Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
The hadith is authentic, and there is nothing in it that contradicts the belief that Allah Almighty alone possesses and decrees healing. Rather, it indicates the permissibility of seeking blessing through authentic relics of the Prophet ﷺ, and that Allah placed a special blessing in them.
Muslim narrated that Asma, may Allah be pleased with her, brought out a cloak of the Prophet ﷺ and said:
“This was with Aishah until she passed away. When she passed away, I took possession of it. The Prophet ﷺ used to wear it, and we wash it for the sick, seeking healing through it.”
Asma, may Allah be pleased with her, did not believe that the cloak healed by itself. Rather, they hoped for the blessing connected to a relic of the Prophet ﷺ, while believing that healing in every case comes from Allah Almighty.
Allah alone is the Healer
The Prophet ﷺ clearly established this principle in the supplication he used to say for the sick:
“Remove the harm, Lord of mankind. Heal, for You are the Healer. There is no healing except Your healing, a healing that leaves no illness behind.”
Agreed upon.
His words ﷺ, “You are the Healer” and “There is no healing except Your healing”, clearly show that true healing is in the hands of Allah alone.
Medicines, doctors, ruqyah, and other treatments are merely means, and they have no independent effect apart from Allah’s will. A sick person may take the same medicine that benefited someone else and yet not recover, because healing ultimately depends upon Allah’s decree.
How was the Prophet’s ﷺ cloak a means of healing?
Just as Allah has made certain medicines causes of healing, He granted His Prophet ﷺ a special blessing in his physical relics. It is authentically established that the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, sought blessing from his hair, the water of his ablution, and other physical traces during his lifetime.
Some of his relics remained after his death ﷺ, including this cloak, which was first with Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, and later passed to Asma, may Allah be pleased with her.
Seeking healing through it does not mean that it independently possessed healing. Rather, it was a means that Allah blessed due to the special status of His Prophet ﷺ, while healing itself remained from Allah Almighty.
This is similar to using medicine. A Muslim does not believe that medicine creates healing by itself. Rather, he believes that Allah made it a cause; if Allah wills, He brings benefit through it, and if He wills, healing does not occur.
Is it permissible to say that the Prophet ﷺ is the one who heals?
Absolute healing, which is not dependent upon a cause or anyone’s will, belongs to Allah Almighty alone. This is why the Prophet ﷺ himself asked Allah for healing and attributed healing to Him.
This meaning is also confirmed in the story of the People of the Trench, when the young boy said to the man who asked him to heal him:
“I do not heal anyone. It is Allah alone who heals.”
He then called him to believe in Allah and supplicated to Allah for him, so Allah healed him.
Even though Allah caused extraordinary things to occur through the boy, he did not attribute healing to himself. Rather, he attributed it to Allah.
Seeking blessing through the Prophet’s ﷺ relics is specific to him
It should also be noted that the confirmed practice of the Companions in seeking blessing from the Prophet’s ﷺ relics does not mean that the same may be done with every righteous person.
The blessing established in the body and relics of the Prophet ﷺ was a special characteristic confirmed for him by evidence. This is why the Companions sought blessing from his relics, but they did not make this a general practice regarding everyone known for righteousness.
Furthermore, anything claimed to be a relic of the Prophet ﷺ must be authentically established as belonging to him. It is not correct to seek blessing from an object merely because someone claims that it is a hair or garment of the Prophet ﷺ without reliable proof.
The difference between a means and the One who causes healing
This issue becomes clear when distinguishing between two matters:
The means: such as medicine, ruqyah, and what is authentically established of the blessing in the Prophet’s ﷺ relics.
The One who causes the result and heals: Allah Almighty alone.
Therefore, there is no contradiction between using a lawful means of healing and believing that Allah alone is the Healer, just as taking medicine does not contradict saying that Allah is the One who healed the person.
In conclusion: The hadith concerning the Prophet’s ﷺ cloak does not indicate that anyone besides Allah possesses the power to heal. Rather, it indicates the blessing that Allah placed in the relics of His Prophet ﷺ. The Companions sought healing through them while believing that Allah alone is the Healer. The relic is a means, while healing itself comes from Allah Almighty. It is not permissible to believe that the Prophet ﷺ or anyone else independently possesses the power of healing apart from Allah.
And Allah knows best.