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The Prophet's illness The Messenger of Allah was taken ill shortly before the end of Safar. During the night he had been to Baqi' al-Gharqad, a cemetery in Madinah now called al-Baqi', to pray for the dead. The following morning he became ill. A段shah, Umm al-Mu'minin (may Allah be pleased with her) said, 'The Messenger of Allah returned from al-Baqi' and found me suffering from a headache. I was saying, "O my head!" He said, "Rather, by Allah, A段shah, my head!" ' His pain increased. Then, in the house of Maymunah, he called his wives and asked them to permit him to be nursed in A段shah's house. All of them agreed. He came out walking between two men of his family, Fadl ibn Abbas and Ali ibn Abi Talib. His head was bandaged and his feet were dragging as he entered A段shah's house. A段shah said that during his final illness, he told her, 'A段shah, I still feel pain from the food I ate at Khaybar. I feel my aorta being cut because of that poison.' The last expedition The Messenger of Allah had ordered Usamah ibn Zayd ibn Harithah to lead an expedition to Syria, commanding him to take the cavalry to the borders of al-Balqa' and ad-Darun in Palestine. Many of the leading Muhajirun and Ansar were in his army, the most eminent being Umar ibn al-Khattab. The Prophet's illness took a serious turn when the army was at the border of al-Jurf. After his death, Abu Bakr sent forward the army under Usamah in order to carry out the Prophet's last wishes and to fulfil what he had wanted. During his illness, the Messenger of Allah told the Muslims to offer hospitality to the delegations in the way that he had and to be generous with their gifts to them. They should not allow two religions to co-exist but should expel the idol-worshippers from the Arabian peninsula. A caution One day while he was ill, a group of Muslims gathered in A段shah's house. The Messenger of Allah welcomed them and prayed for their guidance on the right path, their victory and their success. He said, 'I advise you to fear Allah and I pray for Allah to watch over you. I am a clear warner to you from Him. Do not be arrogant where Allah's servants and habitations are concerned. Allah has said to me and to you, "That is the Last Abode; We appoint it for those who desire not exorbitance in the earth, nor corruption. The ultimate issue is to the God-fearing. "(28: 83) and "is there not in Jahannam a lodging for those who are proud!" (39: 60)' Concern for the prayer The pain was hard for the Messenger of Allah to bear. He asked, 'Have the people prayed? Those with him answered, 'No, they are waiting for you, Messenger of Allah.' He said, 'Pour some water into a basin for me.' When they took it to him, he washed and tried to get up, but he fainted. When he regained consciousness, he asked, 'Have the people prayed?' 'No, they are waiting for you, Messenger of Allah. 'Pour some water into a basin for me. He washed again and tried to get up, but once again he fainted. When he regained consciousness, he asked, 'Have the people prayed?' Once more he was told, 'No, they are waiting for you, Messenger of Allah. He again said, 'Pour some water into a basin for me. He washed and struggled to get up, but once more he fainted. When he came to he asked, 'Have the people prayed?' 'No, they are waiting for you, Messenger of Allah. Concern for the imamah of Abu Bakr |
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