The final days of the beloved MUHAMMED (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam)
The beginning of his Sickness:
On Monday 29th Safar 11ah, Nabi (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam)
participated
in a janaazah at Jannat Al
Baqee'. On the way back he had a headache,
his temperature
rose so high that the heat effect could be felt over his
turban.
He led the Muslims for eleven days though he was sick. The total number of his sick days was either thirteen or fourteen.
When his sickness grew severe he asked his wives: "Where shall I stay
tomorrow? Where shall I stay?" They
understood what he wanted. So they allowed
him to stay wherever he wished. He moved to Aishah's (ra) room
leaning -while he was walking- on Fadl bin
Abbas and Ali bin Abi Talib.
Head banded as he was, he dragged his feet till he came into her room. It was there that he spent the last week of his life. During that period, Aishah used to read Al-Mu'awwidhat (Suras 113 & 114 of the Quraan) and other supplications which he had already taught her.
Five days before death:
On Wednesday, five days before he died, his temperature rose extremely
high
signalling the severeness of his disease. He
fainted and suffered from pain.
He asked that 7 Qirab (water skin pots) be poured on him. He was seated in a container (usually used for washing) and the water was poured on him till he said: "That is enough. That is enough."
Then he felt well enough to enter the Musjid. He entered it band headed,
sat
on the pulpit and made a speech to the people
who were gathering together
around him. He said: "The curse of Allah
falls upon the Jews and Christians,
for they have made their Prophet's tombs
places of worship. Do not make my
tomb a worshipped idol."
Then he offered himself and invited people to repay any injuries he
might
have afflicted on them saying: "He whom
I have ever lashed his back, I offer
him my back so that he may avenge himself on
me. He whom I have ever blasphemed
his honour, here I am offering my honour so that he may
avenge
himself."
Then he descended and performed the noon prayer. Again he returned to
the
pulpit and sat on it. He resumed his first
speech about enmity and some other
things. A man then said: "You owe me 3 dirhams." Nabi (sallallaahu
alaihi wasallam) said: "Fadl, pay him
the money." Then he gave some advices
regarding the Ansaar. He also praised Abu
Bakr (ra) saying that if he had
to choose
friendship with anyone else besides Allah, he would choose Abu
Bakr.
Four days before death:
On Thursday, four days before the death of Nabi (sallallaahu alaihi
wasallam), he was suffering from severe pain.
He spoke to the sahaba and recommended
three things.1) Jews, Christians and Polytheists should be
expelled out of Arabia. 2) He recommended
that delegations should be honoured
and entertained in a similar way to the one he used to do. 3)
As
for the third, the narrator said that he had
forgotten it. It could have been
adherence to the Quraan ! and Sunnah. It was likely to be the
accomplishment and mobilisation of Osamah's
army or it could have been the
performance of prayers and being attentive to
slaves.
Up until that Thursday, Nabi (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) used to
perform
all the prayers. On that day he led the
sunset prayers and recited surah 77.
In the evening he got so sick that he could not overcome the strain of the disease or go out to enter the musjid. He asked Hadrat Aishah (ra):
"Have the people performed the prayer?" She replied: "No. They are waiting for you." He then asked for some water. He washed and wanted to stand up, but he fainted. When he came round he asked again: "Have the people prayed?"
The same sequence of events took place again and again for the second and third times, where he fainted every time he attempted to stand up. He then sent Abu Bakr (ra) to lead the prayer. Abu Bakr (ra) then began to lead the prayers after that. He lead 17 salaah altogether in the lifetime of Nabi (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam).
A day or Two prior to death:
On Saturday, Nabi (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) felt that he was well
enough
to perform the prayer. He went out leaning on
two men in order to perform
the noon prayer. Abu Bakr (ra) who was about
to lead the salaah withdrew when
he saw Nabi (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) coming, but Nabi
(sallallaahu
alaihi wasallam) made a gesture to him to
stay where he was and asked that
he be seated on the left of Abu Bakr (ra). Nabi (sallallaahu
alaihi wasallam)
then led the prayer and Abu Bakr followed him and raised his
voice
at every Takbeer, so that the people may hear
clearly.
A day before his death:
On Sunday, a day before he died, Nabi (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) set his slaves free, paid as charity the seven dinars he owned and gave his weapons as a present to the Muslims. So when night fell, Aishah (ra) had to borrow some oil from her neighbour to light her oil-lantern. Even his armour was mortgaged by a Jew for 30 Sa' (a cubic measure) of ! barley.
The Last Day:
While the Muslims were performing the dawn prayer on Monday - led by Abu
Bakr (ra) - they were surprised to see the
Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu
alaihi wasallam) raising the curtain of
Aishah's room. He looked at them while
they were praying aligned properly and smiled cheerfully. Seeing
him,
Abu Bakr (ra) withdrew to join the saffs and
give way to him to lead the prayer,
for he thought that Nabi (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) wanted to
come out and pray. The Muslims who were
praying were so delighted that they
were almost too enraptured at their prayers.
Nabi (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam)
made a gesture at them to continue and went into the room and
drew
down the curtain.
Allah's most beloved Nabi (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) did not live
till
the next prayer time.
During the day he called his daughter Faatimah (ra) and told her
something
in a secret voice that made her cry. Then he
whispered something else which
made her laugh. Aishah (ra) enquired from her
after the Prophet's (sallallaahu
alaihi wasallam) death as to this weeping and laughing to
which
she replied: "The first time he
disclosed to me that he would not recover
from this illness and I wept. Then he told me that I would be the first
of
his family to join him, so I laughed."
He gave Faatimah (ra) glad tidings that she would become the lady of all
women in paradise. Faatimah (ra) witnessed
the great pain that afflicted her
father, so she said: "What great pain my
father is in." Nabi
(sallallaahu
alaihi wasallam) remarked: "He will not
suffer any more pain when today is
over."
He asked that Hasan and Husein (ra) be brought to him. He kissed them
and
recommended that they be looked after. He
asked to see his wives. They were
brought to him. He advised them and told them
to remember Allah. The pain
grew so severe that the trace of the poison
he had at Khaibar came to light.
He said to Aishah: "I still feel the painful effect of that food I tasted at Khaibar. I feel as if death is approaching." He ordered the people to perform their prayers and be attentive to slaves. He repeated it several times.
Nabi (sallallaahu alaihi wasallam) breathes his Last:
When the pangs of death started, Aishah (ra) leant him against her.
Abdur Rahman
bin Abu Bakr (ra) came in with a miswaak. She saw him looking at
the
miswaak. She asked him if he wanted it. He
nodded in agreement. It was too
hard for him. So she softened it with her
saliva and passed it on his teeth.
There was a water container available at his
hand with water in it. He
put his
hand in it and wiped his face and said: "There is no God but Allah.
Death is full of agonies."
As soon as he finished his siwaak (brushing), he raised his finger up,
looked upwards towards the ceiling and moved
his lips. Aishah (ra) says that
she heard him say: "With those on whom
You have bestowed Your grace, with
the Prophets and the truthful ones (As-
Siddeeqeen), the martyrs and the good
doers. O ALLAH, forgive me and have mercy upon me and join me to
the
compani! onship on High." Then at
intervals he uttered these words: "The
most
exalted Companionship on high. To Allah we
turn and to Him we turn back for
help and last abode." The most precious
and chosen Prophet of Allah (sallallaahu
alaihi wasallam) then breathed his last.
This even took place at high morning time on Monday, 12th Rabi-ul-Awwal 11ah. He was sixty-three years old when he died. 'Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi Raajioon'
Extracted from: AR-RAHEEQ AL-MAKHTUM
(BY: SAFI-UR RAHMAN AL-MUBARAKPURI)