Health and wellbeing

Duas for shifa, healing, and good health

The healing prayer asks Allah to remove suffering and grant healing. It expresses dependence on Him while medical assessment, treatment and care remain part of responding responsibly to illness.

Reading options
Supplication for a sick personhadith
اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ النَّاسِ أَذْهِبِ الْبَاسَ، اشْفِهِ وَأَنْتَ الشَّافِي، لاَ شِفَاءَ إِلاَّ شِفَاؤُكَ، شِفَاءً لاَ يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا
Transliteration

Allahumma Rabban-nasi adh-hibil-ba’s, ishfihi wa antash-Shafi, la shifa’a illa shifa’uka, shifa’an la yughadiru saqama.

English meaning

O Allah, Lord of humanity, remove the suffering and heal him. You are the Healer; healing comes only from You. Grant healing that leaves no illness.

Meaning and original setting

Sahih al-Bukhari 5743 reports the Prophet supplicating for an ill person. The words identify Allah as the Healer and ask for healing that does not leave illness behind.

The selected source uses a masculine singular pronoun in its request. Keep that exact quotation intact; a different pronoun form for a particular patient should be taught accurately rather than guessed from a transliteration.

Supplication alongside care

You can make dua while receiving treatment or supporting someone who is unwell. Follow the care plan agreed with an appropriate health professional, and seek medical help for concerning symptoms.

This prayer is not evidence that every illness has a spiritual cause, that a treatment should be stopped or that a particular recitation service can guarantee recovery. A person’s continuing illness does not allow this site to judge their faith.

Helping a person who is sick

Ask what help the person wants. Quiet companionship, transport, meals and help with appointments may be more useful than an unsolicited instruction to recite a large number of times.

Respect consent and privacy. Do not publish someone’s diagnosis or touch them as part of a prayer practice without their agreement. The historical report should not be turned into a universal rule for every clinical situation.

Common questions

Is shifa different from healing? Shifa is the Arabic term commonly used for healing. Does this prayer guarantee a cure? The site makes no such outcome promise. Can I pray for my own health? Personal requests for wellbeing can accompany the selected wording; preserve the quotation’s pronouns. Where can I learn about pain specifically? The pain page explains a separate report with its own instructions.