If a Patient Refuses Treatment
23 August, 2015
Question
Can ruqyah be performed without a person's knowledge? What do you advise when a patient refuses to recognise the problem, and refuses treatment?
Answer
One of the most difficult things that any raaqi faces is when the patient doesn't co-operate. We need to recognise that in most countries, ruqyah is not an generally accepted form of treatment, and there is no provision for forcing a person to have ruqyah treatment, in the way that a person would be sectioned and detained for medical treatment under mental health legislation. In most countries, forcing someone to have treatment in this way, or treating them without their consent is illegal, and doing so could put not only the patient in danger, but also the raaqi, and could lead to ruqyah being banned or restricted in that country. For this reason, we strongly advise that you do not in any way attempt to treat a patient without their knowledge and consent.
Furthermore, from a ruqyah point of view, it is very hard to treat a patient who doesn't co-operate. In general, for people like this, we would advise the following:
Recognise that your help only comes from Allāh, turn to Him, and make lots of du‘ā, night prayer, etc. Remember, that if Allāh turns the patient's heart towards Islam, and towards seeking the cure that they need, there is no magic that can stop that.
Try to encourage them and advise them. If they don't want to hear that from you, then see whether or not they might listen to someone else. The way that you convince people is obviously different for every person, but some people respond well to being challenged, like saying to them, 'well if there's nothing wrong with you, you won't mind having some Qur'an read over you.' Some people respond very badly to that and they respond better to more positive messages and gentle encouragement. Sometimes it works not to tell people about ruqyah, but just to recommend that they go to see a certain raaqi and let the raaqi take the responsibility of convincing them of what needs to be done.
Don't limit your encouragement to ruqyah alone. The patient most likely needs to do more to practise Islam - even more than they need to have ruqyah done. Ruqyah can be of limited effectiveness with someone who isn't completely committed practising Islam anyway, as the shayṭaan has such a hold over them. Make sure that you begin by attaching their heart to Allah, convincing them to pray if they are not praying five times a day, and fulfilling the other basic Islamic obligations. Once the patient is doing those, you can slowly build them up to doing other good deeds, like reciting the Qur'an, and this will naturally bring them closer to Allah, and closer to seeking a cure from Him. Remember, that your actions and your belief come together, so if there are any issues in the patient's belief, such as seeking help from other than Allāh, traditional/cultural misconceptions, and so on, you need to clear those out first, before starting any ruqyah programme.
Allāh knows best.