The method of ruqya treatment employed by upright modern Muslim ruqya practitioners include the following practices:
Intention. Both the Raqi and patient intend 'cure' and 'destruction' of the affliction through the treatment.
Screening questions. For the purposes of building a more accurate profile of the patient and identifying the problem and root cause, the Raqi enquires about a patient's symptoms, usually at the start of the treatment.
Quran. The Raqi recites on the patient. While any passage of the Quran is sufficient, there are 3 categories with respect to what is repeatedly recited in a ruqya session: 1. Verses that the Prophet (ﷺ) specifically cited as cure or repelling of devils like Surah Al-Fatihah and Ayatul-Kursi. 2. Verses that correspond to the affliction like the verses of sihr (magic) for cases of sihr, and verses of envy and evil eye for cases of evil eye. 3. Any verse or portion of a verse that is observed to have an effect on the patient. Beyond the Quran, there are several other religious formulas in the hadith literature that is employed in ruqya treatment like أَعُوذُ بِاَللَّهِ السَّمِيعِ الْعَلِيمِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ مِنْ هَمْزِهِ وَنَفْخِهِ وَنَفْثِهِ (I take refuge with Allah, the Hearing and Knowing, against the accursed devil, from his possession and evil suggestion, from his puffing up and witchcraft) and بِاسْمِ اللهِ أَرْقِيكَ، مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ يُؤْذِيكَ مِنْ شَرِّ كُلِّ نَفْسٍ أَوْ عَيْنِ حَاسِدٍ اللهُ يَشْفِيكَ بِاسْمِ اللهِ أَرْقِيكَ (With the Name of Allah, I perform ruqya on you, from everything that is harming you, from the evil of every soul or envious eye, may Allah cure you. With the Name of Allah, I perform ruqya on you).
Admonition. In addition to recitation of the Quran, the Raqi admonishes the jinn in the same way humans are admonished; he encourages it to righteousness and prohibits it from evil; he may employ harsh language and threaten the shaitan, and sternly command it to exit the body. The Raqi advises the patient too.
Physical contact. The Raqi may occasionally place his hand on the patient during treatment like on the forehead. He may even apply pressure to particular parts of the body like the head. Moral conduct between genders still apply: a male Raqi should not touch a female patient. Instead, he should instruct her mahram to make physical contact.
Consumable items and body-applicable liquids. The Raqi supplements the ruqya with physical items. The Prophet (ﷺ) prescribed natural medicines for sicknesses associated with jinn, sihr and evil eye, and through testing the Ruqat (plural of Raqi) also added to this list of items — all of which assist in expelling the sihr or jinn from the body. Items include (but not restricted to) recited oil, dates, black seeds, honey, selected herbs, bath salts and hijama (cupping).
Undoing the charm or amulet. In cases of sihr, the most effective method of cancelling its effect is by finding the actual sihr and undoing it. The Raqi either undoes/destroys the charm himself or instructs the patient to do it; burning it whilst reciting or placing it within recited water. Once it is undone, the spell is broken. This is what the Prophet (ﷺ) did in his own case when a spell was cast on him - he untied it & buried it whilst reciting Surah Al-Falaq & Surah Al-Nas.
Support Group. There is a lack of real support for patients. Some patients suffer traumatic experiences at the hands of shayatin (devils) and can become very isolated, defeated and even suicidal. The Raqi encourages family and friends to act as a support group to offer emotional comfort and moral support in the patient's fight against the affliction.
Counselling. Symptoms of sihr, possession and evil eye are exacerbated by past trauma. The devils play on deeply distressing and disturbing events a patient experienced in their life to hinder them from adhering to the ruqya treatment. The Raqi advises the patient to see a counsellor and speak through the trauma and overcome it.
Professional treatment and self-treatment. It is vital that the ruqya with a Raqi is not the the only ruqya the patient does. Subsequently, the Raqi advises the patient to adhere to a ruqya treatment plan at home by themselves, only visiting the Raqi a few times throughout the course of the treatment. In essence, patients supplement their 80% ruqya with the Raqi's 20% ruqya.
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