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Does reciting ruqyah over water without blowing into it—for fear of coronavirus—while inserting fingers into the water, give the same effect as ruqyah with blowing?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The practice of ruqyah (exorcism/healing) by spitting (with light spray) into water was legislated to obtain the blessing of the saliva mixed with the recitation of God's verses, hoping thereby for healing. Scholars have agreed upon the permissibility of spitting in ruqyah, and the majority of the Companions, the Successors, and those who came after them, found it desirable. This is supported by prophetic traditions, among them: the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, spitting into his cupped hands with the Mu'awwidhat (Surahs Al-Falaq and An-Nas) and wiping his body, and performing ruqyah with Al-Fatihah while collecting saliva and spitting, and his saying in ruqyah: "In the name of Allah, the dust of our earth, and the saliva of some of us, our sick one is cured by the permission of our Lord." Scholars have mentioned that saliva plays a role in healing, and that spitting helps the raqi (one who performs ruqyah) remove negative effects by virtue of their spiritual state and their reliance on the ruqyah. As for inserting a finger into the water as an alternative to spitting, this has not been reported from any of the early Muslims. The patient can also be treated with ruqyah through other methods, such as reciting the Quran for them and supplicating for them.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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