(Ruqya) The Verses of Tranquillity
— Ibn Taymiyyah Asking for Them to be Recited When He was Sick and Attacked by Devils.
Ibn al-Qayyim said, “And Allaah has mentioned tranquility in six places in His Book:
وَقَالَ لَهُمۡ نَبِيُّهُمۡ إِنَّ ءَايَةَ مُلۡكِهِۦٓ أَن يَأۡتِيَكُمُ ٱلتَّابُوتُ فِيهِ سَكِينَةٞ مِّن رَّبِّكُمۡ وَبَقِيَّةٞ مِّمَّا تَرَكَ ءَالُ مُوسَىٰ وَءَالُ هَٰرُونَ تَحۡمِلُهُ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةُۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَةٗ لَّكُمۡ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِينَ
1) “And their Prophet said to them, ‘Indeed, a sign of his kingship is that the chest will come to you in which is assurance [sakinah] from your Lord and a remnant of what the family of Moses and the family of Aaron had left, carried by the angels. Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers.’” [2:248]
ثُمَّ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُۥ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِۦ وَعَلَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَأَنزَلَ جُنُودٗا لَّمۡ تَرَوۡهَا وَعَذَّبَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْۚ وَذَٰلِكَ جَزَآءُ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ
2) “Then Allaah sent down His tranquillity upon His Messenger and upon the believers and sent down hosts whom you did not see and punished those who disbelieved. And that is the recompense of the disbelievers.” [9:26]
إِلَّا تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَدۡ نَصَرَهُ ٱللَّهُ إِذۡ أَخۡرَجَهُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ثَانِيَ ٱثۡنَيۡنِ إِذۡ هُمَا فِي ٱلۡغَارِ إِذۡ يَقُولُ لِصَٰحِبِهِۦ لَا تَحۡزَنۡ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَنَاۖ فَأَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُۥ عَلَيۡهِ وَأَيَّدَهُۥ بِجُنُودٖ لَّمۡ تَرَوۡهَا وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ٱلسُّفۡلَىٰۗ وَكَلِمَةُ ٱللَّهِ هِيَ ٱلۡعُلۡيَاۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
3) “If you do not aid the Prophet — Allaah has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of two, when they were in the cave and he said to his companion, ‘Do not grieve, indeed Allaah is with us.’ And Allaah sent down his tranquillity upon him and supported him with angels you did not see and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allaah — that is the highest. And Allaah is Mighty, Wise.” [9:40]
هُوَ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَنزَلَ ٱلسَّكِينَةَ فِي قُلُوبِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ لِيَزۡدَادُوٓاْ إِيمَٰنٗا مَّعَ إِيمَٰنِهِمۡۗ وَلِلَّهِ جُنُودُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمٗا
4) “It is He who sent down tranquillity into the hearts of the believers that they would increase in faith along with their [present] faith. And to Allaah belong the hosts of the heavens and the earth, and ever is Allah Knowing and Wise.” [48:4]
لَّقَدۡ رَضِيَ ٱللَّهُ عَنِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ إِذۡ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحۡتَ ٱلشَّجَرَةِ فَعَلِمَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمۡ فَأَنزَلَ ٱلسَّكِينَةَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَأَثَٰبَهُمۡ فَتۡحٗا قَرِيبٗا
5) “Certainly was Allaah pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you, [O Muhammad], under the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquillity upon them and rewarded them with a near victory.” [48:18]
إِذۡ جَعَلَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ ٱلۡحَمِيَّةَ حَمِيَّةَ ٱلۡجَٰهِلِيَّةِ فَأَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُۥ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِۦ وَعَلَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَأَلۡزَمَهُمۡ كَلِمَةَ ٱلتَّقۡوَىٰ وَكَانُوٓاْ أَحَقَّ بِهَا وَأَهۡلَهَاۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمٗا
6) “When those who disbelieved had put into their hearts chauvinism, the chauvinism of the time of ignorance. But Allaah sent down His tranquillity upon His Messenger and upon the believers and imposed upon them the word of righteousness, and they were more deserving of it and worthy of it. And ever is Allaah, of all things, Knowing.” [48:26]
And when things would become severe against the Shaikh of Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah have mercy on him, he would recite the Verses of Tranquillity [listed above].
And during a formidable calamity which he faced when he was sick and which [was so severe that both] intellects and [a person’s] strength are unable to bear it — and which saw him battling Satanic spirits which appeared before him at that time of being in a state of weakened strength — he said, ‘And so when the situation become most severe against me I said to my relatives and those around me, ‘Recite the Verses of Tranquillity,’ and thus did that state cease and I sat up having no ailment.’
And I [i.e., Ibn al-Qayyim] too have tried reciting these verses during times when the heart is uneasy/disturbed/agitated due to what it faces, and I saw them to have a tremendous effect in bringing it tranquillity and repose.”
Madaarijus-Saalikeen, vol. 3, pp. 391–392, verses quoted in part in the book,
