Living Quran

Du'a for the Sick

Visiting the sick has its own words in the Sunnah, and they are strikingly plain. One du'a asks Allah — named as the Lord of mankind and the only Healer — to remove the harm and leave no trace of illness. Another is a short request repeated seven times at the bedside. Neither promises a cure; both put the healing where it belongs.

Updated July 16, 2026

  1. Bukhari 5675

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

    Adhhibil-ba'sa Rabban-nas, ishfi antash-Shafi, la shifa'a illa shifa'uk, shifa'an la yughadiru saqama.

    “Remove the harm, O Lord of mankind. Heal — You are the Healer. There is no healing but Your healing: a healing that leaves behind no illness.”

    Said by the Prophet ﷺ when visiting a sick person, wiping over them with his right hand.

    Source: Bukhari 5675

  2. Tirmidhi 2083

    أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ رَبَّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ أَنْ يَشْفِيَكَ

    As'alullahal-'Azima Rabbal-'Arshil-'Azimi an yashfiyak.

    “I ask Allah, the Most Great, Lord of the Mighty Throne, to heal you.”

    Said seven times beside someone who is ill.

    Source: Tirmidhi 2083

Frequently asked questions

What du'a is said for a sick person?

'Adhhibil-ba'sa Rabban-nas, ishfi antash-Shafi...' — 'Remove the harm, O Lord of mankind; heal, You are the Healer' (Bukhari 5675). Tirmidhi 2083 also records a du'a said seven times: 'I ask Allah, the Most Great, Lord of the Mighty Throne, to heal you'.

Can you make du'a for someone who is not Muslim?

Asking Allah to relieve someone's suffering and heal them is a supplication for their good, and the Prophet ﷺ prayed for the wellbeing of people who had not accepted his message. For questions beyond this, ask a qualified scholar.

Does du'a replace medical treatment?

No. The Prophet ﷺ instructed people to seek treatment, saying Allah has not sent down a disease without sending down a cure for it (Bukhari 5678). Du'a accompanies medicine; it does not stand in for it.

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