About Us
The Mercy Circle is a group of beloveds who pray for individuals who are dealing with stress, mental illness, anxiety, worry, physical illness, economic hardship, or any other stressor. We host a monthly zoom program during which we pray as a group using Sufi healing methods and we also pray individually for people as needed.
In the spirit of Unity, we recognize that when any person in the community is suffering, the whole community suffers too. May mercy replace stigma and compassion replace judgement. May our love lift up the hearts of our brothers and sisters. We hope, inshallah, to be doorways for Allah’s Mercy and healing to reach those in need.
Mercy Circle Team Transition
The Mercy Circle was started about nine years ago with the intention of providing compassionate and nonjudgmental prayer support to members of our community who struggle with mental illness or psychological distress. Due to a number of factors, the Mercy Circle support team is about to change: Shamsa and Abdallah Houck, Maryam Hand, and our sister Rahmana will be stepping down from the administration of the Mercy Circle and its prayer list.
We are very happy to announce that Rahma Zaga will lead the new Mercy Circle support team. Her teachings as a guest teacher this past year have been very inspiring and on-point. A’amina Maru Real will continue to offer her support in running Zoom for the meetings and she will be taking on the management of the prayer list and will be responding to emails, alhamdulillah.
If you want to join The Mercy Circle to pray for those in need of prayers, or if you want to add a name to the prayer list, please email A’amina at aaminareal@gmail.com.
Our Zoom Sufi Healing Circle
Date: The first Monday of every month
Time: 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT
This call includes a teaching and a healing recitation using the Authorized Invocation, a Sufi healing method given to us by Sidi. There is a different host each month who offers a teaching and recites the Sufi healing prayer.
Join the Call Now
Meeting ID: 851 4239 0508
Passcode: 111111
One tap mobile: +13017158592,,85142390508#,,,,*111111# US (Washington DC)+13126266799,,85142390508#,,,,*111111# US (Chicago)
Recordings of Past Calls
Click here to see all recordings of past calls
What is Our Sufi Healing Method?
First, it is to be cognizant that we are part of a bigger circle and that together, we create, (insha’allah) a net of healing and prayer support for our sisters and brothers in need.
We use and highly recommend the Authentic Invocation from Sidi’s book The Gift of Healing to heal yourself and others. Ideally, the seeker would do this several times a week, however, we realize that there are times when all you can muster is a Fatiha and sincere du’a from the heart. This is fine. After salah is a wonderful time to do the Authorized Invocation. A practice some of us have adopted is to pray every evening after the Maghrib Prayer. Here is the Du’a we were inspired to say but feel free to make up your own version:
The Authentic Authorized Invocation Sufi Healing
Al-ruqyah ash-shar’iyyah
Sidi left us with a powerful Sufi healing formula called The Authentic Authorized Invocation in his last healing book, The Gift of Healing, which can be ordered at sufimaster.org.
- Be in a state of ablution or wudu’
- Pray 2 rak’ah with the intention of directing your whole self to Allah while intending to bow in service to Allah though His creation
Basic Instructions
- We recommend you start with the elongation of the Name that Sidi taught us and used to open his teachings as protection for us.
- Repeat the following 3 times: “O Allah! Please take away this difficulty – O Lord of humankind, please grant healing, for You are the Healer and there is no healing but Yours – a healing that leaves no trace of illness.”
- Repeat the following 3 times: “Bismillah. Audhu billahi wa qudratihi min sharri ma ajidu wa ukhiru”
- Repeat the chosen surahs 7 times each, traditionally in the following order:
Suratu-l-Fatihah 1: verse 1-7
Suratu-l-Baqarah 2: verse 255 Ayat al-Kursi
Suratu-l-Baqarah 2: verse 285-286
Suratu-l-Iklas 112: verse 1-4 (optional 11 times)
Suratu-l-Falaq 113: verse 1-5
Suratu-l-Nas 114: verse 1-6
Recite these to yourself or to another person. Recite in a slow, audible and melodious voice paying attention to their meanings as much as possible.
Notes
For self-healing, repeat each of these surahs/verses 7 times in the morning upon waking and 7 times at night before going to sleep.
In addition to these surahs, there are recommendations made by our guide in The Gift of Healing that treat specific ailments. For example, suratu-l-quraysh is recited for high anxiety.
To enhance the transmission, insha’allah, and increase efficacy, whenever possible listen to a slow recitation of the Qur’an and reflect on the verses you are hearing. You may also listen to it while sleeping because the brain continues to be active and will respond to the sound.
We have also found it is beneficial to incorporate the Healing by Water as you do the Authorized Invocation. Sidi writes about this:
“Healing by water is a complete medicine. Take a cup of water and recite audibly on it an authorized invocation (ar-ruqiyah ash-shar iyyah), the Beautiful Names of Allah, and surah from the Qur’an that fit the type of illness. Then drink the water or make the patient drink it. Also wipe the face and area of the body that has pain with this water. Water stores the healing knowledge within the ayat during the recitation and drinking it carries it to every cell of the body. Healing can then be granted by the permission of Allah… (subhanahu wa ta’ala).”
Sidi al Jamal, The Gift of Healing
To find more recommendations, read pages 1-27 in The Gift of Healing. In these pages you will find answers to most of your questions, as well as extra prayers and deeper understandings.
