Question:
Is abundance of illnesses from the signs of the last hour?
Answer:
It occurs due to the abundance of sins, in Bidāyah and Nihāyah it is mentioned in some years that Allāh tested them with hunger until some of them ate each other, even till if they called the doctor and the doctor came perhaps they call him for a sick person and he comes and perhaps they slaughter the doctor and eat him.
And one of the times guest came with a donkey so they ate his donkey, they cooked the donkey and he did not leave except that they had eaten his donkey and other than that from the stories which are mentioned by Ibn Kathir in some years and some disastrous events that they ate each other due to severe hunger.
And sometimes illnesses occur until everyone in the village dies or most of them.
All of this has passed by us during the events of famine from what Ibn Kathīr mentioned verified, transmitted not too long ago on the authority of so and so from so and so, trustworthy individuals.
This occurs due to sins and being tested also, so these illnesses in regards to the believer are expiations of sins,
من حديث أَبي سَعيدٍ وأَبي هُرَيْرة رضيَ اللَّه عَنْهُمَا عن النَّبيِّ ﷺ قَالَ: مَا يُصِيبُ الْمُسْلِمَ مِنْ نَصَبٍ وَلاَ وَصَبٍ وَلاَ هَمٍّ وَلاَ حَزَن وَلاَ أَذًى وَلاَ غمٍّ، حتَّى الشَّوْكَةُ يُشَاكُها إِلاَّ كفَّر اللَّه بهَا مِنْ خطَايَاه” متفقٌ عَلَيه
From the Hadith of Abi Sa’īd and Abi Hurairah may Allāh be pleased them both, on the authority of the Prophet ﷺ that he said: “The believer is not stricken with fatigue or an illness, or anxiety, or grief or mental worry, even the pricking of a thorn but Allah will expiate his sins by it.” [Agreed Upon]
قالت أم السائب: لا بارك الله بالحمى فقال لها النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال: “لا تسبي الحمى فإنها تذهب خطايا بني آدم، كما يذهب الكير خبث الحديد ” الحديث في صحيح مسلم
Umm Sā’ib said: “May Allāh not bless the fever.” So the Prophet ﷺ said to her: “Do not curse the fever for verily it rids the sins of the children of Ādam, as the bellows rid the impurities of iron.” [Muslim]
وقال النبي ﷺ: ” مَنْ يُرِدِ اللَّهُ بِهِ خَيْراً يُصِبْ مِنْهُ ” رواه البخاري
And the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever Allāh intends good for he afflicts him (with trials).” [Bukhāri]
i.e. meaning that aches and pains will occur to him.
إنَّ العبدَ لتكون له المنزلة في الجنة لا يبلُغْها بكبير عملٍ فلا يزال الله يبتليه في نفسه، وأهله، وماله؛ حتى يلقى الله وليس عليه خطيئة
“Verily a slave will have a station in Al-Jennah, he did not reach it due to performing a large amount of deeds, but Allāh did not cease to test him within hiself and his family and his wealth until he met Allāh without any sins.”
وجاءه رجل فقال له هل أصابتك أم ملدم حر يكون بين اللحم والجلد , فعن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: دخل أعرابي على رسول الله ﷺ فقال له الرسول الله ﷺ: هل أخذتك أم ملدم قط؟ قال: وما أم ملدم، قال: حر يكون بين الجلد واللحم ، قال: ما وجدت هذا قط، قال: فهل أخذك هذا الصداع قط؟ قال: وما هذا الصداع؟ قال: عرق يضرب على الإنسان في رأسه ، قال: ما وجدت هذا قط، فلما ولى قال النبي ﷺ: من أحب أن ينظر إلى رجل من أهل النار فلينظر إلى هذا أخرجه أحمد والنسائي والبزار والبخاري في الأدب المفرد، وقال الحاكم: صحيح على شرط مسلم. وقال الهيثمي: إسناده حسن، وصحح إسناده أحمد شاكر رحمه الله
On the authority of Abu Hurairah, he said: “A Bedouin entered upon the Prophet ﷺ so the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said to him: “Has Umm Mildam (fever) got hold of you?”, so he said: “And what is Umm Mildam?”, He said: “Heat between the skin and the flesh.” The Bedouin said: “I have not experienced this ever.” He said: “Have you got a headache?”, He said: “And what is a headache?”, He said: “A wind which appears in the head and beats the veins.” He said: “I have not experienced this ever.” So when he went, the Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever wants to look at a man from the people of the Fire then let him look at that man.”
[Reported by Ahmed, An-Nasā’ī, Al-Bazār and Bukhāri in Adab Al-Mufrad and Al-Hākim said it is authentic upon the conditions of Muslim, and Al-Haithami said its chain is Hasan and Ahmed Shākir may Allāh have mercy on him declared it authentic]
This is in regards to the believer, the trials with the righteous are considered treats for those who have patience and seek reward and have strong Ēmān even if the trial is difficult but if they have patience upon it they will earn after it many rewards.
وكانت أم زفر : تصرع قال لها النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم إن شئت صبرت ولك الجنة , فعَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ أَبِي رَباحٍ، قَالَ: قَالَ لِيَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُمَا: أَلَا أُرِيَكَ امْرَأَةً مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ؟ فَقُلْتُ: بَلَى، قَالَ: هَذِهِ الْمَرْأَةُ السَّودَاءُ أَتَتِ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَالَتْ: إِني أُصْرَعُ، وَإِنِّي أَتَكَشَّفُ، فَادْعُ اللهَ تَعَالَى لِي، قَالَ: «إِنْ شِئْتِ صَبَرتِ وَلَكِ الْجَنَّةُ، وَإِنْ شِئْتِ دَعَوتُ اللهَ تَعَالَى أَنْ يُعَافِيَكِ»، فَقَالَتْ: أَصْبِرُ، فَقَالَتْ: إِنِّي أَتَكَشَّفُ فَادْعُ اللهَ أَنْ لَا أَتَكَشَّفُ، فَدَعَا لَهَا.
Umm Zufar used to have fits so the Prophet ﷺ said to her: “”If you wish, be patient and for you is Al-Jennah; On the authority of Atā bin Abi Rabāh he said: “Ibn Abbas said to me: “Shall I show you a woman from the people of Al-Jennah?” I said: “Yes.” He said: “This black lady came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: “I get fits and my body uncovers, so make duā to Allāh Ta’āla for me.” The Prophet ﷺ said (to her); “If you wish, be patient and for you is Al-Jennah; and if you wish, I will make duā to Allāh to cure you.” She said: “I will remain patient,” and added, “but I become uncovered, so make duā to Allah that I may do not become uncovered.” So he made duā for her.” [Agreed Upon]
She was pleased to be upon that trial for the Jennah except that she would uncover herself so she demanded from the Prophet ﷺ to make duā for her not to uncover herself in the state of her fit so he made duā for her not to uncover.
So the illnesses in regards to the believing slave is good if he is tested and has patience as comes in the Hadith of Al-Miqdād bin Al-Aswad that the Prophet ﷺ said:
إِنَّ السَّعِيدَ لَمَنْ جُنِّبَ الْفِتَنَ إِنَّ السَّعِيدَ لَمَنْ جُنِّبَ الْفِتَنَ إِنَّ السَّعِيدَ لَمَنْ جُنِّبَ الْفِتَنَ وَلَمَنِ ابْتُلِىَ فَصَبَرَ فَوَاهًا
“The happy man is he who avoids fitnah: happy is the man who avoids fitnah; happy is the man who avoids fitnah: but how fine is the man who is afflicted and shows patience.” [Reported by Abu Dawūd and authenticated by Albānī]
i.e Meaning how amazing is he.
This one is happy if he has patience but with the weakness in our Ēmān we become hasty and there is no patience with us and perhaps some of them become angry and fall into harām and fall into sin, it is prohibited for him and the sin is upon him that he becomes angry;
(إِنَّا كُلَّ شَىْءٍ خَلَقْنَٰهُ بِقَدَرٍ)
“Verily, We have created all things with Qadar (Divine Preordainments).”
[Al-Qamar, 49]
And you are a slave, Allāh does with you as He pleases, the Prophet Ibrāhīm ﷺ said:
(وَإِذَا مَرِضْتُ فَهُوَ يَشْفِينِ وَٱلَّذِى يُمِيتُنِى ثُمَّ يُحْيِينِ وَٱلَّذِىٓ أَطْمَعُ أَن يَغْفِرَ لِى خَطِيٓـَٔتِى يَوْمَ ٱلدِّين)
“And when I am ill, it is He who cures me. “And Who will cause me to die, and then will bring me to life (again); “And Who, I hope will forgive me my faults on the Day of Recompense, (the Day of Resurrection),” [Ash-Shu’arā, 80]
So the affair is to Allāh Subhāna wa Ta’āla, He is the one who feeds you and gives you drink, and causes you to become sick and cures you and causes you to die and brings you back to life.
All of us are the slaves of Allāh He does with us as He pleases and we ask Allāh for safety, and it is in regards to the disbeliever a (considered) minor before what is greater;
(وَلَنُذِيقَنَّهُم مِّنَ ٱلْعَذَابِ ٱلْأَدْنَىٰ دُونَ ٱلْعَذَابِ ٱلْأَكْبَرِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُون)َ
“And verily, We will make them taste of the near torment (i.e. the torment in the life of this world, i.e. disasters, calamities, etc.) prior to the supreme torment (in the Hereafter), in order that they may (repent and) return (i.e. accept Islam).” [As-Sajdah, 21]
And it is in regards to the Prophets and those who Allāh knows do not have any major sins and he doesn’t have that raising of the ranks;
(نرْفَعُ دَرَجَٰتٍ مَّن نَّشَآءُۗ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيم)ٌ
“We raise whom We will in degrees. Certainly your Lord is All-Wise, All-Knowing.” [Al-An’ām, 83]
In the trial of Yusuf ﷺ when he was tested Allāh raised his rank;
(نَرْفَعُ دَرَجَٰتٍ مَّن نَّشَآء)
“We raise whom We will in degrees.”
So then patience! patience! We ask Allāh to repel from us the trials, the Prophet ﷺ said:
لَا تَتَمَنَّوا لِقَاءَ الْعَدُوِّ، وَاسْأَلُوا اللهَ الْعَافِيَةَ، فَإِذَا لَقِيتُمُوهُمْ فَاصْبِرُوا
“Do not wish to meet the enemy, and ask Allāh for safety, and if you meet them then be patient.”
And likewise in front of other trials do not wish for it to occur and seek Allāh’s aid from diseases and sicknesses and make duā to Allāh for safety and if something happens be patient don’t become angry or impatient.
And from what the people were amazed with and many of them were guided because of it is that many of the wounded in Dammāj didn’t use to scream and the general folk if something happens he fills the Dunyā with screams and the student of knowledge you find patient with severely painful wounds and he is patient silent, this points towards steadfastness and causes impact that this man has double what that man has and that man is screaming filling the Dunyā with commotion and impatience and this one is not screaming, being patient upon the decree of Allāh not increasing upon that nor decreasing.
Answered by: Shaykh, the Allamah, the Trustworthy Advisor, Abu Abdirrahman Yahya bin Ali Al-Hajuri – may Allah preserve him
Translated by: Abu ‘Abdillāh ‘Omar bin Yahya Al-‘Akawi
Source: https://t.me/sh_yahia_duroos/6927, https://t.me/sh_yahia_duroos/6928