The Rules Of Conduct For Visiting The Sick

(Excerpted from Futuwat namah by Khwaja Husayn Wa’iz Kashifi Sabzawari An Naqshbandi Translated by M. Nur Abdussalam)

If asked: How many are the rules of conduct for visiting the sick? Say: Seven:

1.      One should not enquire after a sick person after the afternoon prayer; it is not an auspicious time.
2.      When entering, one should neither laugh nor cry; both are inappropriate.
3.      One should approach the sick person from the left and sit on his right. The Prophet sat on that side.
4.      One should not talk too much while at the sick person’s side.
5.      One may touch a part of the sick person’s body such as the head, hand, forehead, or chest; there is no cause for reluctance.
6.      One should speak to the sick person with kindness and tenderness.
7.      One should recite the Opening Chapter (al-Fatihah) and depart without lingering.