The ICU Visit
In 2021, Tarbiya Institute’s Chaplaincy Department expanded spiritual care to the greater community beyond the limits of the physical masjid.
We focused on increasing the response team’s capacity to serve the Greater Sacramento Area and in just 7 months, our team has grown from 6 to 28 chaplains ranging from chaplain assistants to Imams and Ustadha’s. These folks serve the Greater Sacramento Muslim community on multiple fronts: hospitals, college campuses, prisons, professional work settings, and more. Tarbiya Chaplaincy serves the community’s spiritual care needs following the prophetic tradition by nurturing hearts and restoring spiritual wellness.
With the grace of Allah (swt), we officially launched our work at Sutter hospital to tend to the spiritual needs of Muslim patients. There are Muslims hospitalized for a variety of reasons on a daily basis ranging from short-term stays to long-term stays. As our own Dr. Sadiah Iqbal once said regarding the role of a chaplain, “...chaplains play a critical role in providing spiritual care, integrating the body and soul, to patients during the most vulnerable time in their lives...In order to truly deliver compassionate and holistic care, we need to focus on physical, emotional, and spiritual healing for patients.”
On Saturday, October 5th, the Chaplaincy team received a call from Sutter Hospital in Roseville to visit a beloved and dear brother in our community - Dr. Sultan. Despite Dr. Sultan being in ICU, the Chaplain assistant did not hesitate to visit the bedside of Dr. Sultan and provide comforting words, hold his hand, recite Qur’an and make du’aa on his behalf. Dr. Sultan left this world only a few days later.
We pray that Allah (swt) will shower his mercy and love upon Dr. Sultan, bless him with the highest levels of His Jannah, and heal the broken hearts of his beloved family.
The critical work of our Chaplaincy department began exactly 3 years ago when our Imams visited the Institute of Knowledge in Diamond Bar, CA to learn the foundation of creating a Chaplaincy department. Tarbiya Chaplaincy extends its deepest gratitude and appreciation for the friendship, support, guidance and advice from our brothers and sisters at the IOK.
Since our first hospital visit this month, we have reflected on the fact that our Chaplains are reaching patients when their own families cannot see them and this is truly a testimony to the trust that Allah (swt) and the community has placed in us. Please make du’aa for our Chaplaincy team as they embark on this journey, seeking to emulate our beloved Prophet (pbuh) and provide much-needed comfort and Islamic care to the most vulnerable in our community.