Exploring Ruqya’s Influence on Non-Muslims

Ruqya is an Islamic prayer modality that uses verses of the Qur'an or supplications of Prophet Mohammed for healing. This investigation explored if ruqya could be effective on a non-Muslim using a multiple case study methodology with 2 adult participants. Participant 1 presented with lower back pain and recurring urinary tract infections. She also wanted healing for stress related to work as well as anxiety regarding her children's exams. Participant 2 wanted healing for a lifelong issue of rejection from people who do not understand her and then reject her based on that misunderstanding. She was also grieving the loss of her partner who had been killed in an accident 3 months prior to the beginning of the study and wanted further healing for that. Participants underwent a pretreatment interview, one ruqya treatment administered by a professional raqi (a person who does ruqya, often a sheikh), a posttreatment interview 1 day following the treatment, and a follow-up interview 2 weeks posttreatment