Ruling on visiting a sick kaafir

 

It sometimes happens that one of the Christians with us at work or school gets sick. Is it permissible to visit him, and what is the ruling on visiting a sick kaafir?

Praise be to
Allaah.

It
is permissible to visit him with the intention of calling him to Islam
and telling about Islam. 

This
is the moderate approach to the matter, because it is not right to disallow
that altogether, as there is no evidence to that effect. In fact, that
goes against the saheeh evidence.

Saying
that it is permissible in absolute terms is subject to further discussion.
The only option is to say that it is permissible to visit him in order
to tell him about Islam or if there is the hope that he will embrace
Islam. 

It was narrated in Saheeh
al-Bukhaari via Hammaad ibn Zayd from Thaabit from Anas (may Allaah
be pleased with him), who said, “There was a Jewish boy who used to
serve the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He fell sick, and the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to visit him. He sat
at his head and said to him, ‘Embrace Islam.’ (The boy) looked towards
his father, who was with him. (His father) said, ‘Obey Abu’l-Qaasim

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).’ So he embraced Islam,
and the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out saying, ‘Praise
be to Allaah Who has saved him from the Fire.’” 

We
learn a number of things from this hadeeth: 

1. The good attitude
of the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

2. His eagerness to guide
people.

3.  That if a Jew dies
following Judaism he is a kaafir who will abide forever in Hell. There
is no dispute on this point from any of the scholars. The Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “By the One in Whose
hand is my soul, no one of this nation, Jew or Christian, hears of me
then dies not believing in that with which I have been sent, but he
will be one of the people of Hell.” (Narrated by Muslim in his Saheeh
from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah).

4.  It is OK to visit
a Jew if there is the hope of achieving some interest thereby. Abu Dawood
(may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “I heard Imaam Ahmad being asked
about visiting a Jew or a Christian (if he fell sick). He said, if he
wants to call him to Islam, then yes (he should do that). 

It was narrated
in al-Saheehayn and elsewhere via Ibn Shihaab who said: Sa’eed
ibn al-Musayyib told me that his father told him, when Abu Taalib was
on his deathbed, the Messenger of Allaah

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to him and found Abu
Jahl ibn Hishaam and ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Umayyah ibn al-Mugheerah with
him. The Messenger of Allaah

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “O my uncle, say Laa
ilaaha ill-Allaah, a word for which I will bear witness for you before
Allaah.” Abu Jahl and ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Umayyah said, “O Abu Taalib,
are you turning away from the religion of ‘Abd al-Muttalib?” The Messenger
of Allaah

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) kept urging him to embrace
Islam and they kept repeating the same thing to him, until the last
thing that Abu Taalib said to them was, “On the path of ‘Abd al-Muttalib”,
and he refused to say Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah. The Messenger
of Allaah

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)  said: “I shall certainly
keep asking Allaah to forgive you until I am told not to do that.” 

Then
Allaah revealed the words (interpretation of the meaning): 

“It is not (proper)
for the Prophet and those who believe to ask Allaah’s forgiveness for
the Mushrikoon, even though they be of kin…”

[al-Tawbah
9:113].” 

This hadeeth indicates
that one may visit a sick kaafir relative, if there is the hope that
he may embrace Islam. Al-Fadl ibn Ziyaad said: I heard Ahmad ibn Hanbal
being asked about a Muslim man visiting one of the mushrikeen who was
sick. He said: If he thinks that if he visits him whilst he is sick
and tells him about Islam, that he may accept it, then let him visit
him, as the Prophet

(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) visited the Jewish boy who
was sick and told him about Islam