Miscellaneous by Al-Albani-244
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The Shaykh : The hadith that follows, according to the convention we have established in all our previous lessons, is a blank space. As for the one that comes after it, it is weak. Now, this is another hadith that is authentic, like the previous one, and it is his saying: "And from Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih al-Bukhari 2996 Narrated by al-Bukhari and Abu Dawud."
This hadith is among the hadiths in which the favor of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) toward His servants is made manifest, as it explicitly states that if a Muslim has a habit of obeying Allah (Mighty and Majestic) while he is resident and in good health, and then travel or illness befalls him, diverting him from that habit of worship and obedience—travel is undoubtedly a distraction that turns a person away from many important matters—Allah (Mighty and Majestic), by His wisdom, has lightened many of the acts of worship, indeed the obligatory ones, for His servants when they are traveling. So here, in addition to this lightening of the obligatory acts of worship for the traveler, if this traveler has a habit while resident of a certain act of worship, obedience, or regularity in voluntary acts, such as the sunnahs and others, and he is unable to perform them, either due to a legal excuse or by divine decree because he is traveling, and he cannot perform those acts of worship and obedience that he was accustomed to, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) records them for him as if he had performed them while resident. This is one aspect. Likewise, if a person is afflicted with illness and his illness diverts him from the obedience and worship he used to be eager for, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) also bestows a favor upon this sick person by commanding the angels to record for him what he used to do in a state of health and vigor[Yusuf 12:38].
Therefore, in this hadith, there is something that suits the topic we are addressing: a very strong exhortation for the Muslim to be patient when he is afflicted with illness. And what encourages him to be patient is that he remembers that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) rewards him for all the acts of worship and obedience that he used to perform in a state of health.
The hadith also contains an indirect exhortation for the healthy, sound Muslim to take advantage of his health and youth and to increase in the obedience and worship of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), for health has a right and youth has a right. The healthy one does not remain healthy, and the sound one does not remain sound; he may fall ill. Likewise, the young man and the middle-aged man do not remain so; inevitably, whether he wills it or not, he must submit to the Sunnah of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in His creation. This includes being a child, then becoming a boy, then a young man, then a middle-aged man, then an old man. In his old age, he is unable to continue with those acts of worship and obedience that he used to perform in his youth. The Muslim who is concerned about his Hereafter should remember this reality and seize it as an opportunity to increase in worship and obedience, so that when he grows old and becomes weak, or falls ill and is unable to perform those acts of worship and obedience, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) records them for him, because he is excused by an excuse that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has decreed for him by His decree. He has no will in that matter and no effort in it. This hadith gives us this indirect exhortation: O strong, sound one, be diligent in the obedience of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in a state of your strength and youth, so that when you become weak or fall ill, Allah will record it for you, even if you did not do any of it.
When a slave falls ill or travels, then he will get reward similar to that he gets for good deeds practiced at home when in good health.
إذا مرض العبد أو سافر كتب له مثل ما كان يعمل مقيما صحيحاThis hadith is among the hadiths in which the favor of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) toward His servants is made manifest, as it explicitly states that if a Muslim has a habit of obeying Allah (Mighty and Majestic) while he is resident and in good health, and then travel or illness befalls him, diverting him from that habit of worship and obedience—travel is undoubtedly a distraction that turns a person away from many important matters—Allah (Mighty and Majestic), by His wisdom, has lightened many of the acts of worship, indeed the obligatory ones, for His servants when they are traveling. So here, in addition to this lightening of the obligatory acts of worship for the traveler, if this traveler has a habit while resident of a certain act of worship, obedience, or regularity in voluntary acts, such as the sunnahs and others, and he is unable to perform them, either due to a legal excuse or by divine decree because he is traveling, and he cannot perform those acts of worship and obedience that he was accustomed to, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) records them for him as if he had performed them while resident. This is one aspect. Likewise, if a person is afflicted with illness and his illness diverts him from the obedience and worship he used to be eager for, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) also bestows a favor upon this sick person by commanding the angels to record for him what he used to do in a state of health and vigor
That is from the favor of Allah upon us and upon the people, but most of the people are not grateful.
ذلك من فضل الله علينا وعلى الناس ولكن أكثر الناس لا يشكرونTherefore, in this hadith, there is something that suits the topic we are addressing: a very strong exhortation for the Muslim to be patient when he is afflicted with illness. And what encourages him to be patient is that he remembers that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) rewards him for all the acts of worship and obedience that he used to perform in a state of health.
The hadith also contains an indirect exhortation for the healthy, sound Muslim to take advantage of his health and youth and to increase in the obedience and worship of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), for health has a right and youth has a right. The healthy one does not remain healthy, and the sound one does not remain sound; he may fall ill. Likewise, the young man and the middle-aged man do not remain so; inevitably, whether he wills it or not, he must submit to the Sunnah of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in His creation. This includes being a child, then becoming a boy, then a young man, then a middle-aged man, then an old man. In his old age, he is unable to continue with those acts of worship and obedience that he used to perform in his youth. The Muslim who is concerned about his Hereafter should remember this reality and seize it as an opportunity to increase in worship and obedience, so that when he grows old and becomes weak, or falls ill and is unable to perform those acts of worship and obedience, Allah (Mighty and Majestic) records them for him, because he is excused by an excuse that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has decreed for him by His decree. He has no will in that matter and no effort in it. This hadith gives us this indirect exhortation: O strong, sound one, be diligent in the obedience of Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in a state of your strength and youth, so that when you become weak or fall ill, Allah will record it for you, even if you did not do any of it.