Often, we have the perception that ‘earning great reward’ from Allah Ta‘ala is something that will require immense effort, energy and action. However, Allah Ta‘ala, out of His infinite mercy, has blessed us with numerous avenues through which we can easily earn immense rewards with a minimum effort. One of these avenues is the sunnah of visiting the sick.
In this regard, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) has mentioned, “There is no person who visits someone who is sick in the evening, except that seventy thousand angels come out with him, making du‘aa for his forgiveness until the morning, and he will receive a garden in Jannah. And there is no person who visits someone who is sick in the morning, except that seventy thousand angels come out with him, making du‘aa for his forgiveness until the evening, and he will receive a garden in Jannah.” (Sunan Abi Dawood #3098)
In this regard, it is important to bear in mind that the purpose of visiting the sick is to make du‘aa for them and to raise their spirits, giving them hope in recovery. Hence, Deen teaches us certain etiquettes to ensure that we do not cause any inconvenience to the person who is sick. By adhering to these etiquettes, the sunnah will be fulfilled correctly and immense reward will be earned. Failing to adhere to these etiquettes, however, can cause the sick person to be inconvenienced, due to which we can incur sin instead of earning reward. Among these etiquettes is that of keeping the duration of the visit short and brief.
Sometimes, we wish to visit the sick, but then ‘overstay our welcome’ until the sick person and the other household members are put into difficulty. Naturally, out of shame, they will not have the heart to ask us to leave. However, if we adhere to the sunnah of keeping the visit ‘short and sweet’ and the other related etiquettes, we will earn the du‘aa of the sick person and the angels as well – both of which are readily accepted.
Let us strive to bring alive the sunnah of visiting the sick in the correct manner.