Dr. Haitham Mahmoud Shawly Okaz Some people are spending the days of Eid Al-Fitr Holidays on beds at the hospital. They will feel lonely, sad, and isolated from society if we do not visit them and relieve their pain. The Eid Festival is a big joy that should be shared by everyone, including the patients lying on beds in hospitals all over the country. Visiting them should strengthen social ties among the members of the society. There are numerous advantages for visiting the sick. Let us look at some of the sayings of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. He says, "Verily, Allah, the Exalted, and Glorious will say on the Day of Resurrection: 'O son of Adam, I was ill but you did not visit Me.' He would say: 'O my Lord, how could I visit you and You are the Lord of the worlds?' Thereupon He would say: 'Did you not know that such and such a slave of Mine was ill but you did not visit him? Did you not realize that if you had visited him (you would have known that I was aware of your visit to him, for which I would reward you) you would have found Me with him? O son of Adam, I asked food from you but you did not feed Me.' He would submit: 'My Lord, how could I feed You and You are the Lord of the worlds?' He would say: 'Did you not know that such and such a slave of Mine asked you for food but you did not feed him? Did you not realize that if you had fed him, you would certainly have found (its reward) with Me? O son of Adam, I asked water from you but you did not give it to Me.' He would say: 'My Lord, how could I give You (water) and You are the Lord of the worlds?' Thereupon He would say: 'Such and such a slave of Mine asked you for water to drink but you did not give it to him. Did you not realize that if you had given him to drink you would have found (its reward) with Me?"' Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said, “Whoever visits a sick person (for the pleasure of Allah), a Caller from the skies announces: You are indeed blessed and your walking is blessed and you have (by this noble act) built yourself a home in Paradise.'' He also said, “Whoever visits a sick person is plunging into mercy until he sits down, and when he sits down he is submerged in it.” This saying indicates the importance of visiting the sick and the good impact such a visit leaves on them. We should also pray for the sick and wish him speedy recovery. Our supplications for the sick show them that we care about them. On the authority of Aisha Bint Saad, she narrated the following saying on behalf of her father who said, “I had a severe illness and the Messenger of Allah visited me in Makkah. So I said, my illness has become very severe and I have much property and there is none to inherit from me but a daughter, shall I then bequeath two-thirds of my property as a charity? He said, “No”. I said, Half? He said, “No”. I said, I bequeath one-third and leave my daughter two-thirds. He said, “Yes. Bequeath one-third and one-third is much.” The prophet put his hand on my head and wiped my face and stomach and said, “O Allah! Cure Saad and help him complete his migration.” Saad said, “from that moment until now, I can still feel the cold touch of the Prophet's hands.” On the authority of Aisha, May Allah be pleased with her, she said every time the Prophet visited a sick person, he would say the following supplication, “O Allah! the Lord of mankind! Remove this disease and cure (him or her)! You are the Great Curer. There is no cure but through You, which leaves behind no disease."
