"Turning to Allah in misfortune is far better than a blessing that draws a person away from Allah," said Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him). This is because remembering and praising Allah when ill offers a great opportunity to be freed from sin. So what is the virtue, or benefit, of praising Allah by saying "Alhamdulillah" while ill?

A hadith qudsi says that if a person praises Allah while ill, Allah makes that servant free of sin. In the hadith qudsi, Allah the Almighty says: "When I afflict My believing servant with illness and he praises Me in that state, saying 'Alhamdulillah', he rises from his bed as he was on the day his mother gave birth to him." (Hadith Qudsi)

So a believing Muslim should not forget to praise Allah even when ill, and should glorify and praise Allah abundantly during illness. In return, Allah will free that servant from sin.

May Allah grant everyone in the Muslim ummah the ability to praise Him abundantly when ill, and in particular to become free of sin by giving thanks to Allah with "Alhamdulillah". Amen.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.