Daily SunnahMeeting people

Visiting the sick

عيادة المريض

Visiting the sick is among the rights of a Muslim on his brother.

Sahih

The practice

Abu Hurayrah reports in al-Bukhari that the Prophet ﷺ named five rights of a Muslim on a Muslim: returning his greeting, visiting him when sick, following his funeral, accepting his invitation, and answering his sneeze.

islamweb's fatwa says visiting the sick is a stressed right; most scholars hold it a Sunnah that can become an obligation for some people and not others, while al-Bukhari titled a chapter on its obligation. It quotes at-Tabari: it is stressed for one whose blessing is hoped for, Sunnah for one whose state should be looked after, and permitted otherwise.

Evidence

Sahih

Sahih al-Bukhari 1240

Grades
GraderVerdict
al-BukhariSahih (included by al-Bukhari in his Sahih) (Sahih)
Full narration

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدٌ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنِ الأَوْزَاعِيِّ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي ابْنُ شِهَابٍ، قَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي سَعِيدُ بْنُ الْمُسَيَّبِ، أَنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ حَقُّ الْمُسْلِمِ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِ خَمْسٌ رَدُّ السَّلاَمِ، وَعِيَادَةُ الْمَرِيضِ، وَاتِّبَاعُ الْجَنَائِزِ، وَإِجَابَةُ الدَّعْوَةِ، وَتَشْمِيتُ الْعَاطِسِ ‏"‏‏.‏ تَابَعَهُ عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ‏.‏ وَرَوَاهُ سَلاَمَةُ عَنْ عُقَيْلٍ‏.‏

Narrated Abu Huraira:I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) saying, "The rights of a Muslim on the Muslims are five: to respond to the salaam, visiting the sick, to follow the funeral processions, to accept an invitation, and to reply to those who sneeze. (see Hadith)

View on sunnah.com
Report an error on this page

Tell us what looks wrong: a reference, a translation, the Arabic, or anything else. Scholars and editors read every report. Please don’t include personal details.

Text size

Appearance