Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Joints Salaaming Each Other?!


Knee Arthritis - Image Credit Here

While doing research for a grief pamphlet from the Islaamic perspective I am writing for the prison, I came across the following hadith. It describes what happens, in part, during the dying process:

"Abu Hudbah Ibrahim bin Hudbah related from Anas bin Malik that the Prophet (saw) said: 'Indeed, the worshipper experiences the agonies and pangs of death; his joints bid one another peace, saying, 'And peace be upon you; you part from me and I part from you until the Day of Judgement.'" (It was mentioned by Ibn 'Iraq in Tanzib Ash-Shari'ah 2:375, and he attributed it to Ad-Dailami, from Anas.)

Subhan'Allah!

Being a person who suffers from severe arthritis along with MS and peripheral neuropathy, Alhamdulillah, this hadith jumped off the page at me.

Just the vision of my poor joints saying "as salaamu alaikum" to each other at my death is somehow comforting and increases hope for the Day of Judgement.

12 comments:

NtN said...

Which peripheral neuropathy do you have??

AlabasterMuslim said...

OMG subhanallah, thank you soo much for posting this hadith! I love reading hadiths that i otherwise might not have!


odd thought: If any of us are dying right now, we are oblivious that our joints are salaaming each other.

Anonymous said...

Assalamu alaikom,
I've NEVER read that before... Interesting. Strange!

Safiyyah said...

As Salaamu Alaikum!

@ Noor - I have PN of the nerves in my whole left leg. My pain specialist did a nerve conduction study of my whole body. I took my husband with me bcause my doctor is also very active in our masjid. It is weird to know that a brother in the masjid besides your husband knows what you look like undressed. Alhamdulillah, I digress...anyhow, I have incredible numbness, especially on my thigh and my ankle. I could probably stick a needle there and not feel it. The irony is that PN also causes nerve pain. I have had pain that feels like a bee sting, painful enough to cause me to shout out. Weird. So, on this left leg, I have:

1. restless leg syndrome - it feels like there are ants crawling around in the veins of my legs
2. MS - muscle pain and spasms
3. Arthritis - bone and joint pain and spasms of surrounding muscles
4. Peripheral neuropathy - at times, total numbness

So, I am either in screaming pain or dead numbness.

Do you have PN? How does yours act?

@ Alabaster and Eyes Serene - Yes, Alhamdulillah, sis. One of the blessings of being a Muslim chaplain is that I am always doing extensive research for classes or booklets I write for the inmates. I just love finding the little hidden gem hadiths!

NtN said...

Ugggggggh, NCS's suuuuuuuuck. I've had like 4...awful things. Have they tried Neurontin or Lyrica, any of the neuropathic pain meds? Or have you tried visualization?

I am intimately familiar with the feelings of neuropathic pain, mine just crop up everywhere at random. I have CIDP (similar to MS, but alhamdulillah, treatable) and POTS. I've also got at least spinal arthritis, although they think it'll spread or already has. Basically, mine crops up when it feels like it; stabby pains all over randomly (I had one in my left breast the other day while talking to a friend...it was fabulous clutching my breast while talking to her, lol.) I also get dead-leg, creaks, aches, tingling, stinging, burning, pinging (between 2 locations), numbness, popping, and a couple other weird sensations. It really makes life more interesting! I'm allergic to the pain meds, so I just deal from day to day, alhamdulillah. I'm able to walk and move again (I had severe muscle wasting when I first got sick 14 years ago) The POTS comes with fibromyalgia and a whole spectrum of other autonomic disorders, so it's a bit of a double whammy, but it could be so much worse, so alhamdulillah. Do you get the "my feet are on fire" nerve burn?

Safiyyah said...

Salaams Noor:

Ya Allah! I can relate to most everything you wrote!

The feet on fire - OH YES! And my feet also becoming flaming red in color! The bottoms almost look crimsom! The burning is intense. I also get the burning in my spine and hip.

When I get "feet on fire," I lay on my bed and put my legs up against the wall. That seems to help the feet.

The stinging nerve pain is what gets me the most. It is truly like a severe insect sting. I have cried out and grabbed my leg. Even though I "know" what is happening, each time it occurs I am never prepared for it. The first few times it happened, I actually looked and looked to try to see where I had been stung.

I haven't tried the meds you mentioned. The doctor has mentioned a few but since the pain meds worked, I didn't give it serious thought. If/when it gets worse, I will have to re-evaluate it. Sometimes I feel like the doctors just experiment on me, seeing what will work. In reality, I know it's a crap shoot until finally something will work. He mentioned Topamax, which sounded like a winner because it also causes weight loss. But I researched it on the Internet and there are whole support groups for users of Topamax! The side effects can be very psychiatrically debilitating at high doses.

Ive also had a Baker's cyst behind my knee for almost two years. I blew my knee out when we moved, carrying boxes up and down the stairs. The cyst prevents me from sitting back in jalsah sometimes.

I'm a mess, Alhamdulillah :)

American Muslima Writer said...

SubhanALLAH SAF!!!

I've known you for how long and I've never know how much pain you are going through!?!?!?!

I had 2 herniated disks before which was pinching my siatica down both legs and had to stay in bed for like a month. I thought that was agony but this sound much much worse!!!

May Allah grant you ease and expiation from it all. He must seriously love ya gurl!

I really hope there is something safe you can take to remove this nerve damage pain. You would think with all this advanced medicine they would have the treatment down pat...*sigh* greed of the world...

You're always in my du'as dearest.

I really don't know how you do all that you do and still find time for others ;) Love ya so much!!!

NtN said...

I know at least part of it is an Ashkenazi thing..Go us, right? Good tip for the feet burning; I'll have to try that next time. Does stomping ever work for your numbness?

Oo oo oo, I forgot one...Do you get the "deep itch"? Where your skin doesn't itch but your muscles do? And do you get a lot of adhesions? Massage therapy can help a ton with at least some of it, alhamdulillah.

Hey, at least we have bodies and limbs that can move, alhamdulillah. I still remember when I couldn't button my own clothing because my arms and fingers were too heavy and couldn't get the movements right. SubhanaAllah.

NtN said...

OO! Last one. Do you have the weird sensation thing? For me, it expresses in light touch being really intensely painful, especially on the back of my neck. (I have to keep my hair up most of the time because it sets the sensation off if I don't move right.) I know another woman who has texture issues; if it's not the right one, she gets pain responses.

(Kneading and pounding can help with the bee stings. Skin rolling another area or, oddly enough, biting your tongue can distract the brain. Sometimes it's all about getting different stimuli in there!)

Anonymous said...

I congratulate, you were visited with simply excellent idea

Yusuf Smith said...

As-Salaamu 'alaikum,

Sorry to anyone who got more than one copy of this through other sources, but I thought I'd post this because I've been asked to, regarding a severely disabled sister in Texas named Iram Akram. She suffered a spinal cord injury (C3 complete) when she was shot during a robbery at her gas station and store in 2007. She is paralysed from the neck down and, although not on a ventilator, requires regular suctioning as she cannot cough.

This is the reply I got from the lady who runs her YouTube page and this is the reply I got:

Jazak Allah khairan once more for asking about Iram, she is actually very sick in the hospital right now, she has been there for almost 3 weeks and her health just keeps deteriorating.... last week I went to visit her and she did not look good at all, she was barely able to talk to me... she has severe urinary system and respiratory system infections....all due to lack of movement...May Allah help her make it through this difficulty....please keep her in your prayers brother, and if you could also tell the Imam at your local masjid to make dua'a for her, and to encourage the people to make dua'a for her, that would be greatly appreciated. I haven't met Iram's husband lately, but I bet he's going through a very difficult time...May Allah give them all the sabr (patience) necessary to get through this, and may he make it an expiation for their sins...at this time she needs prayers more than anything else (even more than money donations).

Safiyyah said...

Salaams Yusuf:

JAK for posting this. It is the first time I am seeing it.

May Allah (swt)reward the sister and her family/Ameen.

Allah (swt) can change our lives around in a nano second. We must always be grateful to Him for the gift of good health and vigor.