Illness

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (ra) reported that the Prophet (saw) said:

“Whenever a Muslim is afflicted with a hardship, sickness, sadness, worry, harm, or depression --even a thorn's prick, Allah expiates his sins because of it.”

Illness is something we all go through as human beings. It is an evolutionary process that our bodies use in order to adapt to our external environment. This short post will briefly explore the concept of illness in Islam and attempt to understand its deep wisdom.

We can only truly appreciate well being if we have experienced ill health. Similarly, we can only truly be happy, if we have experienced a degree of sadness. What is interesting is that the extent to which we feel happy is directly proportional to the depth of sorrow we have experienced. This experience of the opposite negative leaves us with a deeper appreciation of the positive, be it health or wellness.

The Hadith I have cited above is one of the most known ahadith and a very beautiful one too. Once I read this, I began to make a habit of saying ‘Alhamdulilah’ each time I was afflicted with any hardship, illness or injury. The Hadith explains that the hardships we go through are a means of Divine forgiveness. It elaborates on the many ‘types’ of affliction which ranges from physical, to mental even to spiritual afflictions which we are inevitably going to experience in life.

For me personally, I like to get to the deep core and explore the tangible reality of Islam. By this, in the context of this particular article, I mean exploring the reality of what it means to be ill and what we can derive from it as a human species. What do we go through when we are afflicted with an illness, when we are worried about something or when we get pricked by a thorn? What avenues are there that we can use to our disposal in order to get a positive and lasting outcome?

First, I would like to cite two beautiful verses of the Holy Qur’an:

“So, verily with hardship there is relief.” (94:5)

And

“And certainly, we shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to the patient.” (2:156)

In the first verse, Allah has said that it is only through hardship that we can truly appreciate ease. Like I mentioned earlier, we cannot appreciate health unless we experience illness. This is a general rule which can be applied across the board. For example, many people wonder why converts to a religion are always more stern in belief than those who were born into that faith. The answer is simple under this verse. It purports to say that those who had converted experienced a level of no-faith or a lack of it which ushered a concentrated effort towards it compared to those who have been surrounded by it since birth. This makes logical and practical sense.

Patience is one of the hallmarks of a believer, and rightly mentioned in the second verse because a true believer is always resigned with Divine Decree- the notion that God has a plan for each of us and that plan is ultimately good. In this light Muhammad Rasulullah (saw) said:

“How wonderful is the affair of the believer, for his affairs are all good.  If something good happens to him, he is thankful for it and that is good for him.  If something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience and that is also good for him.” (Bukhari)

The Arabic of the second verse also points out that ease, or wellness can only be experienced through hardship. The use of “ma’a” (with) in the verse points to the dependence on hardship itself as a means to an end. You don’t get something for nothing. It is a scientific and religious fact!

When we come to understanding illness on this basic religious level, we come to know that illness is a means to a higher gnosis of God. This gnosis is strengthened by the core belief that illness, although seemingly preventing us from carrying out our daily activities, has a greater benefit; and in my opinion, that is to realign ourselves with our natural needs as humans. Or in other words, to bring us back to God. With this in mind, we can firstly deduce that in Islam, we are taught to always see the good in things, especially things which seemingly have caused us a loss. Psychologically, this practise helps us on a subconscious level because our brains get used to dealing with situations in a positive manner. This enables an individual to practise a practical and universally beneficial Islam on a much deeper level and reap the benefits therefrom.

So naturally, one can ask, what are the tangible benefits of being ill? Well, firstly, as human beings, we are prone to over-work. We have all experienced a burnout when we get close to exam time. We have all experienced the feeling of working towards a deadline we only wish we had more time to finish. I think you know where I’m going with this… It’s time! The most valuable asset to us!
Being ill gives us the time to mentally and emotionally realign ourselves with God and the world. Sometimes we all need a ‘reality check’ or simply some time off our daily lives in order to benefit us in the long run and I believe that illness is one of the means through of which we can do so.

Secondly, being ill has many benefits to us on a spiritual level. Whenever we go through a trial or hardship for the sake of Allah, we experience such a joy that we would gladly endure pain for His sake again and again. The crippled hand of Hadhrat Talha (ra) bears witness to this. If we lower our gaze when an attractive person walks past us, we feel like Allah has drawn so much closer to us on account of the sacrifice of the self. Likewise, when we get up for the Fajr prayer, for the sake of Allah alone- we are sent through a deep spiritual motion of peace and serenity while in prayer and sometimes it lasts throughout the whole day! These are the glad tidings mentioned in the second verse but they are only accessible to those who show patience; for it is only through the garment of patience that we can embellish our spiritual selves.

Allah says that “Man has been made of haste…” implying that it is in our very nature that when we want something, we want it immediately. Especially when it is something to do with God- we are prepared to wait for an expensive delivery in the post, but when we pray to God with the most valuable desires close to our heart we want an answer immediately! Later on the verse goes on to say “… I will show you My signs, so do not impatiently urge me.” (21:38) How beautiful is this verse in that Allah has said that he will answer prayers in due course and how beautiful is it that Allah has exhorted patience in so many places in the Qur’an. Indeed this is a lesson we must learn from illness and any type of affliction- that it is a means to test our patience and to expand it. For how do we truly know our limits if we do not exceed them?

To close, I would like to mention that in your current state, I would like you to just pause and think of what you have. even if you are ill at the moment. Allah has blessed you with the intellect to read this very article when there are so many people who are born blind. Allah has blessed you with hands so you can operate the mouse you used to click on the link of this very article. Allah has blessed you with the intellect to comprehend that He has given you so much without you even asking. He is the Gracious God Allah who has given you this body so that you can travel in the Earth and praise Him and spread His teachings. What is a little illness for a few days. It is our gratefulness which will ultimately help us recover and come back stronger than ever.
I'd like to leave you with this very powerful Hadith from Tirmidhi (1570)

Jabir ibn Abdullah narrated that Allah’s Messenger (saw) said, “On the Day of Resurrection, when people who have suffered affliction are given their reward, those who are healthy will wish their skins had been cut to pieces with scissors when they were in the world.” 

May Allah enable us to show such patience and dedication in His way that any trial or affliction becomes a means of drawing nearer to Him. May Allah enable us to exemplify the teachings of Islam and to follow the most beautiful example of the perfect man, Muhammad (saw) so much so that the Angels in Heaven are amazed at our steadfastness. May we be grateful for what we have so we can allow room for Allah to bless us more. May this article be a source of guidance and benefit for all those who read it, amin.