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Is the human form predestined, and is it permissible to supplicate to Allah to change a person's form, such as to remove swelling from the head?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The physical form of a human being falls under the general scope of what is eternally decreed, as stated by Allah the Almighty: (Indeed, We created all things with a [divine] decree), and His saying: (It is He who shapes you in the wombs however He wills). It is permissible for a Muslim to ask for their needs through supplication, as long as it does not involve aggression or asking for something that is religiously or customarily impossible. If bloating is an illness that can usually be cured, there is no harm in supplicating for its removal and for success in finding a beneficial medicine, based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "Seek treatment, O servants of Allah, for Allah has not sent down any disease except that He has also sent down its cure, except old age." However, if it is something that is customarily impossible to remove, then one should not supplicate for its removal, as that would be an transgression in supplication.

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

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