75/14. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 5661 — Harm as Expiation
What should be said to a patient and what should be his answer
Hadith About Harm Removing Sins and Patience in Illness
Sahih Bukhari : 5661
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 5661
حَدَّثَنَا قَبِيصَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ التَّيْمِيِّ، عَنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ أَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي مَرَضِهِ فَمَسِسْتُهُ وَهْوَ يُوعَكُ وَعْكًا شَدِيدًا فَقُلْتُ إِنَّكَ لَتُوعَكُ وَعْكًا شَدِيدًا، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ لَكَ أَجْرَيْنِ. قَالَ " أَجَلْ، وَمَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يُصِيبُهُ أَذًى إِلاَّ حَاتَّتْ عَنْهُ خَطَايَاهُ كَمَا تَحَاتُّ وَرَقُ الشَّجَرِ ".
`Abdullah Narrated from:
I visited the Prophet (ﷺ) during his illness and touched him while he was having a fever. I said to him, "You have a high fever; is it because you will get a double reward?" He said, "Yes. No Muslim is afflicted with any harm, but that his sins will be annulled as the leave of a tree fall down."
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 5661In-book reference : Book 75, Hadith 21USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 7, Book 70, Hadith 565
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 5661
This Hadith gives hope to a Muslim who is going through sickness, pain, or any kind of harm. Abdullah visited the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم during his illness and found him suffering from a strong fever. He asked if the high fever was linked to double reward, and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said yes. Then he explained a wider rule: no Muslim is afflicted with harm except that his sins fall away from him, like leaves falling from a tree. The focus of this Hadith is sickness expiation of sins and Allah's mercy during hardship. It teaches us to avoid despair when illness comes. A believer may be in pain, but the pain is not wasted with Allah.
What we learn from this hadith
- Any harm that affects a Muslim can be a means for sins to be annulled.
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم faced strong illness while remaining patient.
- Hardship should remind a believer of Allah's mercy, not only the pain itself.
- The image of falling leaves shows sins being removed in a simple and clear way.
