5 Hadiths Highlighting the Virtue of Visiting the Sick
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"The Muslim has five rights over another Muslim:
◈ When you meet him, greet him with salām or respond to his salām.
◈ When he is sick, visit him.
◈ When he dies, follow his funeral.
◈ When he invites you, accept his invitation.
◈ When he sneezes and says (ٱلْـحَمْدُ لِلّٰه), reply with (يَرْحَمُكَ ٱللّٰه).
(Bukhari, al-Jana’iz, Bab al-Amr bi Ittibā‘ al-Jana’iz: 1240; Muslim, al-Salām, Bab min Ḥaqq al-Muslim li al-Muslim Radd al-Salām: 2162)
Sayyiduna ‘Ali (RA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"Whoever visits his Muslim brother in the early part of the day, seventy thousand angels pray for mercy and forgiveness for him until evening;
and whoever visits him in the late part of the day, seventy thousand angels pray for mercy and forgiveness for him until morning, and for him will be a garden in Paradise."
(Tirmidhi, al-Jana’iz, Bab Mā Jā’a fī ‘Iyādat al-Marīḍ: 969; Abu Dawud, al-Jana’iz, Bab fī Faḍl al-‘Iyādah ‘ala Wuḍu’: 3099; Authenticated by Ibn Hibban, al-Hakim, and al-Dhahabi; Shaykh Zubair Ali Zai graded the chain of Tirmidhi 969 as weak)
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"When a Muslim visits his sick Muslim brother, he is picking fruits from the trees of Paradise until he returns."
(Muslim, al-Birr wa al-Ṣilah, Bab Faḍl ‘Iyādat al-Marīḍ: 2568)
The Rights of a Muslim upon Another Muslim
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"The Muslim has five rights over another Muslim:
◈ When you meet him, greet him with salām or respond to his salām.
◈ When he is sick, visit him.
◈ When he dies, follow his funeral.
◈ When he invites you, accept his invitation.
◈ When he sneezes and says (ٱلْـحَمْدُ لِلّٰه), reply with (يَرْحَمُكَ ٱللّٰه).
(Bukhari, al-Jana’iz, Bab al-Amr bi Ittibā‘ al-Jana’iz: 1240; Muslim, al-Salām, Bab min Ḥaqq al-Muslim li al-Muslim Radd al-Salām: 2162)
Virtue of Visiting According to the Time of Day
Sayyiduna ‘Ali (RA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"Whoever visits his Muslim brother in the early part of the day, seventy thousand angels pray for mercy and forgiveness for him until evening;
and whoever visits him in the late part of the day, seventy thousand angels pray for mercy and forgiveness for him until morning, and for him will be a garden in Paradise."
(Tirmidhi, al-Jana’iz, Bab Mā Jā’a fī ‘Iyādat al-Marīḍ: 969; Abu Dawud, al-Jana’iz, Bab fī Faḍl al-‘Iyādah ‘ala Wuḍu’: 3099; Authenticated by Ibn Hibban, al-Hakim, and al-Dhahabi; Shaykh Zubair Ali Zai graded the chain of Tirmidhi 969 as weak)
Glad Tidings of Picking Fruits of Paradise
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"When a Muslim visits his sick Muslim brother, he is picking fruits from the trees of Paradise until he returns."
(Muslim, al-Birr wa al-Ṣilah, Bab Faḍl ‘Iyādat al-Marīḍ: 2568)
