People and neighbours · When the moment comes
Visit someone who is sick
- The practice
- Visit (or, if a visit is not possible, contact) a sick person
- When
- someone you know falls ill
- In daily life
- If a friend or relative is in hospital, go and see them: check visiting hours first and keep the visit short so they can rest. If you can't go, or they're contagious, call or send a voice message so they know you're thinking of them.
The sources
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " أَطْعِمُوا الْجَائِعَ، وَعُودُوا الْمَرِيضَ، وَفُكُّوا الْعَانِيَ ".
“The Prophet ﷺ said, "Feed the hungry, visit the sick, and set free the captives”Arabic: ara-bukhari · Translation: Muhsin Khan (eng-bukhari), from the eng-bukhari edition of hadith-api (public domain), sunnah.com numbering.
أَمَرَنَا النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِسَبْعٍ، وَنَهَانَا عَنْ سَبْعٍ أَمَرَنَا بِاتِّبَاعِ الْجَنَائِزِ، وَعِيَادَةِ الْمَرِيضِ، وَإِجَابَةِ الدَّاعِي، وَنَصْرِ الْمَظْلُومِ، وَإِبْرَارِ الْقَسَمِ، وَرَدِّ السَّلاَمِ، وَتَشْمِيتِ الْعَاطِسِ. وَنَهَانَا عَنْ آنِيَةِ الْفِضَّةِ، وَخَاتَمِ الذَّهَبِ، وَالْحَرِيرِ، وَالدِّيبَاجِ، وَالْقَسِّيِّ، وَالإِسْتَبْرَقِ.
“Allah's Messenger ﷺ ordered us to do seven things and forbade us to do other seven. He 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, "May Allah be merciful on you," provided the sneezer says, "All the praises are for Allah,"). He forbade us to use silver utensils and dishes and to wear golden rings, silk (clothes), Dibaj (pure silk cloth), Qassi and Istabraq (two kinds of silk cloths)”Arabic: ara-bukhari · Translation: Muhsin Khan (eng-bukhari), from the eng-bukhari edition of hadith-api (public domain), sunnah.com numbering.
حَقُّ الْمُسْلِمِ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِ خَمْسٌ رَدُّ السَّلاَمِ، وَعِيَادَةُ الْمَرِيضِ، وَاتِّبَاعُ الْجَنَائِزِ، وَإِجَابَةُ الدَّعْوَةِ، وَتَشْمِيتُ الْعَاطِسِ ".
“I heard Allah's Messenger 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)”Arabic: ara-bukhari · Translation: Muhsin Khan (eng-bukhari), from the eng-bukhari edition of hadith-api (public domain), sunnah.com numbering.
جَاءَنِي النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَعُودُنِي لَيْسَ بِرَاكِبِ بَغْلٍ وَلاَ بِرْذَوْنٍ.
“The Prophet ﷺ came to visit me (while I was sick) and he was riding neither a mule, nor a horse”Arabic: ara-bukhari · Translation: Muhsin Khan (eng-bukhari), from the eng-bukhari edition of hadith-api (public domain), sunnah.com numbering.
كَانَ يَخْدُمُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَمَرِضَ. فَأَتَاهُ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَعُودُهُ فَقَالَ " أَسْلِمْ ". فَأَسْلَمَ.
“A Jewish boy used to serve the Prophet ﷺ and became ill. The Prophet ﷺ went to pay him a visit and said to him, "Embrace Islam," and he did embrace Islam. Al-Musaiyab said: When Abu Talib was on his deathbed, the Prophet ﷺ visited him”Arabic: ara-bukhari · Translation: Muhsin Khan (eng-bukhari), from the eng-bukhari edition of hadith-api (public domain), sunnah.com numbering.
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Get early accessSources: Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, and narrations of Jami at-Tirmidhi graded sahih or hasan sahih by al-Albani.