75/14. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 5662 — Sickness as Purification
What should be said to a patient and what should be his answer
La Ba'sa Tahurun Insha Allah: Sickness as Purification
Sahih Bukhari : 5662
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 5662
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ، حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ خَالِدٍ، عَنْ عِكْرِمَةَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم دَخَلَ عَلَى رَجُلٍ يَعُودُهُ فَقَالَ " لاَ بَأْسَ طَهُورٌ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ ". فَقَالَ كَلاَّ بَلْ حُمَّى تَفُورُ عَلَى شَيْخٍ كَبِيرٍ كَيْمَا تُزِيرَهُ الْقُبُورَ. قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " فَنَعَمْ إِذًا ".
Ibn 'Abbas Narrated from:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) entered upon sick man to pay him a visit, and said to him, "Don't worry, Allah willing, (your sickness will be) an expiation for your sins." The man said, "No, it is but a fever that is boiling within an old man and will send him to his grave." On that, the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Then yes, it is so."
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 5662In-book reference : Book 75, Hadith 22USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 7, Book 70, Hadith 566
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 5662
This Hadith shows how the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم comforted a sick person with gentle words. He visited a sick man and said, La ba'sa tahurun insha Allah, meaning that there is no need to worry and that the sickness may be a purification by Allah's will. The man did not accept that hopeful meaning. Instead, he described his fever as something boiling inside an old man and leading him to the grave. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم then said, Then yes, it is so. The Hadith teaches careful speech during illness. The core message is to meet sickness with hope in Allah, not with words of despair. It also shows the value of visiting the sick and giving them kind reminders.
What we learn from this hadith
- It is good to comfort the sick with hopeful words.
- Sickness may be a means of purification by Allah's will.
- A person should be careful not to speak about illness with despair.
- Visiting the sick is a moment to bring mercy, hope, and gentle advice.
