to return a salutation, visit the sick, follow funerals, accept an invitation and say ‘God have mercy on you’ when one sneezes.”(Bukhari and Muslim.)

Uthman b. Abul ‘As said he complained to God’s messenger of a pain he had in his body, and he told him to put his hand on the part of his body which was sore and say three times “In the name of God,” and seven times, “I seek refuge in God’s might and power from the evil of what I am experiencing and trying to avert.” He said he did so, and God removed his trouble.Muslim transmitted it.

‘A’isha said she never saw anyone suffering severer pain than God’s messenger. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Jabir told of God’s messenger visiting Umm as-Sa’ib (Ibn 'Abd al-Barr (Isti'ab, p. 781) gives her name in this form, but says she is called by some Umm al-Musayyib) and asking, “What is the matter with you that you are trembling?” She replied, “Fever; may God not bless it.” He said, “Do not revile fever, for it removes the sins of the sons of Adam just as the bellows remove the dross of iron.”Muslim transmitted it.

Anas reported God’s messenger as saying, “Every Muslim who dies of plague is credited with martyrdom.”(Bukhari and Muslim.)

Usama b. Zaid reported God’s messenger as saying, “Plague is a punishment which was sent down on a section of the B. Isrs’il, or on people before your time. When you hear of it in a land do not go to it, and if it occurs in a land while you are in it do not go out fleeing from it.(Bukhari and Muslim.)

Anas said he heard the Prophet declare that God who is glorious and exalted said, “When I afflict my servant in his two loved things (i.e. his eyes), and he endures patiently, I shall compensate him for them with paradise.” Bukhari transmitted it.

Zaid b. Arqam said the Prophet visited him when he had a pain in his eyes. Ahmad and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Musa reported the Prophet as saying, “No affliction great or small afflicts a man but for a sin, but there are more which God forgives.” Then he recited, “Whatever misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have done; but He forgives much.”(Qur’an, xlii, 30)Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “The believing man or woman continues to have affliction in person, property and children so that they (this is a little difficult to translate. The Arabic has “he”, but the pronoun refers to the man or woman mentioned. I have therefore compromised by using the plural) may finally meet God free from sin.” Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Malik transmitted something similar. Tirmidhi said this is a hasan sahih tradition.

Muhammad b. Khalid as-Sulami on his father’s authority said his grandfather reported God’s messenger as saying, “When God has previously decreed for a servant a rank which he has not attained by his action, He afflicts him in his body, or his property, or his children. He then enables him to endure that so that He may bring him to the rank previously decreed for him by God.” Ahmad and Abu Dawud transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. [ash-] Shikhkhir reported God’s messenger as saying, “The son of Adam was created with ninety-nine trials at his side. If the trials miss him he falls into decrepitude till he dies.” Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying that this is a gharib tradition.

‘Amir ar-Ram told that God’s messenger mentioned illnesses and said, "When a believer is afflicted by illness and God who is great and glorious cures him of it, it serves as an atonement for his previous sins and a warning to him for the future; but when a hypocrite becomes ill and then is cured he is like a camel which has been tethered and then let loose by its owners, but does not know why they tethered it and why they let it loose.” When a man asked God’s messenger what illnesses were, adding that he swore by God he had never been ill, he said, "Get up and leave us ; you do not belong to our number.”Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Sulaiman b. Surad reported God’s messenger as saying, "He who dies of an internal trouble will not be punished in his grave.” Ahmad and Tirmidhi transmitted it, the latter saying this is a gharib tradition.

This black woman came to the Prophet and said, “Messenger of God, I am subject to fits and become uncovered, so make supplication to God for me.” He replied, “If you wish you may endure it and be rewarded with paradise, but if your wish I shall make supplication to God to cure you.” She said, “I shall endure it.” Then she added, “But since I become uncovered, make supplication to God that that may not happen.” He then made supplication for her. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Thauban reported God’s messenger as saying, "When one of you has an attack of fever the fever is a portion of hell, so he should quench it with water, bathing in a flowing stream facing the direction of the current and saying, ‘In the name of God. O God, heal Thy servant and varify Thy messenger’ after the morning prayer before sunrise. He should dip himself in it three times a day for three days, and if he is not cured in three days, then for five days, and if he is not cured in five days, then for seven, and if he is not cured in seven days, then for nine, for it will hardly last more than nine days by the permission of God who is great and glorious.” Tirmidhi transmitted it, saying this is a gharib tradition.

Abu Huraira said that fever was mentioned in the presence of God’s messenger, and when a man reviled it the Prophet said, "Do not revile it, for it removes sins as fire removes the dross of iron.” Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Anas said the Prophet was not accustomed to visit an invalid till he had been ill for three days. Ibn Majah and Baihaqi, in Shu'ab al- iman, transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Abbas said the Prophet once visited a [sick] man and asked him what he would like. When he replied that he would like some wheaten bread the Prophet said, “Let anyone who has any wheaten bread send it to his brother,” adding, “When any of you has an invalid who expresses a desire for something, give it to him to eat.” Ibn Majah transmitted it.