By Al Arabiya
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The government of Saudi Arabia is now pushing for a law against the misuse of the ‘ruqyah’ (religious healing) by various practitioners, the Saudi al-Watan newspaper reported on Monday.

The government is planning on issuing licenses to eligible practitioners.

People with good knowledge of Shariah (Islamic law) will be granted license to perform the ‘ruqyah’, al-Watan said citing its sources.

A newspaper reported that under the new law, the practice of ‘ruqyah’ by expatriates will be regarded as a violation to the terms of their work contracts. Arrest and deportation will await violators.

“Some of those who practice ‘ruqyah’ even commit sexual assaults on women, beat people, or convince patients they are possessed by jinns,” Othman al-Othman, a consultant at the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia), was quoted by the saudi daily as saying.

Many have made a living out of this practice, making healing their career.

Some healers earn as much as SR30,000 ($8,000) a month by just offering and selling water and oil to trusting Muslims, convincing them of their healing capacities and turning their houses into money-making factories, as described by the report.

Profits gained from the practice will be taken into account.

Al-Othman said that there is already an existing committee that looks in the religious healing activities in the Kingdom aiming to prevent people from violating Shariah.

​RIYADH: Faith healing, or “ruqyah”, is being increasingly used by some ill-intentioned so-called healers in the Kingdom as a way to exploit others, make money and become famous.
Fiqh researcher Saad Al-Sabr said some faith healers seek to exploit women and take their money. He made his remarks during a special Al-Arabiya program about ruqyah this week, which talked about what has been said about it by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions, and its increasing use by some faith healers for exploitation.
Once associated with healing and spirituality, it is now becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate between healers who abide by legitimate principles and those who wish to take advantage of others, the program pointed out.
In Islam, ruqyah and faith healing are considered legitimate, but these days more people are using it as a trade to steal people’s money or achieve other immoral purposes.
There are two types of ruqyah, one that follows the Qur'an and the Sunnah, called shariah (or legitimate) ruqyah, and one that brings in elements of sorcery and mysticism, and uses incense, water and some herbs.
The danger also lies in the fact that this attracts sick people who put their fate in the hands of such faith healers based on recommendations from family and friends, even if these healers are not medically qualified to provide the needed treatment.