\u201cHe who visits the sick continues to remain in the fruit garden of Paradise until he returns.\u201d Muslim, Birr, 39<\/p>\n
\n
Health and sickness are two important means of a test and warning in this world. We should not get heedless and stop thanking and praising Allah the Almighty during our healthy moments. We should also try to get closer to Allah with our prayers and supplications during our times of sickness. Smart believers who appreciate both of these situations will eventually be the profiting ones.<\/p>\n
People suffer from various diseases at every age. Diseases are sources of sadness and distress. During such times people want to see their friends and relatives next to them. They want to be consoled by their words and help. If relatives and friends do not visit them the sick person may become sadden by this. Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) ordered everybody to visit the sick. Bara b. Adhib (r.a.) said that:<\/p>\n
\u201cAllah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) ordered us to follow the funeral procession, to visit the sick, to accept invitations, to help the oppressed, to fulfill the oaths, to return the greeting and to reply to the sneezer: saying, \u201cMay Allah be merciful on you,\u201d provided the sneezer says, \u201cAll the praises are for Allah,\u201d. (Bukhari, Janaiz, 2; Muslim, Libas, 3)<\/p>\n
When a person gets sick he\/she becomes very sensitive and heartbroken. Allah the Almighty is closer to such heartbroken people. Since Allah the Almighty likes that his servants visit the sick, He considers them as visits done to Him. According to Abu Huraira\u2019s (r.a.) report, Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) states this fact as follows: <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cVerily, Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, would say on the Day of Resurrection: <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cO son of Adam, I was sick but you did not visit Me.\u201d He would say: <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cO my Lord; how could I visit You whereas You are the Lord of the worlds?\u201d Thereupon He would say: <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cDid not you know that such and such servant of Mine was sick but you did not visit him and were you not aware of this that if you had visited him, you would have found Me by him? O son of Adam, I asked food from you but you did not feed Me.\u201d He would say: <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cMy Lord, how could I feed You whereas You are the Lord of the worlds?\u201d He said: <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cDid not you know that such and such servant of Mine asked food from you but you did not feed him, and were you not aware that if you had fed him you would have found him by My side?\u201d The Lord would again say: <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cO son of Adam, I asked for a drink from you but you did not provide it to Me.\u201d He would say: <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cMy Lord, how could I provide it to You whereas You are the Lord of the worlds?\u201d Thereupon, He would say: <\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cSuch and such servant of Mine asked you for a drink but you did not provide him with it, and had you provided him with a drink you would have found him near Me.\u201d<\/i> (Muslim, Birr, 43)<\/p>\n
Therefore, servants should think about whom they are visiting and whose orders they are fulfilling. This is why Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) told his companions that when they visited a sick person, they should ask for supplications from him and they should know that the supplication of a sick person was like the prayers of angels. (Ibn Majah, Janaiz, 1)<\/p>\n
Visiting the sick means asking about his\/her state, consoling him\/her, and taking care of his\/her needs as much as it is possible. Therefore, visiting sick people becomes a reiterated prophetic custom. Some scholars even think it is obligatory. If no Muslim in the neighborhood visits a sick person of their neighborhood, everybody in that neighborhood becomes responsible. Therefore, visiting a person who is sick becomes a communal obligatory act like feeding the hungry.<\/p>\n
Ibn Umar (r. anhuma) narrated an incident in this regard as follows:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), a person, one of the Ansar, came to him and greeted him. The Ansari then turned back. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:<\/p>\n
\u201cO brother of Ansar! How is my brother Sa\u2019d be Ubada?\u201d<\/i> He said:<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is better.\u201d The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:<\/p>\n
\u201cWho amongst you would visit him?\u201d<\/i> He (the Holy Prophet) stood up and we also got up along with him, and we were more than ten persons. We had neither shoes with us, or socks, or caps, or shirts. We walked on the barren land till we came to him. The people around him kept away till the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and his Companions with him came near Sa\u201dd b. Ubada.\u201d (Muslim, Janaiz, 13)<\/p>\n
Aisha (r. anha) narrated another incident which explains this wonderful characteristic of the Prophet (pbuh):<\/p>\n
\u201cSa\u2019d was wounded on the day of Khandaq (i.e. Trench) when a man from Quraish, called Hibban bin Al-Araqa hit him (with an arrow). The man was Hibban bin Qais from (the tribe of) Bani Mais bin Amir b. Lu’ai who shot an arrow at Sa\u2019d\u2019s medial arm vein (or main artery of the arm). The Prophet pitched a tent for Sa\u2019d in the Mosque so that he might be near to the Prophet to visit\u2026 (Bukhari, Maghazi, 30)<\/p>\n
As it can be observed in these reports, Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) was concerned about all kinds of problems which people had. Asking about the problems of the sick, visiting his friends, taking care of the needs of the needy, attending the funerals and performing their funeral prayers, and consoling the people left behind are some of the good behaviors manifested in his life. He would usually be accompanied by some of his companions while performing a social duty like visiting a sick person. Thus, he would discipline them about the matter in question. For being poor and needy is not an obstacle for visiting the sick. On the contrary, this would make people get closer to each other, help each other to take care of their needs, and share the blessings they have.<\/p>\n
In visiting the sick there should be no difference between being a Muslim and non-Muslim; acquaintance and stranger; close and far neighbor. Indeed Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) visited a sick Jewish kid and caused him to convert to Islam. (Bukhari, Janaiz, 80)<\/p>\n
In his following lines Jalal al-Din Rumi (q.s.) elegantly depicts that visiting the sick actually benefits the visitor himself:<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is profit in your visiting the sick: the profit thereof is returning to you again. The first profit is that the sick person may perchance be a Qutb and a glorious spiritual king. And if he be not a Qutb, he may be a friend of the Suf\u00ed Way; if he be not the king, he may be the cavalier of the host. Deem it, then, incumbent on you to attach yourselves to the friends of the Way, whosoever it may be, and whether he be footman or rider. And if he be a foe to you, still this kindness is good, for by kindness many a foe hath been made a friend; And though he do not become a friend, his enmity is lessened, because kindness becomes the balm for enmity. There are many profits besides these, but I am afraid of being tedious, good friend. The gist (of the matter) is this: be the friend of the whole community (of Sufis): like the idol-maker, carve a friend out of the stone, because the throng and multitude of a caravan will break the backs and spears of the highwaymen. Inasmuch as you have not the heart\u2019s two eyes, O contumacious man, so that you cannot distinguish firewood from aloes wood. (You may despair of finding the true friend of Allah; but) since there exists a treasure in the world, do not grieve: deem no ruined place empty of treasure.\u201d <\/i>(Mathnawi, II, 2143-2153)<\/p>\n
Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) taught some supplications to the sick people. Uthman b. Abu al-\u2018As Al-Thaqafi reported that he made a complaint of a pain to Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) that he felt in his body at the time he had become Muslim. Thereupon Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) said: Place your hand at the place where you feel pain in your body and say \u201cBismillah\u201d<\/i> (in the name of Allah) three times and say<\/p>\n
\u0623\u064e\u0639\u064f\u0648\u0630\u064f \u0628\u0650\u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647\u0650 \u0648\u064e\u0642\u064f\u062f\u0652\u0631\u064e\u062a\u0650\u0647\u0650 \u0645\u0650\u0646\u0652 \u0634\u064e\u0631\u0651\u0650 \u0645\u064e\u0627 \u0623\u064e\u062c\u0650\u062f\u064f \u0648\u064e\u0623\u064f\u062d\u064e\u0627\u0630\u0650\u0631\u064f<\/p>\n
\u201cI seek refuge with Allah and with His Power from the evil that I find and that I fear\u201d seven times (Muslim, Salam, 67).<\/p>\n
Uthman (r.a.) practiced this supplication word by word and said: \u201cI did what the Messenger of Allah taught me. Allah the Almighty blessed me with my health. After that I recommended this supplication to my family and other people.\u201d (Abu Dawud, Tib, 19)<\/p>\n
Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) advised to inculcate to people that are about to die to say \u201cLa ilaha illa-llah \u2013<\/i> There is no god but Allah\u201d (Muslim, Janaiz, 1-2)<\/p>\n
Companions paid attention to visiting the sick, too.<\/p>\n
Some of the principles of manners in visiting sick as follows:<\/p>\n
a. The visitor should put his hand over the sick\u2019s hand or forehead, and ask \u201chow are you?\u201d The Prophet (pbuh) advised to care closely for the sick. However, the doctor\u2019s orders must be considered in this regard. Also, this principle is not applicable for cases of contagious diseases.<\/p>\n
b. One should avoid the words and actions which might hurt and depress the sick. Visits should be kept short.<\/p>\n
c. One should ask the sick if there is anything he\/she needs, and if it is needed, one should financially help the sick, too. If it is not going to harm the sick, one may give food and other gifts to the sick. Ibn Abbas (r. anhuma) narrated:<\/p>\n
\u201cAllah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) visited a sick person and asked:<\/p>\n
\u201cIs there anything that you would like?\u201d<\/i> The man said:<\/p>\n
\u201cWheat bread.\u201d Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) told his companions:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhoever has wheat bread with him should send it to his brother.\u201d<\/i> And then he added:<\/p>\n
\u201cIf your patient wants something from you, let him eat that.\u201d<\/i> (Ibn Majah, Janaiz, 2)<\/p>\n
d. A person who is sick may contemplate about death and feel disturbed. It is a nice thing to console such patients with appropriate words, to explain to them that death is an order of Allah and it is inevitable, to explain to them that being ill does not mean its end will be death, and that ailments become compensation for the evil deeds of a servant. According to the narration of Ibn \u2018Abbas (r. anhuma): \u201cAllah’s Apostle visited a sick bedouin and said to him, \u201cDon\u2019t worry, Tahur (i.e., your illness will be a means of compensation for your sins), if Allah will.\u201d<\/i> (Bukhari, Tawhid, 31)<\/p>\n
e. Praying for the sick and wishing for his\/her recovery is one of the manners of visiting the sick. Aisha (r. anha) narrated:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen any person amongst us fell ill, Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) used to rub him with his right hand and then say:<\/p>\n
\u201cO Lord of the people, ease his pain and grant him health, heal him, for You are a Great Healer. There is no healer, but with Your healing Power. Bestow upon this person health so that no sign of the disease could be seen upon him.\u201d<\/i> (Bukhari, Marda, 20; Muslim, Salam, 46-49)<\/p>\n
Salman (r.a.) narrated: \u201cWhen I was sick, Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) came to visit me. When he was leaving, he prayed for me saying:<\/p>\n
\u064a\u0627\u064e \u0633\u064e\u0644\u0652\u0645\u064e\u0627\u0646\u064f! \u0643\u064e\u0634\u064e\u0641\u064e \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647\u064f \u0636\u064f\u0631\u0651\u064e\u0643\u064e \u0648\u064e\u063a\u064e\u0641\u064e\u0631\u064e \u0630\u064e\u0646\u0652\u0628\u064e\u0643\u064e \u0648\u064e\u0639\u064e\u0627\u0641\u064e\u0627\u0643\u064e \u0641\u0650\u0649 \u062f\u0650\u064a\u0646\u0650\u0643\u064e \u0648\u064e\u062c\u064e\u0633\u064e\u062f\u0650\u0643\u064e \u0627\u0650\u0644\u064e\u0649 \u0627\u064e\u062c\u064e\u0644\u0650\u0643\u064e<\/p>\n
\u201cO Salman! May Allah remove your problems, May He forgive your sins, May He give your religion and your body strength until your death (time)\u201d<\/i> (Haythami, II, 299)<\/p>\n
f. For some reasons, like distance, etc. if one could not find the opportunity to visit his\/her sick brother he\/she should at least give them their wishes for a quick recovery through an agent or other means of communication, like a phone call.a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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