Sunnah Of Visiting The Sick
Health and illness, are both from Allah Ta’aala and both conditions contain a multitude of blessings.
One of the blessings contained in sickness is the opportunity it gives us to visit the sick and fulfil the beautiful Sunnah of our beloved nabi ﷺ of iyaadah. It also allows us the chance to acquire many virtues and rewards.
Sa’d bin Abu Waqqas رضي الله عنه reports that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ visited me during my illness and supplicated, “O Allah! Cure Sa’d. O Allah! Cure Sa’d. O’ Allah! Cure Sa’d.” (Muslim).
First of all, let us look at a few virtues of practising this beautiful sunnah:
1) Most obvious is that we will get the reward of practising a Sunnah of our beloved Nabi ﷺ
2) The prayer of 70,000 angels!
We find in a hadeeth that when we visit a sick person, 70,000 angels pray for us and we reap the fruits of Jannah. (Tirmidhi)
3) We will gain the nearness of Allah Ta’aala as Allah Ta’aala is near a person who is sick. (Muslim)
4) We will be fulfilling the rights of a fellow Muslim.
As we find in a hadeeth that every Muslim has five rights over the other. One of these is to visit the sick. (Bukhari, Muslim)
5) We will fulfil a wish and command of our beloved Nabi ﷺ as he has ordered us to visit the sick. (Bukhari, Muslim)
6) We will be picking from the fruits of Jannah until we return.
In a hadeeth, we learn that when a person fulfils the Sunnah of Iyaadah, (visiting the sick), he remains engaged in picking the fresh fruits from the garden of Jannah till he returns home! (Muslim)
Did you know? When we feel pain in any part of our body we should:
- Place our hand on the place where we are feeling pain.
- Read ‘Bismillah‘ three times
- Read seven times:
اَعُوْذُ بِاللهِ وَقُدْرَتِهِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا أَجِدُ وَأُحَاذِرُ
Transliteration:
A’udhu billahi wa qudratihi min sharri ma ajidu wa ‘uhadhiru
Translation:
“I seek refuge with Allah and with His Power from the evil of what I am experiencing and of what I fear”
[Saheeh Muslim]
Let us take a look at some of the etiquettes when visiting the sick:
1) Our intention for visiting the sick should be:
a) To please Allah Ta’aala.
b) Act upon a Sunnah of our beloved Nabi ﷺ.
c) Gain the dua of the sick person.
d) Gain the dua of the angels.
e) Make our brother/sister feel happy.
2) When visiting the sick we should enter with salaam and a smile upon our face. Try to take a small gift for them. All of these gestures will make them feel happy Insha’Allah.
3) Ask about their health and if possible, hold their hand or place your hand on their forehead to help them feel at ease.
4) Give them words of encouragement reminding them that every illness has a cure and also how Allah Ta’aala accepts the dua of a sick person.
5) Keep the visit short and do not do anything to put the ill person in difficulty. If they wish to rest then take leave and let them rest immediately. Refrain from causing inconvenience to them by making them sit up, forcing them to eat or drink, or forcing a conversation, or staying for too long.
6) As soon the opportunity allows say the following Masnoon (sunnah) words:
لا بَأْسَ طَهُورٌ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ
“There is no harm! (The illness is) a purifier (from sins) If Allah wills“(Bukhari)
7) After this, read the following amazing dua seven times:
أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ رَبَّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ أَنْ يَشْفِيَكَ
“I ask Allah who is the Magnificent and the Lord of the Magnificent Throne that He cures you” (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi)
From the Hadeeth, we learn there is no illness apart from death that cannot be cured through this dua.
8) Request them to make dua for you, reminding them that their duas are accepted.
9) If possible, encourage them to seek treatment as this is a Sunnah of our beloved Nabi ﷺ and something encouraged in our deen.
10) Remind them to be patient and whenever possible to rub the area of the pain and blow on oneself whilst reciting the following dua:
أَذْهِبِ الْبَأْسَ رَبَّ النَّاسِ وَاشْفِ أَنْتَ الشَّافِي لَا شِفَاءَ إِلَّا شِفَاؤُكَ شِفَاءٌ لَا يُغَادِرُ سَقَمَاً
أَعُوْذُ بِاللهِ وَقُدْرَتِهِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا أَجِدُ وَأُحَاذِرُ
11) When seeing a person in any difficulty or pain by reading the following we will be saved from such affliction:
الحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي عَافَانِي مِمَّا ابْتَلَاكَ بِهِ، وَفَضَّلَنِي عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِمَّنْ خَلَقَ تَفْضِيلًا
Remember: Read this du’a without letting the afflicted person hear us.
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