The Rewards for the Patient
Patience during adversity runs counter to mankind’s hasty instinct to despair at the first sign of calamity. It may not come naturally, but such patience can be cultivated. If we do indeed achieve this patience, in surah Az-Zumar, Allah says:
Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account. (Al Qur’an 39:10)
Have you ever been so pleased with someone that you shower him with gifts? Yet, your generosity is limited by your resources. What about Allah? He is the One who created diamonds, rubies and gold on this meagre earth, so when He promises to reward you without account, from His inexhaustible treasures, can you fathom the amount of rewards in store?
Rasulullah (SAW) said that the people who have been healthy, will, after witnessing the abundant rewards on the Day of Judgment, wish that they suffered more diseases during their lifetimes!
Even if it is a terminal illness, there is a happy ending if you are patient in bearing the illness up to the last day. Surah Al Ra’d says: “Salamun ‘Alaikum (peace be upon you) for that you persevered in patience! Excellent indeed is the final home!” (Al Qur’an 13:24)
What gives us the tolerance to endure the situation and harness the power of patience within us? When we remember Who allowed it to happen in the first place; the One who loves us, the one Who wants to elevate and reward us. A mu’min, in the face of calamity, is full of joy and happiness regarding the calamity inflicted over him. He knows that his Creator loves him, wants to cleanse him in this life and elevate his rank in the hereafter, and that every moment that passes is leading to his ultimate joy in this Paradise.
What to do when Ill?
Our normal reaction when we are ill is to seek a diagnosis and then medication to alleviate the symptoms. For the majority, we only turn to Allah when an anomaly is suspected or when the ailment gets out of hand!
From an Islamic perspective, we should do the following:
Make istighfar (seek forgiveness from God). The students of one of the early pious imams and scholar, Sufiyan Ath-Thauree, noticed that he constantly provided the same answer to everyone who sought his consultation. A farmer seeking advice about the drought, a husband complaining about marriage, a mother who yearned for a child and a person who was ill were all advised to make istighfar. Eventually his students wondered whether he was lacking in knowledge to keep repeating the same reply, so they asked him about it. He replied that his knowledge came from the Qur’an:
‘Ask forgiveness of your Lord. Indeed, He is ever a Perpetual Forgiver. He will send [rain from] the sky upon you in [continuing] showers. And give you increase in wealth and children and provide for you gardens and provide for you rivers. (Al Qur’an 71:10 – 71:13)
Any ahadeeth compilation will contain a complete chapter on istighfar and its powers. Istighfar shields us from calamity, cures us from disease and protects us from the enemy. This is why at the first stage of problems or illnesses, we should hasten to make istighfar.
Ask Allah for Al Afu Wal Afiyya. This is another teaching of Rasulullah SAW, which is to ask Allah to deal with you with pardon and to erase your bad deeds, and to deal with you with His rahmah rather than merely with justice.
Make Tawbah (repentance). This includes repenting from, and ceasing your sins, whether verbally, by your action or with your heart. You can read up on the adab (manner) of tawbah, including how to make salat for tawbah.
Give Sadaqah or charity. There are various ahadeeth on the power of charity in our lives. Abu Umamah (RA) said that the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: ‘Treat your sick by giving Sadaqah (charity).’ (Saheeh al-Jamia). From Ubadah bin Saamitt (RA) reported the Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: ‘There is no person who is afflicted with a wound on his body, and he gives charity due to that, then Allah expiates from him the like of what he gave in charity.’ (Ahmad and Albaani) Charity makes us closer to Allah, makes our supplications accepted and can give us a speedy cleansing of our sins and alleviate many calamities.
Ask Allah for help and after this, take practical measures to cure the ailment, whether by medical advise or through alternative medication such as herbs. It was reported that “Allah has sent down both the disease and the cure, and He has appointed a cure for every disease, so treat yourselves medically, but use nothing unlawful.” (Abu Dawud). The Qur’an and Sunnah contain a lot of information on the healing powers of certain food and plants, as well as traditional healing methods. However, there are various ahadeeth which expressly permit seeking the help of physicians. Remember though that treatment should always be with the belief that doctors, medication and herbs have no power without Allah’s will, and that the real healer is Allah SWT.
Purification
We have seen from the hadith posted in Part 1 of this article, that everyone will be tested according to his faith. For some, the tests will continue until their hearts have been totally purified from sins.
This does not mean that we should pray for diseases or deliberately expose ourselves to infections! Our bodies have rights over us, and it is our responsibility to maintain good health to the best of our abilities. Further, there are various ahadeeth warning us to avoid areas which are struck by plague or epidemic, and fleeing from those with leprosy.
If disease does strike however, no disease, fatigue, ailment, pain or ache should bother you, because you know that each of these, even a fever, purifies your sins.
Reported by Jabir (RA): The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) visited Umm Sa’ib (or Umm Musaiyyab) and asked her, “What ails you O Umm Sa’ib (or Umm Musaiyyab)? You are shivering.” She replied: “It is a fever, may Allah not bless it!” He said to her, “Do not revile fever, for it cleanses out the sins of the sons of Adam in the same way that a furnace removes the dirt of iron.” [Muslim].
All the above focus our minds towards akhirah. Illness becomes a problem when we seek dunia only, and we do not think of the long term. Whereas what we should be seeking is the certainty of faith to make the calamities of dunia easy to bear. This is the real ammunition to pass the trials of this dunia.
The Real Cure
As previously mentioned, Ayoub AS suffered extreme illness for eighteen years. Even though his physical state was repulsive and he was in extreme agony, he was reluctant to ask Allah for a cure. It is not because he disbelieved in Allah’s power, but because he was too embarrassed to make a supplication after all the bounties that Allah had bestowed upon him in his earlier life. Therefore he bore his pain with stoic patience and contentment.
He only asked Allah to heal him when despicable rumours started circulating that he was being punished by Allah for various hidden sins. Such rumours compromised the integrity of his messengership, compelling him to eventually ask Allah to cure him before the fitnah spread. His supplication was accepted immediately and he was healed.
If we seek a cure from Allah, we have to believe with total certainty that Allah is capable of curing us whenever He wants. We may seek assistance from doctors and medical expertise, but the real cure only happens with the will of Allah, and can take place without any medical intervention.
Next part: Protocol when visiting the ill.
