What to
say to a Sick Person (3)
By Shaykh ‘AbdurRazzaaq ‘Abdul Muhsin al Badr[1]
Islaam came with the encouragement to look after the right
of the sick: to visit him, make du’aa for him that he be cured and well and to
clarify the types of du’aa that are good to say upon visiting the sick. All
this care and du’aa comes from the believers being like one body. Whatever
makes one happy makes all of them happy and what pains one of them pains all of
them. In the two Saheehs it is narrated that An-Nu`man bin Bashir رضي الله عنه said:
Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)
said, “You see the believers as regards their being merciful among themselves
and showing love among themselves and being kind, resembling one body, so that,
if any part of the body is not well then the whole body shares the
sleeplessness and fever with it.”[2]
سَمِعْتُ النُّعْمَانَ بْنَ بَشِيرٍ، يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ
صلى الله عليه وسلم “ تَرَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ
فِي تَرَاحُمِهِمْ وَتَوَادِّهِمْ وَتَعَاطُفِهِمْ كَمَثَلِ الْجَسَدِ إِذَا
اشْتَكَى عُضْوًا تَدَاعَى لَهُ سَائِرُ جَسَدِهِ بِالسَّهَرِ وَالْحُمَّى ”.
And in the narration found in Saheeh Muslim Nu'man bin
Bashir رضي الله عنه reported that Muslims are like one body of
a person; if the eye is sore, the whole body aches, and if the head aches, the whole
body aches. [3]
عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى
الله عليه وسلم " الْمُسْلِمُونَ كَرَجُلٍ
وَاحِدٍ إِنِ اشْتَكَى عَيْنُهُ اشْتَكَى كُلُّهُ وَإِنِ اشْتَكَى رَأْسُهُ
اشْتَكَى كُلُّهُ " .
Due to this, visiting the sick was legislated to take care
of and ease their situation and this is one of their rights. In Saheeh Muslim Abu
Hurayrah رضي الله عنه reported Allaah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
Six are the rights of a Muslim over another Muslim. It was
said to him: Allaah's Messenger, what are these? Thereupon he said: When you
meet him, offer him greetings; when he invites you to a feast accept it; when
he seeks your council give it to him, and when he sneezes and says:" All
praise is due to Allah," you say Yarhamuk Allah (may Allah show mercy to
you); and when he falls ill visit him; and when he dies follow his bier.[4]
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ
اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " حَقُّ الْمُسْلِمِ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِ
سِتٌّ " . قِيلَ مَا هُنَّ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ " إِذَا
لَقِيتَهُ فَسَلِّمْ عَلَيْهِ وَإِذَا دَعَاكَ فَأَجِبْهُ وَإِذَا اسْتَنْصَحَكَ
فَانْصَحْ لَهُ وَإِذَا عَطَسَ فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ فَسَمِّتْهُ وَإِذَا مَرِضَ
فَعُدْهُ وَإِذَا مَاتَ فَاتَّبِعْهُ " .
In many texts there is a clarification about the virtue of
visiting the sick and its great rewards with Allaah.
Muslim recorded in his Saheeh that Thawbaan رضي الله عنه , the freed slave
of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)
as saying:
He who visits the sick will remain in the fruit garden of
Paradise. It was said: Allah's Messenger, what is this Khurfat-ul-jannah? He
said: It is a place abounding in fruits.[5]
عَنْ ثَوْبَانَ، مَوْلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنْ رَسُولِ
اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " مَنْ عَادَ مَرِيضًا لَمْ يَزَلْ فِي
خُرْفَةِ الْجَنَّةِ " . قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا خُرْفَةُ
الْجَنَّةِ قَالَ " جَنَاهَا " .
Meaning that he will pick the fruits that he wishes and reap
whatever he wants in the gardens of Jannah.
Tirmidhee recorded that Abu Hurayrah رضي الله
عنه narrated that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
"Whoever visits the sick, or visits his brother in Allaah
(faith), a caller calls out: 'May you have goodness and livelihood be good, and
may you dwell in an abode in Paradise.'"[6]
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه
وسلم " مَنْ عَادَ مَرِيضًا
أَوْ زَارَ أَخًا لَهُ فِي اللَّهِ نَادَاهُ مُنَادٍ أَنْ طِبْتَ وَطَابَ
مَمْشَاكَ وَتَبَوَّأْتَ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ مَنْزِلاً "
There are many ahaadeeth on this topic. [7]
It is recommended that a Muslim who visits a sick person
should make him at ease and relieve the difficulties. He should remind him of
Allaah’s reward and that illness is a recompense and purification.
In Saheeh al Bukhaaree Ibn `Abbas رضي الله عنه
said:
The Prophet (ﷺ) went to visit a sick
bedouin. Whenever the Prophet (ﷺ) went to a patient,
he used to say to him, لاَ بَأْسَ طَهُورٌ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ Laa ba’s tahoorun
inshaaAllaah "Don't worry, if Allah will, it will be expiation (for your
sins):" The bedouin said, "You say expiation? No, it is but a fever
that is boiling or harassing an old man and will lead him to his grave without
his will." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Then, yes, it is so."[8]
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله
عليه وسلم دَخَلَ عَلَى أَعْرَابِيٍّ يَعُودُهُ ـ قَالَ ـ وَكَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى
الله عليه وسلم إِذَا دَخَلَ عَلَى مَرِيضٍ يَعُودُهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ " لاَ
بَأْسَ طَهُورٌ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ ". قَالَ قُلْتَ طَهُورٌ، كَلاَّ بَلْ
هِيَ حُمَّى تَفُورُ ـ أَوْ تَثُورُ ـ عَلَى شَيْخٍ كَبِيرٍ، تُزِيرُهُ
الْقُبُورَ. فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " فَنَعَمْ إِذًا
".
‘Tahoorun inshaaAllaah’ ‘a purification by Allaah’s Will’ is
a phrase that has an understood meaning which is ‘it is a purification for you
of your sins’ meaning ‘it purifies you from them’.
In the Sunan of the Imaam Aboo Daawood Umm al-‘Alaa رضي الله عنها said,
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
visited me while I was sick. He said: Receive glad tidings Umm al-‘Alaa for
Allaah removes the sins of a Muslim for his illness as fire removes the
impurities of gold and silver. [9]
عَنْ أُمِّ الْعَلاَءِ، قَالَتْ عَادَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله
عليه وسلم وَأَنَا مَرِيضَةٌ فَقَالَ " أَبْشِرِي يَا أُمَّ
الْعَلاَءِ فَإِنَّ مَرَضَ الْمُسْلِمِ يُذْهِبُ اللَّهُ بِهِ خَطَايَاهُ كَمَا
تُذْهِبُ النَّارُ خَبَثَ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ " .
In Saheeh Muslim Jabir bin ‘Abdullaah رضي الله
عنه reported
that Allaah's Messenger (ﷺ) visited
Umm Saa'ib or Umm Musayyib and said:
Umm Saa'ib or Umm Musayyib. Why is it that you are
shivering? She said:" It is fever and may it not be blessed by Allah,
whereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: Don't curse fever for it expiates the sins
of the children of Adam just as a furnace removes the impurities of iron.[10]
حَدَّثَنَا جَابِرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى
الله عليه وسلم دَخَلَ عَلَى أُمِّ السَّائِبِ أَوْ أُمِّ الْمُسَيَّبِ فَقَالَ
" مَا لَكِ يَا أُمَّ السَّائِبِ أَوْ يَا أُمَّ الْمُسَيَّبِ
تُزَفْزِفِينَ " . قَالَتِ الْحُمَّى لاَ بَارَكَ اللَّهُ فِيهَا .
فَقَالَ " لاَ تَسُبِّي الْحُمَّى فَإِنَّهَا تُذْهِبُ خَطَايَا بَنِي
آدَمَ كَمَا يُذْهِبُ الْكِيرُ خَبَثَ الْحَدِيدِ " .
Al-Bukhaaree records in Al-Adab al Mufrad that Sa’eed bin
Wahab said, I was with Salmaan when he visited a sick person in Kindah. When he
went in he said, ‘receive glad tidings! Indeed Allaah makes the illness of a
believer an expiation for him and a means for His favour on him; whereas the
illness for a corrupt person (a disbeliever) is like a camel whose people tie
it and then let it go – it does not know why is was tied up nor released.’ [11]
ويقول التابعي سَعِيدِ بنِ وَهْبٍ رحمه الله: كُنْتُ مَعَ سَلْمَانَ
رضي الله عنه، وَعَادَ مَرِيضًا، فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ، قَالَ: أَبْشِرْ،
فَإِنَّ مَرَضَ الْمُؤْمِنِ يَجْعَلُهُ اللَّهُ لَهُ كَفَّارَةً وَمُسْتَعْتَبًا
(أي: يذكر الإنسان بنفسه فيعاتبها ويحاسبها)، وَإِنَّ مَرَضَ الْفَاجِرِ
كَالْبَعِيرِ؛ عَقَلَهُ أَهْلُهُ؛ ثُمَّ أَرْسَلُوهُ؛ فَلا يَدْرِي لِمَ عُقِلَ
وَلِمَ أُرْسِلَ.
So he gave him the good news and reminded him that
calamities that befall a believer relating to his body are all expiation for his
sins as comes in the two Saheehs from a hadeeth by Aboo Hurayrah رضي الله عنه that the Prophet (ﷺ)
said,
"No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor
hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from
a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that."[12]
عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، وَعَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ
النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " مَا يُصِيبُ الْمُسْلِمَ
مِنْ نَصَبٍ وَلاَ وَصَبٍ وَلاَ هَمٍّ وَلاَ حُزْنٍ وَلاَ أَذًى وَلاَ غَمٍّ حَتَّى
الشَّوْكَةِ يُشَاكُهَا، إِلاَّ كَفَّرَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ خَطَايَاهُ ".
The word وَمُسْتَعْتَبًا means that in his illness he prepares
himself and remembers his sins and recognizes his faults and deficiencies in a
way that he would not do if he were in good health and wellness. At this time
his illness is a reason for reflecting upon his faults and should prevent him
from repeating the fault and it should encourage him to seek Allaah’s pleasure.
This is in relation to a believer. As for a disobedient person (faajir), when
he becomes sick his state is like a camel that his owners have tied up and then
released. He does not know why he was tied up nor released. He continues in his
deviation, persistent in his disobedience. He does not take a lesson from his
illness and through it he does not gain an admonition.
Whoever visits a sick person should choose a suitable time
to visit because the intent of the visit is to bring ease and reassure his
heart – not to cause him hardship.
In addition to this he should not stay or sit too long
unless the sick person wants him to and there is a benefit and an advantage in
sitting with him.
It is from the Sunnah for the visitor to sit near the head
of the sick person. In Al Adab al Mufrad by al Bukhaaree Ibn'Abbas رضي الله عنه said, "When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, visited a sick person, he would sit by his
head and then say seven times, ‘I ask Allaah the Most Great, Lord of the great
throne to cure you’. If the time of the sick person had not yet come, he would
be cured of his pain."[13]
عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال: كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
إذا عاد المريض جلس عند رأسه، ثم قال سبع مرار: أسأل
الله العظيم رب العرش العظيم أن يشفيك، فإن كان في أجله تأخيرٌ عُوفِي من وجعه
It is from the Sunnah that the visitor places his hand on
the body of the sick person when he wants to make du’aa for him. When the Prophet
(ﷺ) went to visit Sa`d bin Abee Waqqaas رضي الله عنه he placed his hand on his forehead then he passed his
hand over his face and stomach and said, ‘O Allaah cure Sa`d!’ [14]
حَدَّثَنَا الْمَكِّيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، أَخْبَرَنَا الْجُعَيْدُ،
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ بِنْتِ سَعْدٍ، أَنَّ أَبَاهَا، قَالَ تَشَكَّيْتُ بِمَكَّةَ
شَكْوًا شَدِيدًا، فَجَاءَنِي النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَعُودُنِي، فَقُلْتُ
يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ إِنِّي أَتْرُكُ مَالاً وَإِنِّي لَمْ أَتْرُكْ إِلاَّ
ابْنَةً وَاحِدَةً، فَأُوصِي بِثُلُثَىْ مَالِي وَأَتْرُكُ الثُّلُثَ فَقَالَ
" لاَ ". قُلْتُ فَأُوصِي بِالنِّصْفِ وَأَتْرُكُ النِّصْفَ قَالَ
" لاَ ". قُلْتُ فَأُوصِي بِالثُّلُثِ وَأَتْرُكُ لَهَا
الثُّلُثَيْنِ قَالَ " الثُّلُثُ وَالثُّلُثُ كَثِيرٌ ". ثُمَّ
وَضَعَ يَدَهُ عَلَى جَبْهَتِهِ، ثُمَّ مَسَحَ يَدَهُ عَلَى وَجْهِي وَبَطْنِي
ثُمَّ قَالَ " اللَّهُمَّ اشْفِ سَعْدًا وَأَتْمِمْ لَهُ هِجْرَتَهُ
". فَمَا زِلْتُ أَجِدُ بَرْدَهُ عَلَى كَبِدِي فِيمَا يُخَالُ إِلَىَّ
حَتَّى السَّاعَةِ.
By placing a hand on the sick person it will be a solace for
him and it is recognition of his severe sickness and weakness – it is showing
him intense mercy.
Then the visitor should sincerely make du’aa for the sick
person and only say good things. In Saheeh Muslim Umm Salama reported Allah's
Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
Whenever you visit the sick or the dead, supplicate for good
because angels say" Ameen" to whatever you say. [15]
عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ، قَالَتْ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه
وسلم " إِذَا حَضَرْتُمُ الْمَرِيضَ أَوِ الْمَيِّتَ فَقُولُوا خَيْرًا
فَإِنَّ الْمَلاَئِكَةَ يُؤَمِّنُونَ عَلَى مَا تَقُولُونَ " .
He should choose du’aa that are all encompassing. He should
be eager to stick to the du’aa that are related from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم as they are blessed, encompass goodness
and they are free from mistakes and slips.
You can say:
1.
اللهم اشْفِ .... O Allaah cure (so
and so) !
2.
لا بَأْسَ طَهُورٌ
إنْ شَاءَ الله Don’t worry a purification inshaa
Allaah
3.
أَسْأَلُ
اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ رَبَّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ أَنْ يَشْفِيَكَ I ask Allaah the Most Great, Lord of the
great throne to cure you.
4.
اللَّهُمَّ
رَبَّ النَّاسِ أَذْهِبِ الْبَاسَ، اشْفِه وَأَنْتَ الشَّافِي، لاَ شِفَاءَ إِلاَّ
شِفَاؤُكَ، شِفَاءً لاَ يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا O Allaah, Lord of the people,
remove the harm, cure him and You are the Curer, there is no cure except Your
cure, a cure that leaves behind no illness. (We mentioned the ahaadeeth for
these previously)[16]
5.
Or recite Sooratul Faatihah
over him or
6.
Sooratul Falaq and Sooratun
Naas (we previously mentioned the hadeeth of Sa’eed al Khudree رضي الله عنه and the hadeeth of ‘Aaishah رضي الله عنها)
7.
بِاسْمِ
اللَّهِ أَرْقِيكَ مِنْ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ يُؤْذِيكَ مِنْ شَرِّ كُلِّ نَفْسٍ أَوْ عَيْنِ
حَاسِدٍ اللَّهُ يَشْفِيكَ بِاسْمِ اللَّهِ أَرْقِيكَ In the name of Allaah I make ruqyah
over you from everything that may harm you and from the evil of every person or
eye of the jealous one. Allaah cure you in the name of Allah I make ruqyah over
you. (This is the ruqyah which Jibreel recited over the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم when he was sick).
8.
Or say what is authentic in
the two Saheehs where `Aishah رضي الله عنها reported: When a person complained to the
Prophet (ﷺ) about an ailment or
suffered from a sore or a wound, the Prophet (ﷺ)
would touch the ground with his forefinger and then raise it (Sufyan bin
`Uyainah, the narrator, demonstrated this with his forefinger) and would
recite: `Bismil-lahi, turbatu ardina, biriqati ba`dina, yushfa bihi saqimuna,
bi 'idhni Rabbina' (In the Name of Allah, the dust of our ground mixed with the
saliva of some of us will cure our sick by the permission of our Lord.'' [Al-Bukhari
Book 7, Hadith 8].
عن عائشة رضي الله عنها، أن النبي صلى الله
عليه وسلم الله عليه وسلم الله عليه وسلم كان إذا اشتكي الأنسان الشيء منه، أو كانت
به قرحة أو جرح، قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلمى الله عليه وسلم الله عليه وسلم بأصبعه
هكذا، ووضع سفيان بن عيينه الراوي سبابته بالأرض ثم رفعها وقال: "بسم الله،
تربة أرضنا، بريقة بعضنا، يشفي سقيمنا، بإذن ربنا" ((متفق عليه))
When a healthy person sees a sick
person he should take a lesson from it and reflect. He should praise Allaah for the
blessings of health and well-being. He should ask Him سبحانه
for good health. [17]
We ask Allaah Al-Kareem The
Generous to cure our sick and the Muslims who are sick and that He decrees good
health, safety and well-being for everyone. Indeed He is All-Hearing,
Responsive.
***************************
[1]
Translated by Umm ‘AbdirRahmaan Tara Hashim 1440/2019 www.dhikrcharts.blogspot.com
Fiqh al Ad’iyah wal Adhkaar p224. ما يقال
للمريض Ahaadeeth taken from
www.sunnah.com.
[2] Saheeh
al Bukhaaree 6011
[3]
Saheeh Muslim 2586
[4]
Saheeh Muslim 2162
[5]
Saheeh Muslim 2568
[6]
Sunan at Tirmidhee no. 1931; Al-Albaanee graded it hasan in Saheeh at Targheeb
no. 3474.
[7]
TN. 'Ali bin Abu Talib (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
saying, "When a Muslim visits a sick Muslim at dawn, seventy thousand
angels keep on praying for him till dusk. If he visits him in the evening,
seventy thousand angels keep on praying for him till the morning; and he will
have (his share of) reaped fruits in Jannah." At- Tirmidhi vol. 7 no.899.
وعن علي رضي الله عنه قال: سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
يقول: "ما من مسلم يعود مسلماً غدوة إلا صلى عليه سبعون ألف ملك حتي
يمسي، وإن عاده عشية إلا صلى عليه سبعون ألف ملك حتي يصبح، وكان له خريف في الجنة”
[8]
Saheeh al-Bukhari 5656
[9]
Sunan Abee Daawood no. 2688. Al-Albaanee graded it saheeh in Saheeh at-Targheeb
no. 3438.
[10]
Saheeh Muslim 2575
[11]
Al Adab al Mufrad no. 493. Al-Albaanee graded it saheeh in ‘Saheeh al Adab’ no.
379.
[12] Saheeh
al-Bukhari 5642; Saheeh Muslim 2573.
[13]
Al Adab al Mufrad no. 536. Al-Albaanee graded it saheeh in Saheeh al Adab no.
416.
[14]
Saheeh al-Bukhari 5659
[15] Saheeh
Muslim 919
[16]
Fiqh al Ad’iyah p214 (TN: see my translation of that chapter
www.dhikrcharts.blogspot.com)
[17] TN:
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, ‘Whoever sees a person that has been
inflicted with something and then says: الْحَمْدُ
للِّهِ الَّذِي عَافَانِي مِمَّا ابْتَلَاكَ بِهِ، وَ فَضَّلَنِي عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِمَّنْ
خَلَقَ تَفْضِيلًا Alhamdulillaahiladhee ‘aafaanee
mimmaabtalaaka bihi wa fadhalanee ‘ala katheerin mimman khalaqa tafdheelaa All
praises are for Allaah who has saved me from what He tested you with and He has
favoured me above many of those He has created, he will not be inflicted with that infliction.’
(As-Silsilah as-Saheehah vol. 6 p531 no. 2737)
