The verses of healing in the Quran, with the commentaries

Words for healing occur six times in the Quran, in six verses: three about the Quran itself, one about the believers' breasts being healed by victory (At-Tawbah 14), one about honey, and one in Abraham's prayer. This article reads them and, at each one, gives the Sunni reading of al-Tafsir al-Muyassar first, then the Shia readings of al-Safi (al-Fayd al-Kashani) and al-Mizan (al-Tabataba'i).

Quotations from the three commentaries are my renderings of the Arabic.

"Healing and mercy for the believers"

And We send down of the Qur'an that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss.

(Al-Isra 17:82)

Al-Muyassar: We send down in the Quran what heals hearts of their sicknesses — doubt, hypocrisy, ignorance — and what heals bodies when it is recited over them. Al-Safi: in its meanings is healing for spirits, and in its words healing for bodies, and relays from al-Sadiq: no believer ever complained of an illness and recited this verse with a sincere intention, wiping the place of the pain, but he was cured of it, whatever it was. Al-Mizan: promising that the Quran heals — and healing is only from sickness — shows that hearts have states to which the Quran stands as a healing medicine to an illness.

Where they agree

All three agree that the Quran heals hearts of their sicknesses, and that it adds only loss to the wrongdoers.

Where they differ

Al-Muyassar and al-Safi extend the healing to bodies as well — al-Muyassar through recitation over the sick, al-Safi by saying its words heal bodies, with a report to that effect — while al-Mizan keeps to the healing of hearts, the Quran being to them as medicine is to illness.

"Healing for what is in the breasts"

O mankind, there has to come to you instruction from your Lord and healing for what is in the breasts and guidance and mercy for the believers.

(Yunus 10:57)

Al-Muyassar: in it is medicine for what is in hearts — ignorance, associating others with God and every other sickness. Al-Safi: a book has come to you that gathers these benefits, and relays from al-Sadiq: it is healing from sicknesses of passing thoughts and from things that are unclear; and from the Prophet, to a man who complained of pain in his chest: seek healing in the Quran, for God says "healing for what is in the breasts". Al-Mizan: healing the breasts, or what is in them, means removing the foul qualities of the spirit that bring misery, sour a happy life and deprive a person of the good of both worlds.

All three agree that the healing here is of the breast and its sicknesses: ignorance and associating others with God, for al-Muyassar; troubling thoughts and unclear matters, for al-Safi; foul qualities of the spirit, for al-Mizan. Al-Safi adds a report of seeking healing from the Quran for pain in the chest.

"In which there is healing for people"

Then eat from all the fruits and follow the ways of your Lord laid down [for you]." There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colors, in which there is healing for people. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who give thought.

(An-Nahl 16:69)

Al-Muyassar: from the bellies of the bees comes honey of different colours — white, yellow, red and others — in which is healing for people from sicknesses. Al-Safi relays from Ali: licking honey is a healing from every illness, and from the Prophet: if there is healing in anything, it is in the cupper's cut and a drink of honey. Al-Mizan: "in which there is healing for people" — from most sicknesses.

All three agree that the drink is honey and that it heals the body. Al-Muyassar says "from sicknesses", al-Mizan "from most sicknesses", and al-Safi relays "a healing from every illness".

"When I am ill, it is He who cures me"

Who created me, and He [it is who] guides me.

And it is He who feeds me and gives me drink.

And when I am ill, it is He who cures me

(Ash-Shu'ara 26:78, Ash-Shu'ara 26:79, Ash-Shu'ara 26:80)

Al-Muyassar: and when illness strikes me, He is the one who heals me and restores me. Al-Safi: he did not ascribe the illness to God because his aim was to list blessings, and because illness mostly comes from a person's own neglect in what he eats and drinks, or in God's commands and prohibitions. Al-Mizan: "when I am ill" prepares the way for mentioning healing — so he ascribed the illness to himself, lest taking a blessing away be listed among the blessings; as for the view that he ascribed it to himself out of courtesy, though it is from God, that is not right.

Where they agree

All three agree that healing is from God alone, and that Abraham is listing his Lord's blessings to him.

Where they differ

They differ on why Abraham says "when I am ill" rather than "when He makes me ill". Al-Muyassar does not take up the question; al-Safi gives two reasons — the list is of blessings, and illness mostly comes from one's own neglect; al-Mizan says it keeps a loss from being counted among blessings, and rejects the view that it was mere courtesy.

What the verses do not say

• They do not set out how to seek healing through the Quran, or make it a substitute for medicine; honey itself is a drink to be taken.
• They do not say in their own words that honey heals every illness — only "in which there is healing for people".
• In Abraham's prayer they do not ascribe illness to God, while they do ascribe healing to Him.

Counted on the mushaf

• Words for healing: six times in six verses — At-Tawbah, Yunus, An-Nahl, Al-Isra, Ash-Shu'ara and Fussilat.
• "Healing for what is in the breasts": once, Yunus 57.
• "It is He who cures me": once.

Sources

• al-Tafsir al-Muyassar — King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran.
• Tafsir al-Safi — al-Fayd al-Kashani.
• al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran — al-Sayyid Muhammad Husayn al-Tabataba'i.

Read:

• Verses about tranquillity and assurance in the Quran, with the commentaries
• Verses of supplication in the Quran, with the commentaries
• The story of Ibrahim in the Quran