Please dua and advice - I fear my father may be affected by sihr (black magic)
Assalamu alaikum, I’m living in the States with my elder brother while my parents are in Pakistan on their own. Over the past few years my father has slowly lost weight, but recently it’s become much worse and he has almost no appetite. He’s gotten very thin and looks unwell, yet the doctors haven’t been able to find a medical cause. More worrying is his anxiety - he’s terrified of turning the bedroom lights off. There are several lights in their master bedroom and he insists they all stay on; if my mother tries to switch one off he becomes frightened, saying he feels someone watching him from the shadows. There have been a few scary incidents at night: while asleep he has tried to strangle or hit my mother, and another time he gripped her hand so hard it hurt. When she asked him why, he said, “Can’t you see that dark shadow on the balcony with big red eyes looking at me?” My mother has taken him to be seen by a Muslim elder; they said there might be sihr and have been doing cupping (hijama) on him. My father talks about me a lot since I moved abroad - my mom says he mentions my name every day and even calls out for me in his sleep. Two nights ago and last night I had a dream of my father dying; I woke up screaming and crying. I didn’t want to read too much into it, but my mother told me about it today and now I’m really worried. I want to help him from afar. I can’t currently return because of my visa and risking my work situation would cause problems; my mother says leaving now would upset them more because of the visa consequences. Fixing the visa will take a few months at least. Please, brothers and sisters, do you have any practical suggestions or duas I can make for him while I’m far away? Are there trusted ruqyah or scholars you recommend? Should I arrange for someone local (a qualified imam or trusted family member) to stay with them or take him to a particular clinic for further checks? I want to balance medical care and spiritual remedies - what steps would you advise I encourage my parents to take right now? Any recommended duas, Quranic verses, or actions I can do daily for his protection and recovery would mean so much. JazakAllahu khair for any advice or duas. Please keep my father in your prayers.