In our society it has become a tradition that whenever we go to visit a sick person (Iyadat) we feel obligated to take some gift with us like fruits, juices or flowers. It has become such an essential part of Iyadat that sometimes when people can't afford to take a gift, they avoid going for Iyadat altogether, and they worry that if we go without a gift what would the sick person or their family members think that they came empty-handed. This tradition has made us deprived of the great thawab (eternal reward) of Iyadat. Taking a gift when visiting a sick person has no basis in Shariah. It is neither a Fard, nor a Wajib or Sunnah. While there is no harm in taking a gift if one wishes to from time to time, making it such an essential element of Iyadat that one wouldn't even imagine going without it, is giving it a status for which there is no basis. When traditions which have no basis in Shariah, start getting in the way of doing Ibadah (acts of worship) it is best to leave them altogether.
Adapted from the talk "The Etiquette of Iyadat (visiting a sick person) by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani Daamat Barakatahum
Adapted from the talk "The Etiquette of Iyadat (visiting a sick person) by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani Daamat Barakatahum
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