The Farewell Address
Sitting on the mimbar with his head bandaged the Messenger of Allah said, 'Allah gave one of His slaves the choice between this world or that which is with Him. His Slave chose that which is with Allah.' Abu Bakr realised that the Messenger of Allah was referring to himself and broke into tears, saying, 'We will ransom you with ourselves and our sons.
Abu Bakr led the Muslims in prayer until the Monday morning. While the Muslims performed the Fair prayer, the Prophet lifted up the curtain of A段shah's door and gazed at them standing before their Lord. He saw the fruits of his efforts to call people to Islam and jihad and Allah knew how happy he was. His face was beaming with joy.
The Companions Said, 'He lifted the curtain of A段shah's room and stared at us while he was standing there. It was as if his face was an open page of the Qur'an; he smiled and we were put to the test by getting carried away with our delight. We thought he might be coming out to the prayer but he indicated to us to finish it. He then pulled the curtain down. That was the day on which he died.'
One of the last pronouncements of the Messenger of Allah was, 'May Allah fight the Jews and Christians! They turned the graves of their Prophets into places of worship. Two religions should not remain in the land of the Arabs.'
A段shah and Ibn Abbas said, 'When the Messenger of Allah was ill, he drew up his cloak over his face. When he was distressed, he uncovered his face and while he was like that, he said, "May Allah curse the Jews and the Christians who turned the graves of their Prophets into places of worship." He was warning the Muslims against that practice.'
The final instructions
When the Messenger of Allah was close to death, he repeated, 'Be careful of prayer and those in your charge.' Then his breast began to heave and his speech became inaudible.
Ali said, 'The Messenger of Allah commended the prayer and zakat to Muslims and to be generous to those in their charge.'
A段shah said: 'When he had his fatal illness I started reciting al-Mu'awwidhatayn as he used to do when he was ill. He raised his eyes to the Heaven and said: "With the Highest Companion, with the Highest Companion".'
She added: 'just at that moment, Abdur-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr came in with a small, green, freshly-cut twig in his hand. The Messenger of Allah looked at it and I thought that he wanted to use it as a miswak. I took it and chewed it to make it soft and pliable, then I handed it to him. He rubbed his teeth with it thoroughly. Then just as he tried to hand it back to me it fell from his hand.'
She also said, 'In front of him was a small pot of water. He dipped his hand into it and wiped his face, saying, "There is no god but Allah. Verily there are pangs of death." Then he raised his forefinger and began to say, "The Highest Companion, the Highest Companion!" until he died and his hand slipped into the water.'
A段shah described his last moments: 'The Messenger of Allah was ill and his head rested on my thigh. He fainted and then regained consciousness and looked up at the ceiling. He said, "O Allah, the Highest Companion." Those were the last words that the Messenger of Allah spoke.'
Leaving this world
When the Messenger of Allah left this world, he controlled the entire Arabian peninsula and kings feared him. Yet he left not a dinar or dirham, not a male or female slave, nothing except his white mule, some weapons and a piece of land he had already given away as sadaqah, charity.
His armour had been pawned with a Jew for thirty sa's of barley. He had been unable to find anything with which to redeem it before he died.
During his illness, the Messenger of Allah set free forty slaves. He asked A段shah to give away as sadaqah the six or seven dinars she was keeping for him.
A段shah has related, 'When the Messenger of Allah died, there was nothing in the house that a living creature could eat except a little barley on a shelf. It lasted for a long time until I weighed it and then it finished.'
The Messenger of Allah died on Monday, 12 Rabi' al-Awwal, 11 A.H. in the heat of the afternoon. He was sixty-three years old. It was the darkest, hardest and most difficult day for the Muslims and an affliction for mankind just as his birth had been the happiest day on which the sun ever rose.
Anas and Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said, 'The day on which the Messenger of Allah came to Madinah was the most radiant ever known but the day on which he died was the darkest ever.'
When people saw Umm Ayman weeping they asked why. She answered, 'l knew that the Messenger of Allah would die, but I weep for the revelation from heaven which has been taken from us.'
News of his death
News of the death of the Messenger of Allah descended on the Companions like a thunderbolt. They were stunned because of their intense love for him. They had become used to his loving care for them just as children are assured of the protection of their parents, but even more so. Of his concern Allah Almighty says, 'Now there has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves: grievous to him is your suticering: anxious is he over you, gentle to the believers, compassionate.' (9: 128)
Every one of his Companions reckoned that he was more gracious and considerate to him than to any other Companion. Some of them could hardly believe the news of his death. Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) rebuked the person who told him and then he went to the mosque and addressed the people, saying, 'The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, will not die until Allah annihilates the hypocrites.'
Farewell to the Messenger of Allah
The initial shock and grief experienced by the community were replaced by tranquillity and confidence. They concentrated on the task for which the Messenger of Allah had trained them, beginning with the preparations for his burial.
After members of his family had finished washing and shrouding his body, they placed it in a bier in his house. Abu Bakr told them that he had heard the Messenger of Allah say, 'No Prophet dies but that he is buried where he dies.'
The Messenger of Allah's bed, in which he had died, was removed and a grave dug beneath it by Abu Talhah al-Ansari.
The people came to pay their respects and to say the funeral prayer over him. They came in groups. First the men entered, then the women and lastly the children. No one acted as Imam for his funeral prayer.
The Messenger of Allah's death heralded a sad day in Madinah. When Bilal gave the adhan for Fajr, he could not mention the Prophet without breaking down. Hearing his sobs increased the Muslims' sorrow. They were used to listening to the adhan while the Messenger of Allah was in this world. Umm Salamah, the Umm al-Mu'minin, said, "What an affliction it was! No distress which befell us after that could compare with our loss of him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.'
The Prophet had once said, 'O people! Whoever of the people - or believers - has any affliction, they should take comfort by remembering their loss of me. None of my community will ever suffer a greater loss than my death.'
===============================================================
==================================
The Prophet's wives
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid al-Qurashiyyah al-Asadiyyah (may Allah be pleased with her) was the first of the Prophet's wives. He married her before his prophethood when she was forty. She died three years before the hijrah. She bore him all of his children except for Ibrahim.
After her death he married Sawdah bint Zam'ah al-Qurashiyyah. Later he was wedded to A段shah as-Siddiqah bint Abi Bakr as-Siddiq who was the most intelligent and knowledgeable of the women of the Ummah. Hafsah bint Umar ibn al-Khattab was his next wife, followed by Zaynab bint Khuzaymah who died two months later. He then married Umm Salamah, Hind bint Abi Umayyah al-Qurashiyyah al-Makhzumiyyah who was the last of his wives to die. He also married Zaynab bint ,Jahsh, the daughter of his aunt Umaymah. He married Juwayriyyah bint al-Harith ibn Abi Dirar al-Mustaliqiyyah, Umm Habibah bint Abi Sufyan and Safiyyah bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab, chief of the Banu'n-Nadir. His last wife was Maymunah bint al-Harith al-Hilaliyyah. When he died he had nine wives; only Khadijah and Zaynab bint Khuzaymah had died during his lifetime. All of them, except A段shah, had been widows when he married them. Two bondswomen also survived. They were Mariyah bint Sham'un, the Egyptian Copt who had been presented to him by Muqawqis, the ruler of Egypt, and who was the mother of his son Ibrahim, and Rayhanah bint Zayd, of the Banu'n-Nadir. When she became a Muslim, the Messenger of Allah set her free and married her.
The Prophet's children
Khadijah bore him al-Qasim, by whom the Prophet had his kunyah; he was called Abul Qasim the father of al-Qasim. He died in infancy. Then Khadijah bore the Prophet four daughters: Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthum, Fatimah, and another Son, Abdullah, who was known as at-Tayyib and at-Tahir. Fatimah was the Prophet's most beloved daughter. Of Fatimah, he said that she would be the leader of the women in Paradise. She married Ali ibn Abi Talib, the son of the Messenger of Allah's uncle. She had two sons, Hasan and Husayn, about whom the Messenger of Allah said, 'Al-Hasan and al-Husayn are the leaders of the youths in Paradise.
Mariyah the Copt was the mother of Ibrahim who died while still an infant. When he died, the Prophet said in sorrow, 'The eye weeps and the heart is sad, but we do not say anything to incur the anger of Allah. We are sad, O Ibrahim.
The Prophet's Character and Qualities
Ali ibn Abi Talib was among those nearest to the Messenger of Allah who knew him best. He described him thus: 'He was not coarse or obscene and he did not shout in the market-place. He did not return evil for evil, but was glad to forgive and forget. He did not lay his hands on anyone save in jihad and he did not strike anybody, neither a servant nor a woman. I never saw him take revenge for any offence so long as it was not violating the honour of Allah. When a limitation set by Allah was violated, however, he would be more enraged than anyone else. Given a choice between two courses he would always choose the easier of the two.
'When he entered his house, he behaved like other men. He cleaned his own garments, milked his goat, and carried out household chores.
'He never stood up or sat down without the name of Allah being on his lips. Wherever he went, he would sit at the back of the gathering and he instructed others to do the same. He gave all those who sat with him such attention that they believed that he paid more heed to them than to anyone else. When someone sat with him, he stayed attentive and patient until it was time for that person to depart. When someone asked him for help, he would either give him what he needed or speak kindly to him.
'He was always cheerful and tender-hearted. Everyone regarded him as their father, and he treated everyone as equals.
'He was the most generous of people, the most truthful, the kindest, and the noblest. Those seeing him for the first time were overawed, but those who knew him well loved him. Someone describing him said, "I did not see his like before him or after him." '
Allah endowed His Prophet with elegance and grace and bestowed on him love and dignity. AI-Bara' ibn 'Azib described him, saying, 'The Messenger of Allah was of medium height. I once saw him wearing a red striped robe and 1 have never seen anything more beautiful than he.
Abu Hurayrah described him, saying, 'He was on the tall side of medium, with very white skin. His hair was black, and he had excellent front teeth. His eyelashes were long and his shoulders broad.' He went on to say, 'l have never seen a man like him before or since.
Anas said, 'I have never touched silk finer or softer than the palm of the Messenger of Allah's hand; and I have never smelled any scent more fragrant than his natural
odour.
|