about the pain he was suffering in his body. The Prophet ﷺ instructed him to recite the following supplication: first say, “In the name of Allah,” three times, place his hand on the spot that hurts, and then say seven times, “I seek refuge in the might and power of Allah from the evil of what I feel and what I fear.” This, too, is one of the causes of healing.

Accordingly, whenever a person senses pain, he should place his hand over the painful area and say, “In the name of Allah” three times, followed by, “I seek refuge in the might and power of Allah from the evil of what I feel and what I fear,” seven times. If he utters it with conviction—believing that he will benefit—then, by Allah’s permission, the pain will subside. This remedy is even more potent than physical medicine such as tablets, drinks, or injections, for you are seeking refuge with the One who holds the dominion of the heavens and the earth; the very One who sent down the illness is the One who grants you protection from it.

There is also the hadith of Ibn ʿAbbās: when a person visits a sick Muslim whose appointed time has not yet come—that is, one who is not in the throes of death—and says seven times, “I ask Allah the Magnificent, Lord of the Mighty Throne, to cure you,” Allah will heal him of that illness. This applies only when the end has not arrived; once the appointed term is at hand, neither medicine nor Qur’an recitation will avail, for Allah the Exalted says, “For every nation there is an appointed term; when their term arrives, they can neither delay it an hour nor bring it forward” (Qur’an 7:34). Allah is the One who grants success.