Part 2 of the notes from the ‘Living with the Qur’an’ webinar:

4. Take the Qur’an as a cure and a healing

Unfortunately, with the advancement of Medicine, we have somewhat come to abandon the great practise of healing and curing with the Qur’an. It’s important to realise that while drugs and medicines can treat ailments and Islam is very much in encouragement of seeking treatment, there are however some illnesses that only the Qur’an can treat, e.g. diseases of the heart such as arrogance, disbelief, jealousy/envy, hatred etc. The Qur’an also treats physical illnesses. The soul is connected to the body and by curing and healing the soul, the body can also be cured because the two are connected. Modern medicine just focuses on treating the physical body, but the Qur’an cures via a more powerful mechanism and pathway: it cures through the soul, mind, and heart – it has a holistic approach.

“And We send down from the Qur’an that which is a cure and a mercy for those who believe…” [al-Isra: 82]

So, part of our living with the Qur’an is our turning to it as a source of healing, whether from a physical ailment or a spiritual disease or a mental distress – even healing from something that might not be recognised as an illness but you find it harming you e.g. a heavy or broken heart, disappointment/disheartenment, low emotion etc. Let it heal you and restore you to full strength and well-being. Make the Qur’an your family doctor or GP!

Point to note: I believe every Muslim should know how to perform ruqyah – curing with the Qur’an. Nowadays it has become a profession, but really, everyone who knows Qur’an has the ability to do it. It’s not difficult. So whenever you are suffering from pain or illness, address the soul with the Qur’an.

[Brief summary of how to perform ruqyah e.g. recitation of al-Fatihah x3 or x7, Ayat al-Kursi, last 2 verses of al-Baqarah, the 3 Quls, Ayah in al-Isra. If suffering from effects of evil eye, magic, jinn/mass, then specific portions of al-A’raf, Yunus, TaHa, al-Baqarah etc – you can search online].

Let us get into the habit of using the Qur’an as a cure and medicine for any and every illness insha’Allah.

“Indeed, this Qur’an is the banquet of Allah, so learn as much as you can from the banquet of Allah. Indeed, this Qur’an is the strong Rope of Allah and it is the clear guidance and it is a beautiful cure, a protection for those who cling to it, and a salvation for those who follow it. Nothing is bent or corrupted except that the Qur’an rectifies it, nor is anything deviated but that it reprimands it. Its marvels do not fade nor is the sweetness of it decreased by the frequency of those who recite it…” [al-Hakim]

It is especially important that as women, we learn how to perform ruqyah so that we remove the need of going to a male raqi, and instead we can do it for ourselves, our female relative, family members and our children; the best ruqyah is the one that a person does for him/herself.

5. Use the Qur’an to become people of insight

The last point I want to talk about is a very deep point about living with the Qur’an – it’s about using the Qur’an to develop our perspectives and develop insight.

Al-Hasan al-Basri: “Adhere to the Book of Allah `azza wa jall, follow what is in it of examples and become a people of insight by it.”

Nothing is mentioned in the Qur’an except that there is a deep lesson or wisdom behind it and it has certain insights to offer. This is why ‘verse’ in Arabic is called ‘Ayah’ – a Sign. Because every verse is a sign from Allah which leads a slave back to Allah. So if you want to seek out the Signs of Allah, then seek out His Verses.

“Indeed, basa’ir (insights, enlightenment etc) have come to you from your Lord, so whoever sees does for the benefit of his soul, and whoever is blind does harm against it…” [al-An’am: 104]

The Signs of Allah will come to a person throughout their life, so it’s important to be awake and attentive to them. We should know that truly living with the Qur’an means living upon Iman and living with insight. Let the Ayat of the Qur’an come alive in your life. For example, many times Allah talks about the creation around us and He says that they are signs for those who reflect and have insight. What does it mean when He talks about the trees for example? Maybe we’re supposed to consider the magnificence of the tree, tall branches reaching to sky, but the roots are embedded and hidden from sight – to teach us that roots are more important than branches i.e. inner is more important than outer. Or perhaps we’re supposed to look at how the leaves fall in winter; like sins falling from a person during the ‘winter’ of their life; their times of hardships…and so on.

There are always signs in our surroundings and we must be attentive to them if we truly want to live with the Ayat of Allah and with the Book of Allah.

This is a vast and extensive topic that I cannot possibly cover in just 1 hour, but I pray that these small pointers serve as a reminder for myself firstly and others and they push forward in taking the Qur’an and really living with it and not just living by it, because there’s a world of difference between living by something and living with something.

May Allah `azza wa jall make His Book the Light of our lives and may He grant us basirah (insight), ameen.