I have a twenty-five year old daughter and many suitors have proposed to her but I refused all of them, then no further suitors proposed. One of my friends told me that someone has cast a spell on my daughter and the only way to break it is to write down a Quranic verse on a piece of cloth, using a certain type of ink, and then to put this piece of cloth around her right arm for 15 days. If this does not work, then we should write the Quranic verse on a red piece of cloth using the same ink and she should put it around her left arm and on her face. Is this method permissible or prohibited?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

There is no doubt that sorcery is real and can really have an influence on the enchanted person.

A person who believes that they have fallen under a spell is permitted to seek treatment using Ruqyah (healing with the Quran and prophetic supplications) according to the fundamentals of the Sharee’ah (Islamic law).  It was authenticated that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said that there is no harm in using Ruqyahs, as long as they do not involve Shirk (polytheism).  [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

According to the Sharee’ah, Ruqyah can be performed by reading the Quran and Prophetic supplications by the affected person themselves, or by another person who has correct creed. The latter should also be a righteous true believer who keeps away from religious innovations and superstitions, performs religious duties regularly, and refrains from prohibited actions.

It appears that the method you mentioned is not Ruqyah according to the Sharee’ah. Rather, it looks like the method of a sorcerer or soothsayers, for the following reasons:

1-      Determining that a person is under the influence of a spell or a work of sorcery is a matter of the Unseen, which is only known by Allaah The Almighty. If another person ascertains the bewitchment, he may be a sorcerer or soothsayer who has sought the help of devils.

2-      The rituals that are mentioned in this method, such as using a certain type of ink, cloth, position, etc. are not a part of Sharee'ah Ruqyah.  Instead, it resembles the methods of sorcerers and soothsayers.

As for writing down verses of the Quran, this does not change the ruling because sorcerers and soothsayers mix truth with falsehood, so the Quran may be written incorrectly, as has often happened.

If all the above applies to your situation, then it is not permissible for you to treat your daughter using this method or to go to those who treat others using it. Indeed, there are enough righteous and upright persons to assume this task appropriately and perform Sharee'ah-approved Ruqyah.

Finally, we advise you not to refuse suitors who propose to your daughter as long as they are righteous and well-mannered, because this will result in delaying her marriage or even cause her to remain a spinster.

Allaah Knows best.