Duas for Sickness and Healing
Authentic Sunnah supplications for the sick, recited by the patient, family and visitors — full Arabic, transliteration, translation and Hadith citations.
Healing in Islam: Tawakkul and Lawful Means
Illness in Islam is never random. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: "No fatigue, illness, anxiety, sorrow, harm or sadness afflicts a Muslim — not even a thorn that pricks him — except that Allah expiates some of his sins by it" (Sahih al-Bukhari 5641). Sickness is therefore both a test and a mercy, and the believer is taught to respond on two tracks simultaneously: turning to Allah in supplication, and pursuing the lawful medical means that Allah has placed in the world. The Prophet ﷺ commanded: "Seek treatment, O servants of Allah, for Allah has not created a disease except that He has created its cure" (Sunan Abu Dawud 3855, sahih). The duas below are the most authentic prophetic supplications for the sick — recited by the patient over themselves, by family members visiting, and by anyone placing their hand on the painful area.
The Core Duas for Sickness and Healing
1. The Dua of the Sick Visit (Ad'hib al-Ba's)
اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ النَّاسِ، أَذْهِبِ الْبَأْسَ، اشْفِ أَنْتَ الشَّافِي، لَا شِفَاءَ إِلَّا شِفَاؤُكَ، شِفَاءً لَا يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا
Transliteration: Allahumma Rabba-n-nas, adh-hib al-ba's, ishfi anta-sh-Shafi, la shifa'a illa shifa'uk, shifa'an la yughadiru saqama.
Translation: "O Allah, Lord of the people, remove the suffering. Cure! You are the Curer. There is no cure except Your cure — a cure that leaves no illness behind."
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari 5675 and Sahih Muslim 2191 — narrated by 'A'ishah (RA). The Prophet ﷺ would wipe his hand over the sick person while reciting this. It is the most established prophetic dua for the ill.
2. Placing the Hand on the Painful Area
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ (ثَلَاثًا)
أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ وَقُدْرَتِهِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا أَجِدُ وَأُحَاذِرُ (سَبْعًا)
Transliteration: Say Bismillah three times, then seven times: A'udhu billahi wa qudratihi min sharri ma ajidu wa uhadhir.
Translation: "I seek refuge in Allah and His power from the evil of what I find and what I fear."
Source: Sahih Muslim 2202 — taught by the Prophet ﷺ to Uthman ibn Abi al-'As (RA) when he complained of pain in his body. He later said: "Allah removed the pain that was in me. I have not stopped commanding my family and others to do the same."
3. The Seven-Time Dua for a Life Not Yet Ended
أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ رَبَّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ أَنْ يَشْفِيَكَ
Transliteration: As'alu-Llaha-l-'Azima Rabba-l-'Arshi-l-'Azimi an yashfiyak. (Recite seven times for the sick person.)
Translation: "I ask Allah the Magnificent, Lord of the Magnificent Throne, to cure you."
Source: Sunan Abu Dawud 3106 and Sunan al-Tirmidhi 2083 (sahih) — Ibn 'Abbas (RA) reported the Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever visits a sick person whose appointed time has not yet come and recites this seven times, Allah will cure him of that illness."
4. The Dua of Prophet Ayyub (AS)
أَنِّي مَسَّنِيَ الضُّرُّ وَأَنْتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ
Transliteration: Anni massaniya-d-durru wa anta arhamu-r-rahimin.
Translation: "Indeed, adversity has touched me, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful."
Source: Qur'an, Surah al-Anbiya 21:83. Prophet Ayyub (AS) endured years of severe illness with patience. He never complained to people, and when he finally turned to Allah with these words, Allah cured him completely (21:84). It is the model prayer for any chronic or long-standing illness.
5. The Ruqyah of al-Fatihah and the Mu'awwidhat
The Prophet ﷺ approved Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (RA) using Surah al-Fatihah as ruqyah over a man stung by a scorpion, who recovered immediately (Sahih al-Bukhari 5736). 'A'ishah (RA) also reported that when the Prophet ﷺ was ill, he would recite Surah al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and an-Nas over himself, blow into his palms, and wipe them over his body (Sahih al-Bukhari 5016). Together, these form the Sunnah self-ruqyah for any sickness. Pair them with our Ayatul Kursi recitation for comprehensive prophetic protection.
Adab of Visiting the Sick
- Visit briefly — long visits exhaust the patient (the Prophet ﷺ would sit by the head, ask "How are you?", and supplicate).
- Encourage patience and remind of the immense reward: every step toward a sick visit is in the "mercy of Allah" (Sahih Muslim 2568).
- Recite the duas above with sincere conviction, not as a formality.
- Do not despair of Allah's mercy. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Despair not of the mercy of Allah" (Qur'an 39:53).
Common Questions
Can I recite these duas for someone non-Muslim?
Yes, asking Allah to cure a non-Muslim is permissible and is part of the Prophet's ﷺ mercy to all of creation. He even prayed for the conversion and well-being of those who opposed him.
Does dua replace medicine?
No. Dua and medical treatment together are the prophetic method. Ignoring medicine in the name of tawakkul contradicts the Prophet's ﷺ own practice — he used honey, black seed, cupping, and accepted Greek medicine of his era. See also our duas for anxiety for emotional dimensions of illness.
What if the illness is terminal?
Continue to make dua — life and death are in Allah's hand, not the doctor's. But also prepare spiritually: pray voluntary prayers, settle debts and wills, and increase istighfar. The Prophet ﷺ never gave up on dua for the sick.