Visiting the Ill

A man came to Shafi’i and told him that his friend was ill. Shafi’i replied: “By God you have done me good, and woken up my honour and turned away from me the lie-ridden apologies.” Shafii was referring to the case where he would later have had to apologise to his friend for not visiting him and his friend might have suspected that he was lying and had knowingly not visited.
Then Shafii said:

To walk barefoot full of pain, upon hot sand in Dhu Tawa, is easier than to give a friend a lie-laced excuse.

Then he said:

I find tranquillity in the correct upon doing it,
And it is a hard day upon me if I intentionally left it.
And you are well-blessed if you are not seen as a liar,
And your saying “I didn’t know” is very difficult.
And whomsoever fulfils the rights of the neighbour after the right of his cousin,
And his close friend, be he in any situation.
Then he shall live as a leader of the people  and sweet will be his remembrance amongst society,
And if a calamity befalls him then they will come willingly.

Looking out for our brothers and sisters is an important part of being part of the Muslim Ummah and visiting the ill forms part of this duty.
And if we do this duty well, then we will be well-mentioned and well-remembered, and people will want to come to our help when we are in need.