Dua 1: On greeting them
لَا بَأْسَ، طَهُورٌ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ
Lā baʾs, ṭahūrun in shāʾ Allāh
No harm. It is a purification, if Allah wills.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3616
Dua for visiting the sick, what to say at their side
When the Prophet ﷺ visited someone who was ill, he would say La ba'sa, tahurun in sha Allah: no harm, it is a purification, if Allah wills.1 He also taught that whoever visits a sick person and says As'alullahal-azim, rabbal-arshil-azim, an yashfiyak seven times, Allah will cure them, unless their time has come.2
Dua 2: Seven times for healing7 times
أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ رَبَّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ أَنْ يَشْفِيَكَ
Asʾalullāhal-ʿaẓīma rabbal-ʿarshil-ʿaẓīmi an yashfiyak
I ask Allah the Magnificent, Lord of the Magnificent Throne, to heal you. (For a woman: an yashfiyaki.)
Sunan Abi Dawud 3106; Jami at-Tirmidhi 2083, graded sahih
Dua 3: With your right hand on them
اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ النَّاسِ، أَذْهِبِ الْبَاسَ، اشْفِهِ وَأَنْتَ الشَّافِي، لَا شِفَاءَ إِلَّا شِفَاؤُكَ، شِفَاءً لَا يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا
Allāhumma rabban-nās, adhhibil-baʾs, ishfihi wa antash-shāfī, lā shifāʾa illā shifāʾuk, shifāʾan lā yughādiru saqamā
O Allah, Lord of mankind, remove the harm and heal him, You are the Healer. There is no healing but Yours, a healing that leaves no illness behind. (For a woman: ishfihā.)
Sahih al-Bukhari 5743; Sahih Muslim 2191
Dua 4: Using their name3 times
اللَّهُمَّ اشْفِ سَعْدًا
Allāhummashfi Saʿdā
O Allah, heal Sad. (The Prophet ﷺ said it three times at the bedside of Sad ibn Abi Waqqas. Say the name of the person you are visiting.)
Sahih al-Bukhari 5659
Our teachers will check the Arabic and transliteration on this page before launch.
Guide
When and how to say it
When the Prophet ﷺ visited someone who was ill, he would say La ba'sa, tahurun in sha Allah: no harm, it is a purification, if Allah wills.1 He also taught that whoever visits a sick person and says As'alullahal-azim, rabbal-arshil-azim, an yashfiyak seven times, Allah will cure them, unless their time has come.2
The reward of visiting the sick
The Prophet ﷺ said that whoever visits a sick person is in the harvest of Paradise until he returns.3 In a narration in Tirmidhi, seventy thousand angels pray for the visitor until evening, or until morning if the visit is at night.4
The manners of the visit
- Greet them and say Dua 1. It reminds them that illness wipes away sins: even the prick of a thorn expiates them.5
- Sit near them, ask how they are, and keep the visit short unless they want you to stay longer.
- Put your right hand on them if it is appropriate, and say Dua 3, or Dua 2 seven times.
- Speak with hope. Do not tell stories of people who died of the same illness.
- Offer practical help to the family: food, lifts, childcare.
- Visit non-Muslim neighbours and colleagues too. The Prophet ﷺ visited a sick Jewish boy who used to serve him.6
If they are close to death
Gently say La ilaha illallah near them so they may repeat it, without pressing them.7 The duas for after a death are on the page dua for the deceased.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 3616.
- Sunan Abi Dawud 3106; Jami at-Tirmidhi 2083, graded sahih.
- Sahih Muslim 2568.
- Jami at-Tirmidhi 969, graded sahih by al-Albani.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 5641.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1356.
- Sahih Muslim 916.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 3616
- Sunan Abi Dawud 3106; Jami at-Tirmidhi 2083, graded sahih
- Sahih al-Bukhari 5743; Sahih Muslim 2191
- Sahih al-Bukhari 5659
Questions
Good to know
What do you say when visiting a sick person?
La ba'sa, tahurun in sha Allah (Bukhari 3616), then As'alullahal-azim, rabbal-arshil-azim, an yashfiyak seven times (Abu Dawud 3106).
What is the reward for visiting the sick?
The visitor is in the harvest of Paradise until they return (Muslim 2568), and angels pray for them (Tirmidhi 969).
Can I visit a sick non-Muslim?
Yes. The Prophet ﷺ visited a sick Jewish boy who had served him (Bukhari 1356). Kindness to the sick is for everyone.
How long should I stay when visiting the sick?
Keep it short, unless the patient or the family want you to stay longer. A sick person tires easily.