Healing through Ruqyah (Incantation) with special focus on the perception of Malay-Muslim society in Kelantan and Terengganu on Ruqyah as an alternative way of healing in Malaysia

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to discuss healing through Ruqyah (incantation) focus on perception of Malay-Muslim society in Kelantan and Terengganu on Ruqyah as an alternative way of healing in Malaysia. Healing through Ruqyah (incantation) especially by using the Qur’anic verses, recitation of Du`a (prayer) and Ruqyah (incantation) with Mu`awwidhat verses are among the most widely and popular traditional practices intended to afford protection and healing of diseases caused by Jinn and Devil in Malay-Muslim society. The fact is that nearly all primitives and the people in the ancient civilization believe that God answers prayer if it is performed in the proper ritualistic way. After the arrival of Islam in Malay world, the Malay-Muslim, who used to practice Ruqyah (incantation) by reciting and asking the Hindu goddess, Dewa Sakti, has changed their way of Ruqyah. It is found that with the infl uence of the Qur’an and the traditions of the Prophet (s.a.w), especially through Kitab al-Tibb of Sahih Bukhari, on the Malay-Muslim’s world view, the Malay-Muslim society in Malaysia practice Ruqyah (incantation) in Islamic way for the purpose of prevention and treatment of disease caused by Jinn and Devil. Methods: The nature of this study will be one of library (textual) and fi eld research. Al-Jami` al-Sahih, known as Sahih al-Bukhari, is chosen as a primary reference for library research since the Sahih al-Bukhari is recognized by the overwhelming majority of the Muslim scholars to be one of the most authentic collections of the hadith or Sunnah of the Prophet (s.a.w). In the course of studying perception of Malay-Muslim society on Ruqyah as an alternative way of healing in Malaysia, data were collected by using questionnaires which have been distributed among Malay-Muslim society in two states of the peninsular of Malaysia, namely Kelantan and Terengganu.

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