Visiting the sick is one of the rights a Muslim owes another, and the Prophet ﷺ left us specific words to say at the bedside. So what is the dua for visiting a sick person? The main one is: As’alu Allah al-‘Azim, Rabb al-‘Arsh al-‘Azim, an yashfiyak — recited seven times. Below is the full wording, sourcing, self-dua for the sick person, and etiquette around it.

Why Visiting the Sick Matters in Islam

This isn’t a minor social nicety — it’s one of the five rights a Muslim owes another Muslim, alongside returning greetings and attending funerals. The reward attached to it is substantial.

Thawban reported that the Prophet ﷺ said whoever visits a sick person remains “in the khurfah of Paradise” until he returns — a fruit garden, as the Prophet ﷺ himself explained when asked (Sahih Muslim 2568). Ali reported the Prophet ﷺ saying that seventy thousand angels send blessings on anyone who visits a sick Muslim in the morning, until evening, and the same at night until morning (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 969).

There’s also a hadith qudsi where Allah tells a servant on the Day of Judgment that He was “sick” and wasn’t visited — meaning a sick believer wasn’t visited — and had the person gone, “you would have found Me with him” (Sahih Muslim 2569). That’s a striking way of framing what a hospital or home visit actually is.

What Is the Dua for Visiting a Sick Person?

The dua for visiting a sick person that’s most firmly established comes from Ibn Abbas, who reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:

“Whoever visits a sick person whose time has not yet come, and says seven times: As’alu Allah al-‘Azim, Rabb al-‘Arsh al-‘Azim, an yashfiyak — Allah will cure him of that illness.”

This is recorded in Sunan Abi Dawud 3106 and Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 2083, and at-Tirmidhi graded it a good (hasan) hadith.

Arabic: أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ رَبَّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ أَنْ يَشْفِيَكَ

Transliteration: As’alu Allah al-‘Azim, Rabb al-‘Arsh al-‘Azim, an yashfiyak

Meaning: “I ask Allah, the Mighty, Lord of the Mighty Throne, to cure you.”

Note the qualifier in the hadith — “whose time has not yet come.” Scholars point out that this dua is a means, not a guarantee against death. Allah may respond with physical healing, with an easier passing, or with the sins of the sick person being lifted through the illness itself, discussed below. All three are described in the Sunnah as forms of mercy.

How to Recite the Dua When Visiting a Sick Person

Reciting this dua for visiting a sick person doesn’t require anything elaborate. Here’s the practical sequence drawn from the hadith:

• Sit or stand close enough that the sick person can hear you clearly.
• Say the dua quietly, directly to them or over them — seven times.
• If it feels natural and the person is comfortable with it, you can gently place your right hand near the affected area while reciting, following the Prophet’s ﷺ example with other healing duas.
• You don’t need wudu, and there’s no fixed direction to face.
• If the person is unconscious or can’t hear you, you can still recite it — the intention and words carry.
• It’s fine to say their name in place of “you”: “As’alu Allah al-‘Azim, Rabb al-‘Arsh al-‘Azim, an yashfiya [name].”

This is short enough to memorize in a single sitting, which is part of why it’s the dua most commonly taught for this exact situation.

Other Duas the Prophet ﷺ Said at a Sick Person’s Bedside

The seven-times dua isn’t the only thing the Prophet ﷺ said when visiting someone ill.

La ba’sa, tahurun in sha Allah (لَا بَأْسَ، طَهُورٌ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ) — “No harm, it is a purification, if Allah wills.” Ibn Abbas narrated that the Prophet ﷺ visited a sick Bedouin and said this to him directly, reframing the illness as something that could cleanse rather than only harm (Sahih al-Bukhari 3616).

A few points on how these duas fit together:

• The seven-times dua asks for cure; “la ba’sa” is a single line of comfort and reframing.
• Neither replaces medical treatment — more on that below.
• If you only remember one, the seven-times dua is the one most specifically tied to a promise of cure in the hadith.

What the Sick Person Can Say for Themselves

A visit isn’t only about what the visitor says — the Sunnah also gives the sick person their own dua to use, and it’s worth sharing with them if the moment allows.

Uthman ibn Abi al-‘As came to the Prophet ﷺ complaining of a pain in his body since he’d accepted Islam. The Prophet ﷺ told him:

“Place your hand on the place where you feel pain and say Bismillah three times, then say seven times: A’udhu bi’izzatillahi wa qudratihi min sharri ma ajidu wa uhadhir (I seek refuge in the might and power of Allah from the evil of what I feel and what I fear).”

This is recorded in Sahih Muslim 2202. Uthman later said he tried it and Allah removed the pain.

• Arabic: أَعُوذُ بِعِزَّةِ اللَّهِ وَقُدْرَتِهِ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا أَجِدُ وَأُحَاذِرُ
• Practical use: say “Bismillah” three times while placing a hand on the painful spot, then the phrase above seven times.

This gives the visitor something concrete to teach or remind the sick person of, rather than only reciting a dua at them.

Does the Dua Replace Medical Treatment?

No — and this is a point the Sunnah is explicit about. Usamah ibn Sharik reported that when the Companions asked the Prophet ﷺ whether they should seek medical treatment, he replied: “Make use of medical treatment, for Allah has not made a disease without appointing a remedy for it, with the exception of one disease: old age” (Sunan Abi Dawud 3855). Abu Huraira also reported the Prophet ﷺ saying, “There is no disease that Allah has created, except that He also has created its treatment” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5678).

So the practice is both/and, not either/or:

• Say the dua, and pursue appropriate medical care — the two aren’t in tension.
• Dua doesn’t replace seeing a doctor, taking prescribed medication, or following treatment plans.
• Spiritual and physical means of healing work together in the Sunnah, not as competitors.

Illness as a Means of Forgiveness

Part of why “la ba’sa, tahurun in sha Allah” carries weight is that illness itself is framed in the Sunnah as a source of expiation, not only a hardship to endure. Abu Sa’id al-Khudri and Abu Huraira reported the Prophet ﷺ saying: “No fatigue, nor disease, nor sorrow, nor sadness, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim, even if it were the prick he receives from a thorn, but that Allah expiates some of his sins for that” (Sahih al-Bukhari 5641, Sahih Muslim 2573).

This needs to be told to the sick person himself – not just a passing comment but an actual reframing: that their sickness is not going to waste despite the physical pain being true and their dua for healing having yet to be answered in the way they had hoped.

Etiquette of Visiting the Sick

Both the dua and your comportment when you visit are important:

• Keep it short. Long visits may be exhausting for someone who is not well — gauge the situation and don’t overstay.
• Check on their health, but allow them to share if they wish without prying for information that they have not volunteered.
• Bring something small if you can — a gift isn’t required, but it’s a recognized good practice.
• Avoid frightening or discouraging talk. Don’t share news that might upset them or dwell on worst-case scenarios.
• Visit people you don’t personally know too, not only close friends and family — Imam al-Nawawi noted this isn’t limited to your inner circle.
• There’s no fixed time of day, though some companions preferred morning or early evening specifically because of the angels’ blessings hadith mentioned earlier.

If you’d like structured help learning this and similar duas properly — correct pronunciation, meaning, and context — a live teacher can walk through it with you far faster than working from text alone, which is where Iqra’s teachers come in.

Visiting Someone Who Is Terminally Ill or Near Death

Visits to someone gravely ill carry an added responsibility: helping them toward a good final state, without making them feel like you’ve given up on them.

• Prompt them gently toward the shahadah, if the moment is right. Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported the Prophet ﷺ saying, “Prompt your dying ones to say La ilaha illallah” (Sahih Muslim 916).
• This is a soft reminder, not a demand. Scholars are clear that it shouldn’t be repeated insistently or in a way that distresses the person — say it near them once gently, and let them respond in their own time.
• Keep language hopeful, not final. Avoid saying things that sound like you’ve written them off.
• Still say the dua for cure. “Whose time has not yet come” is language the Prophet ﷺ himself used — you’re not presuming the outcome by making the dua.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I say the dua for visiting a sick person over the phone?

Yes. The dua isn’t limited to in-person visits — you can recite it while speaking with someone by phone or video, though an in-person visit carries its own separate reward.

Is wudu necessary for reciting this dua?

No. Wudu is not a requirement to perform dua, even this one at the bedside of a sick person.

Is it permissible to say the dua for oneself when one is the sick person?

Yes, you may do so, making changes in the pronoun, or have someone else say it on your behalf.

Is seven times a strict requirement?

It’s how the Prophet ﷺ specified it in the hadith, and scholars recommend following that number. Saying it fewer times still counts as dua, just not the complete narrated practice.

How do you visit your non-Muslim sick neighbor or relative?

Generally, visiting a sick non-Muslim neighbor or relative is recommended as good behavior. Scholars may have differences regarding how to recite the dua because this dua is being asked for the recovery of that person in this life, which can be recited regardless of religion.

Can you visit a contagious sick individual?

Yes, with sensible precautions. The Sunnah doesn’t exempt contagious illness from the general instruction to visit the sick, but it does permit reasonable caution — the Prophet ﷺ himself advised against needlessly placing yourself in harm’s way, so masking, keeping some distance, or a shorter visit are all reasonable adjustments rather than reasons to avoid visiting altogether.

If the ill person happens to be unconscious or incapable of responding, then what should I do?

The dua can still be recited for the patient since the hadith does not require the patient to be capable of hearing or responding. Talk normally because most caregivers feel that even unconscious patients can hear the voice.

Conclusion

So, what is the dua for visiting a sick person? It’s a short, specific supplication — As’alu Allah al-‘Azim, Rabb al-‘Arsh al-‘Azim, an yashfiyak — said seven times, paired often with the Prophet’s ﷺ own words of comfort, “la ba’sa, tahurun in sha Allah,” and backed by a self-dua the sick person can use too. Learning it by heart takes minutes; using it sincerely, alongside sound medical care and good visiting etiquette, is where the real reward lies.