Chapter on the permissibility of a sick person saying, “I am in pain” or “the pain is severe,” or “I have a fever,” or “Oh, my head,” and the like

The reciter: “Chapter on the permissibility of a sick person saying, ‘I am in pain’ or ‘the pain is severe,’ or ‘I have a fever,’ and the like, and the clarification that there is no dislike in doing so, provided it is not a way of expressing dissatisfaction or displaying distress. It was narrated from Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I entered upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was suffering from a fever, so I touched him and said: You are indeed suffering from a severe fever. He said:

Yes, I am twice as jaded as any of you.

أجل إني أوعك كما يوعك رجلان منكم

Mishkat al-Masabih 1538

Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim. It was narrated from Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to visit me regarding a severe pain I was suffering from, so I said: I have reached the state you see, and I possess wealth, and none will inherit from me except my daughter. The rest of the hadith was mentioned. Agreed upon by al-Bukhari and Muslim. It was narrated from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad that he said: Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: Oh, my head. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

No, I am suffering from a fever just as two of you would suffer from a fever.

بل أنا وارأساه

The rest of the hadith was mentioned. Narrated by al-Bukhari.”

The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy.
The Hafiz al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) stated in his book *Riyad al-Salihin*, regarding the sick person, that it is permissible to inform others about one's illness and its severity, on the condition that it is an informing, not a complaining. That is, the intention is to inform, not to complain and display dissatisfaction with the decree and destiny of Allah. Then he cited the hadith of Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), the hadith of Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, and the hadith of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). All of these hadiths indicate that there is no harm in a sick man informing that he is sick, or in severe pain, or the like. The hadith of Ibn Abbas mentions that he entered upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was suffering from a fever, meaning he had a high temperature and intensity of illness. He touched his hand and said to him: "You are suffering from a fever, O Messenger of Allah." He said: This means that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) emphasized his illness, and this was in order to attain the highest degrees of patience, may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him. For the types of patience are established for him in the highest manner. He was patient with the command of Allah, patient against the disobedience of Allah, and patient with the painful decrees of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. He was patient with the command of Allah when he conveyed the message of his Lord despite the severe harm done to him, until he was harmed in the middle of the Sacred Mosque, under the House of Allah, the Ka'bah, while he was patient and seeking reward. Until he went out to the people of Ta'if and called them to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, but they mocked him, ridiculed him, and threw stones at him until they bled his heels. He did not regain consciousness until he was in the valley of Thakhali. Then the angel of the mountains came to him to ask his permission to crush them with the mountains. He said: This is patience with the command of Allah. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) was patient against the disobedience of Allah, for he was the most fearful of the people of Allah and the most pious of them towards Him, peace and blessings be upon him. And he was patient with the decrees of Allah. How much harm he suffered in jihad in the cause of Allah and in other matters, and how many illnesses he experienced while he was patient and seeking reward, in order to attain the rank of the patient. We have in him a good example. It is obligatory for a person to be patient with the painful decrees of Allah, just as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was patient. He is patient, seeks reward, and knows that nothing befalls him except that Allah expiates his sins with it, even if he is pricked by a thorn. Then, if he seeks the reward from Allah and intends that this patience be an elevation of his ranks, he attains this. He attains two great ranks through calamities: first, the rank of those who are patient with the decree and destiny of Allah; and second, he attains an elevation of ranks through seeking reward, along with the reward he receives. As for the hadith of Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him), it is that he fell ill in Makkah. He was one of the emigrants, and they disliked for a person to die in the land from which he emigrated, because he left the land for Allah, so it is disliked for him to die in it. And it was the custom of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and part of his good care and character that he would visit his sick companions. So he visited him, and Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: "O Messenger of Allah, I am in pain" meaning: severe pain. "And I have wealth, and no one inherits from me except my daughter" meaning: no one from his descendants inherits from him except a daughter, or otherwise he has residuary heirs. Should I give in charity two-thirds of my wealth? He said: He said: One-half? He said: He said: One-third? He said: And it is amazing that people today, and before today, bequeath one-third, even though the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: This indicates that it is not loved for a person to bequeath one-third, but people took this as a custom, and it became so that when a person bequeaths, he bequeaths one-third. For this reason, the scholar of this Ummah, for whom the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed that Allah would give him understanding in the religion and teach him interpretation, said: "If people would reduce from one-third to one-quarter" meaning: it would be better. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And people now always write "one-third," "make it one-third for me," and the like. This is not loved by the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Reducing from one-third to one-quarter, and reducing to one-fifth, is better. Because Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), the most knowledgeable of this Ummah and the first caliph of this Ummah after its Prophet, bequeathed one-fifth. And he said: Because Allah said: and so on. And despite this, you find that those who bequeath one-third do not bequeath in the prescribed manner. They bequeath inferior things, while others are better than them. Sometimes he deviates in the bequest, bequeathing to the sons and leaving the daughters, or bequeathing things that cause dispute among the beneficiaries in the future. If people, when they wanted to bequeath, bequeathed what is of general benefit, such as building mosques, building schools, buying useful books, and the like, which is executed at that time, its reward continues, and the heirs or the beneficiary are safe from dispute, it would be better than bequeathing a sacrifice and a dinner, and leaving his descendants, sons, and daughters with nothing, and the like of things where it is clear that the person took this thing as a custom and did not think. The greed is not upon the common people; the common people are common, and the common are like insects. The greed is upon those who write for the common people. The common person comes to the person and says, "Write my bequest for one-third," and mentions what people are not accustomed to. And what is obligatory upon the people of knowledge who write bequests is that they first understand the religion of Allah and that they lead people to what is better and more appropriate. Because the common person, when he comes and says, "Write my bequest," for example, he may have appointed him. So for him to be a writer for the Ummah means that he only cares about what pleases people, even if it is inferior. This is a mistake. Lead people to what benefits them in their religion and their worldly affairs, even if it is contrary to their customs. This poor common person only wanted good. Then he comes and says, "Write one-third of my wealth for a sacrifice and a dinner." What is a sacrifice and a dinner when there is something much better than that? So lead people to write for them what is more appropriate and more beneficial for them in their graves and after their resurrection. As for the third hadith, it is from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said: "O Messenger of Allah, woe to my head" She was complaining of her head. He said: So in this, two sunnahs are combined: an approving one and a verbal one. As for the approving one, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) approved Aisha when she said "woe to my head," complaining of her head pain. And as for the verbal one, he himself said "woe to my head." So if a person says "woe to my head," "woe to my back," "woe to my sides," "woe to my feet," and the like, and "woe to my belly," there is no harm, on the condition that he does not intend by this to complain to the created about the Creator, or intend to express pain and dissatisfaction with what Allah has decreed for him. If it is merely information, then there is no harm, especially if he mentions this to someone who wants to treat him. For example, the doctor says to him, "What are you complaining of?" He says, "I complain of my head, I complain of my belly, I complain of my chest, I complain of my back," and the like. This is not harmful, because it is mere information, not intended for dissatisfaction or objection to the decree and destiny of Allah. We ask Allah for healing for us and for you from every disease, and that He make this a strength for us in His obedience. Indeed, He is capable of all things.