✨The Passing of the Prophet
All praise is due to Allah Who decreed death upon the living, and made the hereafter for accounting and recompense. And if Allah Almighty had decreed remaining in this worldly life for any of His creation, foremost for that would be His close friend, the best of His creation, the delight of the our eyes, our beloved Prophet Mohammed ﷺ. Allah Almighty said:
Al Anbiya (21) 34: And We did not grant to any man before you eternity [on earth]; so if you die – would they be eternal?
For there is no loss greater and more heartbreaking than the loss of the Prophet ﷺ, not the loss of fathers and mothers, or children and wives, or brothers and sisters.
So I advise myself and you to be conscious of Allah Almighty and to perform righteous deeds and to beware of this worldly life and its temptations. For this world is the place for deeds and not the permanent home. And indeed the hereafter is the permanent home. So take from your worldly lives for your hereafter.
An Nisa (4) 77: Say, “The enjoyment of this world is little, and the Hereafter is better for those conscious of Allāh. And injustice will not be done to you, [even] as much as a thread [inside a date seed].”
The birth of the Prophet ﷺ and him being sent to people as a prophet and messenger, a guide and a teacher, then his emigration to Medina, and the building of the Islamic community were the greatest events in all of human history. Then the tragedy of his death was the biggest tragedy for those who believe in him.
Before his death, he ﷺ knew that his death was near, and that his departure was approaching. So he bid farewell to his companions, may Allah be pleased with them, in the tenth year after Hijrah during his Hajj (pilgrimage) at the Jamrat al-Aqaba saying:
Learn your Hajj rites, for I do not know whether I will perform Hajj after this Hajj of mine. [Sahih Muslim 1297]
Then he ﷺ returned to Madinah and stayed in it for the rest of the month of Dhul Hijjah and the months of Muharram and Safar. Then he ﷺ became ill in the later part of the month of Safar. And he ﷺ advised his daughter Fatima, may Allah be pleased with her, that his time was near. Fatimah said that:
Jibril used to review the Qur’an with him once each year, but he reviewed it with him twice that year, and he ﷺ said “I think that my time is near. You will be the first of my family to join me, and what a good predecessor I am for you.” [Sunan Ibn Majah 1621, Grade: Sahih]
And the reason behind his passing was a severe illness. And the start of it was year 7 AH in the liberation of Khayber whereby he was poisoned with a lamb given to him as a gift from which he ate. And the effect of the poison stayed with him until Allah Almighty took his soul. It was related in Sahih Al-Bukhari that the Prophet ﷺsaid to Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her:
O Aisha! I still feel the pain caused by the food I ate at Khaybar, and at this time, I feel as if my aorta is being cut from that poison. [Sahih al-Bukhari 4428]
And when the Prophet ﷺ felt that his passing was close, he sought forgiveness for the martyrs of Uhud, may Allah be pleased with them, and he bid farewell to the alive and deceased. As Uqbah bin Amer, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
The Prophet ﷺ prayed over the martyrs of Uhud after eight years like a one bidding farewell to the living and dead, then he ascended the pulpit and said, I am your predecessor, and I am witness over you, and your promised place to meet me (on the Day of Resurrection) will be Al- Hawd (great body of water), and I am (now) looking at it from this place of mine. I am not afraid that you will worship others besides Allah, but I fear that you will compete for the worldly life. [Bukhari 4042, Muslim 2296b]
And when illness weighed him ﷺ down and his pain became severe, he sent for his wives and they gathered. Then he ﷺ asked their permission to stay in Aisha’s house through his illness. As was related in Abu Dawood the Prophet ﷺ said:
I am unable to visit all of you. If you are willing to permit me to stay with Aishah, you may do so. So they permitted him (to stay with A’ishah). [Sunan Abu Dawud 2137, Grade: Sahih (Albani)]
Then the Prophet ﷺ exited between Al Abbas and Ali, may Allah be pleased with them, dragging his feet on the ground due to his severe illness until he entered Aisha’s house.
And due to the illness, the temperature of his body increased. Ibn Masood, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
I visited Allah’s Messenger ﷺ as he was running a high temperature. I touched him with my hand and said: Allah’s Messenger, you have a severe fever, whereupon Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said: Yes, my fever is like the fever of two men among you. So I said, is that because you will have a double reward? Thereupon Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said: Yes. And Allah’s Messenger ﷺ again said: No Muslim is afflicted by harm from an illness, or some other affliction, except that through it Allah will remove his bad deeds, as a tree sheds its leaves. [Bukhari 5660, Muslim 2571a]
And Allah’s Messenger ﷺ continued to be keen to lead the people in prayer in spite of his severe pain until he was overcome by the illness and he was unable to go out. So upon that, Allah’s messenger commanded Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, to lead the people in prayer.
Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, became seriously ill, he said, Have the people prayed? We said: “No, they are waiting for you, 0 Messenger of Allah ﷺ ” He said: “Put some water in a tub for me.” We did that and he performed Ghusl, then he tried to get up but he fainted. Then he awoke and said: “Have the people prayed?” We said: “No, they are waiting for you, 0 Messenger of Allah ﷺ.” He said: “Put some water in a tub for me.” We did that and he sat up and performed Ghusl, then he tried to get up but he fainted. Then he awoke and said: “Have the people prayed?” We said: “No, they are waiting for you, 0 Messenger of Allah ﷺ.” He said: “Put some water in a tub for me.” We did that and he performed Ghusl, then he tried to get up but he fainted and then awoke then said, “Have the people prayed?” We said: “No, they are waiting for you, 0 Messenger of Allah ﷺ.” She said, The people were in the Masjid, waiting for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for Isha prayer. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent word to Abu Bakr, telling him to lead the people in prayer…So Abu Bakr led them in prayer those days. [Bukhari 687]
And the Prophet ﷺ remained in his illness for thirteen days and did not go out to the people. And he had some dinars so he asked Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her about them. She said:
The Prophet ﷺ commanded to give some gold that was with him during his illness in charity. She said, he awoke and said, what did you do? She said, what I saw of you occupied me. He said, bring it (the gold). So she brought him seven or nine (Abu Hazem was uncertain of the number) dinars. He ﷺ said when she brought them: what does Mohammad think if he meets Allah Almighty and this (gold) is with him? [Ahmad 24560, Grade: Sahih (Arnaout)]
And on Monday, when the companions were aligned (in rows) for the prayer the Prophet ﷺ lifted the curtain of his house and as related in Al Bukhari (680) and Muslim (479a) and he looked at us while he was standing. His face was glowing and beautiful and he smiled cheerfully. We were about to be tested (in leaving the prayer) from the pleasure of seeing the Prophet, Abu Bakr retreated to join the row as he thought that the Prophet ﷺ would lead the prayer. The Prophet ﷺbeckoned us to complete the prayer and he let the curtain fall. And in the narration of Muslim he ﷺ said:
O people, there is nothing left of the glad tidings of Prophethood except a good dream that a Muslim sees or is seen by others about him. Then he said: Verily, I have been forbidden from reciting the Qur’an when bowing or prostrating. As for bowing, glorify the Lord therein, and as for prostration, strive hard in supplication for it is more deserving of a response. [Muslim 479a]
And the brother of Aisha, Abdulrahman bin Abu Bakr entered upon the Prophet ﷺ and she was supporting him on her chest, and Abdulrahman had a fresh Siwak that he was using. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said, so I saw Allah’s messenger ﷺ looking at it and I knew that he loved Siwak. So I said, shall I take it for you? Then the Prophet ﷺ nodded yes with his head. So I took it. But it was too stiff for him to use so I said to him, shall I moisten it for you? Then the Prophet ﷺnodded yes with his head. So I softened it and cleaned his teeth with it. And in front of him was a small container of water. He started dipping his hand in the water and rubbing his face with it, he said:
There is no rightly worshipped deity except Allah. Death has its agonies. He then lifted his hands (towards the sky) and started saying, “With the highest companion,” till he passed and his hand dropped down. [Bukhari 4449]
And in another narration:
His voice became very husky and I heard him saying: An Nisa (4) 69: With the ones upon whom Allāh has bestowed favor of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions. [Bukhari 4586, Muslim 2444c]
Then he ﷺ passed. And Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, used to say:
The Prophet ﷺ died while he was between my chest and chin, so I never dislike the agony of death for anyone after the Prophet ﷺ. [Bukhari 4446]
And the best of creation, the purest of mankind and the seal of the prophets and messengers passed. And this is the greatest affliction for the believers. And the words of Allah came about:
Az Zumar (39) 30: Indeed, you are to die, and indeed, they are to die.
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