making supplication to Allah. The Prophet (SAW – Sallallāhu Alayhi Wasallam) has provided detailed guidelines on when and how Ruqyah should be conducted. It is, however, evident that many exorcists (Ruqyah practitioners) have emerged in our contemporary time. In view of the above, this paper seeks to examine how these practitioners conduct Ruqyah for patients and the level of conformity of their practice to the actual teachings of Islam on exorcism. This is because, in reality, seeking medication is strongly connected with belief (Iman). One’s belief, therefore, can be affected if the right channels have not been followed in seeking medication, and this can even lead to shirk (associating partners with Allah). This helps in educating the Ummah to understand the type of Ruqyah accepted by Islam and the one that is rejected.