Visiting the Sick is an Act of Worship

The first thing that the Noble Prophet (ﷺ) instructed was to visit the sick and inquire about their health. Visiting the sick is also among the rights of a Muslim over another Muslim.

Visit the Sick with the Intention of Sunnah

For example, you are going to visit a sick person and you have this thought in your heart that when we become sick, he will also come to visit us. But if he does not come to visit us, then in the future we will also not go to visit him. What is the need for us to visit him? This means that such a visit is being done in exchange (for a favor), not for reward.

However, when the purpose of an act of worship is to seek the pleasure of Allah Almighty, then in that case a person does not consider whether when he himself was sick, that person came to visit him or not. Rather, he thinks that even if he did not come, I will still go to visit him because the Noble Prophet (ﷺ) commanded visiting the sick. From this it becomes clear that this visit is being done purely for the sake of Allah and to fulfill the Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ).

Virtue of Visiting the Sick

This act of worship is so great that in one hadith the Noble Prophet (ﷺ) said:

If You Are Upset with the Sick Person

If the sick person is someone toward whom you feel discomfort or dislike, and your heart does not feel open toward them, and your nature does not feel inclined toward them, yet you still go to visit them, then Insha’Allah you will receive double reward: one reward for visiting the sick, and another reward because despite having discomfort in your heart toward that Muslim, you still treated him with sympathy and kindness. You will receive separate reward for that. Therefore, visiting the sick is not a small matter. Do not make it a mere custom and waste its reward. Visit only with the intention that this is the command of the Noble Prophet (ﷺ), it is his Sunnah, and Allah Almighty grants reward for it.

Keep the Visit Short

The Noble Prophet (ﷺ) also described some etiquettes of visiting the sick. There is no aspect of life for which he did not provide guidance and detail. While explaining the etiquettes of visiting the sick, he said:

Choose an Appropriate Time for Visiting the Sick

Visiting the sick is not the name of fulfilling your own desire to meet someone. The purpose of visiting is to gain blessings, not that you go with great affection and end up causing discomfort to the sick person. Love requires wisdom; such love that causes harm is not love but rather like the love of an ignorant friend, which becomes harmful. Therefore, while visiting the sick, it is necessary to ensure that the person you are visiting does not face any inconvenience. For example, if you go to visit at midnight when it is their sleeping time, or you go at noon during their rest or siesta time and disturb them, this is not appropriate. So use wisdom and go at a suitable time so that your visit does not cause them discomfort. Only then is visiting the sick a Sunnah; otherwise, it becomes merely a custom. In any case, the Noble Prophet (ﷺ) explained that the first etiquette of visiting the sick is to keep the visit short and light.

A Point:
A Close Friend May Sit Longer

However, some people are very close and informal, and their sitting longer does not cause discomfort to the sick person; rather, it gives them comfort and relief. In such a case, there is no harm in sitting for a longer time. A Practice for Seeking Cure If the situation is appropriate and this action does not cause any discomfort to the patient, then one may place a hand on the patient’s forehead and recite the following supplication:

اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ النَّاسِ أَذْهِبِ الْبَأْسَ أنْتَ الشَّافِيُّ لَا شَافِي إِلَّا أَنتَ لَا يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا)) (۲)

O Allah, Lord of all mankind, remove the suffering and grant cure to this sick person. You are the One who grants healing; there is no healer except You.

And grant such a cure that leaves no illness behind. Whoever does not remember this supplication should memorize it and then make it a habit that whenever they visit a sick person, they should recite this supplication at an appropriate time.

Cure from Every Illness

Another supplication is also reported from the Noble Prophet (ﷺ), which is even easier and shorter than this one. It is easy to memorize, and the Noble Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned great benefit for it. That supplication is as follows:

أَسْـأَلُ اللهَ العَـظيـم، رَبَّ العَـرْشِ العَـظيـم أَنْ يَشْفـيك . (سبع مرات)

As’alullāha ‘l-`Aẓīma Rabba ‘l-`Arshil-`Aẓīmi an yashfiyak.
I ask Almighty Allah, Lord of the Magnificent Throne, to make you well. (Recite seven times in Arabic .) (Hisn al-Muslim)