These words help children talk to Arabic-speaking relatives, and connect illness with dua.
Key words
| Arabic | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| مَرِيض / مَرِيضَة | marid / maridah | ill (boy / girl) |
| طَبِيب | tabib | doctor |
| دَوَاء | dawa’ | medicine |
| مُسْتَشْفَى | mustashfa | hospital |
| صُدَاع | suda‘ | headache |
| حُمَّى | humma | fever |
| سُعَال | su‘al | cough |
| أَلَم | alam | pain |
Two sentence patterns
- عِنْدِي … (I have …): عِنْدِي حُمَّى, I have a fever.
- … يُؤْلِمُنِي (… hurts me): بَطْنِي يُؤْلِمُنِي, my tummy hurts.
Combine with body words: see body parts in Arabic.
The dua for the sick
The Prophet ﷺ would say (Sahih al-Bukhari 5743):
اللّٰهُمَّ رَبَّ النَّاسِ، أَذْهِبِ الْبَأْسَ، اشْفِ أَنْتَ الشَّافِي، لَا شِفَاءَ إِلَّا شِفَاؤُكَ، شِفَاءً لَا يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا
“O Allah, Lord of mankind, remove the harm and heal, You are the Healer; there is no healing but Your healing, a healing that leaves no illness.”
Practice
Play “doctor” with a teddy: your child is the طَبِيب and asks “مَاذَا يُؤْلِمُكَ؟” (What hurts?).
Teacher’s tip: when your child is unwell, say the dua over them every time. They learn it by hearing it when they need it most.
Related: Visiting the sick.
