Illness... Sooner or later, it catches us...
Fever, flu, headache, toothache, and the like,
if not cancer or AIDS.
If somebody tells you that "illness itself is a medicine".
What would you say to him?
Illness is something we suffer from. Can it be a cure? Well, if you wonder how can an illness be a cure, let's read this article together, see different perspectives of illnesses and decide
whether it is a gift or not. Here we go:
Human lifespan is fairly short and in modern world we can't catch the time.... School, business, travel, sleeping, school, job, home, eating...Sometimes we can't understand how we spend many hours on a single task. Time of health passes so quickly but time of calamity is felt long and we have more time in those times of affliction. When you are in your sick bed, you do pray more and have time to ponder upon your life and self-criticism. It is also fruitful in terms of acceptance of prayers. |
| Illness is a gift. |
Illness serves for the aim of the creation, that is, to worship God and manifest his names and attributes in the world. As a matter of the fact, when we are ill, God shows his name, “Healer” on us and we became a manifestation of the holy name of God Almighty.
Do we have any contribution in the creation of our body, and sustaining it? No. So, we do have no right to complain about what has happened to us. The body is an amanah (temporary belonging) and we do not own it. Using the illness as a means, we may understand God's names and the best manifested name is the name “The Healer’” in the time of illness.
Illness is such a bounty that we are away from the dangerous sins during sickness. It is a mercy especially for young people that when they are afflicted they become more aware of God and religion. It increases the good deeds and awareness of Godconsciousness. So can anybody say that illness is a bad thing? Of course no. It saves us from sins and adds us a lot more.
We may have been afflicted with an illness and it seems difficult. Let’s put it this way. This illness will go away and leave us a bountiful and fruitful daftar al-‘amal (book of deeds) and sceneries of good deeds which will make us happy in this world and the next forever.
On the other hand sickness is a reminder for us to remember why we have been created. It reminds of our duties and warns us not to commit sins. Everything is comprehended with its opposite. When we are afflicted with an illness, we understand the value of our health and our prayers in the time of health becomes more sincere.
Illness can be named as a cleaner. It finally clears up all our sins when we have patience. Who doesn’t like cleaning? Who does not want to be cleaned from sins?
Illness can sometimes be mortal and this seems dreadful. But be assured that death is not an end and is not absence, but a way to go to the real existence, a door to meet the real existence.
Always thinking about and wondering about his illness and being anxious increase may the level of illness. One should not question his illness but see the wisdom behind it. People should not be anxious about the length of the illness. Who knows when to die? We have no guarantee to live forever. Thus, there is no need to think about its length either. There are many people who accompanied the ill, and they themselves died but those in bed are living now.
Illness in many ways is a divine present for humanbeings.
Illness of eyes is a bounty for people. It is a consolation (tasalli) that the one who is afflicted with eye problems in this limited and transitory world will see limitless and most perfect sceneries in the hereafter forever and enjoy what they are going to see.
The meaning of illness is beautiful that almost every prophet of God suffered from illnesses and people of highly elevated souls were afflicted with many of them.
Illness is means of respect and mercy (hurmah and marhamah). It preaches us to be respectful and compassionate to people. It triggers our feelings of compassion.
Someone who serves for an ill person receives many prayers from him / her, and this raises the possiblity of acceptance of his own prayers thanks to his/her compassionate service for them.
Illness is a mercy for healthy people. We see ill people and thank God for our health and wealth. In the time of bounties, one should not look above himself and see better off people. We should see those below us and thank Allah.
Illness is like an exercise to empower, fortify and purify our life. When afflicted with illnesses we change our attitudes and eat healthy food and do healthy things and try to purify what we have done wrong.
Illness is of two kinds. One is the haqiqi (real) one, the second is wahmi (delusional).
Illness is a means of a spiritual pleasure. Especially mothers and fathers, and other members of the family serve for the sick person and have a specific pleasure of duty in showing mercy, visitation and serving.
Paralysis is an illness that reminds of riyazah (ascetism) and it really helps to elevate one’s spiritual awareness and conscious.
Illness attracts the mercy and compassion to the sick person, especially that of God Almighty.
Illnesses of children are a means of purification for their parents. As children are sinless, their father and mother’s mercy and struggle to heal their sons and daughters become a nice purification and cleansing of their sins.
In order to better understand the wisdom behind illnesses and to bear and have patience in the time of affliction, one should increase his iman. The increase in iman can be reached through faraid (observing the obligatory rules in the religion).
*It has been summarised from Imam al-Nursi's famous tafseer Risala al-Noor.
"Imam Badi'uzzaman Said Al-Nursi / Flashes,
Twenty Fifth Flash, The Remedies for the Sick
(longer version can be found in some websites as "The Message for the Sick")
