Sacred Presence: The Spiritual Heart of Healthcare

Muzzammil Ahmadzada was finishing up a volunteer shift at the hospital when his father called to let him know that a family friend had just been admitted. Even though Muzzammil did not know the man well, he headed to the patient’s room to check in.  

When he entered, he found the man sitting silently, staring into the distance with a full plate of food untouched in front of him. Elderly and frail, his muscles had visibly atrophied, and he seemed disconnected from his surroundings. Nurses occasionally passed through but never stayed long.  

Muzzammil didn’t have a treatment plan. At the time, he was only a volunteer with limited medical training. But perhaps that limitation was a hidden strength. Instead of trying to diagnose, he simply sat. He listened. He prayed. He didn’t offer advice or try to force positivity.  

Instead, he embraced a posture of presence, a skill he had learned through his time volunteering. His role was not to cure pain but to accompany it with care. In that moment, what he offered was spiritual companionship, not solutions.  

After their brief interaction, Muzzammil quietly excused himself. But as he left, something shifted. “When I walked out,” shared Muzzammil, “I saw him reach for his tray of food. That made me really happy that he was getting back to eating.” 

It was a small gesture, the kind that is easily missed in the chaos of a hospital, but for Muzzammil, it confirmed something deeper: that presence heals.  

A Lack of Support for Muslim Patients 

Simply being with someone during their suffering can stir something essential in the spirit. Sometimes, what patients need most is more than the right medication. They need the right kind of human connection.  

This encounter was more than meaningful. It was formative. It crystallized a belief Muzzammil held about the healthcare system. For all its sophistication and quantitative success, it could improve in its ability to nourish the human spirit. He began noticing this more as he prepared for a career in healthcare.  

Soon after, Muzzammil began college at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. He returned to the hospital environment and reached out to the chaplain to better understand their model of spiritual care. He was impressed to learn that there were care teams for a variety of faith traditions like Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism, but he was struck by the absence of a Muslim team. There was no dedicated support offering spiritual guidance to Muslim patients.  

Muzzammil discussed this gap with the Spiritual Care team at the hospital. When he was asked to volunteer, he was already thinking steps ahead.   

“I’m about to graduate in two years,” Muzzammil recalled. “If I come on as a volunteer, the hospital will go back to not having anyone there in two years. I thought, let me establish some infrastructure so there can be a model of visitation that won’t necessarily be dependent on one person.”   

That realization sparked his efforts to create Anees. 

Anees, a Program for Muslim Patients 

Anees was designed to ensure that Muslim patients receive regular visits from Muslim volunteers, regardless of whether Muzzammil was there or not.  

 Anees, which means “friend” in Arabic, was an intentional name. In that language, different words capture various dimensions of friendship, and “Anees” specifically refers to a friend whose presence brings calm and happiness. That’s what Muzzammil envisioned the role of an Anees volunteer to be.  

Over time, he found himself forming deep bonds with patients of all ages and conditions. “When I visit patients, I always end up becoming friends with them, whether they are my age, 90 years old, man, woman, dying, or not dying,” Muzzammil shared. “It made me realize that having somebody there for you when you are at your lowest goes a long way. People never forget that.” 

Once the initiative was running at Johns Hopkins, Muzzammil began reaching out to other hospitals in the area to explore similar collaborations. He connected with various spiritual care departments and offered to provide trained Muslim volunteers who could offer the kind of companionship he had seen make a difference. Once hospitals agreed, he built a website, began recruitment, and brought in volunteers.  

Anees Grows 

During his gap year in Washington, D.C., Muzzammil expanded Anees to another hospital and partnered with his friend and mentor, Waqas Haque, who was doing similar work in New York. The program grew steadily through relationships with hospitals and spiritual care departments, always with the goal of supporting chaplains, not replacing them.  

According to a survey about Americans’ experiences with chaplains conducted by Gallup for the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab at Brandeis University, most people (83%) surveyed stated that their interactions with a chaplain were valuable to them. They ascribed positive characteristics to their chaplain, like a good listener, spiritual, helpful, trustworthy, and knowledgeable. While the impact of chaplains is positive, the survey also notes that a combined 4% of participants report their chaplain belonging to a religion other than Christianity. In contrast, 74% belonged to a branch of the Christian religion. (A further 22% didn’t know the chaplain’s religion.)  

Thus, spiritual alignment isn’t always guaranteed for Muslim patients. Anees helped close that gap by offering trained Muslim volunteers who are spiritually prepared to provide meaningful support.  

The Importance of Presence  

Layth Alkhani, a dedicated volunteer with Anees, found that the posture of presence was the main skill that supported Muslim patients through spiritual companionship.   

“I saw one volunteer ask the patient a question,” shared Layth. “There was maybe 30 or 45 seconds of awkward silence, which felt like an hour when everyone is standing there in silence. But after that, the patient started opening up to talk about their condition and what they need. To be present and allow the person to guide the conversation is hard, but anyone can do it if they practice.” 

Similar to Muzzammil, Layth is preparing for a career as a physician. Providing presence and spiritual companionship to Muslim patients through Anees has helped him understand a deep truth: Healing isn’t just about fixing what’s broken. It’s about being with someone through their pain.   

“My job as a future physician is to figure out what disease they have and how to treat it,” Layth continued. “But I also should understand how they are feeling about the disease. Do they have any anxieties associated with the medication or the treatment plan? Being able to go the extra mile to provide more compassionate care is something that fills the spiritual care gap.” 

Going Beyond Diagnosis to Truly Listen 

In medical training, students are often taught to listen for symptoms and to begin problem-solving the moment a patient speaks. But too often, they are not trained to truly listen to the patient, including their fears, their hopes, and their spiritual needs.  

Sometimes the greatest contribution a doctor can make is simply to listen. Yet, the healthcare system often prioritizes efficiency: How many patients are seen? How many procedures are completed? It neglects this quieter, more human dimension of care.   

“You only have about ten minutes to see a patient. It’s hard to make a patient feel heard in ten minutes,” shared Muzzammil. However, it’s possible. “You can try your best to be empathetic. It’s a skill that comes out of volunteering and programs [like Anees].” 

Anees is going beyond the diagnosis and physical healing of a hospital setting. It is bringing the Sacred into clinical spaces and reframing healing as both a medical and spiritual act. 

Creating Spiritual Synergy in Hospitals Across the U.S. 

Today, Anees continues to build partnerships with hospitals across America. Its members provide deep-listening support and help Muslim patients feel truly seen and heard in some of their darkest moments.  

While the family friend whom Muzzammil visited during his volunteer work passed away, Muzzammil never forgot him. That brief interaction became the seed for something larger, for a commitment to make sure that the kind of spiritual care he received would not be the exception. It would become the norm. What began as a single encounter has become a broader vision for healthcare: a system where spiritual companionship is not an afterthought.  

Muzzammil envisions a future where Anees serves as a blueprint, not only for Muslim spiritual care, but for other faith traditions as well. It is a foundational part of a system where presence is recognized for what it truly is — a quiet, powerful form of healthcare. 

This sacred approach has the potential to serve as a model for a future that embraces spiritually integrated healthcare as a way to provide holistic support to those facing a health crisis. 

By  Suraj Arshanapally