907 – Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ visited a Bedouin who was ill, and whenever he entered upon someone he was visiting he would say, “lā baʾs, ṭahūr, in shāʾ Allāh” (“No harm; it will be a purification, God willing”). Reported by al-Bukhārī.

Explanation
Imām al-Nawawī (d. 676 AH) cites this ḥadith in Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn, in the chapter on what should be said for the sick. Ibn ʿAbbās relates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went in to see an ailing Bedouin, and that his customary greeting to the sick was: “lā baʾs, ṭahūr, in shāʾ Allāh.”

“lā baʾs” means “no hardship or injury will befall you,” while “ṭahūr” means “this illness is a means of purification for you, God willing.” The Prophet ﷺ added “in shāʾ Allāh” because his words here are informational, not a supplication. In supplication a person should speak with certainty and not say “if You will.” Hence the Prophet ﷺ forbade anyone to say, “O Allah, forgive me if You will,” or “O Allah, have mercy on me if You will.” Do not speak that way, for no one can compel Allah; if He wills He forgives, and if He wills He withholds forgiveness and mercy. The phrase “if you will” is therefore reserved for one who may be coerced or for someone from whom one views the gift as extraordinarily weighty.