Aqdam أقدام

Companion of the Prophet ﷺ

الشفاء بنت عبد الله

رضي الله عنها

al-Shifa bint Abdullah

al-Shifa bint Abd Allah ibn Abd Shams al-Qurashiyyah al-Adawiyyah

One of the few literate people in Makkah, she taught writing and ruqya and was among the early women migrants.

  • The Healer
A day in her footsteps

Introduction

Al-Shifa (her given name is reported as Layla) was a Qurayshi woman from the Banu Adi who accepted Islam in Makkah and migrated to Madinah.

She was literate at a time when few were, and taught Hafsah to write. The Prophet encouraged her to share a ruqya for skin sores with Hafsah.

Biographical works report that she lived between the mosque and the market and was consulted on practical matters. Details of her life are limited.

The story

  1. Before 622 CE

    Became Muslim in Makkah (per Wikipedia).

  2. 1 AH / 622 CE

    Migrated to Madinah (per Wikipedia).

  3. During the Prophet's life

    The Prophet asked her to teach Hafsah the ruqya as she had taught her writing.

    Read the wording
    Sunan Abi Dawud 3887Sahih
    Arabic text

    قَالَتْ دَخَلَ عَلَىَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَنَا عِنْدَ حَفْصَةَ فَقَالَ لِي " أَلاَ تُعَلِّمِينَ هَذِهِ رُقْيَةَ النَّمْلَةِ كَمَا عَلَّمْتِيهَا الْكِتَابَةَ".

    “Why do you not teach this one the spell for skin eruptions as you taught her”

    Grade: Sahih (al-Albani)

A day in their footsteps

2 small, repeatable practices from al-Shifa bint Abdullah's life. Each comes with the Arabic text and English wording of its source, and links to read the full report.

  1. Teaching literacy to others

    She had taught Hafsah to write, and the Prophet referred to that when asking her to teach another skill.

    Try this today

    Share what you know, starting with reading and writing.

    Sit with this

    Who could you teach to read, write or learn something new?

    Source

    Sunan Abi Dawud 3887Sahih

    قَالَتْ دَخَلَ عَلَىَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَنَا عِنْدَ حَفْصَةَ فَقَالَ لِي " أَلاَ تُعَلِّمِينَ هَذِهِ رُقْيَةَ النَّمْلَةِ كَمَا عَلَّمْتِيهَا الْكِتَابَةَ".

    “as you taught her writing”

    Grade: Sahih (al-Albani)

  2. Teaching a ruqya at the Prophet's request

    The Prophet asked her to teach Hafsah the spell she used for skin eruptions. She was thereby encouraged to pass it on.

    Try this today

    Pass on beneficial knowledge freely.

    Sit with this

    What beneficial knowledge are you keeping to yourself?

    Source

    Sunan Abi Dawud 3887Sahih

    قَالَتْ دَخَلَ عَلَىَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَنَا عِنْدَ حَفْصَةَ فَقَالَ لِي " أَلاَ تُعَلِّمِينَ هَذِهِ رُقْيَةَ النَّمْلَةِ كَمَا عَلَّمْتِيهَا الْكِتَابَةَ".

    “Why do you not teach this one the spell for skin eruptions as”

    Grade: Sahih (al-Albani)

Virtues

  • The Prophet asked her to teach others the ruqya she knew and the writing she taught.

    “Why do you not teach this one the spell for skin eruptions as you taught her”

    Arabic text

    قَالَتْ دَخَلَ عَلَىَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَأَنَا عِنْدَ حَفْصَةَ فَقَالَ لِي " أَلاَ تُعَلِّمِينَ هَذِهِ رُقْيَةَ النَّمْلَةِ كَمَا عَلَّمْتِيهَا الْكِتَابَةَ".

    Sunan Abi Dawud 3887Sahih

Words on this page

Madinahالمدينة
The city, formerly Yathrib, to which the Prophet ﷺ migrated and where the first Muslim community was built.
Makkahمكة
The city of the Ka'bah, where the Prophet ﷺ was born and revelation began.
Qurayshقريش
The leading tribe of Makkah, to which the Prophet ﷺ belonged, and which opposed him for most of his mission.
Ruqyahرقية
Reciting the Quran or approved du'as over someone who is ill or afflicted, as a means of healing.

The full glossary

Sources and review

Hadith numbers follow sunnah.com. Each report links to sunnah.com, and, where the numbering matches, to al-Hadees or HadithUnlocked as well. Quran verses link to quran.com, Tafsir Ibn Kathir and Tanzil. The Arabic is taken from the hadith editions and trimmed around the quoted words, so read the full report at the source before relying on it. Grades are the ones those editions give.

This page is pending scholar review. It was compiled from public sources, and its citations were last checked on 7 October 2026. If you notice a mistake or a missing source, please tell us.

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