Neighbours · a Light

Five things one Muslim owes another, and one is a visit

Asked what a Muslim owes a Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ listed five duties: return the greeting, visit him when he is ill, follow his funeral, accept his invitation, and answer him when he sneezes. They are small, public, and impossible to perform at a distance. Illness is the one that costs time. Later scholars gathered the etiquette of the visit from the reports around it: keep it short, sit near him, do not tire him, pray for him. In a system that could have asked for donations, what was asked for was presence, which is the thing a sick person actually lacks.

Abu Hurayra · Madinah

Source · Bukhari 1240