Caring the sick in Islamic traditions

Illness is everything that makes a living creature in lack of health or away from moderation such as disease, hypocrisy or failure in doing something.
Special quotation
I visited my beloved when he got sick so I became sick out of my care to him
Then my beloved visited me so I got healed just by gazing to him.
The inducement to visit the Patient
Anas bin Malik reported that Muhammad visited a man who was so emaciated that he had become like a baby bird. He (Muhammad) said to him: "And did you not used to supplicate? Did you not used to ask Your Lord for sound health?" He said: "I used to say: "O Allah, whatever You are going to punish me with in the Hereafter, then hasten it for me in this world." So Muhammad said: "Glory is to Allah, you are not capable of that" - or - "you are not able to stand that. Would you not say: ‘O Allah, give us good in this world, and good in the Hereafter, and spare us the punishment of the Fire." ( Narrated by at-Tirmidhi )
Muhammad visits patients
Illness is a human situation that equals everyone whether a Muslim or non-Muslim.
The patient is in need for others to visit him, relieve him, buck him up and calm him down. Muhammad doesn’t differentiate in his orders to his companions between Muslim or non-Muslim patient for there are many hadiths and orders issued the instruction " visit the patient " without specifying his religion nor his gender because all people are equals in this respect and when you come to think about it, you will find that Muhammad had visited both Muslim and non-Muslim patients.
It came in the narration that when Abu Talib, the uncle of the Messenger of Allah, got sick and he was non-Muslim, Muhammad was beside him telling him when he was dying " Oh Abu Talib, do bear witness that there is no God but Allah so I can recommend you in the day of judgment" Abu Talib replied, oh O son of my brother I would do that if I hadn’t got the fear of being ashamed in front of Quraish. In this respect, the following words have been mentioned in the Qur'an,"Verily! You (O Muhammad) guide not whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills. And He knows best those who are the guided.." (Surat Al-Qasas, 56)
A young Jew became ill. Muhammad went to visit him. He sat down by his head and said to him: Accept Islam. He looked at his father who was beside him near his head, and he said: Obey Abu al-Qasim. So he accepted Islam, and Muhammad stood up saying: Praise be to Allah Who has saved him by me from Hell" (Narrated by Al-Bukhari).
Manners of visiting the patient
Choosing the right time, making the visit brief, lowering one's gaze, asking only few questions, showing care, devotion in supplication to the patient, giving him hope, amusing him with good words, indicating to him that patience ends with great good and warning him that despondence is a sin are all manners in visiting a patient.
The benefit of visiting a patient
1- Being between the hands of Allah almighty.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that Muhammad said:Allah (mighty and sublime be He) will say on the Day of Resurrection: O son of Adam, I fell ill and you visited Me not. He will say: O Lord, and how should I visit You when You are the Lord of the world's? He will say: Did you not know that My servant So-and-so had fallen ill and you visited him not? Did you not know that had you visited him you would have found Me with him? O son of Adam, I asked you for food and you fed Me not. He will say: O Lord, and how should I feed You when You are the Lord of the world's? He will say: Did you not know that My servant So-and-so asked you for food and you fed him not? Did you not know that had you fed him you would surely have found that (the reward for doing so) with Me? O son of Adam, I asked you to give Me to drink and you gave Me not to drink. He will say: O Lord, how should I give You to drink when You are the Lord of the world's? He will say: My servant So-and-so asked you to give him to drink and you gave him not to drink. Had you given him to drink you would have surely found that with Me. " ( Narrated by Al-Bukhari ).
An-Nawawi said," scholars said that Allah almighty accompanied illness to Himself as an kind of honor to the servant. They explained the phrase ( you would have found Me with him ) as you would have found good as a reward for doing so."
2- Angels pray for him:
One of the virtues of visiting a patient is that angels pray for the visitor and recommend him.
Abi Fakhitah reported that his father said: "Ali took me by the hand and said: 'Come with us to pay a visit to Al-Hasan.' So we found that Abu Musa was with him.' Ali - peace be upon him - said: 'O Abu Musa! Did you come to visit (the sick) or merely (stop by to) visit?' He said: 'No, to visit (the sick).' So Ali said: 'I heard the Messenger of Allah saying: "No Muslim visits (the sick) Muslims in the morning, except that seventy-thousand angels, sent Salat (prayers) upon him until the evening, andwhen he visits at night seventy-thousand angels sent Salat( prayers) upon him until the morning, and there will be a garden for him in Paradise.' ( Narrated by Ahmad ).
3- The descent of mercy and forgiveness:
Omar bin Al-Hakam bin Rafe' Al-Ansarie said that he had heard from Jabir ibn Abdullah that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When a man visits an invalid, he plunges into mercy to the extent that when he sits with him, it settles in him." (Narrated by Al-Bukhari ).

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