Sickness is a Blessing

I remember the last time I fell really sick and had to be hospitalised. At that time I was completely powerless, bedridden and in pain. After being used to a hectic school life, suddenly lying in bed with nothing to do was absolutely MISERABLE. When I had to do a month's worth of outpatient treatment and had a bottle and tube stuck up my arm everywhere I went, I complained. I finally rejoiced when it all ended. But through the whole ordeal, never once did I pray to God, or thank Him when I recovered.

Then I was sick for the past two days. Not been sick this much for a long time, actually. A few days before I remembered I was out in the rain a little too much, and I dismissed all talk of falling ill, "Nah, I don't fall sick so easily." And bam. I was sick, with a cough and flu and fever that had to be repeatedly kept down with Panadol every six hours. People say you shouldn't say such things because then you will REALLY fall sick. And now being closer to God, I kinda see why. It's like his way of saying "So, you're getting cocky there aren't you? Now you think you can control when you get sick? Hah. I'll show you who is in power here!"

Then as I was lying in bed, half-conscious and with nothing to do, S told me to read The Twenty-Fifth Flash: Message for the Sick in the Risale-i Nur.

You know how I always found Islam to be so beautifully logical. But what amazed me after I read it was how something (conventionally) thought to be absurd could make so much logical sense. What I mean is, would you even think of sickness as a blessing? No one would, because health IS a blessing, and sickness is a removal of the health you once had. And the worse the sickness is, the more miserable one would be. But in perfect logic, sickness is blessing.

Because sickness makes you realise how weak you are, and that you're not in control of your life. It makes you realise that only God is the one in control, so you pray to Him with the most sincere of heart. And after the sickness has done its purpose (ie. to humble you), inşallah God will bring you back to health. Sickness stops you in your tracks, asking you if you remembered God in your life.

You know I can kinda imagine this change in mindset being applied to all calamities of life (I just haven't read it yet). Then you kinda stop complaining and berating God for everything that is happening to you and know that He does everything to you for a reason that you can't comprehend, but it's always for the best. Just like your parents making you eat vegetables when you were a kid. Same logic. And blaming God is the worst thing someone can do.

Have a read of it here, it's really a beautiful piece of text:

The Twenty Fifth Flash- Message for the Sick