6. Visiting the Sick
٦۔ كتاب عيادة المريض وتشييع الميت والصلاة عليه وحضور دفنه
I heard Al-Bara' bin ʿAzib saying, "The Prophet ﷺ orders us to do seven things and prohibited us from doing seven other things." Then Al-Bara' mentioned the following:-- (1) To pay a visit to the sick (inquiring about his health), (2) to follow funeral processions, (3) to say to a sneezer, "May Allah be merciful to you" (if he says, "Praise be to Allah!"), (4) to return greetings, (5) to help the oppressed, (6) to accept invitations, (7) to help others to fulfill their oaths. (See Hadith No. 753, Vol. 7)
أَمَرَنَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ بِسَبْعٍ وَنَهَانَا عَنْ سَبْعٍ فَذَكَرَ عِيَادَةَ الْمَرِيضِ وَاتِّبَاعَ الْجَنَائِزِ وَتَشْمِيتَ الْعَاطِسِ وَرَدَّ السَّلاَمِ وَنَصْرَ الْمَظْلُومِ وَإِجَابَةَ الدَّاعِي وَإِبْرَارَ الْمُقْسِمِ
The Prophet ﷺ ordered us to do seven (things) and forbade us from seven. He ordered us to visit the patients, to follow the funeral procession, to reply to the sneezer (i.e., say to him, 'Yarhamuka-l-lah (May Allah bestow His Mercy upon you), if he says 'Al-hamduli l-lah' (Praise be to Allah), to help others to fulfill their oaths, to help the oppressed, to greet (whomever one should meet), and to accept the invitation (to a wedding banquet). He forbade us to wear golden rings, to use silver utensils, to use Maiyathir (cushions of silk stuffed with cotton and placed under the rider on the saddle), the Qasiyya (linen clothes containing silk brought from an Egyptian town), the Istibraq (thick silk) and the Dibaj (another kind of silk). (See Hadith No. 539 and 753).
الْبَرَاءُ بْنُ عَازِبٍ ؓ أَمَرَنَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ بِسَبْعٍ وَنَهَانَا عَنْ سَبْعٍ أَمَرَنَا بِعِيَادَةِ الْمَرِيضِ وَاتِّبَاعِ الْجِنَازَةِ وَتَشْمِيتِ الْعَاطِسِ وَإِبْرَارِ الْقَسَمِ وَنَصْرِ الْمَظْلُومِ وَإِفْشَاءِ السَّلاَمِ وَإِجَابَةِ الدَّاعِي وَنَهَانَا عَنْ خَوَاتِيمِ الذَّهَبِ وَعَنْ آنِيَةِ الْفِضَّةِ وَعَنِ الْمَيَاثِرِ وَالْقَسِّيَّةِ وَالإِسْتَبْرَقِ وَالدِّيبَاجِ
Messenger of Allah ﷺ ordered us to do seven things and forbade us from seven. He ordered us to visit the sick, to follow funeral processions, (to say) to a sneezer, (May Allah bestow His Mercy on you, if he says, Praise be to Allah), to accept invitations, to greet (everybody), to help the oppressed and to help others to fulfill their oaths. He forbade us to wear gold rings, to drink in silver (utensils), to use Mayathir (silken carpets placed on saddles), to wear Al-Qissi (a kind of silken cloth), to wear silk, Dibaj or Istabraq (two kinds of silk).
أَمَرَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِسَبْعٍ وَنَهَانَا عَنْ سَبْعٍ أَمَرَنَا بِعِيَادَةِ الْمَرِيضِ وَاتِّبَاعِ الْجِنَازَةِ وَتَشْمِيتِ الْعَاطِسِ وَإِجَابَةِ الدَّاعِي وَإِفْشَاءِ السَّلاَمِ وَنَصْرِ الْمَظْلُومِ وَإِبْرَارِ الْمُقْسِمِ وَنَهَانَا عَنْ خَوَاتِيمِ الذَّهَبِ وَعَنِ الشُّرْبِ فِي الْفِضَّةِ أَوْ قَالَ آنِيَةِ الْفِضَّةِ وَعَنِ الْمَيَاثِرِ وَالْقَسِّيِّ وَعَنْ لُبْسِ الْحَرِيرِ وَالدِّيبَاجِ وَالإِسْتَبْرَقِ
I heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, "The rights of a Muslim on the Muslims are five: to respond to the salaam, visiting the sick, to follow the funeral processions, to accept an invitation, and to reply to those who sneeze. (see Hadith 1239)
سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ حَقُّ الْمُسْلِمِ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِ خَمْسٌ رَدُّ السَّلاَمِ وَعِيَادَةُ الْمَرِيضِ وَاتِّبَاعُ الْجَنَائِزِ وَإِجَابَةُ الدَّعْوَةِ وَتَشْمِيتُ الْعَاطِسِ
Verily, Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, would say on the Day of Resurrection: O son of Adam, I was sick but you did not visit Me. He would say: O my Lord; how could I visit Thee whereas Thou art the Lord of the worlds? Thereupon He would say: Didn't 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. He would say: My Lord, how could I feed Thee whereas Thou art the Lord of the worlds? He said: Didn't 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? (The Lord would again say: ) O son of Adam, I asked drink from you but you did not provide Me. He would say: My Lord, how could I provide Thee whereas Thou art the Lord of the worlds? Thereupon He would say: Such and such of servant of Mine asked you for a drink but you did not provide him, and had you provided him drink you would have found him near Me.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنَّ اللَّهَ ﷻ يَقُولُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ مَرِضْتُ فَلَمْ تَعُدْنِي قَالَ يَا رَبِّ كَيْفَ أَعُودُكَ وَأَنْتَ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ قَالَ أَمَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ عَبْدِي فُلاَنًا مَرِضَ فَلَمْ تَعُدْهُ أَمَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّكَ لَوْ عُدْتَهُ لَوَجَدْتَنِي عِنْدَهُ يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ اسْتَطْعَمْتُكَ فَلَمْ تُطْعِمْنِي قَالَ يَا رَبِّ وَكَيْفَ أُطْعِمُكَ وَأَنْتَ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ قَالَ أَمَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّهُ اسْتَطْعَمَكَ عَبْدِي فُلاَنٌ فَلَمْ تُطْعِمْهُ أَمَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّكَ لَوْ أَطْعَمْتَهُ لَوَجَدْتَ ذَلِكَ عِنْدِي يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ اسْتَسْقَيْتُكَ فَلَمْ تَسْقِنِي قَالَ يَا رَبِّ كَيْفَ أَسْقِيكَ وَأَنْتَ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ قَالَ اسْتَسْقَاكَ عَبْدِي فُلاَنٌ فَلَمْ تَسْقِهِ أَمَا إِنَّكَ لَوْ سَقَيْتَهُ وَجَدْتَ ذَلِكَ عِنْدِي
From the hallmarks of a muslim is to feed the hungry, visiting the sick, freeing the captives
The Prophet ﷺ said, "Free the captives, feed the hungry and pay a visit to the sick."
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فُكُّوا الْعَانِيَ يَعْنِي الأَسِيرَ وَأَطْعِمُوا الْجَائِعَ وَعُودُوا الْمَرِيضَ
The Prophet ﷺ said, "Feed the hungry, visit the sick, and set free the captives."
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَطْعِمُوا الْجَائِعَ وَعُودُوا الْمَرِيضَ وَفُكُّوا الْعَانِيَ
Verily, when a Muslim visits his brother in Islam he is supposed to remain in the fruit garden of Paradise until he returns.
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ إِنَّ الْمُسْلِمَ إِذَا عَادَ أَخَاهُ الْمُسْلِمَ لَمْ يَزَلْ فِي خُرْفَةِ الْجَنَّةِ حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ
His father said: "Ali took me by the hand and said: 'Come with us to pay a visit to Al-Hasan.' So we found that Abu Musa was with him.' Ali - peace be upon him - said: 'O Abu Musa! Did you come to visit (the sick) or merely (stop by to) visit?' He said: 'No, to visit (the sick).' So Ali said: 'I heard the Messenger of Allah saying: "No Muslim visits (the sick) Muslims in the morning, except that sevety-thousand angels, sent Salat upon him until the evening, and he does not visit at night except that seventy thousand angels sent Salat upon him until the morning, and there will be a garden for him in Paradise."
انْطَلِقْ بِنَا إِلَى الْحَسَنِ نَعُودُهُ فَوَجَدْنَا عِنْدَهُ أَبَا مُوسَى فَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ أَعَائِدًا جِئْتَ يَا أَبَا مُوسَى أَمْ زَائِرًا فَقَالَ لاَ بَلْ عَائِدًا فَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يَعُودُ مُسْلِمًا غُدْوَةً إِلاَّ صَلَّى عَلَيْهِ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفَ مَلَكٍ حَتَّى يُمْسِيَ وَإِنْ عَادَهُ عَشِيَّةً إِلاَّ صَلَّى عَلَيْهِ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفَ مَلَكٍ حَتَّى يُصْبِحَ وَكَانَ لَهُ خَرِيفٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ
A young Jewish boy used to serve the Prophet ﷺ and he became sick. So the Prophet ﷺ went to visit him. He sat near his head and asked him to embrace Islam. The boy looked at his father, who was sitting there; the latter told him to obey Abul-Qasim and the boy embraced Islam. The Prophet ﷺ came out saying: "Praises be to Allah Who saved the boy from the Hell-fire."
كَانَ غُلاَمٌ يَهُودِيٌّ يَخْدُمُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَمَرِضَ فَأَتَاهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ يَعُودُهُ فَقَعَدَ عِنْدَ رَأْسِهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَسْلِمْ فَنَظَرَ إِلَى أَبِيهِ وَهْوَ عِنْدَهُ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَطِعْ أَبَا الْقَاسِمِ ﷺ فَأَسْلَمَ فَخَرَجَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ وَهْوَ يَقُولُ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَنْقَذَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ