In this article, we will explore the dua (supplication) from the Sunnah that one should recite when visiting someone sick.
Guaranteed Dua for Healing
The Prophet ﷺ said: If anyone visits a sick whose time (of death) has not come, and says with him (the dua below) seven times, Allah will cure him from that disease:
أَسْأَلُ اللهَ الْعَظِيمَ رَبَّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ أَنْ يَشْفِيَكَ
As alullāhal ‘Aẓīm, Rabbal ‘Arshil ‘Aẓīm, an yashfiyak.
(I ask Allah, the Mighty, the Lord of the mighty Throne, to cure you.)
(Sunan Abi Dawud 3106)
Prophet’s Dua for Visiting Sick
Narrated Aisha: Whenever Allah’s Messenger ﷺ paid a visit to a patient, or a patient was brought to him, he used to say:
أَذْهِبِ الْبَاسَ رَبَّ النَّاسِ، اشْفِ وَأَنْتَ الشَّافِي لاَ شِفَاءَ إِلاَّ شِفَاؤُكَ، شِفَاءً لاَ يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا
Adhhibil ba’sa Rabban nās, ishfi wa antash shāfī, lā shifā illā shifā uk, shifā’an lā yughādiru saqama.
(Take away the disease, O the Lord of the people! Cure him as You are the One Who cures. There is no cure but Yours, a cure that leaves no disease.)
(Sahih Bukhari 5675, Sahih Muslim 2191)
The Virtues of Visiting the Sick
Visiting the sick, known as iyadatul mareed in Arabic, is a highly recommended act in Islam. The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged Muslims to visit the sick to show kindness and seek Allah’s pleasure. The following Hadiths highlight the immense rewards of this act:
- The one who visits the sick is in fact like one who is in the fruit garden of Paradise so long as he does not return. (Sahih Muslim 2568)
- Whoever visits a sick person or visits his brother in Islam, a caller calls out: “May you be happy, may your walking be blessed, and may you be awarded a dignified position in Paradise”. (Tirmidhi 2008)
These narrations clearly illustrate that visiting the sick is an act that not only benefits the person being visited but also brings great reward to the one who visits.