Hospital Visits In our time, one communal way of implementing the Sunnah of visiting the sick and the

invalid is through organized hospital visits. An additional aim of hospital visits is dawah. The period of stay in the hospital provides a good time for the patient to listen to the message of Islaam and connect better with his Creator, Who Alone can heal him. uch visits reduce the rate at which !uslims are converted to other religions in hospitals, because of their vulnerability. With the visits, patients "and also nurses, cleaners, doctors, etc.# are introduced to Islamic kindness and brotherhood. !ost hospitals, especially private ones, would re$uire some sort of written re$uest sent in at least a week to the visit. %ormally, such visits are discouraged& but direct appeals could open the door. 'ublic hospitals allow such visits because they complement the nutritional supplies that will be available to a patient. till many would re$uire written re$uest particularly, Teaching (ospitals. )nce your re$uest has been accepted, arrange for the number of people to go. (ospitals do not like their wards to become rowdy. o keep the number to an optimal minimum. 'referably, let the group be made of an e$ual number of males and females to achieve ma*imum coverage. +ind out visiting hours and restrict your visits to such periods. Visiting Day 'eople, foodstuffs "such as beverages and fruits#, gifts and e*tra money are essential. 'ackage the fruits and beverages in such a way that each patient would get one "no matter how small#. mall hospitals can be given raw foodstuffs especially if you know a doctor there or the owner. ,eep e*tra cash, you might need it in case of an emergency for a patient. It is also important to take along religious books and -ournals "preferably in the packages# to serve as follow.up material for the patient. /e punctual, plan your time properly before you get there and don0t waste too much time on one patient. Talk to the patients one on one& don0t be repulsed by whatever wounds or smell they have "if you are averse to blood, don0t enter the casualty section1#. 2et to know their names, illness and whether it is curable or terminal "from the nurses of course#. Introduce yourself and speak with familiarity. Ask $uestions about how they are feeling& soothe when necessary, find out their likes and dislikes& if you have something in common 3e.g. current affairs, sports, etc.# talk it. 4emember the aim of the first visit "its better to visit the same place often# is to get to know the patients. ubse$uent visits will get them to trust you. Subsequent Visits +irst visits should have the least dawah; the primary aim is to establish contact and trust. (owever, make sure you drop the free -ournals or books and let them know you0ll be back to ask $uestions on what they have read. 5oes the patent have a special re$uest that you can fulfill6 +ulfill it& and if you cannot, he will still be grateful that you listened. !ake duaa for each patient and also the entire ward before you leave. 5on0t forget to thank the nurses or matrons on duty and ask of any peculiar problem with the hospital or wards. Ignore the religiously pre-udiced staff.

)n subse$uent visits, retained at least half of the initial team so that the patients will recognize them. 4emember past promises made and live up to them. %ever ever disappoint a patient. 5on0t give e*cuses all the time. And remember to see if you can help the hospitals with drugs, and a patient with treatment he8she can0t afford. +ind out the depth of the patient0s Islaam and teach him more. +or non.!uslims, tell them the beauty of Islaam, and softly, let them know Islaam is the only way. When talking to terminally ill patients, the topic should not be the cold reality of death& still remind him of death and how to prepare for it. Talk about how to attain peace in the grave and also the ways of working towards al-Jannah. 9et him know that it0s not too late for his sins to be forgiven, and let him know how to go about that too. If the person is a non.!uslim, let him8her know salvation is only through Islaam and why. !ay Allaah heal us all, for we are all ill1 Visiting the Sick +or most people, taking care of the sick is an unwanted burden. Consider the several goings to and from the hospitals that disrupts your normal life, or the pungent odour of drugs and other chemicals that assault your nose as you enter the wards. Think of the sights of sickly men, women and children in great distress or the shrill cries and suppressed moans of unfathomable pains that welcome you as you check your loved one who is also part of them. +or all these, most of us would wish we could do without a visit to the hospitals or have to take care of a sick. In Islaam however, taking care of the sick is an act of worship and the !uslim is one who approaches all acts of worship with delight. Taking care of the sick is an obligation that Allaah has placed upon the rest of us and that obligation begins with our visit to him. :isiting the sick becomes even more emphasized if the sick is in one of the following situations; If the sick is a close neighbour: Allaah commands the !uslim to take special care of the close neighbours. "an.%isaa0 3<=;>?# The !uslims are re$uired to look after their !uslim neighbours. If they get sick, they should realize it early enough to be able to help them. If the sick person needs help and cannot move easily to fulfill his needs: The !uslims are obliged to visit and help him, and they are sinful if they do not. If the sick is a close relative: uch people hold the highest right upon the !uslim, and their rights become more confirmed when they fall sick. Can One Visit a Sinful uslim! ome people think that one should not visit a sick !uslim who drinks alcohol for instance based on the narration that the 'rophet " AW# said; Do not visit those who drink Khamr "intoxicant) when they get sick. (owever this hadeeth is not authentic and therefore cannot be implemented. Thus it is permissible to visit a sinful !uslim for it could affect him positively. The hadeeth was collected by al./ukhaaree in al-!da" al-

#u$rad "no. A@B# from CAbdullaah ibn CAmr ibn al.CAas and verified to be Daee$ "weak# by al.Albaanee. Can One Visit "on# uslims It is permissible to visit them as long as no violations of Islamic in-unctions are involved. It becomes recommended if they are neighbours, or relatives, or if one hopes that visiting them may lead to their embracing Islaam. A Dewish boy used to serve the 'rophet " AW#. (e " AW# visited the boy in his fatal illness, sat by his head, and said to him, %m"race &slaam; em"race &slaam' The boy looked "with indecision# at his father who told him; E)bey Abu al.Faasim1G o he did and then died. The 'rophet " AW# departed saying; !ll (raise "e to !llaah who saved him $rom the )ire. "al./ukhaaree# $hat %bout &nconscious 'atients ome people think it is not necessary to visit a patient who is unconscious or in a state of coma -ust for the reason that he would not recognize their visit. It is still recommended to visit such patient. Hven if he does not see the visitors, his family members would, and this would raise their spirits and give them support. (owever, some scholars have e*pressed the opinion that one should not visit a sick person who holds hatred towards the visitor because visiting him would disturb him and aggravate his suffering. It should also be added that one may not also visit a patient with contagious disease. It will be sufficient to in$uire about them from their relatives or via the telephone. )ne may, however, visit such patients if protection is assured. (e)ard for the Visit Aside from the rewards of fulfilling a religious obligation, visiting the sick has many other benefits. The 'rophet " AW# said; *hen one visits his sick #uslim "rother+ he walks through the $ruit gardens o$ Jannah until he sits; when he sits+ the mercy ,o$ !llah) encom(asses him. &$ he visits him in the morning+ seventy thousand angels su((licate $or him until the evening; and i$ he visits him in the evening+ seventy thousand angels su((licate $or him until the morning. "Ahmad, Ibn !aa-ah, at.Tirmidhee# *tiquette of the Visit )ne should visit a sick person on days and times that are suitable for him and not cause him inconvenience. The visit should be made brief to avoid tiring the sick or his family e*cept the sick en-oys your company. Supplicating for the Sick upplicating for the sick is an important aspect of caring for the sick. Ibn CAbbaas reported Allaah0s !essenger " AW# as saying, E%o !uslim will visit a sick !uslim and say seven times, +%s#alullaahal#+%,eem- rabbal#+%rshil#+%,eem an yashifiyak ,& ask !llaah+ the Su(reme+ the -ord o$ the #agni$icent .hrone to cure you)+/ without his being cured e*cept his time of death has come.G "Aboo 5aawood, at. Tirmidhee, an.%asaa0ee, Ibn (ibbaan and al.(aakim#

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Ibn CAbbaas also reported that whenever the 'rophet " AW# visited the sick he would say, +.aa ba/sa- tahooroon inshaa#%llaah ,0o harm may come 1"e$all you2; may it "e a (uri$ier 1$or your sins2+ !llaah willing. "al./ukhaaree# Aboo aCeed al.,hudree reported that Dibreel visited the 'rophet " AW# while he was sick and said to him, E) !uhammad1 (ave you fallen ill6G The 'rophet " AW# replied, EIes.G Then Dibreel said 3in supplication=; 01ismillaah arqeek- min kulli shay#in yu/dheek- )a min sharri kulli nafsin a) +aynin haasid- %llaahu yashfeekbismillaahi arqeek ,*ith !llaah/s 0ame & shelter you $rom all that ails you+ and $rom the evil o$ every "eing and o$ every envious eye. #ay !llaah cure you. *ith !llaah/s 0ame & shelter you). "!uslim, at.Tirmidhee, Ibn !aa-ah and an.%asaa0ee# CAbdullaah ibn CAmr ibn al.CAas reported that the 'rophet " AW# said, EWhen a man visits a sick person, let him say; +%llaahumma ishfi +abdak- yanka/ laka +adu))ana) yamshee laka ilaa salaah ,3 !llaah' 4ure 5our servant that he may in$lict harm on an enemy $or 5our sake+ or walk to o"serve (rayer ,or $uneral) $or 5our sake. ,!hmad and !"oo Daawood) (aising the Hope of the Sick )ne should try to raise the hope of the sick in Allaah0s rewards and lighten his fear of Allaah0s punishment. (e should remind him of Allaah0s great rewards in store for him because of his illness. If one is not sure about the actual situation of the sick, one should assume the best and impart it to others. aying good and reassuring words to the sick and his relatives would reduce their an*iety, raise their hopes and enhance the sick0s recovery process. When CAlee visited the 'rophet " AW# in his final illness in which he passed away and people asked him on his way out; E) Aboo al.(assan, how is Allaah0s !essenger " AW# doing this morning6G (e replied; E!s"aha "i hamdillaahi "aari/an "'raise be to Allaah, he is recovering#.G "al./ukhaaree# Sho)ing 2indness We should be patient with the sick particularly if he is unable to do what we wish him to do. 'art of the acts of kindness we should e*tend to them is giving them gifts particularly things that they like. )ne should not choose the presence of a sick person to start arguments or noisy discussions for this will cause him discomfort. 5o not force him to eat if his appetite is down. CJ$bah ibn CAamir and CAbdur.4ahmaan ibn CAwf narrated that Allaah0s !essenger " AW# said, E5o not force your sick ones to eat. Indeed, Allaah feeds them and gives them drink.G "at.Tirmidhee and Ibn !aa-ah# !ay Allaah reward you as you care for the sick.

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