Salaam Solutions

Counselling & Therapy for Ruqyah Practices

Salaam Solutions offers Therapy which is Spiritual and Psychological  from an Islamic perspective and inline with Sharia and Sunnah.

A common issue or complaint of clients from a muslim background is that their symptoms are jinn related or are a result of black magic, spells or envy. Ruqyah or Ruqi practitioners charge anything from £20-80 sometimes more to claim to heal or excorsise jinn from vulnerable/susceptible people. Common practice of the Ruqi is to recite Quranic verses over the patient. Other practices are employed such as spraying cider vinegar or zam zam on private parts or effected areas. Some even go as far as tapping even beating the patient with a stick to expel the Jinn. There’s more but we won’t go into it on here!

whether you believe jinn can possess a person or not is not the question we are tackling here, what we are concerned about is that vulnerable individuals are paying for treatment that is unregulated, not bound by professional ethical governing bodies nor has most of the Ruqi  practitioners any formal credible qualifications.

What is Ruqyah?

Ruqyah is a term referring to therapeutic interaction or treatment for conditions related to sprititual, biological and mental imbalances that is a result of Jinn possesion, magic and the  evil eye, such as envy.

Ruqyah is based on cultural practices that have developed from an interpretation of  Qur’anic verses relating to Jinn, black magic and the evil eye.  Other claims to support supposed Jinn Possesion come from a few Hadith that  relate to epeleptic fits, Unknown illnesses and unusual symptoms. As science and psychological theories in mental and physical health have developed we can now understand these symptoms and illnesses more clearly. However ignorance and distrust in modern day theories and treatments of psychological and biological illness still causes a large majority of Muslims to turn to Ruqyah treatment.

However we cannot as Muslims deny unseen aspects of life as they are mentioned briefly in the Quran.  So we must be careful not to dismiss the effects of the unseen altogether. What is advised is to seek knowledge, take personal responsibility for ones life and to follow the practices of Islam as is found in the Quran and Sunnah.

Be careful when you part with your money for treatments that you can probably do yourself. Your journey as a Muslim is a personal one, no one can do it for you such as someone reading Quran on your behalf. If you think you are effected by jinn, black magic and evil eye then there are basic practices for all Muslims to protect yourself. These include daily supplications such as Ayat al Kursi, the 3 short surahs at the end of the Quran (Nas,Ikhlas and falaq). Also one must strive for excellence of character and to Practice the prescribed ; prayer, fasts, zakah, halal and staying away from haram. (See below articles for more info)

Other important preventive measures one can take is Keep good company also self knowledge and knowledge of others. knowledge in general is a must for the Muslim, our 1st command from Allah swt was ‘Iqra’ read. It is usually ignorance that is in partnership with evil. The more your believe you are, you are! It may be hard to hear but ‘take some personal responsibility’. If you suspect someone has written a spell on you ask them why would they do such a thing? And if you don’t believe in the effects of this , just bin it and ignore. Ultimately, If you believe Allah swt is your Rabb and has ultimate power then no other unseen entity will have any effect whatsoever.

If you are suffering with unexplained illness then seek medical and/or psychological support, support from trusted Family and friends and solace In your Lord.

There can be no doubt for a Muslim that Sunnah practices  can treat spiritual conditions and also be used to treat a wide range of mental health conditions, including: depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, Boarderline and Narcissistic personality disorders. We believe this because we believe the Quran to be Shifa , a healing. If you have a Quran read it! If your can’t recite the Arabic , listen to someone else. The benefits will come from a multitude of ways but understanding and action of the Quranic advice is more powerful than paying for someone to recite it over you. No one can heal you except Allah swt. A physician once said ‘we treat but it is God who cures’.

If you have been effected emotionally, financially or disturbed by the practices of Ruqyah healing/therapy then counselling can help.

Sessions are confidential.

contact:

Salaam Solutions
Mobile:07513951531 Or Email: Salaamsolutionstherapy@gmail.com

Follow my recent challenge of discovering The connections between sugar in our diet and how it effects our mental and spiritual health

Day 1

Day 2

Summer is upon us and for women the summer months are hardly a holiday!

Children are off school which means our housework load increases, cooking, cleaning, days out, dealing with squabbles , the list goes on!

Wouldn’t it be nice to have some time out?

Spiritual counselling at Salaam Solutions offers a calm, relaxing recharge for the soul, in a confidential and professional setting. Counselling sessions are for 1 hour with a trained expert psychotherapist arranged at a time to suit you.

for an appointment text or call 07513951531 or visit the webpage for more details

 

 Counselling Sessions Now Available in

Heaton Moor, Stockport

The Heatons Centre, Thornfield Road, Heaton Moor, Stockport, SK43LD

The Heatons Centre is situated in an excellent location in the heart of Heaton Moor Village, the Centre is just one mile from Junction 1 of the M60. Offering quite, private and accessible counselling rooms. It also benefits from a private car park to the rear of the building.

For an appointment contact 07513951531 or email salaamsolutionstherapy@gmail.com

 

Google search jinn possession or ruqyah healing and your bombarded with websites of rogue practitioners charging money for innovated practices of Ruqyah. There are websites set up , claiming to offer sunnah healing also training for anyone to become a ruqyah practitioner. On further investigation these narcissistic rogues have multiple businesses  and other questionable qualifications. Rogue Ruqies can cause serious problems to their clients, sometimes as serious as death (BBC 2012).

If someone is charging money to recite Quran for you, sell  a Quran tape/cd to play of ‘protection verses’, spray water or vinegar over you, tap you with a stick, shout at you to expel the jinn! then he/she is probably a fake sheikh!

However , there are knowledgeable people out there making it their mission to educate vulnerable people on the evils of this shirk (association with other than Allah swt). If you feel vulnerable, frightened or exposed to Magic, evil eye, hatred or evil Jinn then read the information below on protection and seek professional guidance and support from a registered psychotherapist, mental health practitioner, counsellor, GP (physical), or holistic therapist (Hijama/cupping).

Below is reference to a discussion on  Ruqyah and the warning signs of these fake sheikhs.

The Profession of Ruqyah-Giving

Some people have turned ruqyah-giving into a profession for which they devote their full time, and from which they earn a lot of money. This conflicts with the Sunnah and the practice of the salaf. It should be avoided by both the giver (called a reciter or a raqi) and the seeker of ruqyah. Some of the reasons for its prohibition are the following:

The common people think that the reciter has a special healing power, thereby turning their minds from the True Healer and His words to the one who recites them. This is a clear source of shirk.

We have no reports of any of the sahabah and salaf devoting their time to offer this service. This makes it a bid’ah in the Din.

When the devils realize the common people’s fascination by a particular person, they do things to cause deviation to him and them. This is clearly expressed in the above discussion that took place between Ibn Mas’ud and his wife.

When a reciter finds the people gathering at his door seeking his help, he would imagine that he has a high status before Allah, and would be drawn into vanity and conceit.

Most of the reciters have a poor knowledge of the Sunnah, which makes them claim or do things that have no basis in Islam.

Since this profession is a good source of income, it attracts many impostors and liars who claim that they can treat people, thereby adding to the spread of ignorance, falsehood, and shirk.(ref Ruqyah Sharia)

Have Trust in Allah swt and his Given Tools for Healing; the Quran and Sunnah. 

• Seek knowledge of your deen (religion)
• Seek knowledge of your condition (self awareness of your issues is key to taqwa)
• Seek knowledge of others (educate yourself on Allahs creation, for there are ayat everywhere)
• Strengthen your belief in Allah through reflection and practices (Based on Qur’aan, Sunnah,prayer, supplication, remembrance)
• Aim for  sincerity in worshipping Allah and check your intentions in all situtuations
• Strive towards pleasing Allah, ask your self ‘will this please Allah?’
• Avoid  unlawful places and situations that can lead to what is forbidden, for example isolating himself with a female/male , etc.
• Keep trust and confidentiality. Guard the affairs of his friends and family and self and protect their secrets.(speaking with a counsellor/trusted sheikh who gives counselling is permissible for self healing and protection)
• Practice and propagate the religion of Allah. seek knowledge of Islam and other world affairs, learn, practice and teach.
• Seek the way of the Messenger and follow the correct methodology of tazkiyah (Quranic self development)
• Aim to Recite, read and reflect and apply the Quran in your daily life
• Give optional charity and help others, even if it is with a smile.
• Seek forgiveness from Allah swt (tawbah) and Forgive yourself and others (know and reflect what you are asking forgiveness for and seek the reasons why)
• Aim to know Allah in order to attain complete sincerity and belief in the unity of Allah, The Wise, The Judge. He is harmed by nothing and nothing benefits him. glory be to Him and He is above all things – (Ibn Qayyim 2/238-245)

As a Muslim we are living in troubled times. Perhaps it has always been? maybe we just didn’t take any notice before? or maybe we were too young? too wrapped up in ourselves?

Every day the news reports more evil and we as Muslims carry the burden of so many labels its hard to see whats reality and whats illusion. I don’t know about you but this burden can take its toll on our faith (emaan). When we are constantly bullied in the media or by politicians we loose our sense of identity. When our beliefs are attacked we begin to question and if we are not strong enough in our knowledge then we quickly begin to doubt our understanding. When we feel de-humanised we begin to feel like we don’t belong and when we don’t belong we loose hope.   I asked a teacher if he had any advice for those days when we feel lost, confused, challenged or low in emaan power! He gave me these 5 and I would like to share.

Tell yourself this when you or others question your faith…..

1. I know there is a God whom I trust and Love

2. I know there are Prophets who spoke Gods word to us and I love them all and aspire to be like them in character and deeds

3. I know Islam and I have studied it. It amazed me like nothing else and I allow myself to love and trust it. I am in constant search and growth with its wisdom and teaching.

4. I have studied all other options, teachings, religions, philosophies and did not see that they have a better teaching or a better lifestyle, expect what appeals to the desires (alcohol, frivolity, drugs etc) These alternative options offer no real solutions as a mental , spiritual or solid truth.

5. I have experienced at a personal level the benefits, signs and experiences of faith in One God and Islam as my religion enough to know it is the truth.

If we can’t relate to any of these affirmations then this is a good place to start researching and building the fortress for your Muslim identity and faith. For example, if we have a doubt that Islam is the right religion then we need to go out and research again. Don’t be blind, it will get you know where!

An additional piece of advice was offered; ‘Do not use emotions to lead you. Use your mind and objectivity. Do not build assumptions, as they grow and become reality. When you start to believe negative emotions and assumptions (e.g. the world says islam is evil) then this enters the heart and we begin to believe it.’

Let us protect our precious emaan (faith) and keep on learning.

Peace x

Muraqaba (مراقبة, an Arabic word meaning “to watch over”, “to take care of”, or “to keep an eye”),  has been translated from Arabic as meditation. Muraqaba implies that through this ‘watching’ of ones self , a person  takes care of his spiritual heart (or soul), and acquires knowledge about it, its surroundings, and its Creator, Allah swt.

 

Muraqaba is  available to anyone and can be experienced anytime, but is especially effective during Ramadan as a fast track, detox, psycho-spiritual therapy! Ramadan is primarily the month of the Quran, and within the Quran we are taught that through knowledge and application of this book we can elevate ourselves to eternal peace and everlasting love. One way to assist with this elevation is to fast in Ramadan. The believer is prescribed fasting so that the veils of distraction (such as water, food, sex, negative behaviour) are suspended from fuelling and assisting negativity in our selves (or nafs). Through this restraint over long periods of time (dawn till sunset for a lunar month) channels of communication between ourself and our Creator, Allah swt are opened to elevate our soul.

Viewing Ramadan as fast track therapeutic rehabilitation can make the whole process more rewarding, purposeful, not to mention life changing! Ramadan  really is similar to counselling and psychotherapy in so many ways. For example this year client Nafs has come to Ramadan with low motivation, bouts of anger and depression. Intentions to read Quran, pray extra,  unplug the TV set,  have not yet been realised and they feel a sense of defeat and failure.

The Muraqaba therapist asks  ‘what does fasting mean to you?’, they say; ‘it means abstaining from food that I need to get  through the day !’. A Muraqaba dialogue begins;

Muraqaba Therapist:  ‘so food gets you through your day, what happens when food is not there?’

Client: ‘food helps me to do all i want to do and when its not there time goes slow, i guess food distracts me’

MT: ‘so food distracts you , and what is it that you want to be distracted from?’

Client: ‘my sadness. food makes me feel happy and satisfied , like being hugged or loved ,when its not there I’m sad, empty’

MT: ‘so you eat food and feel loved?’ 

Client: ‘yes, thats how love was given in our family, happiness = a good meal, a gift, a replacement for a hug, or a reward for good behaviour but it was also used to control, it was taken away sometimes as a punishment or forced in angry situations’.

MT: ‘so food is an unhealthy attachment used to replace love, are there any alternative ways to experience love, positive, lasting love? what does your guidance teach?’

Client: ‘ it says in the Quran that the only love that lasts is with Allah ‘

Mt: ‘Well lets us read some more about that love with Allah, and how we can experience it ”

The Muraqaba therapist listens, doesn’t judge, doesn’t criticise, gives praise and encouragement . The Muraqaba therapist highlights the negative but looks for a positive. The aim is to see themselves and check it out against truth. This truth can be found  through education, questioning, reasoning, practicing, experiencing.

The murqaba therapist reflects with the nafs on ‘how they now feel?’, checks out ‘if its true for them and what makes it so? if it is in line with their goals based on their guidance of choice, the  Quran? They ask to confirm expectations, reason and find logic based on a the scale, their guidance, the Quran. Does is fit with what is eternally good for them, others and the environment? Together they form new ways of thinking and practice new ways of behaving, all in manageable doses and with consistency.

A new contract/goal is made, together the muraqaba therapist and nafs work together and something changes in the self, they experience a part of themselves that is more secure, more real, more balanced, more loved, they experience the soul. The soul resides in the heart and as the self watches with muraqaba it begins to understand and it masters part of the nafs. In turn the soul emerges stronger and moves further up the path of the believer.   The Muraqaba therapist, nafs and soul end the days session, with some positive affirmations and self talk in the form of remembrance of the higher purpose,  dhikr; ‘alhamduillah, subhanAllah, Allah akhbar, la Allah ha illAllah’ and then make another appointment for the next fast!

The Muraqaba therapist is available for free for anyone at anytime for it is your mind, nafs and soul working in harmony to experience  sweetness of faith and everlasting love. Ramadan Mubarak!

“The Ummah unfortunately have shamed themselves with their own understanding of the guidance!“

 

In my last article I discussed the root of our reactions to the current climate towards fear, misunderstanding and paranoia of Muslims. I’d like to follow on from my questions regarding the origins of shame, in particularly historically based shame passed on or inherited from our ancestors, Adam and Eve (Hawwa) pbuthem. Whether it is a passed on process or an intrinsic nature of all humanity, shame can be damaging, but it can also change us for better.

In John Bradshaws (2005) book; ‘ Healing the Shame that Binds you’, Bradshaw describes healthy shame as ‘essential’ and a ‘foundation of spirituality‘. Healthy shame, he adds, reminds us of our ‘essential limitations, our healthy shame lets us know that we are not God. Our healthy shame points us in the direction of some larger meaning. Our healthy shame is the psychological ground of our own humility‘. Bradshaw’s book goes on to talk about healing the inner self, child, with compassion and kindness. He suggests guided meditations to heal old thoughts, feelings and behaviours, essentially forgiving yourself.

Forgivness is key, and as Muslims forgiveness begins before every guidance. ‘In the name of Allah, the most merciful most forgiving’ (or beneficial). This quote is at the beginning of every ayat (revelation) in the Quran, except a few where it is in the surah itself. If we have belief in Allah swt then we must believe in what He teaches us , firstly that everything is decided and created in His name, by Him, nothing exist without his knowing and that he is the most merciful, the most forgiving of all. If Allah swt our Creator the One who knows all of us, forgives us and is merciful of us, then why are we so hard on ourselves?

Healing shame goes hand in hand with forgiveness of self but higher than this is accepting the forgiveness from Allah swt. Accepting his forgiveness means we must of course ask. So how do we ask?

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Turn you people in repentance to Allah and beg pardon of Him. I turn to Him in repentance a hundred times a day”.

[Muslim].

And our turing to Him, Allah swt will always be accepted;

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:
“If you were to commit sin until your sins reach the heaven, then you were to repent, your repentance would be accepted.”

Click Here for a link to forgiveness  dua

Sounds simple, so what stops us from simply asking? well let us go back to what I said before I requested you to ask, I requested we  ‘accept the forgiveness from Allah swt’. The problem with shame is it anchor is heavy in a pit of self loathing, laziness and no hope. When requested to simply ask for help the response from the self is usually ‘why bother’ or ‘i can’t, whats the point?’. When a person is this low , further kicking and scare mongering doesn’t help. A well meaning other once replied to the non acceptance of Allahs mercy as shirk! (association of others than  Allah swt) and yes, it is in a way. The pit of shame is wallowing in self obsession . Not that the shamed wants to be in a position of worshipping the self, the shamed wants to accept that there is a higher source, a almighty helper and cure. But unfortunately the shamed is shackled so tight that it constantly denies the acceptance of Allah swt that they are worth forgiving and their nature is good. The problem is the shamed just can’t forgive themselves.

Sticky plaster approaches to healing include jolting the person into springing into action through further fear such as;  warning that not accepting forgiveness is shirk and shirk is the unforgivable! I find this approach the standard teaching of the ummah these days. Law before spiritual connection, fear before love!

Preaching through fear has its place, for the rational, reasoning minded perhaps, but who is?

Basing your belief of fear of Allah can’t sustain your connection to Him.

We are turing Allah swt into the ultimate abuser (may he forgive us) and He is the opposite!

It is essential to gain proper knowledge of yourself and of your Lord. To remain consistent in worship of Allah swt is only achievable if we understand who we are worshipping and what are our strengths and weaknesses to striving the straight path (jihad). Remaining consistent on the path you are on , no matter what happens takes guts and strength. This strenght is built on exercising habits.

Consistency is a  natural growth of self awareness, self acceptance  and ultimately acceptance and worship of Allah swt.

Tips for consistency:

1. Cut the Negative, Pile on the Positive

Anything that is negative in your life, dump it. This means Facebook; daily reminders that are negative. Its good to be knowledgeable of worldly affairs but when you receive a constant stream of death, destruction and dishonesty the beneficial value is drowned by negativity.

other negatives are excessive eating, sugar, talking about others badly, too much sleep, too little sleep, too much tv, internet. There’s more but that’ll need another blog!

2. Subscribe to Positive Reminders and Talks 

There are many online resources such as; Noesis Institute ,  www.bayyinahtv.com, seekers hub are just a few!

3. Meet like Minded People 

Go to the masjid, the ummah is key to connecting. Attend circles and courses. Go on a course, go find a therapist, go to group counselling.

4. Daily Quran 

Keeping connected to the guidance is essential. the Quran is not for the top shelf of our bookcases! you can subscribe to daily whats app groups that issue a page of Quran a day to recite or simply read in english and then you give thumbs up. This kind of group encouragement  is competitive yes, but hey it gets you reading Quran everyday!

5. Daily Dua,

Just ask, ask in the car, ask whilst cooking, ask whilst sitting , walking and running! ask in english , arabic any language. Ask in your heart, in your head and out loud.

6. Find a Teacher 

The old days of traveling the globe to sit with a Sheikh and absorb his presence and knowledge are far from a reality for most of us. But if you sincerely want a teacher, you need to sincerely ask your Creator. You will find a Sheikh, whether that Sheikh is a group of students, the masjid congregation or an email or skype away. Of course the Quran is our ultimate Sheikh and Hadiths of the Prophet saws our ultimate example.

7. Read, read read.

The command ‘Iqra’ wasn’t sent down randomly! its the 1st piece of advice we are given. READ, SEEK KNOWLEDGE!

8. Retreat

Now this is probably the most hardest task when you have family or young children, but we need time to self reflect. It is essential for your health, spiritual and mental to find a time, place and space for time out.

9. Reflection 

Go outdoors. pile the kids in the car, on a bus anything and head for outdoor space, forest, trees, lakes, hills, beach, nature. Breath in the air, look at the sky, examine an ant. connect with the outdoors.

10. Share 

There is nothing like giving and helping others. The best way to connect with your compassionate side is to help another. Volunteer or simply  smile at a passer by, give away one of your most precious possessions ( a real challenge, but we should always give our best not our rubbish).

These are a few brief ways we can help sooth the shame and in no particular order of priority. Although Quran is our priority, we have to prepare the mind to receive the guidance, so research the best order by looking no further than how, when and why the ayat where revealed over time, there must be a reason for this? Treat your shame as a little child who needs the most loving, caring and inspiring guide. You can be that guide to your own self, but you don’t have to do it alone. We are all in it together.

For further guidance on self healing through the Quran this free intro is a good start :  Quran and human Nature 

*Please forgive my errors or shortcomings they are a reflection of ignorance and not of my Guide and Guider,  Quran & Allah swt exalted in might is He.