In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Visiting the Sick (lyadah) (for 10 years old and more)
Going to visit someone who is ill is called Iyadah in Islam,
Islam stresses Iyadah for it is a sign of care and concern for the person who is sick. Iyadah is mentioned in hadith frequently as a “righ” of a fellow Muslim and some hadith talk of its reward and how a person who goes for the Iyadah of another is accompanied by angels from the time he or she leaves home, and the angels continue praying for him/her until he/she returns home from visiting the one who was ill.
When people are ill they are usually not just physically weak. Their spirits are down as well. When someone ill receives a visitor, it tells him/her that there are others who care for him/her and even if they are bedridden, the visitors help boost the ill person's morale and spirits.
When visiting someone who is ill try and take a thoughtful gift like fruits (if they can eat) and also try and cheer them up and make them laugh instead of making them feel worse. A lot of times the person who is ill only needs some company or someone to talk to as a distraction.
When we see others who are very ill, we should express gratitude to Allah for His blessing of good health and ask Him to help us use our health to serve Him. This gratitude is not expressed out of pride but in realization that we are not in any less need of Allah's help and support at all times.
Visiting a person who is ill can have a profound effect on the patient especially if they are very lonely. A popular story is that of an old lady who always threw trash on Rasulullah [PBUH] as he walked past her house.
When she did not do so for a few days, Rasulullah [PBUH] enquired about her and when he found out she was ill, he went for her Iyadah. She thought he had come for revenge but the sincere and thoughtful action of Rasulullah [PBUH] that was only out of his love for all of Allah's creatures and because he knew she was only hateful to him out of ignorance, had a great effect on her.
When the old lady learnt Rasulullah [PBUH] had only come to see her, she was ashamed of her past behaviour and chose to accept Islam. Tabligh and guiding others to the right path is not always done by preaching - often it is done by showing love to others and practicing good Akhlaq. And Iyadah is the perfect opportunity to show our love for others, who are also Allah's creatures.
