DAILYREFLECTION
No Muslim is afflicted with any harm but that Allah will remove his sins as the leaves of a tree fall down.
Abdullah ibn Mas'ud once visited the Prophet ﷺ while he ﷺ had a high fever.
He ﷺ said plainly that it was as strong as two men's fever. When Abdullah asked if that meant a double reward, he ﷺ said yes.
Then he ﷺ told him that when a Muslim suffers any harm, even the prick of a thorn, Allah makes their sins fall away like leaves from a tree.
So the day you spend under a blanket, too weak to pray standing, still counts with Allah.
And the good you normally do keeps being written for you while you're ill.
If you're nursing a sick child or an ageing parent this season, tell them that.
Cold season is here, and sleep is often the first thing we give up. In one study, people sleeping under six hours a night had about four times the odds of catching a cold as those sleeping over seven.
This week, look after your body.
Count back seven hours from Fajr and make that your bedtime.
Wash your hands when you get home and before you eat.
Have one warm meal a day, soup or lentils with garlic and ginger.
If you fall ill, rest without guilt and ask Allah for healing.
If a fever runs high or lingers, see a doctor. Du'a and medicine go together.
First step: tonight, count back seven hours from Fajr and set a bedtime, even if a little one has other plans.
Allah can use even an ache this season to lift sins from you.
Reflect on this: Can I let a sick day count as worship?