The Last Days

Rumours surrounding Authority of ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib hen ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib was in Yemen, there were some rumours surrounding his authority as an Amīr over there. ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib had some camels of Sadaqah with him and the members of his army wanted to use these camels for transport; ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib refused. And he had some work to do so he left a deputy to take care of affairs in his absence, and when he came back he found out that the camels were used for transport because he saw the marks of the saddles on them, and he also saw that the people were wearing some of the garments that were also given as part of Sadaqah. So ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib became very angry and he ordered that they take off those garments and they give them back, and that caused some rumours and someone went back to Rasūlullāh ﷺ to report what happened, and there was one of the Sahābah that was there, and when this man was reporting these things against ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib the

other Sahābï was saying, “Yes, that is right. Yes, that is right,” and this Sahābï used to say, “I used to dislike ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib, I used to hate him.” And when Rasūlullāh ﷺ saw him saying yes that is right, approving the complaints that were against ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib, Rasūlullāh ﷺ put his hands on the knee of this Sahābï and he asked him, “Do you dislike ‘Ali?” He said, “Yes.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ told him, “You should love him.” So this Sahābï said, “After that, ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib was among the most beloved to me.” So this was the situation.

‘If I am your Friend then ‘Ali is Also your Friend’ – Rasūlullāh ﷺ So when Rasūlullāh ﷺ was returning from Hajjatul Wadā’ and he arrived in a place called Ghadīr Humm, Rasūlullāh ﷺ gathered the people and delivered to them the famous statement, “Man Kuntu Mawlā Fa ‘Aliyyum Mawlā – If I am the friend of someone, then ‘Ali is also his friend.” Mawlā is friend, protector, close associate, so all of these statements do apply to ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib. Now, the Shī‘ah, they carried this too far and they took it out of the context. The context of what happened is that there were false rumours going against ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib, so Rasūlullāh ﷺ wanted to defend the reputation of ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib in front of everyone and to let everyone know the status of ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib, being the cousin of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, the husband of his daughter, and the father of the only lineage remaining from Rasūlullāh ﷺ, because no lineage remained from Rasūlullāh ﷺ except through Al-Hasan and Al-Husain, the grandchildren of Rasūlullāh ﷺ. So Rasūlullāh ﷺ was telling the people that if I am your Mawlā then ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib is also your Mawlā; if you love me then you need to love ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib.

Rasūlullāh ﷺ Appoints Young Zayd Bin Hārithah to Lead

Army

Rasūlullāh ﷺ returned to Madīnah, and now we are entering into the 11th year of Hijrah. He spent there the month of Muharram, and in Safar, Rasūlullāh ﷺ appointed Usāmah Bin Zayd to lead an army that was to be sent to the land of Balqā’ in Ash-Shām, and the instructions were for

Usāmah Bin Zayd to step with his horses on the land where his father was killed. So you can see now that the focus of Rasūlullāh ﷺ is on the boundaries with the Roman Empire; you have Mu'tah first and then you have Tabūk and now you have this army of Usāmah Bin Zayd in addition to the Sarāyā that were also sent into that area, so this happened in Safar. Now, Usāmah Bin Zayd at that time, how old was he? He was between 18 to 20 years old – very young, and you have senior Sahābah from Al-Muhājirīn and Al-Ansār – older men with much experience in warfare and in leadership and managing the affairs of armies – and Rasūlullāh ﷺ appoints a very young man to lead an army that included Abū Bakr and ‘Umar. So there was some talk going on, and obviously the community is large, so there is more room for idle talk to go on because you still had a strong presence of Nifāq, and a large number of Muslim, so there was talk going around; why is Usāmah Bin Zayd appointed? And the objections were for two reasons; number one, his age, and number two, that he belongs to the slave caste; his father was a former slave and the same thing with his mother Umm Ayman, therefore how could he lead over the free men? And these concerns reached to Rasūlullāh ﷺ so Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, and this is in Bukhārī, “In Tat‘anū Fī Imāratihī Faqad Kuntum Tat‘anūna Fī Imārati Abīhi Min Qabl – If you are disputing his appointment, then you have disputed the appointment of his father before. Wa Aymullāha In Kāna La Khalīqa Lil Imārati Wa In Kāna Lamin Ahabbin Nāsi Ilaÿ Wa Inna Hādhā Lamin Ahabbin Nāsi Ilayya Ba’dah – And in the name of Allāh, he (the father of Zayd Ibn Hārithah) was a suitable person for appointing as a leader and he was one of the most beloved people to me, and this man is one of the most beloved people to me after him.” So Rasūlullāh ﷺ is saying that Usāmah took the position of his father after his father passed away.

Indications of Rasūlullāh ﷺ’s Death in Qur'ān In the month of Safar, the beginning of the end was starting. Rasūlullāh ﷺ has received many Āyāt and indications that he would die just like every other human being. Allāh ﷻ revealed Āyāt that warn of the death of. Rasūlullāh ﷺ

Allāh ﷻ says, and this was revealed in Makkah: And the Hereafter is better for you than the first life. And your Lord is going to give you, and you will be satisfied. And therefore when Rasūlullāh ﷺ was given the choice of living in Dunyā or dying, we will see what his choice was, because he had a promise from very early on in Makkah that the afterlife is better for you and Allāh will give you until you are satisfied.

And Allāh ﷻ says: Indeed, you are to die, and indeed, they are to die. Then indeed you, on the Day of Resurrection, before your Lord, will dispute.

And Allāh ﷻ says in Sūrah Al-Ambiyā': And We did not grant to any man before you eternity on earth; so if you die - would they be eternal? Every soul will taste death. And We test you with evil and with good as trial; and to Us you will be returned. So the whole life is just a trial of good and bad and everyone will die.

And Allāh ﷻ revealed to Muhammad ﷺ during the Hajj of Wadā’: This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favour upon you and have approved for you Islām as religion. Now, there is nothing directly here that indicates the death of Rasūlullāh ﷺ but there is an indication of the fulfilment of the mission.

And Allāh ﷻ says: Muhammad is not but a Messenger. Other Messengers have passed on before him. So if he was to die or be killed, would you turn back on your heels to Unbelief? And he who turns back on his heels will never harm Allāh at all; but Allāh will reward the grateful. And it is not possible for one to die except by permission of Allāh at a decree determined. And whoever desires the reward of this world - We will give him thereof; and whoever desires the reward of the Hereafter - We will give him thereof. And we will reward the grateful.

And Allāh ﷻ says: When the victory of Allāh has come and the conquest. And you see the people entering into the Religion of Allāh in multitudes. Then exalt Him with praise of your Lord and ask forgiveness of Him. Indeed, He is ever Accepting of repentance.472 Again, in these Āyāt, there is no direct indication of the death of Rasūlullāh ﷺ. Ibn ‘Abbās used to sit with the senior Muhājirīn and Ansār in the court of ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb, so some of the Muhājirīn and Ansār said, “Why is this young man sitting here when we have sons of his age and they are not invited?” So ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb wanted to point out to them the reason, so he asked them, “What do you understand from this Sūrah?” Everyone gave an answer. ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb asked Ibn ‘Abbās, “What do you understand from it?” He said, “I understand from it the death of Rasūlullāh ﷺ.’ “Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb said, “And that is what I understand from it.” And he made a point to the Sahābah who were there that Ibn ‘Abbās is sitting with us now because of his knowledge, because of his understanding, because of the Fiqh and deep understanding that he has of Islām, because this Sūrah says: When the victory of Allāh has come and the conquest. And the victory of Allāh is the end result of Da’wah, so it is towards the end; Wal ‘Āqibatu Lil Muttaqīn – And the best outcome is for the righteous.

And you see the people entering into the Religion of Allāh in multitudes. And that was what was happening; after Fath Makkah people were entering in multitudes.

Then exalt Him with praise of your Lord and ask forgiveness of Him. We usually ask Allāh for forgiveness when? After we do the deed, then we ask Allāh to forgive us. So after Salāh what do you say? Astaghfirullāh, Astaghfirullāh, Astaghfirullāh. After Hajj same thing; Astaghfirullāh. So Istighfār is something that comes towards the end, and this is an indication that the end of the life of Rasūlullāh ﷺ is near. And Tawbah also comes towards the end.

Indications of Rasūlullāh ﷺ’s Death in Ahādīth There are also some Ahādīth. We talked about the Hadīth where when Rasūlullāh ﷺ sent Mu‘ādh Ibn Jabal to Yemen and told him, “You might not meet me anymore,” and Mu‘ādh Ibn Jabal cried.

There is also the Hadīth where Rasūlullāh ﷺ said in Hajj, “Learn from me your rituals, because I may never make Hajj again after this time.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “Jibrīl used to recite Qur'ān with me every year once,” they would go through the whole Qur'ān, “and this year he did it twice, and I see that as indication of the end of my life.”

Allāh ﷻ Commands Rasūlullāh ﷺ to Seek Forgiveness for People of Al-Baqī’

So in the month of Safar of the year 11 of Al-Hijrah, Rasūlullāh ﷺ sent to Abū Mu'ayhibah, a servant of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, and this was late at night. So Rasūlullāh ﷺ woke up Abū Mu'ayhibah and called him and told him, “O Abū Mu'ayhibah, I have been commanded to ask Allāh to forgive the people of Al-Baqī’, so come with me.” Al-Baqī’ is the cemetery of Madīnah, the blessed cemetery where the Companions of Rasūlullāh ﷺ who struggled with him, fought with him, supported him, were buried. And Rasūlullāh ﷺ was ordered by Allāh to go to the cemetery and ask Allāh to forgive them. Rasūlullāh ﷺ told Abū Mu'ayhibah to go with him, so they went together at night to Al-Baqī’. Subhān'Allāh, Rasūlullāh ﷺ is going in the middle of the night to the cemetery to give his Sahābah company. When Rasūlullāh ﷺ arrived there, he told them, “Assalāmu ‘Alaikum Yā Ahlal Maqābir – Peace be upon you O people of the graves.” And then Rasūlullāh ﷺ told them, and look at these uplifting words for them, “Congratulations…” Rasūlullāh ﷺ is congratulating the people of this cemetery, the people who are dead, “Congratulations that you do not experience what people here are experiencing. Congratulations that you passed away in the early days of Da’wah when the hearts were pure and the people were together and they were unified. Congratulations that you died in the difficult days when the rewards were great.” So Rasūlullāh ﷺ is telling them that you are in a

better position than who is left behind. And then Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “Trials and tribulations come like dark portions of the night, following each other in succession, the last being worse than the first.” Trials and tribulations are on their way, and we are living in that time dear brothers and sisters, we are living in a time of trial and tribulations, we are living in a time of Fitnah; Fitnah in Dunyā and Fitnah in Dīn. So Rasūlullāh ﷺ is congratulating these Sahābah who died early and telling them congratulations that you died early because now the Fitan are coming like dark pieces of the night, one after the other. And then Rasūlullāh ﷺ looked at Abū Mu'ayhibah and said, “I was given the choice of the keys of the treasures of Dunyā and living in Dunyā as long as it exists and then Paradise, or meeting my Lord and Paradise.” So the choice is you can live in Dunyā as long as this world would survive, and you will be given the keys to the treasures of this world, and then when you pass away you will be in Paradise; that was choice number one. And the second choice is to meet Allāh now and Jannah. In one narration, Abū Mu'ayhibah said, “Choose us!” And in another narration he says, “Choose the keys of the treasures and living in Dunyā as long as it exists and then Jannah.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “No, I have chosen to meet Allāh and Paradise.” And then Rasūlullāh ﷺ sought forgiveness for the people of Al-Baqī’ and then he left, and when he arrived home, the illness of his death began. Rasūlullāh ﷺ was not attached to Dunyā; Rasūlullāh ﷺ’s concern in Dunyā was his Ummah, his concern was not building, it was not wealth, he did not have attachment to Ad-Dunyā, and therefore Ibn Kathīr says, “The Dunyā was so small in the eyes of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, and it is also small in the Eyes of Allāh, that Rasūlullāh ﷺ left it without leaving behind anything.

‘We the Prophets Suffer Double the Suffering of Everyone Else’

‘Ā'ishah was saying, “Wā Ra'sā, Wā Ra'sā – My head hurts, my head hurts.” So Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “Bal Ana Wā Ra'sā – No, it is me who should say my head hurts.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ was having a severe headache and he was also having a severe fever, and the fever was so severe on Rasūlullāh ﷺ that when one of the Companions put his hand on Rasūlullāh ﷺ he said, “I cannot leave my hand on you because of the

heat.” It was very uncomfortable to touch the body of Rasūlullāh ﷺ because of his fever. And the Companion told Rasūlullāh ﷺ,” Innaka Latū‘ak Wa’kan Shadīdā! – You are going through very severe illness!” Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “Yes. That is because we the Prophets suffer double the suffering of everyone else.” Because Allāh ﷻ loves them, Allāh ﷻ puts them through tougher tests. Because they are stronger and greater and better, Allāh ﷻ puts them through tougher tests.

Rasūlullāh ﷺ Carried to Masjid where he Gives Advice Rasūlullāh ﷺ one day wanted to go to the Masjid, he wanted to give a covenant to the people, so he said, “Gather for me seven buckets of water from seven different wells and pour them on me so that I can go out to the people.” So they brought him this water and they were pouring this cold water on the body of Rasūlullāh ﷺ to cool it down because of the temperature and to give Rasūlullāh ﷺ the ability to go out to the Masjid. And then Rasūlullāh ﷺ was carried to the Masjid, and his head was wrapped because of his headache, and he could not walk so he had to lean on one of the sons of Al-‘Abbās and ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib to take him to the Masjid, and his feet were dragging on the ground because he could not lift them up. And he went to the Masjid and he gave a Nasīhah. After praising Allāh ﷻ, Rasūlullāh ﷺ mentioned the Shuhadā' of Uhud and asked Allāh to forgive them. Notice here that Rasūlullāh ﷺ went to Al-Baqī’ to ask Allāh to forgive the Muslims who died in Al-Baqī’ and now Rasūlullāh ﷺ is asking for forgiveness of the Shuhadā' of Uhud; this shows us the loyalty that Rasūlullāh ﷺ had to his Companions, the love that he had for them, and the remembrance that he had for them; Rasūlullāh ﷺ was concerned about his Ummah. Rasūlullāh ﷺ lived for us, he lived for me and you, he gave his life for me and you, he struggled, he went through difficulties, he suffered poverty, he suffered pain, he had to fight, he had to go through trials and tribulations for the Religion to reach me and you; we owe Rasūlullāh ﷺ a lot.

Rasūlullāh ﷺ Advises Muhājirūn to Take Care of and Forgive AlAnsār

After mentioning the people of Uhud, Rasūlullāh ﷺ was then giving a Nasīhah to the Muhājirīn, he told them, “O People of Muhājirūn,” the Muhājirūn are the ones who made Hijrah, “you are increasing in numbers while the Ansār are not increasing in numbers.” That was because the population of Ansār was the same while the Muhājirīn were increasing, because the Hijrah was not only from Quraish but it was now from all over Arabia. So the Muhājirīn were now the majority of the population of Madīnah, when in the beginning the Muhājirīn were very few in number and the majority of the people in Madīnah were the locals, the people of AlAnsār. So Rasūlullāh ﷺ is telling the Muhājirīn that your numbers are adding up while the Ansār are not increasing. And then he said, “They are the ones who supported me in the beginning, so honour the honourable among them and forgive the ones among them who make mistakes.”

Rasūlullāh ﷺ does not want to die and have the Ansār suffer because now they are a minority in Madīnah, and Rasūlullāh ﷺ is reminding the Muhājirīn to take care of them; the good among them, treat them very well, and the ones among them who make mistakes, forgive them.

Rasūlullāh ﷺ Hints at his Death and Gives Abū Bakr

Recognition

And then Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “There is a servant, O people, from among the servants of Allāh, and Allāh has given him the option of this world or what is in the Hands of Allāh.” That is all what Rasūlullāh ﷺ said; he did not indicate who this slave of Allāh is, but Abū Bakr understood the meaning and he started to cry, he understood that Rasūlullāh ﷺ was talking about himself, because the Ambiyā' of Allāh are given the choice before they die – not like everyone else; the Angel of Death just comes to you unannounced – the Angel of Death comes to the Ambiyā' and seeks their permission to take their souls. So Rasūlullāh ﷺ is saying that there is a slave of Allāh who was given the choice of Dunyā or Ākhirah. So Abū Bakr cried and he told Rasūlullāh ﷺ,” Bal Nahnu Nafdīka Bi Anfusinā Wa Abnā'inā – We will sacrifice ourselves and our children for you.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ stopped Abū Bakr and told everyone, “The person most faithful to myself in his friendship and his wealth is Abū Bakr.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ now, towards the end of his life, is recognising Abū Bakr in front of everyone and letting the people know the status of Abū Bakr As-Siddīq. “The person most faithful to myself in his friendship and his wealth is Abū Bakr. If I were to take any other than Allāh as a beloved one – as a Khalīl, I would so take Abū Bakr. However, what I do have with him is the companionship of Islām and his love. Every door in the mosque should be shut except that of Abū Bakr.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ said here Khalīl; Khalīl is a higher level than friend, it is something that fills your heart with love. Rasūlullāh ﷺ said that if I am going to choose out of this world a Khalīl it would be Abū Bakr, but I am the Khalīl of Allāh, and Abū Bakr is my brother and friend, Abū Bakr is the one whom I share with him love.

Rasūlullāh ﷺ Offers Final Words of Advice to Ummah

Rasūlullāh ﷺ gave some final advice to the Ummah. In one Hadīth Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “May Allāh curse the Jews and Christians for building mosques over the graves of their Prophets.” They turned the graves of their Prophets into Masājids. Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “Lā Yabqā Fī Jazīratil ‘Arabi Dīnān – No two religions should coexist in the Arabian Peninsula.” This is a Kufr-free zone; the Arabian Peninsula should be purely Islāmic, no other religion should coexist with Islām in the Arabian Peninsula, and this is one of the final words of advice of Rasūlullāh ﷺ. Rasūlullāh ﷺ also said, “Ūsīkum Bis-Salāh.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ is giving them the advice of Salāh. Rasūlullāh ﷺ also gave us advice to take care of the slaves, and Rasūlullāh ﷺ repeated this advice; to take care of the slaves, to take care of the slaves. And Rasūlullāh ﷺ also said, “Ittaqullāha Fin Nisā' –Fear Allāh in the women.” So Rasūlullāh ﷺ was giving the advice to the Ummah to not take advantage of the weak among the Ummah. And Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “Mā Taraka Qawmul Jihād Illā Dhallū – Whenever a people leave Jihād, they will be humiliated.” And Rasūlullāh ﷺ also ordered that the army of Usāmah should be sent out, because now the army

of Usāmah was camping outside of Madīnah until all of the fighters got ready and then they would set out, so Rasūlullāh ﷺ was saying, “Anfidū Ba‘atha Usāmah – Send out the army of Usāmah.”

Rasūlullāh ﷺ Spends Last Days in the House of ‘Ā'ishah Rasūlullāh ﷺ was still going around to the houses of his wives, but then eventually it was becoming difficult for him so he was carried into the house of ‘Ā'ishah. And he gathered all of his wives and he sought their permission to allow him to stay in the house of ‘Ā'ishah while he was ill, and they agreed, so ‘Ā'ishah had Rasūlullāh ﷺ in her house and she was the one tending to him and she said, “This is the first time I tended to an ill person.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ spent the rest of his life in the house of ‘Ā'ishah where the end of his life was in the house of ‘Ā'ishah. ‘Ā'ishah said that when Rasūlullāh ﷺ would become ill he would recite the Mu‘awwidhāt in his hands and then he would blow in them and then he would wipe his body, but when he became ill he could not do that for himself so ‘Ā'ishah would recite the Suwar in the hands of Rasūlullāh ﷺ and then she would use his hands to wipe his body for him, she would not do it in her own hands because the hands of Rasūlullāh ﷺ are more blessed, so even though she would do the recitation but she would not do it in her hands but in the hands of Rasūlullāh ﷺ. One day her brother ‘Abdur Rahmān came in and he had a Miswāk, so Rasūlullāh ﷺ was staring at the Miswāk, so ‘Ā'ishah understood that Rasūlullāh ﷺ wanted it, so she asked him, “Do you want it?” Rasūlullāh ﷺ made a gesture that yes, so she took it from ‘Abdur Rahmān and then she softened the other end and she gave it to Rasūlullāh ﷺ and he used the Miswāk, she said, as if he was healthy, so even though Rasūlullāh ﷺ was in the end of his life, but he was not leaving this Sunnah of Miswāk. Usāmah Bin Zayd and the Army Hear of Rasūlullāh ﷺ’s Illness and Return Usāmah Bin Zayd and the Muslims who were camping out of Madīnah heard the news of the illness of Rasūlullāh ﷺ so they came back, and Usāmah came to visit Rasūlullāh ﷺ and Rasūlullāh ﷺ was ill to the

extent that he could not speak, and then Usāmah said, “Rasūlullāh ﷺ raised his hands up and then he would point to me, he would raise his hands up and then point to me.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ was making Du‘ā' for Usāmah. Usāmah said, “I understood that Rasūlullāh ﷺ was making Du‘ā' for me.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ was in those difficult moments; the agony and pain of illness, nevertheless he was making Du‘ā' for Usāmah Bin Zayd and this shows us how much Rasūlullāh ﷺ loved Usāmah Bin Zayd.

Rasūlullāh ﷺ Orders Abū Bakr As-Siddīq to Lead Salāh

Rasūlullāh ﷺ could not go out and lead the Salāh anymore, so he ordered that Abū Bakr As-Siddīq should lead the Salāh, “Murū Abā Bakr Fal Yusallī Bin Nās – Order Abū Bakr to lead the people in Salāh.” ‘Ā'ishah did not want her father to lead Salāh, so she said, “O Rasūlullāh ﷺ, Abū Bakr is a very soft-hearted man, and I am afraid that if he stands in your position he would not be able to handle it and he would not be able to complete the Salāh,” meaning that if he is in that position he might become too emotional to continue the Salāh. So Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “Murū Abā Bakr Fal Yusallī Bin Nās – Order Abū Bakr to lead the people in Salāh.” The objection of ‘Ā'ishah was repeated again. Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “Murū Abā Bakr Fal Yusallī Bin Nās! Inna Kunna Sawaihbāt Yūsuf – Order Abū Bakr to lead the people in Salāh! You women are the companions of Yūsuf.” And what Rasūlullāh ﷺ meant by that was that the women of Yūsuf showed something but they were hiding something else. When the wife of Al-‘Azīz invited all of those women to come, she invited them because apparently it was just a gathering, but in reality she wanted them there to see Yūsuf, and ‘Ā'ishah, her public statement was that my father is a soft-hearted man so he will not be able to pray, but in reality the reason why she did not want her father to pray, and she actually mentions that, she said, “The reason I did not want my father to pray is because people will dislike him for standing in the place of Rasūlullāh ﷺ. “People were used to having Rasūlullāh ﷺ lead them in Salāh and now they are having someone else? That might make them dislike the fact that Abū Bakr is in that place, because it says in another narration that ‘Umar was suggested to lead the Salāh, but

Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “Allāh does not want that and Rasūlullāh ﷺ does not want that and the Believers do not want that. It is Abū Bakr who must lead the Muslims in Salāh.” And this is also an indication that the Imām after Rasūlullāh ﷺ is Abū Bakr As-Siddīq, in the issues of religion and in the issues of Dunyā.

Rasūlullāh ﷺ’s Last Sight of Ummah: Ummah Performing Salāh Rasūlullāh ﷺ was now extremely tired because of his illness and he was not going out to the Salāh, but on Monday, when the Sahābah were in Salāh and they were being led by Abū Bakr As-Siddīq, Rasūlullāh ﷺ uncovered the curtain that was between him and the Masjid. Anas Ibn Mālik narrates in Bukhārī, “When it was Monday and they were lined up in Salāh, Rasūlullāh ﷺ uncovered the curtain. Rasūlullāh ﷺ took a look at us and he was standing up, Ka'anna Wajhahū Waraqat Mus'haf – and it was as if his face was a page out of a book,” meaning clear and clean and beautiful. And in another narration, “Ka'anna Wajhahū Falq Qamar – it was as if his face was part of the moon.” And then Anas Ibn Mālik said, “And then Rasūlullāh ﷺ smiled, laughing. It was almost going to be a Fitnah for us because of our happiness by seeing Rasūlullāh ﷺ “!What he meant by Fitnah is that we were going to walk out of Salāh; because we were in Salāh and we saw that and it was so beautiful and so much joy for us that we were almost going to leave our Salāh. And Abū Bakr was coming back so that Rasūlullāh ﷺ would lead the Salāh, but Rasūlullāh ﷺ had Abū Bakr pray in his place. However, Rasūlullāh ﷺ did come out at a certain time and he would sit down, but Abū Bakr would be standing up, so some narrations say that it was actually Abū Bakr leading the Salāh but others say it was Rasūlullāh ﷺ leading Abū Bakr and Abū Bakr was standing and leading the rest. Back to this narration of Anas Ibn Mālik, he said that the face of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, when he saw them, he was smiling with joy; why? And by the way, this is the last scene that Rasūlullāh ﷺ sees from his Ummah; the last thing that Rasūlullāh ﷺ saw from his Ummah was them in Salāh, in Salātul Jamā‘ah. Brothers and sisters, when you are praying to Allāh ﷻ, and for the brothers whom Salātul Jamā‘ah is Wājib on them,

when you are in Salātul Jamā‘ah, this is a sight that pleases Rasūlullāh ﷺ. When Rasūlullāh ﷺ uncovered that curtain, he saw the result, he saw the fruits of his effort and his Da’wah; the Muslims are lining up in Salāh – the most important deed in Islām after Ash'hadu Allā Ilāha Illallāh Wa Ash'hadu Anna Muhammad Ar-Rasūlullāh ﷺ – and Rasūlullāh ﷺ smiled with happiness.

Abū Bakr Leaves Madīnah to Visit Wife

Because Rasūlullāh ﷺ was now seen standing up, they assumed that Rasūlullāh ﷺ has become better, so Abū Bakr sought permission to go to As-Sunh where his other wife was which was a little bit outside of Madīnah, because he was tied up in Madīnah due to the illness of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, but now he thought that Rasūlullāh ﷺ is better so he left.

Al-‘Abbās’s Intuition of Rasūlullāh ﷺ’s Death In Bukhārī, Al-‘Abbās met ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib after he came out from the house of Rasūlullāh ﷺ and he asked him, “Yā Abal Hasan, Kayfa Asbah Rasūlullāh ﷺ –?How is Rasūlullāh ﷺ doing this morning?” So ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib said, “Asbaha Bihamdillāhi Bāra'an – He looks, with the praise of Allāh, much better.” Al-‘Abbās grabbed the hand of ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib and told him, “Anta Wallāhi Ba’da Thalāth ‘Abdil ‘Asā – After three days from now you would be a slave ruled by a stick.” What does Al-‘Abbās mean by this? You would be a slave ruled by a stick? Meaning that you would be a person without any authority, you would be a follower without any authority, and this is Farāsah of Al-‘Abbās Bin ‘Abdul Muttalib; Farāsah is intuition. Al-‘Abbās said, “Innī Wallāhi La'a’rifu Al-Mawt Fī Wujūh Banī ‘Abdul Muttalib – I can read death in the faces of the sons of ‘Abdul Muttalib and I can see death in the face of Rasūlullāh ﷺ. “Everyone was thinking that Rasūlullāh ﷺ was better; Al-‘Abbās said that no, I recognise death in my family, I can see it in their faces, and I can actually see it now on the face of Rasūlullāh ﷺ and I think that Rasūlullāh ﷺ would die pretty soon. Al-‘Abbās does not know the unseen; death is Something that only Allāh knows, but Al-‘Abbās has this intuition where he

could recognise when the sons of ‘Abdul Muttalib were approaching their death. So he told ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib, “Go and ask Rasūlullāh ﷺ if we are going to be in authority of the Ummah after him.” ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib refused and he said, “I will not ask him that because if he rejects that then the Ummah will not give it to us to the end of time,” and ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib refused to go and talk to Rasūlullāh ﷺ about this.

The Death of Rasūlullāh ﷺ

There was a very steep deterioration in the situation of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, and within that day, that same day, which is Monday now – Rasūlullāh ﷺ has been ill now for about 13 days – Rasūlullāh ﷺ started going through Sakarāt Al-Mawt; Sakarāt Al-Mawt are the final moments, the agony of death when the soul is coming out. So ‘Ā'ishah brought some water for Rasūlullāh ﷺ and he would soak a piece of cloth in that water and then he would wipe his face with it and say, “Inna Lil Mawti La Sakarāt – There is agony in death, there is agony in death.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ himself, the best of the creation, had to go through this, and he was in the lap of ‘Ā'ishah, and ‘Ā'ishah said, “Rasūlullāh ﷺ looked up towards the roof with his eyes and I heard him say, ‘Bal Ar-Rafīqil A’lā, Bal Ar-Rafīqil A’lā, Bal Ar-Rafīqil A’lā – No the Highest Companion, the Highest Companion, the Highest Companion.” ‘Ā'ishah said, “I knew that Rasūlullāh ﷺ was being asked by the Angel of Death whether he wants to stay with us or to leave, and Rasūlullāh ﷺ was saying I want to be with the Highest Companion, and that is Allāh ﷻ. “And then ‘Ā'ishah says, “The head of Rasūlullāh ﷺ turned towards me,” and she screamed. In the narration of Ibn Hishām, she says, “Fa Min Humqī Wa Qillat ‘Aqlī – Because of my foolishness, I screamed and I yelled.” And now the news was spreading around Madīnah like fire. ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb and Al-Mughīrah rushed in to the room, and ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb said, “Mā Ashadd Mā Ghashiya ‘Alaih – Rasūlullāh ﷺ is unconscious and this is severe unconsciousness.” And when they were walking out, Al-Mughīrah told ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb, “Laqad Tuwuffiya Rasūlullāh ﷺ – Rasūlullāh ﷺ is dead.” This is not unconsciousness, Rasūlullāh ﷺ is dead.

You know, brothers and sisters, we cannot imagine how this news was on the Sahābah, because we do not have that same love; we did not live with Rasūlullāh ﷺ for years. Rasūlullāh ﷺ for them was everything; he was their leader, he was like a father to them, he was an advisor to them, he was their teacher, he was everything. So when ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb heard AlMughīrah say that Rasūlullāh ﷺ died, ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb said, “Innaka Rajulun Tahūsuka Fitnah – You are a man of Fitnah, you are a man who wants to bring dissension among the Ummah. Rasūlullāh ﷺ did not die, because he will not die until he exterminates the Munāfiqīn.” ‘Umar Ibn AlKhattāb understood that Rasūlullāh ﷺ will not die until all of the Munāfiqīn are killed. And then ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb rushed out to the Masjid, and the people were starting to come in crowds in the Masjid and there was weeping everywhere; everyone was crying, and ‘Umar Ibn AlKhattāb drew out his sword and said, “There are some Munāfiqīn who are claiming that Rasūlullāh ﷺ died. Rasūlullāh ﷺ did not die, but Rasūlullāh ﷺ is unconscious like Mūsā became unconscious, and he will come back and he will kill all of the Munāfiqīn. And whoever says that Rasūlullāh ﷺ is dead, I am going to cut off his head with this sword of mine.”

Abū Bakr Returns to Madīnah and Takes Control of Situation

The news reached Abū Bakr As-Siddīq and he came back from As-Sanh on his horse, and he did not speak to anyone, and he came into the room of ‘Ā'ishah with Rasūlullāh ﷺ covered with cloth; Abū Bakr As-Siddīq uncovered the face of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, and when he saw him, he cried. And then he kissed Rasūlullāh ﷺ and said, “You are pure when alive and you are pure when dead. In the name of Allāh, Allāh will not make you die twice. And the death that was prescribed on you, the death that is ordained on you and everyone else, you have went through it.” So now that is it; you have went through the death that was prescribed on you. And then Abū Bakr came out of the room of ‘Ā'ishah and went to the Masjid, and ‘Umar Ibn AlKhattāb was screaming and yelling and threatening, so Abū Bakr As-Siddīq told ‘Umar, “Ijlis Yā ‘Umar! – Sit down O ‘Umar!” ‘Umar ignored Abū Bakr. He told him, “Sit down O ‘Umar!” a second time, and ‘Umar is

carrying on, so Abū Bakr then started speaking, and people just left ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb and came to listen to what Abū Bakr As-Siddīq had to say.

Abū Bakr said, “Man Kāna Ya’budu Muhammadan Fa Inna Muhammadan Qad Māt, Wa Man Kāna Ya’budullāh, Fa Innallāha Hayyun Lā Yamūt – Whoever used to worship Muhammad, then know that Muhammad is dead, and whoever used to worship Allāh, then know that Allāh is alive and will never die.” And then he recited the Āyah: Muhammad is not but a Messenger. Other Messengers have passed on before him. So if he was to die or be killed, would you turn back on your heels to Unbelief? And he who turns back on his heels will never harm Allāh at all; but Allāh will reward the grateful.473 ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb asked, “Is this Āyah in the Book of Allāh?” ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb already knows the Āyah, but Subhān'Allāh, it is as if he heard it for the first time. ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb said, “I realised that Muhammad ﷺ was dead.” ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb collapsed and said, “Fa ‘Aqart Famā Taqillanī Rajilāi – My feet cannot carry me anymore.” ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattāb, the strong, powerful man, could not handle the news; it was like an arrow that struck his heart and he fell down because his knees could not carry him anymore. And the narrator says, “Everyone was reciting this Āyah as if they heard it for the first time.”

Washing of the Body of Rasūlullāh ﷺ

We will skip the event of the Bay‘ah to Abū Bakr because I already talked about it in the beginning of the lectures on Abū Bakr As-Siddīq, so we will move on to the washing of Rasūlullāh ﷺ and how his burial took place. Ibn ‘Abbās said that the family of Rasūlullāh ﷺ were the ones who took care of the washing of the body of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, and those were Al- ‘Abbās Bin ‘Abdul Muttalib,‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib, Al-Fadl Bin ‘Abbās, Qithm Bin ‘Abbās, Usāmah Bin Zayd and Sālih, the servant of Rasūlullāh ﷺ. And then Aws Bin Khawlī, one of the Ansār, knocked on the door and told

‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib, “I ask you in the name of Allāh to allow me in,” so he was allowed in but he did not participate in the actual washing. ‘Ali had the body of Rasūlullāh ﷺ on his chest, and it is said in a narration that they were debating whether to wash Rasūlullāh ﷺ with his clothes or without his clothes, because the Sunnah is to wash without the clothes, but then they heard a sound tell them to wash Rasūlullāh ﷺ with his clothes, so the body of Rasūlullāh ﷺ was not uncovered during his washing, ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib said, “We washed him from over his garments.” And Al-‘Abbās and Fadl and Qithm used to turn the body around with ‘Ali, and Usāmah Bin Zayd and Sālih, the servant of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, were the ones pouring the water, and ‘Ali Ibn Abī Tālib was the one who would rub the body of Rasūlullāh ﷺ. And then they put him in three pieces of cloth that was the shroud of Rasūlullāh ﷺ.

Salātul Janāzah and Burial of Rasūlullāh ﷺ

The Salāh of Janāzah on Rasūlullāh ﷺ was not one congregation but people would come in and pray and then they would come out, and this carried on; men would come in and out as much as the room would fit, making Salātul Janāzah on Rasūlullāh ﷺ. And the body of Rasūlullāh ﷺ was in the room of ‘Ā'ishah, and Umm Salamah says, “We were all together, the women of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, crying. And we had a little comfort in seeing at least the body of Rasūlullāh ﷺ. “Even if Rasūlullāh ﷺ was not alive, we had the body of Rasūlullāh ﷺ to look at with us in the room and we were continuously crying. And then, Subhān'Allāh, she said – and this was a Wednesday night, late at night – she said, “We heard the digging, the digging of the grave of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, so we all broke down and screamed. And they heard it in the Masjid and they screamed and there was an uproar in all of Madīnah.” Because now they know that the body of Rasūlullāh ﷺ is going into its grave. She said, “They heard us in the Masjid and then from the Masjid the crying was everywhere all over Madīnah.” And when it was time for Fajr, Bilāl was making Adhān, he said, “Allāhu Akbar Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar Allāhu Akbar, Ash'hadu Allā Ilāha Illallāh, Ash'hadu Allā Ilāha Illallāh,” and when it came to Ash'hadu

Anna Muhammad Ar-Rasūlullāh ﷺ, he could not go any further, he started crying and he could not finish the Adhān.

‘Ā'ishah Dreams of Three Moons Falling on her Lap So they dug the grave of Rasūlullāh ﷺ in the room of ‘Ā'ishah according to the Sunnah that the Ambiyā' are buried in the place where they die, and Rasūlullāh ﷺ was buried in the room of ‘Ā'ishah. ‘Ā'ishah said that she saw a dream that three moons fell in her lap, so Abū Bakr As-Siddīq – and he was very good at dream interpretations – said, “If your dream is true, then three men from the best men on the face of the earth would be buried in your house.” And when it was time to bury Rasūlullāh ﷺ, Abū Bakr told ‘Ā'ishah, “This is the best of your moons.”

Al-Mughīrah – Last Person to Touch Rasūlullāh ﷺ

The body of Rasūlullāh ﷺ was descended into the grave, and again, it was the family of Rasūlullāh ﷺ who took care of his burial. However it says in one narration that before they would cover the grave, Al-Mughīrah threw in his ring intentionally into the grave and then he told everyone, “Wait, wait! Let me go and grab my ring.” So he went down to the grave to be the last person who would touch Rasūlullāh ﷺ and then he came out.

Greatest Calamity to Befall Ummah is the Death of Rasūlullāh ﷺ

When the burial was done and people came back, Fātimah was speaking to Anas Ibn Mālik and she said, “Yā Anas, did your heart allow you to throw dirt on the body of Rasūlullāh ﷺ when he was buried?” So the whole thing was difficult for them; the washing of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, the burial of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, the death of Rasūlullāh ﷺ;everything was very difficult on the Ummah, and that is why Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, “Whenever a calamity befalls one of you, remember the calamity of my death.” The greatest calamity that can befall a Muslim has already happened, and that is the death of Rasūlullāh ﷺ;whatever happens to you after that is going to be small compared to the loss of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, compared to the fact that Rasūlullāh ﷺ is not with us; everything else is small. And there was

Fitnah after the death of Rasūlullāh ﷺ;many of the tribes became Murtadd. Muhammad Ibn Is'hāq says, “The Arabs became apostates, and Jews and Christians started showing themselves again, and Hypocrisy became very widespread, and Muslims were like lost sheep in a cold rainy night after the Prophet, Rasūlullāh ﷺ, died, until they were brought together again under Abū Bakr.” And Anas Ibn Mālik says, “I witnessed two days in my life, one of them was the best day and one of them was the worst day; the best day was the day when Rasūlullāh ﷺ came to Madīnah, and that was a day when everything was bright, and then the worst day was the day Rasūlullāh ﷺ passed away, and that was a dark day.” Anas Ibn Mālik also says, “By the time we were dusting our hands after the burial of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, we would already feel that our hearts are different.” The hearts were different because of the death of Rasūlullāh ﷺ.

Sahābah Miss Revelation after Death of Rasūlullāh ﷺ

One day Abū Bakr and ‘Umar decided to visit Umm Ayman, so she started to cry and they asked her, “Why are you crying?” She said, “I am crying because there is no more Revelation.” So it was not only Rasūlullāh ﷺ that they were missing but they were also missing the Revelation that was coming from As-Samā'. Imagine living in a time when Qur'ān was being revealed, Āyāt that you are going to hear for the first time in your life.

Simple Possessions Rasūlullāh ﷺ Left Behind

What did Rasūlullāh ﷺ leave behind? Rasūlullāh ﷺ did not leave behind any inheritance, Rasūlullāh ﷺ lived for his Ummah, lived serving Allāh ﷻ, and Rasūlullāh ﷺ passed away from this Dunyā clean, he only left behind a white mule and his weapons and a land that he left behind for the travellers as Sadaqah – that is all what Rasūlullāh ﷺ had; his arms which he would use to fight Fee Sabeelillāh and that is it; no property, no land, no wealth, no gold, no silver – a mule and arms.

Abū Bakr and ‘Umar Follow Footsteps of Rasūlullāh ﷺ Even in his Death Muhammad Ibn Is'hāq says, “Rasūlullāh ﷺ passed away on the 12th of Rabī’ Al-Awwal, the same day in which he made Hijrah to Madīnah 10 years ago.” So Rasūlullāh ﷺ lived for exactly 10 years in Madīnah. Rasūlullāh ﷺ died at the age of 63, Abū Bakr died at the age of 63, and ‘Umar died at the age of 63; they followed the footsteps of Rasūlullāh ﷺ even in his death.

End of Seerah

Brothers and sisters, this is the end of the Seerah of Rasūlullāh ﷺ. We thank Allāh ﷻ, we say Alhamdulillāh, Alhamdulillāh, Alhamdulillāh, who allowed us to go through the life – the Seerah, of the best of creation, Muhammad ﷺ;it is a wonderful time to spend with the story of our beloved Prophet ﷺ. So we ask Allāh ﷻ, dear brothers and sisters, in the end, to make us of those who love Rasūlullāh ﷺ, to make us of those who truly love Rasūlullāh ﷺ, to make us of those who will follow his Sunnah – his way, and to make us of those who would be raised up with him on the Day of Judgement and will drink from his hands from Al-Kauthar, and we ask Allāh ﷻ to admit us with him into Paradise. Brothers and sisters, review this Seerah of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, hear it again, follow it, and love Muhammad ﷺ, and be concerned about the Ummah like Rasūlullāh ﷺ was concerned about the Ummah, remember that Rasūlullāh ﷺ lived and died for you, remember that Rasūlullāh ﷺ left a lot of the enjoyment of the Dunyā for the sake of having Islām come to you, and say Alhamdulillāh about that, and be grateful, be grateful; the one who is not grateful towards people will not be grateful towards Allāh, and who among all humanity do we owe more to than Rasūlullāh ﷺ?We owe a lot to Rasūlullāh ﷺ; everything that we know about Islām came to us through him, so how much do we owe Rasūlullāh ﷺ?The least that we could do in recognition for what Rasūlullāh ﷺ did for us is that we follow him and make Salāh and Salām on Rasūlullāh ﷺ.