Is it true that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) visited a Jewish boy who was sick?

Dear Brother / Sister,

The incident mentioned in the question occurred as follows:

A young Jewish boy used to serve the Prophet Muhammad and he became sick. The Prophet went to visit him. He sat by his bedside and asked him to become a Muslim. The boy looked at his father, who was sitting there, to find out about his opinion. His father said: “Obey the call of Abul-Qasim”, and the boy became a Muslim.

Thereupon, the Prophet (pbuh) said,

“Praise be to Allah, who saved this infant from Hell.”

Then, he left. (Bukhari, Janaiz 80)

In the narrations of the hadith in Bukhari (Marda 11) and Abu Dawud (Janaiz 2), it is not mentioned that the Jewish boy in question served the Prophet. It is generally accepted that the child had not yet reached puberty. As a matter of fact, the word ghulam indicates this.

Beside, in the narration of Abu Dawud, the last sentence is as follows: “Praise be to Allah, who saved this infant from punishment through me.”

The Prophet (pbuh) acted kindly and modestly by visiting the Jewish child, sitting by his bedside and asking about his well-being. Although the hadith might imply that he wanted him to convert to Islam as soon as he sat down, the first thing the visitor should do is to ask the patient’s well-being, pray for him, and wish him a speedy recovery. Among those ordinary actions, the narrator, Anas, was most struck by the fact that the Prophet sat at the bedside of the sick child and offered the child to become a Muslim in due course. That is why he narrated those two things.

The hadith shows that visiting the sick also includes non-Muslims and that such human relations are a suitable opportunity for conveying the message of Islam. The hadith also shows that children who have not yet reached puberty (ghulam) can be offered to embrace religion of Islam. The Prophet (pbuh) did not discriminate between religions in his compassion for children. Therefore, the children of non-Muslims also received his compassion. He advised Muslims not to kill children during the war and to treat them well.

As a matter of fact, during a war, some children were caught between the two sides and were killed. The Prophet was very saddened by this incident. The Companions said,

“O Messenger of Allah! They are the children of polytheists. Why are you sad?” The Prophet said,

“They are as they were born. Do not kill children; never slaughter children. Every soul is pure in its first creation.” (Musnad, 3/435)

Islam’s approach to the child is based on love, compassion and tolerance because the child comes into the world with an immaculate creation and without sin. Until the age of puberty, he is not considered religiously responsible for his deeds. The newborn baby needs the help of the elders in every aspect and is dependent on the parents until a certain age. Therefore, the child can develop a strong personality to the extent that he/she is given the necessary attention. From this point of view, the Prophet’s approach to children and his recommendations for their upbringing are quite remarkable.

The Prophet had a deep love and affection for children at every stage of his life; he took them seriously, got down to their level, solved their problems and guided them to the right path. Some of his recommendations are as follows:  

“If you have a child, play with him/her as if you were a child.” (Daylami, 3/513)

“Treat your children with kindness and raise them well.” (Ibn Majah, Adab, 3)

“If a person says to a child, ‘Come here, I will give you something,’ and then does not give it to him, a sin of lying will be recorded for him.” (Musnad, 2/452)

“Fear Allah and treat your children justly and equally.” (Muslim, Hibat 13)

“If a person has a daughter, does not bury her in the ground, does not despise her and does not prefer a son to her, Allah will admit him to Paradise.” (Abu Dawud, Adab, 121)

“If a person brings up and educates two girls until they reach the age of puberty, that person and I will stand side by side like this on the Day of Resurrection.” (Muslim, Birr, 149)

“Do not curse yourselves; do not curse your children, and do not curse your property. It may be at a time when wishes are accepted and Allah might accept your curse.” (Muslim, Zuhd, 74)

“A man was sitting next to the Prophet (pbuh). Meanwhile, a boy came. The man kissed the child and sat him on his knees. After a while, the man’s daughter also came. The man made her sit next to him. Then, the Prophet (pbuh) reprimanded him, saying: ‘Why did you not treat the two of them equally?” (Kandehlevi, M. Yusuf, Hayatu’s-Sahaba (transl by Ahmet Meylani) Ist. 1980, Vol. III, p. 46)

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