The Illness and the Angels
For approximately thirty years, Imran ibn Husayn suffered from a chronic debilitating illness. The narrations describe him as lying on his back for long stretches, unable to perform many of the ordinary physical acts of worship.
During this period, he reported hearing the salutations of angels — al-salam ‘alayk — while in the less severe phases of his illness. When he sought cauterization (a treatment common in his era) at one point, the reports state that the angels ceased their salutations for a period. He subsequently chose to stop seeking that treatment.
Refusing the Cure
The famous episode: Imran was told there was a form of treatment that might cure his chronic condition. He reportedly said: the illness is thirty years old and it is dear to me because it has been with me since the Prophet’s time. He did not seek the treatment.
Different readings of this report exist in the tradition: some regard it as ascetic discipline, some as trust in God’s wisdom regarding suffering, and some as a preference for the spiritual state his illness had cultivated — the hearing of angels, the stripping away of ordinary comfort.
Scholarly Presence
Despite his illness, Imran ibn Husayn was a major transmitter of hadith and a recognized scholar. He taught while lying on his side. His prominence as a faqih was such that Umar appointed him Governor of Basra, and he was praised by the tabi’un as one of the most knowledgeable of the Companions regarding permissible and impermissible matters.
See also: Seerah Khabbab Ibn Al Aratt, Seerah Abu Dharr Al Ghifari, Seerah Usama Ibn Zayd, Seerah Sad Ibn Muadh, Seerah Hudhayfah Ibn Al Yaman