Ramadan Notes #29: The Remembrance That Can Shape Who You Are at the Bedside

As-salamu’alaykum,

Have you ever paused to think about how your patients perceive your presence at the bedside?

Do you evoke a sense of calm as you engage them or do they sense that you are hurriedly trying to get through this next task on your list of encounters for the day?

How might we shape the patient experience in positive ways that have an impact on their clinical outcome?

The often chaotic atmosphere in many healthcare settings can be a barrier to even taking a pause to think about this idea of how we show up at the bedside. However, it is extremely relevant to our work because it does impact patient outcomes either positively or negatively.

Shaping the patient experience positively with similarly congruent downstream effects on the clinical outcomes starts with our own sense of self awareness about how we show up at the bedside. I discussed this in some detail in a prior newsletter; “Knowing You”.

A good understanding of who we are and how we show up in the world is a great place to start but this journey of discovery should only be the beginning of a growth trajectory. A commitment to taking the insights gleaned from this habitual self exploration should prompt us to aspire to role models around us and perhaps, aim higher than that to the example of the ultimate role model, Prophet Muhammad PBUH.

Prophet Muhammad PBUH was known for his humble presence and compassionate approach as much as his intentional focus on the person in front of him with full attentiveness. How often do we fall short in this regard? And is there a path within reach that can bring us closer to the example of the best of humanity at the bedside?

Allah, the Most High, commanded us in beautiful verse of the Qur’an to send blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad PBUH often;

Surah Al-Ahzab (Ch. 33): v56;“Indeed, Allah showers His blessings upon the Prophet, and His angels pray for him. O  believers! Invoke Allah’s blessings upon him, and salute him with worthy greetings of peace.”

The scholars explain many wisdoms behind this firm recommendation from our creator. For the purposes of our discussion today, I want to focus on 2 aspects that are connected to the idea of aspiring and cultivating a prophetic approach to how we deal with patients and others around us at home and at work.

The first connection that I would like to explore is the idea that sending Salawat (greetings) upon the Prophet Muahmmad PBUH is that this act brings us closer to the example of the one that we aspire to by nudging us to think about his noble qualities while tapping into the barakah of this simple and yet profound pronouncement from our tongue in the middle of our work days.

In a quote attributed to one of our pious predecessors, Imam Ibn al-Jawzi (Rahimahullah) explains;

“Know that no Muslim servant sends abundant ṣalawāt on Muḥammad ﷺ, except that Allah illuminates his heart, forgives his sins, puts his heart at ease, and makes his matters easy. Send abundant ṣalawāt, so that Allah will make you from the followers of his path, make you act upon his sunnah; and make him ﷺ our companion in Paradise.” 

The second connection is that sending blessing upon Prophet Muhammad PBUH is a way to intentionally bring Allah into the equation and have Allah solve our most challenging problems as is evident in the following narration from Ubayy ibn Ka’b, one of the companions of Prophet Muhammad PBUH;

Ubayy (May Allah be pleased with him) asked the Prophet ﷺ: “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, I invoke ṣalāh upon you often. How much of my supplications should be dedicated for you?” He ﷺ replied: “As much as you wish.”

Ubayy asked: “A fourth?” The Prophet ﷺ replied: “As you wish, but the more, the better.” 

Ubayy asked: “A half?” The Prophet replied: “As you wish, but the more, the better.”

Ubayy asked: “Two-thirds?” The Prophet ﷺ replied: “As you wish, but the more, the better.”

Ubayy asked: “Should I dedicate all of my supplications for you?” The Prophet: ﷺ replied: “In that case, your needs will be sufficed and your sins will be forgiven.” (Tirmidhī)

The summary implication of this narration is that when we leverage this gift from Allah to send blessings upon the one that we aspire to his qualities, then not only does Allah make a way for us in that regard (of course with sincere intention and hard work), Allah, the Most High also takes care of the problems, the challenges, and the worries that weigh very heavily on our minds be it related to work that we do in healthcare or issues that come up in life outside of work and at home.

It’s fairly apparent how this ties into burnout-proofing our healthcare careers by tapping into the divine wisdoms and import from the Qur’an and how this specific remembrance can shape who we are at the bedside.

Dear friends and colleagues, let us continue to nurture our connection to the Qur’an and allow Allah, the Most High, to rectify our affairs and enable us to navigate the ups and downs of our noble calling with grace knowing that our backs are covered by our creator himself.

May Allah, the Most High, keep our hearts connected to the Qur’an and accept our striving this blessed month. Amin

Sincerely,

Sulyman

P.S. Are you interested in taking your newly discovered potential this Ramadan to the next level towards your best self - Register your interest here for a group coaching opportunity with me in the near future

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