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Imagine, if you were unexpectedly afflicted with an illness, left incapable of carrying out regular tasks. Standing in prayer becomes a fading memory, socialising with friends becomes an unattainable joy, and attending the mosque for lectures and seminars becomes a withering hope. Eventually, loneliness envelops you and sadness fills your heart, leaving you ruined and devastated.
Wouldn’t you wish that somebody would visit you? Wouldn’t you long for somebody to lend you an ear?
For these reasons, the Prophet (ﷺ) regularly encouraged his companions to visit the sick and stand by them in their time of need.
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
“When a Muslim visits a sick Muslim at dawn, seventy thousand angels keep on praying for him until dusk. If he visits him in the evening, seventy thousand angels keep on praying for him until the morning; and he will have (his share of) reaped fruits in Jannah (Paradise).” [1]
A beautiful picture
This paints for us an unimaginable yet achievable scenario; wherein numerous angels gather in our presence, all relentlessly praying for our forgiveness until a prescribed time.
Thereafter, as our souls depart, and we enter through the gates of Paradise by the will of Allah, we catch a glimpse of a most beautiful sight: our reward for this specific act of goodness and selflessness!
As we seize the opportunity of engaging in various acts of worship in Ramadan, let’s not forget about those who have been prevented from doing so, due to their illnesses.
Action plan
Here are a few things we can do to make this noble month more meaningful for those who are sick:
- If any of our relatives, colleagues, or friends are unwell in this month, let’s make a conscious effort to visit them regularly;
- When we visit the sick, we should present them a gift in hopes of uplifting them;
- Remind those we visit, that sickness can be a means of sins being wiped away.
Coming up
In the next part of the series, we’ll be touching upon the virtues of attending a funeral.
In the meantime, here is some food for thought: can you confidently recall the last time you attended the funeral of somebody you didn’t know?
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Source: Islam21c
Notes
[1] al-Nawawī, Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn, Book 6, Hadith 6
My illness began in 2004. I was diagnosed with an auto immune illness. I had my first daughter and physically and mentally able to cope very well, despite the illness for the next 9 years. I could drive, get shopping done, do school runs, cook and so on. And then in 2013 my body and mind collapsed. From then to today it has been a struggle with excruciating pain, trying all methods of painkillers and trying to hold on to my deen. Alhumdolillah, Allah Subhanahu wa taala has given me succour from many unexpected sources. At the same time my illness has made me realise that while my life was collapsing around me, the friends I knew were moving on and I couldn’t participate socially because I was in too much pain or couldn’t drive and so on. Then in 2020 my daughter was diagnosed with an auto immune disorder. It was heartbreaking for me to see her go through the social isolation. She had to be taken out of school and her friends became too busy to spend time with her. She would say I don’t think it will happen but if friend A is free this weekend can I go to her house? Sadly the friends that she was hoping to meet have been busy for months and months. It really breaks my heart. I have told her to treat me as a friend so she feels less isolated but I am not the same age as her and nor do I have the ability to do some of the things she would like to do. I sincerely wish there had been friends who would have been there for me through it all and now I find myself wishing the same for my daughter. We know from our deen that when a Muslim is by himself/herself, shaytan becomes his/her companion. I can’t count the number of times I have cried my heart out because I couldn’t attend talks, Quran class or taraweeh. Since covid many opportunities have been made available online but why not before? Why did it have to take a pandemic for the Muslim community to accommodate the many who are falling into depression because of their chronic physical or mental illness? And for some the help has come a bit too late because isolation and depression, has disconnected them from the deen.
I remind myself of the many refugees who live in tents in the freezing cold and think they too have been abandoned, in a sense by the wider ummah. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam advised us to look at those below us in terms of dunya so Alhumdolillah ala Kuli haal for the fact that we are not refugees, not homeless, not hungry, not cold…
May Allah Subhanahu wa taala fill our hearts with mercy and if we cannot help physically or financially we can still make dua for those suffering or lend an ear to those who need to talk. And may Allah Subhanahu wa taala save us from tests and trials that have befallen the many Muslims who in the blink of an eye, lost their lives through wars, earthquakes, genocide and more.
Subhan-Allah, what an incredible journey you have been on for just shy of 20 years, in addition to your daughter as well!
May Allah grant you only the best in this world and the next, and allow your and your daughter’s illnesses to be a means of gaining closeness to Him. What you have described and written in this comment has resonated deeply, and it goes without saying that everyone at Islam21c will keep you, your daughter, and all your loved ones in our prayers, particularly during this blessed month of Ramadan.
Jazak Allahu khayran for sharing your experiences, it really means a lot and this honesty is always appreciated. I am certain that others will come across your powerful and inspiring comment and also take benefit from it.
May Allah accept all of the prayers you have made!