Free Community Service · Chicagoland · Est. 2011

When illness comes,
you shouldn't face it alone.

Sakina offers free counseling for Muslim patients and families navigating serious illness — bringing together medical guidance and Islamic perspective so that families can make decisions with both clarity and faith. This work has been quietly happening for over 15 years. Now it has a home.

Request a Session Our Story

سكينة

"Every soul shall taste death — and you will be given your full reward on the Day of Resurrection."

— Qur'an 3:185

Completely free of charge
Confidential and compassionate
Guided by both medical expertise and Islamic scholarship
Available in English, Urdu & Arabic
Open to patients and their families

"A phone call would come. A friend, a community member, someone who didn't know where else to turn. I would go to the hospital, sit with the family, explain what the doctors had told them — and then explain what Islam had to say about it. This went on for years, quietly, one family at a time."

— Dr. Danish Ahmed, Founder

Over 15 years of quiet service — now with a formal home

2011

Where it began

Dr. Ahmed begins fielding calls from friends and community members facing serious illness — visiting patients in hospitals and advising families over the phone, combining his clinical expertise with Islamic guidance.

2011–2025

Palliative Care Counseling (PCC)

The work continues informally under the name Palliative Care Counseling — serving dozens of Muslim families across Chicagoland through some of the hardest moments of their lives.

2026

Sakina is born

What began as one physician answering calls from his community now has a name, a team, and a formal structure — so that more families can receive the care they deserve.

What is Sakina?

A space for peace
in difficult times

Sakina — سكينة — means divine tranquility and peace. When a loved one is seriously ill, families are often overwhelmed — by medical decisions they don't fully understand, by fear, and by questions about what Islam truly asks of us in these moments.

Sakina brings together medical guidance and Islamic perspective to help families find clarity, direction, and peace — at no cost, in your language, at your pace.

🩺

Medical Guidance

We explain your loved one's condition, what treatment options mean in plain language, and help you understand choices around comfort care, hospice, and advance directives.

🕌

Islamic Counseling

We explore Islamic guidance on death, dying, and the choices families face — including the permissibility of comfort care, spiritual preparation, and ghusl and janazah guidance.

👨‍👩‍👧

Family Support

We welcome patients and their families together — because these decisions belong to the whole family, and no one should carry this weight alone.

Who We Serve

For patients and families
facing serious illness

We serve Muslim patients living with any serious or life-limiting illness, and their families. You do not need a referral — simply reach out.

🎗️

Cancer

Any stage, any type

🫀

Heart Disease

Advanced or end-stage heart failure

🫁

Lung Disease

Chronic respiratory failure, oxygen-dependent

🩸

Kidney Disease

End-stage renal disease, on or considering dialysis

🫙

Liver Disease

Advanced or end-stage liver failure

🤲

Any Serious Illness

If you are unsure, please reach out — we are here

How It Works

Simple, personal, at your pace

Step 01

Reach Out

Fill out our short form or call us directly. No referral needed, no paperwork. We will be in touch within 24–48 hours to find a time that works for you.

Step 02

Getting to Know You

Before anything else, we sit with you — patient and family together — to understand your situation, your concerns, and what matters most to you. This is not a clinical intake. It is a conversation, at your pace, in your language. We listen before we speak.

📋

A simple check-in before we begin

We ask you to fill out a short, visual form — a few straightforward questions with simple response options — to help us understand where you and your family are starting from. There are no right or wrong answers. It simply helps us make sure the sessions are as useful as possible for your specific situation.

Step 03

Medical Session

You will receive clear medical guidance — an honest explanation of your loved one’s condition, what the options truly mean, and what comfort care and hospice look like in practice. Plain language, no pressure. Your family is encouraged to be present and ask anything.

Step 04

Islamic Session

You will receive Islamic guidance on death, dying, and the decisions your family faces — rooted in religious scholarship and delivered with compassion. A space for real questions, for doubt, for grief, and for spiritual grounding. Nothing is off limits.grounding. Nothing is off limits.

Step 05

A Closing Conversation

We follow up after the sessions to check in — how are you feeling, what has settled, what questions remain. There is no checklist. We simply want to make sure you and your family feel held, understood, and not left behind.

📋

The same short form, one more time

We ask you to revisit the same simple form you filled out at the beginning. Not as a test — but because seeing how your understanding and comfort has shifted is meaningful to us, and often meaningful to families too. Many tell us it is the moment they realize how much has changed.

Our Approach

Faith and medicine,
together

Many Muslim families carry questions like: Does Islam require us to continue every treatment? Is choosing comfort care the same as giving up? What does tawakkul really mean when the doctors say there is nothing more to do? These questions deserve real answers — grounded in both Islamic scholarship and medical honesty, brought together in one place.

توكل

Tawakkul in Illness

Relying on Allah does not mean demanding every intervention. We explore together what it means to trust Allah completely while accepting the reality of what He has decreed.

حسن الخاتمة

Husn al-Khatimah

A good ending — with the Shahada on one's lips, surrounded by loved ones, at peace with Allah. We help families create the spiritual conditions for this beautiful ending.

الوصية

Al-Wasiyyah

The Islamic will. We help patients put their wishes in writing — medical and spiritual — so that nothing is left uncertain when the time comes.

الصبر

Sabr & Preparation

We guide families through grief, ghusl, janazah, and what it means to be truly present with a loved one at the threshold — with patience, love, and faith.

Our Team

People who care

15+ Years of Service

Dr. Danish Ahmed, MD

Medical & Religious Guidance · Founder & Program Director

Dr. Ahmed is a board-certified hospitalist physician with over 15 years of experience providing end-of-life counseling to Muslim families across Chicagoland — first informally, one call at a time, and now through Sakina. He holds formal training in both medicine and Islamic studies, and serves as Director of Islamic Education at the Center for Islamic Teachings & Community Development (CITCD) in Harvey, Illinois. Sakina was born from his conviction that Muslim families deserve guidance that honors both their medical reality and their faith — together, not separately.

Humaam Sufyaan

Program Coordinator

Pre-medical senior at the University of Illinois Chicago. Humaam coordinates sessions, supports families through the process, and ensures every family is cared for from first contact to follow-up.

Muhammad Abdullaah

Program Associate

Pre-medical sophomore at the University of Illinois Chicago. Muhammad supports program operations and helps families navigate resources and next steps.

Rubaa Maryam

Community Liaison

Pre-medical freshman at DePaul University. Rubaa connects Sakina to mosques and families across Chicagoland and supports outreach in English and Arabic.

Khadeeja Amatullaah

Community Associate

Freshman at the College of DuPage. Khadeeja supports community outreach and helps families find and access the program.

Khaalid M Saifullah

Outreach & Community Support

Senior at Bayaan Academy. Khaalid supports mosque outreach and community awareness across the Chicagoland Muslim community.

Get In Touch

We are here for you

Request a Session

Leave your contact details and we will call you. No medical information needed here — just how to reach you.

First Name

Last Name

Phone Number

I am requesting for

Preferred Language

Best time to call

Anything you'd like us to know (optional)

🔒 Your information is private and will only be used to contact you about your session.

Jazakallah Khair — we received your request and will be in touch within 24–48 hours. بارك الله فيكم

You can also reach us directly

Whether you are a patient, a family member, a caregiver, or an imam referring a community member — we welcome your call.

✉️

Email

sakinacounselinghelp@gmail.com

📍

Serving

The greater Chicagoland area
Sessions available in-person or by phone/video

🕌

Affiliated With

Center for Islamic Teachings & Community Development (CITCD), Harvey, Illinois

🗣️

Languages

English · Urdu · Arabic

🤝

Imam or Community Leader?

We welcome referrals from masjid leadership, community scholars, and anyone who knows a family that could benefit. Reach out directly — we will take it from there.

When illness comes,you shouldn't face it alone.