Patience Even After Giving Sadaqah: The Wisdom Behind Delayed Results

In the earlier parts of this series we saw that there is no doubt about the virtue of sadaqah, but that the hadith "Treat your sick with sadaqah" is a matter of genuine difference of opinion, that the words of Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) should not be taken out of context, and that sadaqah is never a substitute for a doctor or for ruqyah. But one question still remains — the question that circles in the mind of every patient and their loved ones: "I have given sadaqah, and still the illness is not going away — so what should I do?"

The main book — «Amazing Accounts of Treatment Through Sadaqah» (مِن عجائبِ العلاجِ بالصَّدَقة) — did not stay silent in answer to this question. After six practical guidelines, the book itself takes up this question of delayed results directly in a section called "Remaining Guidance." In today's part we will analyse that very section — without adding any new promise, and staying within the book's own words and its own limits.

When Quick Results Are Not Seen — The Book's Guidance

The book says in clear words that it can happen that, even after giving sadaqah, quick results of the patient's recovery are not seen, although this is "very rare." What to do in such a situation is: not to stop, but to give sadaqah again, to keep giving it repeatedly, and never to lose hope. Because this sadaqah is never wasted — it is preserved with One who neither errs nor forgets.

Here the book maintains an important balance, worth noticing. On the one hand it says that sadaqah is never wasted; on the other hand it acknowledges that Allah the Exalted may sometimes not grant the patient healing — even though sadaqah was given. In the book's words, when this happens it is because of "divine grace and lordly wisdom"; it may be that, out of mercy toward the servant, Allah is not healing him until he is freed from a sin on which he remains firmly persistent. So the book advises examining one's own self and the patient's self, and freeing oneself from sin and wrongdoing. Through this subtle self-reflection, in the book's words, "the Most Merciful of those who show mercy" can remove the hardship from His servant, accept the sadaqah, and grant a healing that never even came to the imagination.

In support of this discussion the book quotes a verse of the Qur'an:

وَمَا أَصَابَكُمْ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ
And whatever strikes you of disaster - it is for what your hands have earned; but He pardons much. (Surah Ash-Shura 42:30 — Saheeh International; meaning of the complete verse)

A point worth noting — in the full text of this verse Allah the Exalted also says "وَيَعْفُو عَنْ كَثِيرٍ" (and He pardons much) — that is, along with the mention of affliction, Allah's forgiveness is mentioned as well. Here the book quotes the first part of the verse, which is used to explain the relationship between affliction and sin. This verse teaches us that hardship and calamity may have a cause in one's own deeds, but it never gives permission to cast suspicion on anyone — rather, it is an invitation to turn back toward oneself, to self-reproach.

The Relationship Between Sin and Affliction — A Shar'i Saying of Wisdom, Not a Hadith

Right after this verse the book writes: "For this reason it has been said in the shar'i sayings of wisdom" — and then quotes the following sentence:

ما نَزَل بَلاَءٌ إلا بذنب ولا رُفِع إلا بتوبة<br>"No affliction descends except because of sin, and it is not lifted except through repentance."

We need to stop here and say something important clearly — because one core principle of this series is not to present any statement as having a higher or lower status than it truly has. This sentence is not a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ. The book itself does not claim it to be a hadith either — note that the book's own wording says "shar'i saying of wisdom" (a wise saying in line with the Shariah), not "hadith." Our independent verification has also confirmed the same conclusion — several Arabic fiqh and fatwa-focused sources state clearly that this statement is an "athar" (a statement of a Companion or of someone from a later era), not a hadith of the Prophet. It is mainly attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), as an athar — that is, the own wise insight of a great Companion, which spread widely and was accepted in later times, but whose chain of narration does not reach the Prophet ﷺ.

This is a matter in which many people make mistakes — on the internet, in sermons, even in many religious writings, this sentence is often passed off as a "hadith," when in reality it is not. According to the principle of this series, a Companion's saying of wisdom deserves respect in its own place — but to place it under the name of the Prophet ﷺ is contrary to honesty. So we say clearly here: this statement is a saying of wisdom/athar, a general shar'i teaching — it is not a hadith reported in the name of the Prophet.

The core message of this saying of wisdom is, however, valuable, and it is consistent with the Qur'an — affliction is often a call to self-reflection, and repentance is a path to that affliction being lifted. But here too a caution is necessary — this statement should not be used in a way that makes it seem every sick person is being held responsible for his own sins. The book itself does not speak in this language; rather, it is an invitation to examine one's own self, to turn back toward oneself — not a weapon for judging anyone else.

When Allah Grants Healing — The Lesson of Gratitude

The book then shows the other side of the coin — if Allah heals the patient and grants ease and comfort in place of hardship and suffering, then the duty of both the patient and his loved ones is one: to return to Allah with praise and gratitude, saying again and again:

الحمد لله رب العالمين<br>(All praise is for Allah, Lord of the worlds)

In the book's words, Allah alone is worthy of praise and glory, and for the one whom He has enabled to give thanks, He has made a great announcement of increase. This announcement is quoted directly from the Qur'an:

وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِنْ شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ
And [remember] when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe.'" (Surah Ibrahim 14:7 — Saheeh International; meaning of the complete verse)

The lesson of this verse is clear — after receiving healing, the most important thing is gratitude, not self-satisfaction or thinking of it as one's own achievement. Here the book gives a beautiful example — the person who, after being healed, gives abundant thanks to his Lord should take it as good news of increased health and of staying away from illness and disease. That is, gratitude is not merely a courteous response — it is itself a source of protection and barakah.

The Amazing Affair of the Believer — A Cycle of Patience and Gratitude

These two states — patience in delayed results, and gratitude in quick results — the book has strung together through a famous hadith. Narrated from the Prophet ﷺ (reported by Muslim):

عجباً لأمر المؤمن ! ، إن أمره كله خير ، وليس ذاك لأحدٍ إلا للمؤمن ، إن أصابته سَرَّاءَ شكَرَ فكان خيراً له ، وإن أصابته ضراء صبر فكان خيراً له<br>"How wonderful is the affair of the believer! All of his affairs are good. And this is for no one except the believer. If ease and comfort reach him, he gives thanks, and that is good for him; and if hardship and suffering touch him, he is patient, and that too is good for him." (reported by Muslim)

This hadith — well known as narrated in Sahih Muslim from Suhayb ibn Sinan Ar-Rumi (may Allah be pleased with him) — captures the core message of this entire discussion in one sentence. No state in a believer's life goes "empty-handed" — when ease comes, gratitude, and it is good; when hardship comes, patience, and it is good. Whatever happens after giving sadaqah — whether quick healing comes or is delayed — every response of the believer carries the opportunity to become good for him, if he chooses the right response.

One point needs to be stated clearly here — neither this hadith nor any part of the book gives the promise that "if you are patient, the illness will be cured." Rather, the lesson is deeper and more valuable than that — patience is itself a good, whatever the outcome. In the words of this hadith, the reward of patience is not tied to any particular outward result — rather, patience itself is "khayr" (good), because it keeps alive in the believer's heart trust in Allah and dependence on Him. Likewise gratitude is also a good, because it keeps the believer humble and thankful and protects him from arrogance.

The Final Lesson: The Outcome Is Allah's Decision; Patience and Gratitude Are Our Responsibility

The most important message of this part is — the outcome of sadaqah depends entirely on the decision of Allah the Exalted, and our role is only this: to keep giving sadaqah, not to lose hope, to reflect on ourselves, and to relate rightly to whatever happens — with patience if there is delay, with gratitude when healing comes. The book itself does not use the language of guarantee between these two states — it does not say "if you are patient, you will be cured"; rather it says patience is good, gratitude is good, and sadaqah is never wasted — however it may appear.

And the saying of wisdom that says "No affliction descends except because of sin" reminds us only of this much — affliction often carries an opportunity for self-reflection. It is not a hadith of the Prophet, but a saying of wisdom from a respected Companion — and remembering this distinction, like placing a piece of knowledge in its proper place, is as important as taking the lesson from it.

In the next part of the series we will return to the amazing accounts of the book — to see how the book claims this cycle of patience and gratitude has appeared in the lives of real people, and how provable each one is in our independent verification.

References

Qur'an

Surah Ash-Shura, 42:30 (partial) — ﴿وَمَا أَصَابَكُمْ مِنْ مُصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِيكُمْ﴾ — "Whatever misfortune befalls you is because of what your own hands have earned."
Surah Ibrahim, 14:7 (partial) — ﴿وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِنْ شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ﴾ — "And remember when your Lord announced: If you give thanks, I will surely increase you."

Hadith

"How wonderful is the affair of the believer..." (عجباً لأمر المؤمن) — Narrator: Suhayb ibn Sinan Ar-Rumi (may Allah be pleased with him) — reported by Muslim

Scholarly/Companion saying of wisdom (not a hadith)

«ما نَزَل بَلاَءٌ إلا بذنب ولا رُفِع إلا بتوبة» — "No affliction descends except because of sin, and it is not lifted except through repentance." — Presented in the book as a "shar'i saying of wisdom"; independent verification has confirmed that it is not a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ, but an athar — mainly attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him). Its specific chain of narration and grade of acceptability are currently UNVERIFIED — several secondary Arabic fiqh/fatwa sources (such as the IslamWeb Fatwa Center and Miraath.net) agree on this athar/non-hadith status, but the direct chain in the original source books has not yet been examined.

Other

Amazing Accounts of Treatment Through Sadaqah (مِن عجائبِ العلاجِ بالصَّدَقة), by a group of students of knowledge (compilation) — the original Arabic book and its Bangla translation, the section "Treatment Through Sadaqah — Remaining Guidance"
An independent verification report of this series — "ما نزل بلاء إلا بذنب": verifying the hadith/athar status of the wisdom sayings, 2026-09-21

This article has been prepared based on the discussion in the book «من عجائب العلاج بالصدقة». Author of the original book: a group of students of knowledge (compilation).