Hadith: If you wish, be patient and you will enter Paradise, or, if you wish, I will supplicate to Allah to cure you

عن عبد الله بن عباس رضي الله عنهما أنه قال لعطاء بن أبي رباح: ألاَ أُريكَ امرأةً مِن أَهلِ الجَنَّة؟ قال عطاء: فَقُلت: بَلَى، قال: هذه المرأة السَّوداء أَتَت النَّبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فقالت: إِنِّي أُصرَع، وإِنِّي أَتَكَشَّف، فَادعُ الله تعالى لِي، قال: «إِن شِئتِ صَبَرتِ ولَكِ الجَنَّةُ، وَإِن شِئْتِ دَعَوتُ الله تعالى أنْ يُعَافِيك» فقالت: أَصبِرُ، فقالت: إِنِّي أَتَكَشَّف فَادعُ الله أَن لاَ أَتَكَشَّف، فَدَعَا لَهَا.
[صحيح] - [متفق عليه]

‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with them said to ‘Atā’ ibn Abi Rabāh: “Shall I show you a woman of the people of Paradise?” ‘Atā’ said: 'Yes.' He said: "This black woman came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and said: ‘I suffer from epilepsy and, as a result, my body becomes uncovered. So please supplicate to Allah for me.’ The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said to her: ‘If you wish, be patient and you will enter Paradise; or, if you wish, I will supplicate to Allah to cure you.' She said: ‘I will remain patient.’ She then said: ‘But I become uncovered, so please invoke Allah that I do not become uncovered.’ So he supplicated for her."
[Authentic hadith] - [Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim]

Explanation

Ibn ‘Abbās told his student ‘Atā’ ibn Abi Rabāh about a black woman who was one of the people of Paradise. She was not known by the people and no one knew of her status. She was afflicted with epilepsy and, as a result, her body sometimes became uncovered. She complained to the Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and asked him to supplicate to Allah for her to be cured. The Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told her that if she wished, he could invoke Allah to cure her or if she wished she could be patient and enter Paradise. She chose to be patient, even though she was suffering and hurting from her epilepsy. She agreed to be patient, because she wanted to enter Paradise. She said: "Oh Messenger of Allah, I become uncovered, so please invoke Allah that I do not become uncovered." After this, when she had epileptic seizures, she would not become uncovered.