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Visiting the sick in Islam
Visiting the sick in Islam

Visiting an ill person is the responsibility that every Muslim is bound to fulfill. Their condition should remind us of Allah’s blessing for granting us good health. Our Prophet PBUH would always visit the sick, whether Muslim or non-Muslim. The rewards for visiting the sick are great in number and has been mentioned in numerous Hadith: 
 

  • Prophet PBUH said, "Every Muslim has five rights over another Muslim: 1) to return the greetings 2) to visit the sick 3) to accompany funeral processions 4) to accept an invitation 5) to respond to the sneezer”. [Bukhari & Muslim].

  • Prophet PBUH said, “A Muslim visiting his sick brother will continue to be in the harvest of paradise until he\she returns home.” [Muslim].

  • Prophet PBUH said, "Verily, Allah, the Exalted, will say on the Day of judgment: `O son of Adam, I was ill but you did not visit Me.' the person would say: `O my Lord, how could I visit you and You are the Lord of the worlds?' Thereupon Allah would say: `Did you not know that such and such a servant of Mine was ill but you did not visit him? Did you not realize that if you had visited him you would have known that I was aware of your visit to him, for which I would reward you, you would have found Me with him”. [Muslim]

  • Prophet PBUH said, “Visit the sick, feed the hungry and free the one who is imprisoned (unjustly).” [Bukhari]

  • Prophet PBUH said, “When a Muslim visits a sick person at dawn, 70 thousand angels keep on praying for him\her till dusk. If he visits in the evening, 70 thousand angels keep on praying for him till the morning; and he will have his share of reaped fruits in Paradise.'' In a different narration it says, “Whoever visits a sick person (for the pleasure of Allah), a caller from the skies announces: ‘You are indeed blessed and your walking is blessed and you have (by this noble act) built yourself a home in Jannah’ ”. [Tirmidhi]

  • When visiting the sick, the Prophet PBUH used to say: “Do not worry. It (pain and suffering) will be a purification for you, if God so wills.” [Bukhari]

  • Prophet PBUH said, "If you visit a sick person, then try to put him at ease by giving him hope of prolonged life, for it does not change anything, but relaxes and comforts him". [Tirmidhi]

  • Aisha R.A says, whenever Prophet PBUH would become ill, he would recite the Muawizat and then blow his breath on the palm of his hands and then move them over his blessed body. [Bukhari & Muslim]. It is also narrated that “when anyone in His family was sick, He PBUH would recite the Muawizat and blow onto the sick person's body” [Muslim]. TheMuawizat are: surah Al-Falaq & surah An-Naas. According to some scholars it also includes surah Al-Ikhlaas (Qul huwallahu ahad) and Al-Kafiroon.

 

Happiness and optimism are Islamic virtues when they spring from trust and hope in Allah. Likewise sadness and pessimism are sinful when they reflect a state of despair in the Almighty. Therefore, regardless of how bad or incurable the illness, the one visiting the sick should encourage them with hope and say InshaAllah they will get better

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