—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—that he said:

“No illness, fatigue, anxiety, sorrow, distress or harm befalls a believer—not even the prick of a thorn—without Allah expiating some of his sins thereby.”

It is related in al-Musnad:

“When Allah Most High’s words, ‘Whoever does evil will be recompensed for it,’ were revealed, Abū Bakr said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, a back-breaking revelation has come down! Which of us has not done evil?’ He replied: ‘O Abū Bakr, do you not grow weary? Do you not grieve? Does hardship not afflict you? That is how you are recompensed.’”

It also contains the report:

“Afflictions remove sins from the person who suffers them, just as a standing tree sheds its leaves.”

There is abundant evidence that afflictions expiate sins. If a person bears them patiently, he is rewarded for his patience. Reward and recompense are only for the deed—namely, patience. The affliction itself, however, is an act of Allah, not an act of the servant. It is part of Allah’s recompense to the servant for his sin and His expiation of that sin through it.

It is related in al-Musnad:

“They visited Abū ‘Ubayda ibn al-Jarrāh while he was ill and mentioned that he would be rewarded for his illness. He said: ‘I receive no reward—not even this much. Rather, afflictions remove sins.’”

Abū ‘Ubayda—may Allah be pleased with him—thus explained to them that illness itself does not earn a person reward; rather, it expiates his sins. The word ‘reward’ is often understood to mean the forgiveness of sins, so there is reward in this