Shaykh ‘Arafāt ibn Ḥasan:
And there is a female questioner who says: "Is there any evidence for using asafoetida (al-ḥiltīt) as a treatment to expel the devil, and what is the method of using asafoetida? Is it to be drunk?"
Yes, this is something that has been tried & tested. When a person is tested by Allāh with siḥr (witchcraft/magic), the evil eye (‘ayn), possession, or any of these illnesses, the first thing he must do is be patient and recognize that this is from the decree and predestination of Allāh. Nothing afflicts us except what Allāh has written and ordained.
As for the cause of this illness, it may be due to our sins, our shortcomings, or due to evil people who have bewitched and harmed you. So it is obligatory to be patient and say: "This is from the decree and predestination of Allāh. All praise is due to Allāh. Indeed, to Allāh we belong and to Him we shall return."
After that, act according to the prescribed means (asbāb shar‘iyyah). The greatest of these means is to turn to Allāh and to seek refuge in Him. He is the One who decreed it, and (only) He is the One who will remove it. Return to Him, rely upon Him, humble yourself before Him, and increase in supplication (du‘ā’). Among the greatest means of removing illnesses is supplication! Even the devils suffer the most severe pain when the afflicted person supplicates against the devil within them or against the one who wronged them, such as a sorcerer or others. So increase in supplication; otherwise, what's the benefit?
The times of response have been specified and clarified for us:
Between the adhān and iqāmah.
In sujūd (prostration).
During the saḥar (the last part of the night before dawn).
Also, the fasting person's supplication is answered, the traveler's supplication is answered, and supplications are answered when rain descends—many times! Likewise in Ramadān, the month of supplication and worship.. But we fall short! Otherwise, you have many times during the day and night—use them for supplication. Supplicate for yourself, supplicate for your children.
And among the means is the adhkār (remembrances). People fall short in the adhkār. When they are afflicted with siḥr, they say: "Where are the adhkār? We want to remember Allāh now." If you had fortified yourself before—which is a great prescribed means—nothing would have afflicted you. The morning adhkār, the evening adhkār, the adhkār before sleep... Protect your young children; fortify them as the Prophet ﷺ used to fortify al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn. He would seek refuge for al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn with the Perfect Words of Allāh from every devil and poisonous creature and from every envious evil eye. So you must fortify your wife and children (with the adhkār), especially the young ones who cannot read or understand.
Also, reciting the Qur-ān—this is among the greatest means because it is the Speech of Allāh, one of His Attributes, and it is the greatest remembrance (dhikr) absolutely, especially Sūrat al-Baqarah, which the baṭalah (sorcerers) cannot withstand. Read al-Baqarah every day if you are sick, and Allāh will heal you. It has an amazing and powerful effect on the soul, on siḥr, on the evil eye, and on the devils of humans and jinn.
This is with regard to the means that are prescribed (in the sharī‘ah). There are also tried and tested things—there is no harm in them—because the Prophet ﷺ, in the topic of ruqyah, said to his companions, as in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: "Present to me your ruqyahs; there is no harm in ruqyahs as long as they do not involve Shirk." When it comes to experimentation; no problem—it falls under ruqyah. For example, figs—especially dried figs—with olive oil. If a person eats this on an empty stomach, it has a great effect on siḥr. And when he sleeps, he eats one or two pieces with olive oil.
As for olive oil itself, one can anoint with it, especially on the places where he feels pain. Many people feel pain in places in their body, especially in the shoulders and sometimes in the lower back. Most of these are knots of siḥr, because the knots are what cause pain in the body.
{Say: "I seek refuge with the Lord of daybreak, from the evil of what He has created, and from the evil of the darkening (night) as it comes with its darkness, and from the evil of those who practise witchcraft when they blow in the knots.."} (113:1-4)
When the sorcerer wants to perform magic, he blows on what? On the knots of siḥr. So the devils respond to him and enter through these knots, especially if the siḥr is eaten or drunk. So when you sleep, take this oil, recite over it al-Fātiḥah, al-Mu‘awwidhatayn (Sūrat al-Falaq & Sūrat al-Nās), and Āyat al-Kursī (2:255). Then anoint yourself on the places where you feel pain at the time of your sleep, and drink one or two spoonfuls—it is beneficial!
Also among the things that have been tried is asafoetida (al-ḥiltīt). The jinn are harmed by it in a clear and obvious way. If you take a small piece smaller than a fingernail, put it in a cup of water, mix it well, and drink it twice or three times a week, you will also find that it has a great effect.
And I have said that this is a broad topic; there is no harm in using these tried & tested remedies as long as they are known things.
And beware of going to people to perform ruqyah on you who are not known! Many people go to sorcerers, and they increase him affliction upon his affliction and evil upon his evil.
The second matter: Unfortunately, many of these ruqāt (those who perform ruqyah) who perform ruqyah with the Qur-ān have become focused on money. There is hardly a rāqī (one who performs ruqyah) except that he has become a trader, trading with people. Do not go to these! Attach your heart to Allāh—the One who will remove the illness from you!
{Is not He (better than your gods) Who responds to the distressed one, when he calls on Him, and Who removes the evil, and makes you inheritors of the earth, generations after generations? Is there any ilāh (god) with Allāh?} (27:62)
Return to Allāh! Let there not be weakness or faint-heartedness in your heart. There is no barrier between you and Allāh.
{And when My servants ask you concerning Me—indeed I am near.} (2:186)
He (Allāh) is better for you than this rāqī who is a human like you. This does not mean that it is not permissible to go to the ruqāt; it is permissible. But unfortunately, we have found that many of them are focused on money.
Translation: Yasin ibn Jamal