Volume 7- Book 75, Patients
Chapter: Sickness is expiation for sins
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5640
Narrated Aisha:
(The wife of the Prophet) Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said, “No calamity befalls a Muslim but that Allah expiates some of his sins because of it, even though it were the prick he receives from a thorn.”
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5641
Narrated Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri and Abu Huraira:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) 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.”
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5643
Narrated Ka`b:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The example of a believer is that of a fresh tender plant, which the wind bends it sometimes and some other time it makes it straight. And the example of a hypocrite is that of a pine tree which keeps straight till once it is uprooted suddenly.”
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5644
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said, “The example of a believer is that of a fresh tender plant; from whatever direction the wind comes, it bends it, but when the wind becomes quiet, it becomes straight again. Similarly, a believer is afflicted with calamities (but he remains patient till Allah removes his difficulties). And an impious wicked person is like a pine tree which keeps hard and straight till Allah cuts it down when He wishes.”
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5645
Narrated Abu Huraira:
Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said, “If Allah wants to do good to somebody, He afflicts him with trials.”
Chapter: The severity of disease
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5646
Narrated Aisha:
I never saw anybody suffering so much from sickness as Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him).
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5647
Narrated Abdullah:
I visited the Prophet (peace be upon him) during his ailments and he was suffering from a high fever. I said, “You have a high fever. Is it because you will have a double reward for it?” He said, “Yes, for no Muslim is afflicted with any harm but that Allah will remove his sins as the leaves of a tree fall down.”
Chapter: Most prone to trials are Prophets, then the most pious, and then the less pious
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5648
Narrated Abdullah:
I visited Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) while he was suffering from a high fever. I said, “O Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him)! You have a high fever.” He said, “Yes, I have as much fever as two men of you.” I said, “Is it because you will have a double reward?” He said, “Yes, it is so. No Muslim is afflicted with any harm, even if it were the prick of a thorn, but that Allah expiates his sins because of that, as a tree sheds its leaves.”
Chapter: It is compulsory to visit the sick
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5649
Narrated Abu Musa Al-Ash‘ari:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Feed the hungry, visit the sick, and set free the captives.”
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5650
Narrated Al-Bara bin Azib:
Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) ordered us to do seven things and forbade us to do seven other things. He forbade us to wear gold rings, silk, Dibaj, Istabriq, Qissy, and Maithara; and ordered us to accompany funeral processions, visit the sick, and greet everybody.
Chapter: To visit an unconscious person
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5651
Narrated Jabir bin Abdullah:
Once I fell ill. The Prophet (peace be upon him) and Abu Bakr came walking to pay me a visit and found me unconscious. The Prophet (peace be upon him) performed ablution and then poured the remaining water on me, and I came to my senses to see the Prophet. I said, “O Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him)! What shall I do with my property? How shall I dispose of my property?” He did not reply till the Verse of inheritance was revealed.
Chapter: The superiority of a person suffering from epilepsy
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5652
Narrated Ata bin Abi Rabah:
Ibn Abbas said to me, “Shall I show you a woman of the people of Paradise?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “This black lady came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, ‘I get attacks of epilepsy and my body becomes uncovered; please invoke Allah for me.’ The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to her, ‘If you wish, be patient and you will have Paradise; and if you wish, I will invoke Allah to cure you.’ She said, ‘I will remain patient,’ and added, ‘but I become uncovered, so please invoke Allah for me that I may not become uncovered.’ So he invoked Allah for her.”
Chapter: The superiority of a person who has lost his sight
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5653
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
I heard Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) saying, “Allah said, ‘If I deprive my slave of his two beloved things (i.e., his eyes) and he remains patient, I will let him enter Paradise in compensation for them.'”
Chapter: The visiting of sick men by women
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5654
Narrated Aisha:
When Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) emigrated to Medina, Abu Bakr and Bilal got a fever. I entered upon them and asked, “O my father! How are you? O Bilal! How are you?” Whenever fever attacked Abu Bakr, he would recite: ‘Everybody is staying alive among his people, yet death is nearer to him than his shoe laces.’ And whenever the fever deserted Bilal, he would say, ‘Would that I could stay overnight in a valley surrounded by Idhkhir and Jalil. Would that I could drink from the water of Majinna and that Shama and Tafil would appear to me.’ Then I informed Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him), and he said, “O Allah! Make us love Medina as much or more than we love Mecca. O Allah! Make it healthy and bless its Mudd and Sa for us, and take away its fever and put it in Al-Juhfa.”
Chapter: To visit sick children
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5655
Narrated Abu Uthman:
Usama bin Zaid said that while he, Sa’d, and Ubai bin Ka’b were with the Prophet (peace be upon him), a daughter of the Prophet sent a message to him, saying, “My daughter is dying; please come to us.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) sent her his greetings and added, “It is for Allah what He takes, and what He gives; and everything before His sight has a limited period. So she should hope for Allah’s reward and remain patient.” She again sent a message, beseeching him by Allah to come. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) got up, and so did we. The child was placed on his lap while his breath was irregular. Tears flowed from the eyes of the Prophet. Sa’d said, “What is this, O Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him)?” He said, “This is mercy which Allah has embedded in the hearts of whomever He wills among His slaves. And Allah does not bestow His Mercy except on the merciful among His slaves.”
Chapter: To visit a Bedouin
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5656
Narrated Ibn Abbas:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) went to visit a sick Bedouin. Whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) visited a patient, he used to say, “Don’t worry, if Allah wills, it will be an 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 (peace be upon him) said, “Then, yes, it is so.”
Chapter: To visit a Mushrik
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5657
Narrated Anas:
A Jewish boy used to serve the Prophet (peace be upon him) and became ill. The Prophet (peace be upon him) went to visit him and said, “Embrace Islam.” The boy accepted Islam. Al-Musaiyab said: When Abu Talib was on his deathbed, the Prophet (peace be upon him) visited him.
Chapter: If one visited a patient and the time of the prayer became due
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5658
Narrated Aisha:
During the ailment of the Prophet (peace be upon him), some people came to visit him. He led them in prayer while sitting, but they prayed standing. He waved to them to sit down. When he finished the prayer, he said, “An Imam is to be followed, so when he bows, you should bow, and when he raises his head, you should raise yours, and if he prays sitting, you should pray sitting.” Abu Abdullah said that Al-Humaidi mentioned this narration was abrogated by the Prophet’s last action when he led the prayer sitting while the people prayed standing behind him.
Chapter: Placing the hand on the patient
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5659
Narrated Sa’d:
I became seriously ill at Mecca and the Prophet (peace be upon him) came to visit me. I said, “O Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him)! I shall leave behind me a good fortune, but my heir is my only daughter. Shall I bequeath two-thirds of my property in charity and leave one-third for her?” He said, “No.” I said, “Half?” He said, “No.” I said, “One-third?” He said, “One-third is alright, though even one-third is too much.” Then he placed his hand on my forehead and passed it over my face and abdomen, saying, “O Allah! Cure Sa’d and complete his emigration.” I have been feeling the coolness of his hand on my liver ever since.
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5660
Narrated Abdullah bin Mas’ud:
I visited Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) while he was suffering from a high fever. I touched him with my hand and said, “O Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him)! You have a high fever.” He said, “Yes, I have as much fever as two men of you.” I said, “Is it because you will get a double reward?” He said, “Yes. No Muslim is afflicted with any harm, whether sickness or some other inconvenience, but Allah removes his sins for him as a tree sheds its leaves.”
Chapter: What should be said to a patient and what should be his answer
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5661
Narrated Abdullah:
I visited the Prophet (peace be upon him) during his illness and touched him while he was having a fever. I said to him, “You have a high fever; is it because you will get a double reward?” He said, “Yes. No Muslim is afflicted with any harm, but that his sins will be annulled as the leaves of a tree fall down.”
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5662
Narrated Ibn Abbas:
Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) entered upon a sick man to visit him and said, “Don’t worry, Allah willing, your sickness will be an expiation for your sins.” The man said, “No, it is but a fever that is boiling within an old man and will send him to his grave.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Then yes, it is so.”
Chapter: To visit a patient riding, walking or sitting with another person on a donkey
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5663
Narrated Usama bin Zaid:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) rode a donkey that had a saddle with a Fadakiyya velvet covering. He mounted me behind him and went to visit Sa’d bin ‘Ubada before the battle of Badr. When he passed by a gathering that included Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul, who had not yet embraced Islam, there were Muslims, polytheists, and Jews present. Abdullah bin Rawaha was also there. When the dust raised by the donkey reached them, Abdullah bin Ubai covered his nose and said, “Do not trouble us with dust.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) greeted them, stopped, and dismounted. He invited them to Allah and recited to them some verses of the Qur’an. Abdullah bin Ubai said, “O man, what you say is good if it is true, but do not bother us with it in our gatherings. Go to your place, and whoever wishes to learn from you may come to you.” Abdullah bin Rawaha said, “Yes, O Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him), bring your teachings to our gatherings, for we love that.” The Muslims, pagans, and Jews began arguing until they were about to fight. The Prophet (peace be upon him) kept calming them until they became quiet. Then he mounted his animal and went to Sa’d bin ‘Ubada. He said, “O Sa’d! Have you not heard what Abu Hubab (Abdullah bin Ubai) said?” Sa’d said, “O Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him), forgive him, for Allah has given you what He has given you. The people of this town had agreed to make him their chief by crowning him, but when Allah gave you the truth, he was filled with jealousy, and that caused what you saw.”
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5664
Narrated Jabir:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) came to visit me while I was sick, and he was not riding a mule or a horse.
Chapter: To say “I am sick,” or “Oh, my head!” or “My ailment has been aggravated”
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5665
Narrated Ka’b bin ‘Ujara:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) passed by me while I was kindling a fire under a cooking pot and said, “Do the lice of your head trouble you?” I said, “Yes.” So he called a barber to shave my head and ordered me to make expiation for that.
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5666
Narrated Al-Qasim bin Muhammad:
Aisha complained of a headache, saying, “Oh, my head!” Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said, “I wish that had happened while I was still living, for then I would ask Allah’s forgiveness for you and invoke Allah for you.” Aisha said, “By Allah, I think you want me to die; and if this should happen, you would spend the last part of the day sleeping with one of your wives!” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “No, I should say, ‘Oh my head!’ I felt like sending for Abu Bakr and his son and appointing him as my successor lest some people claim something or others wish something, but then I said to myself, ‘Allah would not allow it, and the Muslims would prevent it.’”
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5667
Narrated Ibn Mas’ud:
I visited the Prophet (peace be upon him) while he was suffering from a high fever. I touched him and said, “You have a very high fever.” He said, “Yes, as much fever as two men of you may have.” I said, “Then you will have a double reward?” He said, “Yes. No Muslim is afflicted with harm caused by disease or other inconvenience, but that Allah removes his sins as a tree sheds its leaves.”
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5668
Narrated Sa’d:
Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) came to visit me during my ailment which had been aggravated during the Farewell Pilgrimage. I said to him, “You see how sick I am. I have much property but have no heir except my only daughter. May I give two-thirds of my property in charity?” He said, “No.” I said, “Half?” He said, “No.” I said, “One-third?” He said, “One-third is too much, for to leave your heirs rich is better than to leave them poor and begging from others. Whatever you spend seeking Allah’s pleasure, you will be rewarded for it, even for what you put in your wife’s mouth.”
Chapter: The saying of the patient: “Get up from me!”
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5669
Narrated Ibn Abbas:
When Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) was on his deathbed, there were some people in the house, including Umar bin Al-Khattab. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Come, let me write for you a statement after which you will not go astray.” Umar said, “The Prophet (peace be upon him) is seriously ill, and you have the Qur’an; the Book of Allah is sufficient for us.” The people in the house differed and argued. Some said, “Go near so that the Prophet (peace be upon him) may write a statement for you after which you will not go astray,” while others said what Umar had said. When their disagreement and noise increased before the Prophet (peace be upon him), he said, “Go away!” Ibn Abbas used to say, “It was very unfortunate that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) was prevented from writing that statement for them because of their disagreement and noise.”
Chapter: Whoever took the sick boy (to someone) to invoke Allah for him
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5670
Narrated As-Sa’ib:
My aunt took me to Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) and said, “O Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him)! My nephew is ill.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) touched my head with his hand and invoked Allah to bless me. He then performed ablution, and I drank from the remaining water of his ablution. Then I stood behind his back and saw the Seal of Prophethood between his shoulders, like a button of a tent.
Chapter: The patient’s wish for death
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5671
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “None of you should wish for death because of a calamity befalling him; but if he must wish for death, he should say: ‘O Allah! Keep me alive as long as life is better for me, and let me die if death is better for me.’”
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5672
Narrated Qais bin Abi Hazim:
We went to visit Khabbab who was sick, and he had been branded at seven places in his body. He said, “Our companions who died during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him) left this world without having their rewards reduced by enjoying worldly pleasures. But we have acquired wealth and find no proper way to spend it except on construction.” He added, “Had the Prophet (peace be upon him) not forbidden us to wish for death, I would have wished for it.” We visited him again while he was building a wall, and he said, “A Muslim is rewarded for whatever he spends, except for what he spends on building.”
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5673
Narrated Abu Huraira:
I heard Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) say, “The good deeds of any person will not make him enter Paradise.” The companions said, “Not even you, O Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him)?” He said, “Not even myself, unless Allah bestows His favor and mercy on me. So be moderate in your religious deeds, do only what is within your ability, and none of you should wish for death. For if he is a good doer, he may increase his good deeds, and if he is an evil doer, he may repent to Allah.”
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5674
Narrated Aisha:
I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him), who was resting against me, saying, “O Allah! Forgive me, have mercy on me, and let me join the highest companions (in Paradise).”
Chapter: The invocation for the patient
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5675
Narrated Aisha:
Whenever Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) visited a patient or a patient was brought to him, he would say, “Take away the disease, O Lord of the people! Cure him, for You are the One who cures. There is no cure but Yours, a cure that leaves no disease.”
Chapter: Ablution by a person who pays a visit to a patient
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5676
Narrated Jabir bin Abdullah:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) came to me while I was ill. He performed ablution and threw the remaining water on me—or said, “Pour it on him.” When I regained consciousness, I said, “O Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him)! I have no son or father to inherit from me. How will my inheritance be distributed?” Then the verse of inheritance was revealed.
Chapter: To invoke Allah to remove epidemics and fever
Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number 5677
Narrated Aisha:
When Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) migrated to Medina, Abu Bakr and Bilal became ill. I entered upon them and said, “O my father! How are you? O Bilal! How are you?” Whenever Abu Bakr had a fever, he would say, “Every man stays alive among his people, yet death is nearer to him than his shoe laces.” And when Bilal recovered from his fever, he would recite: “Would that I could stay overnight in a valley surrounded by Idhkhir and Jalil! Would that I could drink again from the waters of Majinna, and that Shama and Tafil would appear before me!” I informed Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) of that, and he said, “O Allah! Make us love Medina as much as or more than we love Mecca, make it healthy, bless its Sa and its Mudd, and take away its fever and place it in Al-Juhfa.”