She said: “Rather, I shall bear it patiently and not put Paradise at risk.”

Al-Bukhari transmitted it in al-Adab al-Mufrad (132/502) through the route of ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ, from him, and its chain of transmission is authentic. It appears that this is an incident other than the first one, due to the difference in the illness: in this account it was fever, whereas in that one it was bouts of madness. It is also possible that they were one and the same incident, and that the fever was so severe that it resembled those bouts of madness in its intensity. And Allah knows best.

2503 — “No believer is afflicted by persistent ailment, exhaustion, illness, sorrow, or even a worry that troubles him, except that Allah expiates some of his misdeeds thereby.”

Muslim (8/16), al-Tirmidhi (1/181), Ibn Abī al-Dunyā in al-Kaffārāt (69/1 and 76/1), and Aḥmad (3/4, 24, 61, and 81) transmitted it through several routes from Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr ibn ʿAṭāʾ, from ʿAṭāʾ ibn Yasār, from Abū Saʿīd and Abū Hurayrah, who both heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say it. The wording is that of Muslim and of one narration recorded by Ibn Abī al-Dunyā. The others did not mention Abū Hurayrah in its chain of transmission.

Al-Tirmidhi said: “Except that Allah expiates his misdeeds thereby,” omitting “some of.” This is anomalous, as Usāmah ibn Zayd alone reported it among all the routes. Yet Aḥmad also narrated it through his route with the wording: “some of his sins.” This is the preserved wording.

Al-Bukhari likewise transmitted it in the Book of Illness (10/91, Fatḥ) through the aforementioned route from both of them together, except that he did not mention “illness,” and said instead: “No worry or grief, not even a thorn that pricks him, afflicts him except that Allah expiates some of his sins thereby.” This is also a narration of Aḥmad (2/202 and 335; 3/18 and 48). The hadith has another route with an abbreviated wording, which has previously appeared under no. 2410.