His Passing

Part oneThe last illness

A few months after the Farewell Hajj, the Prophet ﷺ prepared an army to march toward Syria, under the command of Usamah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him), a young man. Before it had left, the Prophet ﷺ fell ill.

There were signs that his time was near. Every Ramadan, Jibril reviewed the Quran with him once, but in his last Ramadan they went through it twice. He went at night to the graveyard of Baqi and prayed for those buried there. On one such visit he said he wished he could see his brothers. His Companions asked whether they were not his brothers. He said that they were his Companions, and that his brothers were those who had not yet come, who would believe in him without having seen him. Soon afterwards, a headache and fever came upon him, in the house of his wife Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her). He asked his wives for permission to be cared for in the house of Aishah bint Abi Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her), and they agreed. Two men, among them his uncle Al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), supported him as he walked across.

For some days he still came out to lead the congregation. When the fever grew strong, he asked for seven waterskins from different wells to be poured over him, so that he could go out and speak to the people. Sitting in a tub while his wives poured, he waited until he could say it was enough, and then went out to the mosque with his head bound. From the pulpit he warned the Muslims never to take the graves of prophets as places of worship, as earlier peoples had done. He asked them to look after the Ansar, who had sheltered him and done all that was asked of them, to honour the good among them and to overlook their faults. As his strength failed, he told them to ask Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the prayer. Aishah said that her father was a soft-hearted man who would weep too much to be heard, and suggested Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) instead. The Prophet ﷺ repeated his instruction, and Abu Bakr led the Muslims in prayer for the last several days.

On one of those days he addressed the people from the pulpit and said that Allah had offered one of His servants a choice between this world and what lies with Him, and that the servant had chosen what lies with Him. Abu Bakr wept, for he understood. The others did not understand until later. The Prophet ﷺ went on to say that no one had done more for him with his company and his wealth than Abu Bakr, and that if he were to take a closest friend other than his Lord, it would be Abu Bakr, though the bond of Islam was enough. Then he ordered that every door opening into the mosque be closed except the door of Abu Bakr.

In the last days the Prophet ﷺ spoke often of the prayer and of looking after those who were weak and dependent. When his daughter Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) came, he whispered something to her and she wept, then whispered again and she smiled. After his death she explained: first he had told her he would not recover from this illness, and then that she would be the first of his family to follow him. Seeing him in pain, she cried out at how much her father was suffering. He told her that there would be no more distress for her father after that day. Near the end he asked for a toothstick, and Aishah softened it for him so that he could use it. He had no wealth to leave. When he died, his armour was pledged to a merchant against a little barley.

From the hadith

Narrated Al-Aswad:

"We were with `Aisha discussing the regularity of offering the prayer and dignifying it. She said, 'When Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) fell sick with the fatal illness and when the time of prayer became due and Adhan was pronounced, he said, 'Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer.' He was told that Abu Bakr was a softhearted man and would not be able to lead the prayer in his place. The Prophet (ﷺ) gave the same order again but he was given the same reply. He gave the order for the third time and said, 'You (women) are the companions of Joseph. Tell Abu Bakr to lead the prayer.' So Abu Bakr came out to lead the prayer. In the meantime the condition of the Prophet (ﷺ) improved a bit and he came out with the help of two men one on each side. As if I was observing his legs dragging on the ground owing to the disease. Abu Bakr wanted to retreat but the Prophet (ﷺ) beckoned him to remain at his place and the Prophet (ﷺ) was brought till he sat beside Abu Bakr." Al-A`mash was asked, "Was the Prophet (ﷺ) praying and Abu Bakr following him, and were the people following Abu Bakr in that prayer?" Al- A`mash replied in the affirmative with a nod of his head. Abu Muawiya said, "The Prophet (ﷺ) was sitting on the left side of Abu Bakr who was praying while standing."

Part twoMonday morning

On the Monday morning, the Muslims were standing in prayer behind Abu Bakr in the mosque. The Prophet ﷺ lifted the curtain of Aishah's room and looked out at the Muslims in prayer. He smiled. Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) later described how the Companions, glad to see him, almost broke their prayer in joy. He gestured to them to continue and let the curtain fall.

Later that day he passed away, his head resting against Aishah. Among his last words, his eyes raised, were a prayer to be with the highest companion, ar-rafiq al-a'la. Aishah understood that he had been given the choice he had spoken of, and had chosen to go to his Lord. It was a Monday in Rabi' al-Awwal in the eleventh year after the hijrah, in June of 632 CE. He was sixty-three years old by the usual count. Accounts differ on the exact day of the month.

From the hadith

Narrated Aisha:

It was one of the favors of Allah towards me that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) expired in my house on the day of my turn while he was leaning against my chest and Allah made my saliva mix with his saliva at his death. `Abdur-Rahman entered upon me with a Siwak in his hand and I was supporting (the back of) Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (against my chest ). I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) looking at it (i.e. Siwak) and I knew that he loved the Siwak, so I said ( to him ), "Shall I take it for you ? " He nodded in agreement. So I took it and it was too stiff for him to use, so I said, "Shall I soften it for you ?" He nodded his approval. So I softened it and he cleaned his teeth with it. In front of him there was a jug or a tin, (The sub-narrator, `Umar is in doubt as to which was right) containing water. He started dipping his hand in the water and rubbing his face with it, he said, "None has the right to be worshipped except Allah. Death has its agonies." He then lifted his hands (towards the sky) and started saying, "With the highest companion," till he expired and his hand dropped down.

News spread through Madinah. Many people could not believe it. Umar stood in the mosque and said that the Prophet ﷺ had not died, that he had gone to his Lord as Musa (peace be upon him) had done, and that he would return. Abu Bakr had been at his house outside the city. He came quickly, went into Aishah's room, and kissed the Prophet's ﷺ forehead. He said that he was pure in life and pure in death. Then he went out and spoke to the people.

He said that whoever had worshipped Muhammad ﷺ should know that Muhammad ﷺ had died, but whoever worshipped Allah should know that Allah is ever-living and never dies. Then he recited a verse of the Quran, that Muhammad ﷺ was only a messenger and that other messengers had passed before him. Umar later said that when he heard it his legs gave way, and he knew that the Prophet ﷺ had truly died.

From the Quran

وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ ٱلرُّسُلُ ۚ أَفَإِي۟ن مَّاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ ٱنقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَعْقَـٰبِكُمْ ۚ وَمَن يَنقَلِبْ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ فَلَن يَضُرَّ ٱللَّهَ شَيْـًٔا ۗ وَسَيَجْزِى ٱللَّهُ ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ ۝١٤٤

Muḥammad is no more than a messenger; other messengers have gone before him. If he were to die or to be killed, would you regress into disbelief? Those who do so will not harm Allah whatsoever. And Allah will reward those who are grateful.

The Prophet's ﷺ family, among them Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) and Al-Abbas, washed and shrouded his body. The Muslims came in small groups to pray over him, one after another, with no single imam leading them. He was buried in the room of Aishah, in the place where he had died, beside the mosque that he had built with his own hands.

Soon afterwards, the Muslims met to choose a leader, and Abu Bakr was chosen. How the community carried on without him is told in the history of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.

The Prophet ﷺ lifted the curtain of Aishah's room and looked out at the Muslims in prayer. He smiled.

More on How to Muslim

• quran.howtomuslim.orgSurah an-Nasr, mappedRead by Companions as a sign that his mission was complete.
• guide.howtomuslim.orgSend salawatSalawat on the Prophet ﷺ, after every prayer.

WatchThe lecture for this chapter

Lecture Towards EternityO Messenger, Final Episode: The Prophet's Farewell (opens on YouTube)

The mapWhere it happened

• Madinah
• the Prophet's Masjid
• the house of Aishah
• Baqi

This map is a simple sketch to help you picture where events took place. Positions, distances and borders are approximate, so please use it for reference only, not as an accurate map.

SourcesSources for this chapter