himself the surahs of refuge and blow gently” (1).

These wordings explain one another. He, peace and blessings be upon him, would blow gently over himself, but his weakness and pain prevented him from passing his hand over his entire body. He would therefore instruct ‘Ā’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, to pass his hand over his body after he himself had blown over it. This was not a request for healing recitations in any sense. She did not say, “He would instruct me to recite healing prayers over him.” Rather, she mentioned wiping his body with his hand after he had blown over it, then said: “He would instruct me to do this for him” (2)—meaning that she would wipe his body with his hands, just as he himself used to do.

It was not his practice, peace and blessings be upon him, to set aside any particular day or time for visiting the sick. Rather, he prescribed visiting the sick for his community by night and by day, at all times. In al-Musnad (3), he is reported to have said:

“When a man visits his Muslim brother, he walks among the fruits of Paradise until he sits down. When he sits down, mercy envelops him. If it is morning, seventy thousand angels pray for him until evening; if it is evening, seventy thousand angels (4) pray for him until morning.”