What Is the Ruling on Burning Incense (Bukhur) in Islam? Does It Have Any Basis?
Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch
Question
What is the ruling on using bukhur (incense) in Islam? Is there a basis for it being sunna or beneficial in Hanafi fiqh, especially when used with Quranic recitation and ruqya for protection?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) was reported to have loved beautiful smells. Amongst these beautiful smells was incense (bukhur).
In addition to his general love of good smells, he (Allah bless him and give him peace) encouraged using bukhur for its medicinal benefits:
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “The best things that you treat one another with are cupping and oceanic incense (al-qust al-bahri).” [Bukhari; Muslim]
The word for incense (qust) can refer to the burning of ‘Ud (a fragrant wood) or frankincense.
Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Yusuf Weltch teaches Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he completed four years at the Darul Uloom Seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences.
He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he studied for three years in Dar al-Mustafa under some of the most outstanding scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib.
In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Quran and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Quranic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.
