At times, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would order people to use water for healing. This would have been done by reading a verse of the Qur’an or a supplication on the water which would then be applied to the ailing part of the body.
It is reported:
عَنْ زَيْنَبَ، قَالَتْ كَانَتْ عَجُوزٌ تَدْخُلُ عَلَيْنَا تَرْقِي مِنَ الْحُمْرَةِ وَكَانَ لَنَا سَرِيرٌ طَوِيلُ الْقَوَائِمِ وَكَانَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ إِذَا دَخَلَ تَنَحْنَحَ وَصَوَّتَ فَدَخَلَ يَوْمًا فَلَمَّا سَمِعَتْ صَوْتَهُ احْتَجَبَتْ مِنْهُ فَجَاءَ فَجَلَسَ إِلَى جَانِبِي فَمَسَّنِي فَوَجَدَ مَسَّ خَيْطٍ فَقَالَ مَا هَذَا فَقُلْتُ رُقًى لِي فِيهِ مِنَ الْحُمْرَةِ فَجَذَبَهُ وَقَطَعَهُ فَرَمَى بِهِ وَقَالَ لَقَدْ أَصْبَحَ آلُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ أَغْنِيَاءَ عَنِ الشِّرْكِ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يَقُولُ " إِنَّ الرُّقَى وَالتَّمَائِمَ وَالتِّوَلَةَ شِرْكٌ " . قُلْتُ فَإِنِّي خَرَجْتُ يَوْمًا فَأَبْصَرَنِي فُلاَنٌ فَدَمَعَتْ عَيْنِي الَّتِي تَلِيهِ فَإِذَا رَقَيْتُهَا سَكَنَتْ دَمْعَتُهَا وَإِذَا تَرَكْتُهَا دَمَعَتْ . قَالَ ذَاكِ الشَّيْطَانُ إِذَا أَطَعْتِيهِ تَرَكَكِ وَإِذَا عَصَيْتِيهِ طَعَنَ بِإِصْبَعِهِ فِي عَيْنِكِ وَلَكِنْ لَوْ فَعَلْتِ كَمَا فَعَلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ كَانَ خَيْرًا لَكِ وَأَجْدَرَ أَنْ تَشْفِينَ تَنْضَحِينَ فِي عَيْنِكِ الْمَاءَ وَتَقُولِينَ " أَذْهِبِ الْبَاسْ رَبَّ النَّاسْ اشْفِ أَنْتَ الشَّافِي لاَ شِفَاءَ إِلاَّ شِفَاؤُكَ شِفَاءً لاَ يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا "
Zainab said: “There was an old woman who used to enter upon us and perform Ruqyah from erysipelas: Contagious disease which causes fever and leaves a red coloration of the skin. We had a bed with long legs, and when ‘Abdullah entered he would clear his throat and make noise. He entered one day and when she heard his voice, she veiled herself from him. He came and sat beside me, and touched me, and he found a sting.
He said: ‘What is this?’ I said: ‘An amulet against erysipelas.’ He pulled it, broke it and threw it away, and said: ‘The family of ‘Abdullah has no need of polytheism.’ I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: “Reciting healing (which consists of the names of idols and devils etc.), amulets (of polytheism) and Tiwalah (charms) are polytheism.’” “I said: ‘I went out one day and so-and-so looked at me, and my eye began to water on the side nearest him.
When I recited healing for it, it stopped, but if I did not recite healing, it watered again.’ He said: ‘That is Satan, if you obey him he leaves you alone, but if you disobey him he pokes you with his finger in your eye. But if you do what the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to do, that will be better for you and more effective in healing. Sprinkle water in your eye and say: “Take away the pain, O Lord of mankind, and grant healing, for You are the Healer, and there is no healing but Your healing that leaves no trace of sickness).’”
[Sunan Ibn Majah #3530]
Here, water was used to heal the eye of the wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him). This was done because the Nur of the words being recited became encapsulated into the water being sprinkled on the eye, transferring that Nur into the eye and removing any darkness (i.e. the ‘poking of Satan’) from it.
