45/14. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 2571a — Illness Expiation
The Reward Of The Believer For Whatever Befalls Him Of Sickness, Grief And The Like, Even A Thorn That Pricks Him
Hadith About Illness Removing Sins
Sahih Muslim : 2571a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 2571a
حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَزُهَيْرُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، وَإِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، قَالَ إِسْحَاقُ أَخْبَرَنَا وَقَالَ الآخَرَانِ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ التَّيْمِيِّ، عَنِ الْحَارِثِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهُوَ يُوعَكُ فَمَسِسْتُهُ بِيَدِي فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّكَ لَتُوعَكُ وَعْكًا شَدِيدًا . فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " أَجَلْ إِنِّي أُوعَكُ كَمَا يُوعَكُ رَجُلاَنِ مِنْكُمْ " . قَالَ فَقُلْتُ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ لَكَ أَجْرَيْنِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " أَجَلْ " . ثُمَّ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " مَا مِنْ مُسْلِمٍ يُصِيبُهُ أَذًى مِنْ مَرَضٍ فَمَا سِوَاهُ إِلاَّ حَطَّ اللَّهُ بِهِ سَيِّئَاتِهِ كَمَا تَحُطُّ الشَّجَرَةُ وَرَقَهَا " . وَلَيْسَ فِي حَدِيثِ زُهَيْرٍ فَمَسِسْتُهُ بِيَدِي .
`Abdullah Narrated from:
I visited Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as he was running a high temperature. I touched his body with my hand and said to him: Allah's Messenger, you are running a high temperature, whereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Yes, it is so. I comparatively have a more severe fever than any one of you. I said: Is it because there is a double reward in store for you? Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: Yes, it is so. And Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) again said: When a Muslim falls ill, his compensation is that his minor sins are obliterated just as leaves fall (in autumn).In the hadith transmitted on the authority of Zubair there is (no mention of these words):" I touched his body with my hands."
Reference : Sahih Muslim 2571aIn-book reference : Book 45, Hadith 57USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 32, Hadith 6235
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 2571a
This hadith gives both an observation and a teaching. Abdullah visited Allah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم while he had a high fever. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said his fever was like the fever of two men, and he confirmed that there was double reward for him. He then gave a wider lesson: when a Muslim is touched by illness or other harm, Allah removes minor sins by it, just as a tree drops its leaves. For readers searching for hadith illness removes sins, the main message is hope during hardship. The hadith does not make pain easy, but it shows that a believer’s suffering is not ignored by Allah.
What we learn from this hadith
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم experienced a severe fever in this narration.
- He confirmed that his reward was doubled.
- Illness and harm can be a means for minor sins to be removed.
- The hadith compares removed sins to leaves falling from a tree.
