آداب عيادة المريض
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A Muslim owes another Muslim five rights: responding to the greetings, visiting the sick, following the funerals, accepting the invitation, and responding to the sneezing person."
عن أبي هريرة -رضي الله عنه-: أن رسول الله -صلى الله عليه وسلم- قال:«حقُّ المُسلمِ على المُسلمِ خمسٌّ: ردُّ السلام، وعِيَادَةُ المريض، واتباع الجنائز، وإجابة الدَّعوة، وتَشميتُ العاطِس».
شرح الحديث :
The Hadīth sheds light on some of the rights that a Muslim has upon his Muslim brothers. The rights that a Muslim has over his brothers are many, but sometimes the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) mentions particular things, from amongst many other things, out of his care and concern for them. Some of these things include what Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The rights of a Muslim upon another Muslim are five things: returning the greeting," i.e. if someone greets you with Salām, then respond to him. Another Hadīth says: "The right of the Muslim over another Muslim are six: if you meet him then greet him with Salām." Anyone fulfills these rights properly, then he will be more likely to fulfill the other rights as well. He will fulfill these obligations and rights that involve much goodness and enormous reward from Allah provided that they are done for the sake of Allah. The first of these rights is to give Salām to the Muslim when you meet him, or to return it, as stated in another Hadīth. The second right is to visit the sick, particularly when sickness compels him to stay at home. In this case, it is his right on the Muslim fellows to visit him. The third right is following the funeral processions and escorting the dead. The deceased Muslim has a right upon his brother to accompany his funeral from his house until the place of prayer, whether it’s in the mosque or in another place, then to the graveyard. The fourth right is to answer the invitation. It is the right of the Muslim over his brother to accept his invitation. The fifth right is to respond to the sneezing Muslim. This is because sneezing is a blessing from Allah who lets the air constrained in the different parts of the body go out from the nasal passage so that the sneezing person can relax. Therefore, Allah instructs the sneezer to praise Him for this blessings, and instructs his brother to say to him "yarhamukallāh (may Allah have mercy upon you)", and ordered the sneezing person to respond: "yahdikumullāh wa yuslih bālakum (May Allah guide you and make better your affairs)". So, the sneezer who doesn’t praise Allah doesn’t deserve these prayers, and he shouldn’t blame anyone except himself.