On Thursday, five days before the Prophet (SAW) died, He (SAW) delivered an important sermon to his companions. In it, he (SAW) extolled the superior character of Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (RA) and reiterated his command that Abu (RA) should lead the rest of his companions in congregational prayers. At first, the Prophet (SAW) had wanted to write an important document, one that would contain important final commands. When he (SAW) decided not to write that document, perhaps he (SAW) decided to give a sermon instead.

Before delivering it, the Prophet (SAW) took a bath. Seven canteens whose seals had not been broken were poured onto him. Afterward, he (SAW) went out to the people and delivered his sermon. Jundub (RA) said, “Five days before the Messenger of Allah (SAW) died, I heard him say, ‘Verily, I declare before Allah that I have no Khaleel (a pure and sincere friend) from among you. For indeed, Allah, the Most-High, has taken me as a Khaleel, just as He took Ibrahim as a Khaleel. And were I to take a Khaleel from the people of my nation, I would have taken Abu Bakr as a Khaleel. Lo! Indeed, those who came before you would transform the graves of their Prophets and righteous people into Masjids. Lo! Do not transform graves into Masjids, for I indeed forbid you from doing that.” (Muslim)

Abu Saeed Al-Khudri (RA) gave an account of a sermon that the Prophet (SAW) delivered during the illness that ended in his death. In that sermon, the Prophet (SAW) said, “Verily, Allah gave a servant of His a choice between this world and what He has with him (in terms of rewards), and that servant chose what is with Allah.”

Almost no one in the audience recognized the fact that the Prophet (SAW) was referring to himself: he (SAW) was the servant in the story. The phrase “almost no one” indicates that there was one person who did understand the implications of the story, and that was Abu Bakr (RA). When the Prophet (SAW) said that the servant chose what was with Allah, Abu Bakr (RA) began to cry. And everyone around him could not understand why he (RA) had suddenly become so disheartened.

Abu Saeed (RA) later reflected, “The Messenger of Allah (SAW) was the one who was being given the choice, and Abu Bakr (RA) was the most knowledgeable person among us.” The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said, “O Abu Bakr, do not cry. Verily, one of the people who have done me the greatest service with their companionship and their wealth is Abu Bakr. Were I to take a Khaleel from the people of my nation, I would have taken Abu Bakr as my Khaleel; nonetheless, what remains between us is the brotherhood of Islam and the love I feel for him. Block every door that connects to the Masjid, except for the door of Abu Bakr.” (Bukhari)

Aishah (RA) related that whenever the Prophet (SAW) became sick, he (SAW) would recite Al-Mu’awwidhaat, spit on his hands, and then wipe his hands over himself. Al-Mu’awwidhaat are the three last chapters of the Qur’an.

During the Prophet’s final illness, when his health deteriorated, Aishah (RA) would recite those chapters and use his hands to wipe over him. In a narration that is related to Shahih Muslim, Aishah (RA) said, “When someone from his family would get sick, the Messenger of Allah (SAW) would spit and wipe over him with Al-Mu’awwidhaat. When he became sick with the illness that led to his death, I would spit on his hand and then use his hand to wipe over himself. I did that because, of course, his hand was more blessed than my hand.” (Muslim)

Aishah (RA) said, “I and the rest of the Prophet’s wives stayed with the Prophet (SAW), and not a single one of us left him. Fatimah then approached us and by Allah! How she walked was no different from how the Prophet (SAW) walked. When the Prophet (SAW) saw her, he welcomed her, saying, ‘Welcome, O my daughter.’ He seated her to his right – or his left – and then proceeded to whisper a secret to her, and she began to laugh. I said to her, ‘Out of all people, the Prophet (SAW) chose to impart a secret specifically to you, and yet you are crying!’ When she stood up to leave, I said to her, ‘I will not divulge the secret of the Messenger of Allah (SAW),’ When he (SAW) died, I said to her, ‘Based upon the right I have over you, I am asking you to inform me about the secret he told you.’ Fatimah said, ‘As for now, yes. As for the first secret, he (SAW) said to me: “Verily, Jibril would review the Qur’an with me once a year, but this year he has gone over it with me twice. That, in my view, can only mean the nearness of my death. So fear Allah and be patient, for I am indeed an excellent predecessor for you. That is why I cried.”

 (ends)

by Saeed bin Ali bin Wahf Al-Qahtani