894/1 - Al-Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported: “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) ordered us to visit the sick, to follow the funeral procession, to say Tashmīt to a sneezer, to help others fulfill their oaths, to aid the oppressed, to accept invitations, and to spread the greeting of peace.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
895/2 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A Muslim owes another Muslim five rights: returning the greeting of peace, visiting the sick, following the funeral processions, accepting invitations, and saying Tashmīt (Yarhamuk Allah) to the person who sneezes.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) Visiting the sick is a right of Muslims upon one another. This is a collective duty (i.e. if some of them fulfilled it, it is waived from the rest).
2) While visiting a sick person, it is recommended to give him hope of recovery and cheer him up.
3) When a person visits someone who is sick, he should utilize his state of broken-heartedness and remind him of Allah, advise him to repent and ask Allah for forgiveness and absolve himself of the rights that he owes to people, and teach him the Shariah rulings related to illness, such as his ablution and prayer.
4) We should remember the divine favor of good health and show gratitude to our Lord within our hearts and through our words and deeds.
5) A person should be keen to visit the sick, given the abundant rewards and good for both the visitor and the visited.
896/2 - He also reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah Almighty will say on the Day of Judgment: ‘O son of Adam, I was ill, but you did not visit Me.’ He will respond: ‘O Lord, how could I visit You and You are the Lord of the worlds?’ Allah will say: ‘Did you not know that My servant so-and-so was ill but you did not visit him? Do you not know that if you had visited him, you would have found Me with him? O son of Adam, I asked you for food, but you did not feed Me.’ He will respond: ‘O Lord, how could I feed You and You are the Lord of the worlds?’ Allah will say: ‘Did you not know that My servant so-and-so asked you for food, but you did not feed him? Do you not know that if you had fed him, you would have found its reward with Me? O son of Adam, I asked you for water to drink, but you did not give Me any.’ He will respond: ‘O Lord, how could I give You (water) to drink and You are the Lord of the worlds?’ And Allah will say: ‘My servant so-and-so asked you for a drink, but you did not give him any. Do you not know that if you had given him a drink, you would have found its reward with Me?’” [Narrated by Muslim]
1) It shows the closeness of Allah Almighty to His sick servants, as He said: “You would have found Me with him.” That is why a sick person’s supplication, for himself or others, is worthy of being readily answered.
2) It highlights the merit of feeding the hungry and giving water to those who ask for it. The reward for this is stored for us with Allah Almighty.
3) We are required to exalt Allah Almighty free from any attribute of imperfection and to ascribe to Him all attributes of perfection. {Exalted is your Lord, the Lord of might, above what they describe.}
897/4 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Visit the sick, feed the hungry, and set the captive free.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
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1) It shows the merit of such deeds whose benefit extend to others, like feeding people.
2) These three deeds mentioned in the Hadīth are a collective duty upon Muslims (i.e. if some of them fulfill it, it is waived from the rest).
898/5 - Thawbān (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “He who visits his sick Muslim brother continues to enjoy the harvest of Paradise until he returns.” [Narrated by Muslim]
899/6 - ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: “No Muslim visits a sick Muslim in the morning except that seventy-thousand angels will invoke Allah’s blessings upon him until the evening; and if he visits him in the evening, seventy-thousand angels will invoke Allah’s blessings upon him until the morning, and he will thereby have a fruit harvest in Paradise.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi; and he classified it as Hasan (sound)]
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1) Visiting the sick is a means leading to Paradise and enjoying its bliss.
2) The angels invoke Allah’s forgiveness upon a person who visits the sick.
3) The duration of stay with the sick person differs according to different conditions and persons.
4) One of the ways for seeking knowledge is to pose a question so as to receive the answer.
Some people think that we should only visit people who are seriously ill and not those whose illness is moderate, like having a toothache or a headache or the like. This contradicts the Sunnah and deprives them of some of the means for forgiveness of sins and obtaining great rewards. Zayd ibn Arqam said: “I had a pain in my eyes and the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) visited me.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri in Al-Adab al-Mufrad] So, we should be keen on seizing such opportunities. A small deed in the sight of people may be the reason for you to enter Paradise.
900/7 - Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “A Jewish boy used to serve the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), and he fell sick. So, the Prophet went to visit him. He sat by his head and said to him: ‘Embrace Islam.’ The boy looked at his father who was with him and who then said: ‘Obey Abu al-Qāsim.’ So, he embraced Islam. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) came out saying: ‘Praise be to Allah who saved him from the Fire.’” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
1) It is permissible to hire Jews in some jobs, provided that one is safe from their scheming.
2) It is permissible to visit a sick disbeliever hoping to invite him to Islam. By contrast, visiting a sick Muslim is confirmed and commendable.
3) When someone visits a sick person, it is recommended to guide him to the truth and encourage him to seek what is good in this life and in the Hereafter.
4) A person who knows the truth yet turns away from it may be deprived of it. There is a profound lesson in this, if we only think.
5) Some disbelievers and enemies attested to the truth of the Prophet’s message.