Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
There is no harm in praying for a sick person by saying, “May Allah wipe away your illness with His healing Right Hand,” or, “I ask Allah to wipe away your illness with His healing Right Hand.” What is meant by “wiping away” here is the removal of illness. Describing the Right Hand as “healing” does not establish a new, independent Attribute for Allah Almighty; rather, it conveys an effect of the blessing, goodness, and healing associated with Allah’s Hand.
The basic principle concerning the Names and Attributes of Allah Almighty is that they are established through revelation. Therefore, no Name or Attribute is affirmed for Allah except on the basis of evidence from the Qur’an, the Sunnah, or an established consensus.
The revealed texts affirm that Allah Almighty has two Hands in a manner befitting His Majesty. They also contain evidence of their blessing and perfection, without likening them to the hands of created beings.
Therefore, the issue here is not whether Allah has a Hand, as this is already established. Rather, the question is whether the expression “His healing Right Hand” constitutes the introduction of a new Attribute that has not been revealed.
According to the fatwa, the answer is no, because the intention is not to make “healing” a separate Name or independent Attribute of Allah’s Hand. Rather, it is a supplication asking Allah to grant healing through the blessing of His Right Hand.
This supplication has been attributed to Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) in the account of his visit to Baqi ibn Makhlad when he was ill.
It is reported that he said to him:
“May Allah raise you to well-being and wipe away your illness with His healing Right Hand.”
There has been some discussion regarding certain details of the account, but this wording was known among some of the early scholars. Abu Bakr al-Zubaydi and others were also reported to have discussed its wording and meaning.
This indicates that the use of this expression is not a recently introduced formulation.
“Wiping away” here means removal.
Thus, the meaning of the supplication is:
May Allah remove your illness, relieve you of what has afflicted you, and restore you to health.
The intention is not to affirm a particular manner in which Allah Almighty wipes something away. Rather, it is a recognized Arabic expression meaning the removal of illness or harm from a person.
The intended meaning is that the Right Hand of Allah Almighty is blessed and that all goodness and healing are in His Hand.
It is reported in the hadith:
“Both Hands of my Lord are blessed Right Hands.”
It is also authentically reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“The Hand of Allah is full and is not diminished by spending; it is abundantly giving by night and day.”
[Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Since Allah’s Hand is blessed and full of goodness, healing is among the forms of goodness that Allah grants to His servants.
Accordingly, the expression “His healing Right Hand” means the blessed Right Hand through which healing comes from Allah. It is not intended to establish a separate Name or Attribute that has not been affirmed in the revealed texts.
A distinction should be made between describing or informing about Allah and formally affirming Divine Names and Attributes.
Not every expression with a correct meaning that is used regarding Allah in a supplication or statement thereby becomes one of His Beautiful Names or an independent Attribute.
In this phrase, “healing” describes the Right Hand in terms of the goodness and healing that occur through it by Allah’s permission. The intention is not to say that Allah has an established independent Attribute called “healing” in this specific formulation.
Therefore, there is no contradiction between using this supplication and affirming that Allah’s Names and Attributes are established through revelation.
As with all Divine Attributes, affirming the Hand or Right Hand of Allah Almighty is done in a manner befitting Him, without asking how and without likening Him to His creation.
A Muslim does not imagine the nature of Allah’s Hand or compare it to a human hand.
Rather, one affirms what has been established in the revealed texts and stops where revelation stops.
It is permissible to pray for a sick person by saying, “May Allah wipe away your illness with His healing Right Hand,” or, “I ask Allah to wipe away your illness with His healing Right Hand.”
What is meant by “wiping away” is the removal of illness. Describing the Right Hand as “healing” does not mean affirming a new, independent Attribute for Allah Almighty. Rather, it conveys the blessing of Allah’s Hand and that all healing and goodness come from Him.
Therefore, according to the fatwa, there appears to be no religious objection to this supplication, nor does it contradict the principle that Allah’s Names and Attributes are established through revelation.
And Allah knows best.