The Revered and Blessed Manners of My Beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم
The Prophet’s love for the unwell and anxious
Mawlana Nasir Jamal Attari Madani
The final Prophet of Allah, our master Muhammad صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم loved Allah’s creation dearly, and many examples of this can be found throughout his sacred life. The way he صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم went about this were like salve for the wounded, medicine for the unwell, and a source of serenity for restless souls. Reading of his magnanimity and compassion leads to a downpour of blessings, as it teaches us remedies to our problems, removes shackles of pain and misery, and uproots our worries.
Examples of the Prophet’s immaculate conduct with the unwell
The final Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم helped people through worldly difficulties by issuing them glad tidings of peace and ease in the Hereafter. He صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم declared, “When a person falls ill or travels, he shall acquire reward similar to that he acquires for good deeds performed at home when in good health.”[1]
He صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم explained the reward bestowed upon Muslims when they face calamities of any kind; “No calamity befalls a Muslim except some of his sins are expiated by Allah due to it, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn.”[2]
He صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم encouraged his Companions رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهُم to be compassionate to creation; بَشِّرُواوَلَا تُنَفِّرُوا – “Relay glad tidings and do not disseminate hatred.”[3]
The Greatest Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم personally visited the unwell and anxious, to comfort and support them.
1. Umm al-ʿAlāˈ رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهَا was once unwell. The Greatest Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said to her, “Be happy, Umm al-ʿAlāˈ! Allah erases the sins of a Muslim for their illness, as fire removes the dross of gold and silver.” [4]
2. The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم visited somebody unwell and declared, “Glad tidings for you, as Allah says, ‘This fever is My fire. I set it upon My believing slave in this world as his share of fire in the Hereafter.’”[5]
The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم announced, “If anyone visits an unwell person whose time of death has not come, and says these words seven times, Allah shall cure them; اَسْئَلُ اللہَ الْعَظِیْمَ رَبَّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِیْمِ اَنْ یَشْفِیَکَ – ‘I ask Allah, the Esteemed, the Lord of the Throne, to cure you.’”[6]
3. In another Hadith: “When a sick person among you desires to eat, feed him.”[7]
This applies when the desire to eat is truthful.[8]
4. Allah’s Messenger صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم guided us regarding what a sick person should eat during and after illness. Umm al-Mundhar b. Qays رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهَا reports:
The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم visited me accompanied by ꜤAlī, who was recovering from an illness. Some date clusters were hung inside the home, from which the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم ate. ꜤAlī also wanted to eat them, but the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم prevented him from doing so, proclaiming, “You are still recovering.”
After I cooked barley and beetroot, the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said to ꜤAlī, “Take some of this. It shall be good for you.”[9]
The Hadith teaches the sick to eat moderately and refrain from eating harmful foods.[10]
5. The Greatest Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم prescribed talbīna for the unwell: “Talbīna soothes the heart of the unwell and alleviates some of his sadness.”[11]
6. Regarding making the unwell eat forcefully, the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم explained, “Do not force patients to eat, for Allah gives them food and drink.”[12]
7. Alongside medicine, the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم also taught us to utilise other forms of medication. He صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “There is no ruqya except for evil eye and the sting of a poisonous animal.”[13]
This connotes ruqya being better suited in these circumstances.[14]
He صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم also ordered for ruqya to be done for sufferers of evil eye.[15]
A girl in Umm Salama’s home had a black spot on her face. The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “Do ruqya for her, as she has been afflicted with evil eye.”[16]
8. The Prophet’s beautiful conduct with those around him were sources of peace for those experiencing the throes of death. When ʿAmr b. al-ꜤĀṣ رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ was close to passing away, he began to cry and turned his face towards a wall. His son exclaimed, “Father, did the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم not give you that glad tiding? Did he صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم not issue you that other good news?” Hearing this, he turned his face to his son and said, “The best thing of my preparation is testifying: لَا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللَّه.”[17]
In relation to visiting the ill, the Greatest Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “Whoever visits the ill or meets his Muslim brother for the sake of Allah, a caller addresses him by saying, ‘Rejoice, for your journey is blessed and you have made your abode in Paradise.’”[18]
Examples of the Prophet’s conduct with the anxious and worried
1. Whenever the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم was present, there were always Companions with him, one of which consistently had his young son with him. The boy would walk up from behind his father and sit in front of him.
Once, the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم asked the father, “Do you love him (your son)?” He replied, “May Allah love you the same way I love him.” The boy later passed away, and the heartbroken father was unable to attend the Prophet’s gathering due to grief. “What has happened? Why do I not see so-and-so?”, the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم asked, to which people said the Companion’s son had passed away.
The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم went and asked the Companion about his son. Hearing of the boy’s death, he offered his condolences and declared, “Would you like to benefit from him (the boy) in your life? Or, when you reach a door of Paradise tomorrow (on the Day of Judgement), would you prefer to find him there and have him open the door for you?”
The Companion exclaimed, “O Prophet of Allah! I would love more for him to reach Paradise’s door before myself and open it for me.” The Greatest Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “Then, this is for you.”[19]
2. Abū ThꜤalaba AshjaꜤī رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ said, “O Messenger of Allah! Two of my children died believing in Islam.” The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم announced, “Whoever’s two children die whilst believing in Islam, then due to Allah’s grace and mercy upon said children, He shall admit him to Paradise.”
Abū ThꜤalabah AshjaꜤī رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ himself recalls:
When I met Abū Hurayrah رَضِىَ اللهُ عَـنْهُ he asked, “Are you the person who told the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم about the death of his two children?” I said yes. He then said, “If the Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم administered me glad tidings like this, it would have been dearer to me than ruling over Homs and Palestine.”[20]
3. Sʿad b. Abī Waqqāṣ رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ asked, “O Messenger of Allah! Who faces most calamities?” The Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم announced:
The Prophets عَـلَـيْهِمُ السَّلَام, those best after them, followed by the next best. A person is tested according to his religiosity. In religion if he is severe his test is also severe, and if frail, Allah Almighty tests him accordingly. Trials continue afflicting a person until all his sins are forgiven in this world.[21]
In the next two Hadith, the final Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم showed us how to behave when we face problems, tests, and worries.
1. “Great reward accompanies great calamity. When Allah loves a nation, He tests them. He is pleased with whoever is content with this, and displeased with whoever is displeased.”[22]
This Hadith does not infer that the rank of a disbeliever or evil person is elevated after calamity befalls him. It only applies to believers. Giving medicine to the deceased is useless, as is watering the branches of an uprooted tree is futile. If a disbeliever faces calamities his entire life, he is still destined for Hell. On the other hand, if a believer lives a peaceful life, he is still destined for Paradise.
Yes, the rank of believer who faces difficulties will be higher, provided they were patient and thankful. Do bear in mind: being content with circumstances or displeased with them, are a matter to do with one’s heart. Crying in pain, a patient going to a doctor for treatment, or the oppressed going to a ruler seeking help; these are not signs of displeasure with divine decree. Displeasure in this scenario is for the heart to think Allah oppressed you and what is happening with you should not have occurred.
Sufis say, “People being content with divine decree only happens after Allah Almighty is pleased. In other words, He first becomes pleased with whom He wills, leading to them being pleased with Him and performing good deeds.”[23]
2. “Amazing is the affair of a believer for there is good in every matter of his, and this is exclusive to a believer. He is thankful when happy, as this is best for him. He is patient if poverty comes to him, and this too is best for him.”[24]
Abū Ḥassān رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ reports:
I said to Abū Hurayrah رَضِىَ اللهُ عَـنْهُ, “My two children have died. Would you narrate to me a Hadith from the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, which would soothe our hearts regarding our bereavements?”
“Yes”, he said, “I will relay one to yourself. Children go wherever they wish in Paradise. If one of them meets his father (or parents), they will take hold of his clothes (or hand), just as I take hold of the hem of your clothing with my hand. They will not let go until Allah Almighty admits child’s father into Paradise.”[25]
Books of Hadith contain countless examples of the Prophet’s incredible conduct with the ill and anxious. Those affiliated with Dawat-e-Islami, those who participate in Dawat-e-Islami’s weekly gatherings, participate in Madani Muzakarahs, travel on Qafilahs, fill the Pious Deeds booklet, watch Madani Channel, and read literature published by Maktabat al-Madinah; they are able to learn and implement the conduct of the Greatest Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم into their lives.
You are exhorted to make use of the means previously mentioned and increase your knowledge in this regard. May Allah Almighty grant us the ability to follow the sacred path of the Greatest Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم.
اٰمِیْنْ بِجَاہِ خاتَمِ النَّبِیّٖن صلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہ ِوَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّمَ
[1] Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: Hadith 2996
[2] Ibid: Hadith 5640
[3] Ibid: Hadith 69
[4] Sunan Abī Dāwūd: Hadith 3092
[5] Sunan Ibn Mājah: Hadith 3470
[6] Sunan Abī Dāwūd: Hadith 3106
[7] Sunan Ibn Mājah: Hadith 3440
[8] Bahār-i-Sharīʿat, vol. 5, p. 501
[9] Sunan Abī Dāwūd: Hadith 3856
[10] Bahār-i-Sharīʿat, vol. 5, p. 501
[11] Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: Hadith 5417
[12] Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: Hadith 2047
[13] Ibid: Hadith 2064
[14] Bahār-i-Sharīʿat, vol. 5, p. 501
[15] Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: Hadith 5738
[16] Ibid: Hadith 5739
[17] Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: Hadith 321
[18] Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: Hadith 2015
[19] Sunan al-Nasāˈī: Hadith 2085; Musnad Imām Aḥmad, vol. 8, p. 303
[20] Musnad Imām Aḥmad: Hadith 27289
[21] Sunan Ibn Mājah: Hadith 4023
[22] Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī: Hadith 2404
[23] Mirˈāt al-Manājīḥ, vol. 2, p. 422
[24] Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: Hadith 2999
[25] Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: Hadith 6701
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