Geese fly in a V formation high in the sky. The leader bears the thrust of the monstrous winds flying right ahead of the flock. The remaining geese follow with discipline. During the journey, if any fellow goose falls sick and is forced to leave the flock, it lands, while others proceed.
But guess what? It does not land alone. Two other geese accompany it to tend to its needs and stay by it, until it either recovers or dies. They remain loyal and committed to their comrade, till its last breath. Once the fate of the ill goose is decided, they fly to catch up and rejoin their flock.
This is the care we witness that Allah, Ar-Rahman (The Most Beneficent) and Ar-Raheem (The Most Merciful), has instilled in His creation for dealing with each other. This, of course, is just a single example. What about the other countless creatures in the sky, on the land, and in the oceans, who are similar signs of mercy from Allah (swt)?
Most importantly, how does a human’s mercy manifest for his family and fellow beings when they fall weak and vulnerable? If the geese are human enough to care for their fallen companion, remember we are humans, the best of creations according to Quran.
Assess yourself to check where you stand in terms of a sick family member:
- Are you a fair-weather friend who likes to spend only the good times together or do you also face the storm together with your sick family member?
- Do you take out the time to ask a loved one, why he or she is not his or her active self?
- When a family member informs you of their illness or weakness, how do you respond?
- Do you gladly re-schedule work to attend to a sick relative, your spouse or child, parent or friend?
- Do you give them hope to cheer them up or do you narrate morbid stories of death of other patients?
- Do you recite Surah Al-Fatihah (for Shifa) and Ayat-ul-Kursi for their spiritual well-being? Do you recite the Masnoon Duas for relieving pain and easing their suffering?
- Do you offer to give a massage to your sick relative to help them feel better?
- Do you spend time with them just being by their side silently, so they do not feel abandoned?
- Do you cook something nutritious and healthy to help the patient regain strength?
- Do you show irritation that your ill family member has become an additional responsibility for you?
When you find yourself in a position to help someone, be happy, because Allah (swt) is answering that person’s prayer through you. The sick are not a burden, nor are they an obstacle or a source of misery for you. In fact, they are an opportunity for you to earn bonus points for Jannah through your patience and sacrifice, so make sure you score well!
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