What are the rewards of a Medical doctor?

Answer

Wa’alaykum as Salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,

Just as any other profession, if you become a doctor with the intention of only getting the benefits of this world, then you will indeed become rich and famous, but unfortunately, the reward stops there. Such a doctor will get nothing in the Hereafter. But if you make the intention to serve other, Allah will bless you in this world as well as the next. Your reward will be based entirely on your intention and objective. The following narration is well known:

 علقمة بن وقاص الليثي، يقول: سمعت عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه على المنبر قال: سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: «إنما الأعمال بالنيات، وإنما لكل امرئ ما نوى، فمن كانت هجرته إلى دنيا يصيبها، أو إلى امرأة ينكحها، فهجرته إلى ما هاجر إليه (صحيح البخاري ج ١ ص ٦)

‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said that I heard Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) saying, “The reward of deeds are based upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, 1/6)

If you become a doctor with the correct intentions, then the rewards that you will get are really enormous. Make your intention that you want to serve the creation for the pleasure of Allah. If anyone needs treatment but is unable to afford it, treat them with the intention that you are helping them only for Allah. If someone comes to you in the late hours of the night and are distressed because of their sickness which needs prompt attention, help them at that time and see how Allah will help you in everything. In short, use your qualification and knowledge to assist mankind, and you will get the exceptional rewards and blessings which Allah has prepared for such people.

If you look even in your own community, you will find that many doctors who ran their practices with the objective of helping others, rather than just amassing wealth, Allah blessed them with honourable deaths. Such doctors either pass away on a Friday, or in Ramadhaan, or those around them clearly hear them reciting the Kalimah at the time of their death. This is a fact, and you can look anywhere in the world, you will notice how much honour Allah gave to doctors whose objective was to assist people, rather than to make money out of people.

The books of Ahadith are replete with narration of the rewards of those who help others. For example, in a narration of Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said,

مَنْ كَانَ في حَاجَة أخِيه ، كَانَ اللهُ في حَاجَتِهِ، وَمَنْ فَرَّجَ عَنْ مُسْلِمٍ كُرْبَةً، فَرَّجَ اللهُ عَنْهُ بِهَا كُرْبَةً مِنْ كرَبِ يَومِ القِيَامَةِ (مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيهِ)

“Whoever helps his Muslim brother, Allah will help him. Whoever removes the difficulty of his brother, Allah will remove all his difficulties on the day of Qiyamah.” (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)

In another narration of Sahih Muslim, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said,

وَمَنْ يَسَّر عَلَى مُعْسِرٍ يَسَّرَ الله عَلَيهِ في الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ ، وَمَنْ سَتَرَ مُسْلِماً سَتَرَهُ الله في الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ ، والله في عَونِ العَبْدِ مَا كَانَ العَبْدُ في عَونِ أخِيهِ 

“Whoever makes things easy for a person going through difficulty, Allah will make things easy for him in this world and in the hereafter. Whoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults in this world and the hereafter. Allah will continuously help a person who is helping his brother.” (Sahih Muslim)

Like this, there are literally hundreds of narrations which explains the immense reward of those who help others.

In conclusion, the rewards of becoming a doctor with the sole purpose of helping are too much for us to possibly fathom. Leave alone the hereafter, such a doctor gets the help and blessings of Allah in this world already.