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Dua for a Sick Person: Healing Supplication in Islam

November 7, 2023 – Al-Dirassa Institute

Man making dua for a sick woman in Islam

In Islam, making a dua for a sick person is a way to ask Allah for healing, patience and comfort. When someone is suffering, the believer turns to Allah, the One who heals, while also taking the necessary medical means.

Supplications for the sick remind us that healing comes from Allah, even when treatment involves doctors, medicine and care. Whether you are looking for a dua for a sick person, a healing supplication in Islam or a prayer for someone who is ill, the most important thing is to supplicate with sincerity, hope and trust.

Here is a short dua for a sick person:

اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ النَّاسِ، أَذْهِبِ الْبَأْسَ، اشْفِ أَنْتَ الشَّافِي، لَا شِفَاءَ إِلَّا شِفَاؤُكَ، شِفَاءً لَا يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا

Transliteration: Allahumma rabba an-nas, adhhib al-ba’s, ishfi anta ash-shafi, la shifa’a illa shifa’uka, shifa’an la yughadiru saqama.

Translation: O Allah, Lord of mankind, remove the harm and heal, for You are the Healer. There is no healing except Your healing, a healing that leaves no illness behind.

In this article, you will find several supplications for a sick person in Arabic, with transliteration, English translation and guidance on how to ask Allah for healing in Islam.

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Dua for a sick person in Arabic

Among the most well-known supplications for asking Allah to heal a sick person is the following:

اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ النَّاسِ، أَذْهِبِ الْبَأْسَ، اشْفِ أَنْتَ الشَّافِي، لَا شِفَاءَ إِلَّا شِفَاؤُكَ، شِفَاءً لَا يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا

Transliteration: Allahumma rabba an-nas, adhhib al-ba’s, ishfi anta ash-shafi, la shifa’a illa shifa’uka, shifa’an la yughadiru saqama.

Translation: O Allah, Lord of mankind, remove the suffering and heal, for You are the Healer. There is no healing except Your healing, a healing that leaves no illness behind.

This supplication reminds the believer that true healing comes from Allah. It can be recited for oneself, for a sick relative, a child, a parent or anyone going through a health difficulty.

Allahumma rabban nas: healing supplication

The supplication Allahumma rabban nas is one of the most well-known duas for asking Allah for healing. It begins by recognizing Allah as the Lord of mankind, then asks Him to remove harm and grant complete healing.

It is especially suitable when visiting a sick person, praying for a loved one or going through an illness oneself.

The meaning of this dua is clear: medical care is important, but healing belongs to Allah. This is why a Muslim combines two things: seeking permissible treatment and making sincere supplication.

Dua for a sick person in transliteration

For those who cannot yet read Arabic, transliteration can help them begin learning the supplication:

Allahumma rabba an-nas, adhhib al-ba’s, ishfi anta ash-shafi, la shifa’a illa shifa’uka, shifa’an la yughadiru saqama.

Translation: O Allah, Lord of mankind, remove the harm and heal, for You are the Healer. There is no healing except Your healing, a healing that leaves no illness behind.

Transliteration is useful at the beginning, but learning to read Arabic gradually helps improve pronunciation and better understand the meaning of supplications.

Dua for healing a sick person

Another short supplication may be recited to ask Allah to heal a sick person:

أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ رَبَّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ أَنْ يَشْفِيَكَ

Transliteration: As’alullah al-‘azim rabbal-‘arsh al-‘azim an yashfiyak.

Translation: I ask Allah the Magnificent, Lord of the Mighty Throne, to heal you.

This supplication can be said when visiting a sick person or when thinking of someone who is suffering. For a woman, one may say: an yashfiyaki. For several people: an yashfiyahum.

Prayer for a sick person in Islam

A prayer for a sick person in Islam is not only about asking for physical recovery. It can also include asking Allah for patience, peace of heart, ease during the trial and reward for the suffering endured.

In English, one may also say:

O Allah, grant healing to this person, relieve their pain, bring peace to their heart, make their treatment easy and replace their hardship with reward and mercy from You.

It is permissible to make dua for a sick person in English. However, learning the Arabic supplications helps preserve the reported formulas and better understand their religious meaning.

Dua for a sick loved one

When a parent, child, spouse or friend is sick, the believer may increase supplications on their behalf. The illness of a loved one is a trial for the patient, but also for those who care about them.

For a sick loved one, one may say:

اللَّهُمَّ اشْفِ مَرِيضَنَا شِفَاءً لَا يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا

Transliteration: Allahumma ishfi maridana shifa’an la yughadiru saqama.

Translation: O Allah, heal our sick person with a healing that leaves no illness behind.

This supplication expresses hope for complete healing while entrusting the matter to Allah.

What should you ask Allah for someone who is sick?

When someone is ill, it is possible to ask Allah for many blessings:

  • complete healing;
  • patience during the trial;
  • relief from pain;
  • ease in treatment;
  • protection from the illness worsening;
  • reward for endurance;
  • comfort for the sick person and their family;
  • a better outcome in this life and the Hereafter.

Illness reminds the believer of human weakness and constant need for Allah. It can also become a cause of purification, return to Allah and strengthening of faith.

Ruqyah for a sick person

Ruqyah consists of reciting verses from the Quran and authentic supplications to ask Allah for healing and protection. It may be performed on oneself or on a loved one, with modesty, sincerity and trust in Allah.

For a simple ruqyah, one may recite:

  • Surah Al-Fatiha;
  • Ayat al-Kursi;
  • Surah Al-Ikhlas;
  • Surah Al-Falaq;
  • Surah An-Nas;
  • the healing supplications mentioned in this article.

Ruqyah does not replace medical treatment. It accompanies it by asking Allah for healing.

When should you recite a dua for a sick person?

A supplication for a sick person may be recited at different times:

  • when you hear that someone is sick;
  • when visiting a sick person;
  • after prayers;
  • during the night;
  • when accompanying a loved one during treatment;
  • when feeling pain yourself;
  • when asking Allah for complete healing.

The most important thing is to supplicate with a sincere heart while taking the permissible means for treatment.

Can you make a dua for a sick person in English?

Yes, it is possible to make a dua for a sick person in English. Whoever does not know Arabic can ask Allah for healing, patience, relief and protection in their own language.

However, learning the supplications in Arabic allows one to come closer to the reported formulas and feel their meaning more deeply during recitation.

Medicine and dua: what is the Islamic approach?

Islam encourages the believer to place trust in Allah, but also to take the proper means. This means that medicine and dua should not be opposed to one another.

A Muslim may consult a doctor, follow a treatment, rest and seek advice while also asking Allah for healing. This is a balanced approach: the heart relies on Allah while the body benefits from permissible means.

Healing may come quickly, gradually, or be replaced by a wisdom that Allah knows better than us. In every case, supplication gives the believer hope, patience and peace.

Mistakes to avoid when praying for a sick person

When making dua for a sick person, it is important to avoid certain mistakes:

  • thinking that supplication must replace medical care;
  • despairing if healing is delayed;
  • reciting mechanically without presence of heart;
  • saying words that increase the sick person’s fear;
  • neglecting moral and family support;
  • forgetting that healing belongs to Allah alone.

The believer should combine supplication, patience, compassion and taking the permissible means.

Related duas and Islamic reminders

You may also read these related supplications about forgiveness, hardship, protection and the deceased:

Learn to read supplications in Arabic

Reading a supplication in transliteration can help at the beginning, but learning Arabic allows you to pronounce duas better, understand their meanings and read the Quran with more presence of heart.

Discover our online Arabic classes, our online Quran classes and our online Islamic studies classes to progress with a qualified teacher.

FAQ about dua for a sick person

What dua should I recite for a sick person?

You may recite: Allahumma rabba an-nas, adhhib al-ba’s, ishfi anta ash-shafi, la shifa’a illa shifa’uka, shifa’an la yughadiru saqama. This supplication asks Allah for complete healing.

What is the supplication Allahumma rabban nas?

It is a healing supplication that means: O Allah, Lord of mankind, remove the harm and heal, for You are the Healer. There is no healing except Your healing.

What dua can I recite for healing a sick person?

You may recite: As’alullah al-‘azim rabbal-‘arsh al-‘azim an yashfiyak, which means: I ask Allah the Magnificent, Lord of the Mighty Throne, to heal you.

Can I make a dua for a sick person in English?

Yes, you may ask Allah for healing in English. You can ask for health, patience, relief, protection and complete recovery.

When should I make a prayer for a sick person in Islam?

It can be made at any time: when visiting a sick person, after prayer, during the night, when hearing about a loved one’s illness or when feeling pain yourself.

Does ruqyah replace medical treatment?

No. Ruqyah accompanies treatment but does not replace it. The believer should take permissible means for healing while asking Allah for recovery.

What should I ask Allah for a sick person?

You may ask for healing, patience, relief from pain, ease in treatment, protection and reward for the trial they are going through.

Conclusion

A dua for a sick person is a supplication of healing, hope and comfort. It reminds the believer that all healing comes from Allah and that one should never lose hope in His mercy.

By combining supplication, medical care, patience and trust in Allah, a Muslim goes through the trial of illness with faith, balance and serenity.

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