Saudi Gazette report

DAMMAM – Some herbal stores take advantage of customers’ ignorance and sell them products claiming to cure all types of diseases, especially those believed to be caused by the “evil eye” and black magic.



There are certain Qur’anic verses that are recited to people believed to be suffering from the effects of an evil eye or black magic.



Only sheikhs who have specific qualities and knowledge and who meet certain conditions can engage in the practice of “Al-Ruqyah Al-Shar’iyyah,” or the practice of reciting Qur’anic verses to dispel evil spells.



However, some businesses started promoting products that claim to meet the conditions.



They often come with tags on them certifying that a sheikh who knows the art has blessed these products by reciting Qur’anic verses.



As a result, the products allegedly have the power of Al-Ruqyah Al-Shar’iyyah and are marketed as an effective cure for cancer.



Some business owners claim that these products can help someone who suffers from worry and obsessive compulsive disorder.



A bottle that contains nothing but oil, water, or honey, can cost SR15.



A business owner, who requested anonymity, told Alsharq daily that there is an increasing demand for these bottles because customers strongly believe in the healing power of such products and are ready to pay over the odds for them.



Some customers think that these products can cure diseases that modern medicine could not heal.



A Saudi woman said she always buys oil bottles and apply them to her sick mother’s body.



“My mother’s medical condition has improved a lot since I started using this oil.”



A man said he buys and uses this oil because he wants to get rid of the insomnia that he has been having ever since he saw his best friend die before his eyes in a road accident.



The man said he does not have to go a sheikh’s house to have the sheikh recite certain Qur’anic verses to him to help him get cured.



He said he could just buy a bottle with a tag that testifies that the product meets Al-Ruqyah Al-Shar’iyyah conditions.



An Arab expatriate who promotes and sells these products to stores said a sheik in Riyadh named Fahd blesses these products with Qur’anic verses.



Then the Arab expatriate distributes these products to stores.



“I’ve been doing this business for seven years now and I’ve noticed an increasing demand for these types of products.



“As a business, we have a license from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry permitting us to practice these activities.”



Muhammad Al-Nujaimi, member of the Islamic Fiqh Council, criticized these activities, describing people like Sheikh Fahd and the Arab expatriate as imposters and liars who cannot cure any disease. He called on authorities to put an end to these practices and for regulating the practice of Al-Ruqyah Al-Shar’iyyah.



Al-Nujaimi noted that only sheikhs who have met certain criteria could practice Al-Ruqyah Al-Shar’iyyah.



Khalifah Al-Saad, director of environmental health at the Eastern Province municipality, said it is against the law to sell such products and claim they have curative powers.