The Day the Earth Wept: The Death of the Prophet

The Day the Earth Wept: The Death of the Prophet

Allah says in Surah al-Dukhan:

When the people of Fir'aun were destroyed, He said that the skies and the earth did not weep for them, nor were they given any respite. And so Ibn Abbas was asked a question:

Does the sky and the earth weep for anyone? And he said that yes, there is no one whom Allah has created except that they have a gate in the skies through which their good deeds ascend and through which their rizq descends. And so he says that when the believer dies, this gate is closed.

And it begins to miss the good deeds that would go through it, and so it begins to cry for the believer. And he says:

And the earth — the place where he used to worship Allah and pray — when it no longer has that prayer performed upon it, it also begins to cry, missing the good deeds that were done. And so what then can be said of the greatest and most noble creation of Allah? When he passed away, صلى الله عليه وسلم, on the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal.

The Visit to Baqi' — A Farewell to the Dead

Soon before his death — a few days, a few weeks before his death — the Messenger of Allah ﷺ called his freed slave Abu Muwayhibah. And he told him:

I have been commanded to ask for forgiveness for the people — those who have been buried in Baqi', the graveyard of Madinah. So come with me.

And so he goes to Baqi' in the middle of the night. He greets them with Salam. And then he says:

May the morning that dawns upon you be more relieving than that which will dawn upon the living. If you only knew what Allah has saved you from.

Afflictions and trials are approaching like cloudy lumps in a dark night, the last of which follows the first. The last one is more evil and difficult than the first.

And then he turned to Abu Muwayhibah رضي الله عنه and said that he had been given a choice between the treasures of this world, to stay herein forever and then go to Jannah — or to meet his Lord and then go to Jannah. And so Abu Muwayhibah told the Messenger of Allah:

O Messenger of Allah, may my father and my mother be ransomed for you — take the keys to this world, stay herein forever, and then go to Jannah. And so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ told him:

No, by Allah, I have chosen to meet my Lord and then go to Jannah.

And it was soon after this — the narration says that the morning after this night — the last illness of the Prophet ﷺ began. The first symptom he had was a severe headache.

The Final Illness Begins

When he was coming back from Baqi', Aisha رضي الله عنها had tied a band around her head because of how severe her own headache was. And she said:

My head is hurting so much. And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ told her:

Oh Aisha, no — my head is hurting even more. And subhanAllah, when it first began, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was in the house of Maymunah, his wife رضي الله عنها. And every day he would move between his wives. Every day he would have to stress the body and change from one place of living to the next, to the next, to the next.

And Aisha says about the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:

I never saw someone suffering so much from sickness as I did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. And so the movement became difficult upon the Prophet ﷺ, going from room to room. And so he began to say:

Which room, which home am I staying in tomorrow? — حِرْصًا عَلَى بَيْتِ عَائِشَةَ — out of hope and waiting for the night when it would be the turn of Aisha. And so in Bukhari it says, Aisha said:

When my turn came, when it was my night, his heart found some peace. And he stopped saying, أَيْنَ أَنَا غَدًا — where will I be tomorrow?

And then, because the illness became more severe, the Prophet ﷺ began to have a high fever. Now of course we have Tylenol and Motrin and the like we could take to reduce fever and reduce pain. They had no such thing. So when the fever gets out of control, it causes severe pain.

And so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ — and this is the beauty of his character — he could do whatever he wanted, but he sought permission from his wives. Even in this severe illness, he asked: will you give me permission to stay in the room of Aisha and not continue to go between the rooms, because it is too difficult for me? And of course they gave him permission.

The Testimony of Ibn Mas'ud

In one narration, Ibn Mas'ud came to the Messenger of Allah and said, as he touched him with his hand:

O Messenger of Allah, you are suffering from a very, very intense fever. And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said in response: yes, I suffer what two of you would suffer. The pain and the illness I go through will be the equivalent of two of you — in another narration, the equivalent of ten of you. And so Ibn Mas'ud asked: will you have double the reward? And he said: yes.

And so he ﷺ — subhanAllah — even in this state he is still teaching. He says:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5648; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2571)

No believer tastes any form of pain or difficulty except that through that pain, Allah shakes him free of his sins, just like a tree is shaken free of its leaves.

Now Aisha رضي الله عنها had learned from the Prophet ﷺ that he would recite Surah al-Falaq and Surah al-Nas when he would be in pain. And so she began to do so, and blow on him, and take his own hand — because his hand has more barakah — and wipe over his body, out of trying to relieve the Prophet ﷺ of pain.

The Final Public Prayer — Salatul Maghrib

The symptoms only continued to worsen until about five days before his death, when he came out for the final prayer out loud that he would lead the ummah in — Salatul Maghrib. And he came out to the companions, and by this point news had spread that the illness of the Prophet ﷺ had gone to a concerning level. Companions were staying in the masjid of the Prophet ﷺ and weren't leaving. They were camping out in the masjid.

And so he comes out for Salatul Maghrib and recites:

That was the final surah he recited out loud. And then he immediately goes back to his wife's home — Aisha's — which is connected to the masjid. And he lays down again.

When the time for Salatul 'Isha came, Bilal ibn Rabah came to the Messenger of Allah to inform him. But the Messenger of Allah was so weak and in so much pain he wasn't able to stand up. He was in a state between consciousness and unconsciousness. And when he would regain consciousness, he would ask:

Have the people prayed Salatul 'Isha? And they would tell him:

No, Messenger of Allah, they are waiting for you to come out and lead them in prayer. So he would say:

Pour for me water in a tub so I can wash myself and go out. And so he washes himself as they help him up. And then the narration says, after he washed himself, ذَهَبَ لِيَنُوءَ — he very difficultly tried to get up — فَأُغْمِيَ عَلَيْهِ — but then he passed out unconscious.

And when we say passed out unconscious, just imagine the scene — literally losing consciousness, with his wife and the companions sitting around him, feeling so helpless, not knowing what was going to happen. And then he wakes up after some time and his first words are:

Did they pray Salatul 'Isha? And the same thing happens again — they bring him water, he tries to get up, and out of difficulty, he passes out again. The narrations say this happened between three and seven times. Until he said:

Command Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer. And so Aisha said: O Messenger of Allah, Abu Bakr is a man who is رَجُلٌ أَسِيفٌ — he is a very soft-hearted man. If he were to stand in your place, when he begins reciting he would begin crying and the people would not be able to hear the recitation. So ask Umar. And he said: No, tell Abu Bakr.

And so Abu Bakr led the companions in prayer. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed at home. And he did not come out to the companions for the next few days.

The Final Address from the Minbar

Finally, he ﷺ asked his wives to pour on him seven containers of unopened water so that perhaps he could gain some strength, lower his fever, and go out to address his companions. So they did so until he indicated to them — he was so weak he could barely even speak; he was saving his energy — he just signaled that they had done enough.

And then he came out. And Aisha says his arms were around the shoulders of al-Abbas and Ali رضي الله عنهما. And she says:

He was swaying between the two of them. His feet weren't even able to carry him — they were dragging on the ground behind him as he was being carried between them.

And Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه was leading the companions in Salatul Dhuhr — they had just begun the prayer. When Abu Bakr realized the Prophet ﷺ was coming out, he began to step back. And the Prophet ﷺ told him: No, stay where you are. And they sat him next to Abu Bakr. He led Abu Bakr in prayer, and Abu Bakr led the people in prayer. The people were seeing Abu Bakr, while Abu Bakr was following the prayer of the Prophet ﷺ.

And then he climbed the minbar. And Anas ibn Malik says:

He ascended the minbar for the final time of his life. And he begins to address the companions. There are different narrations about what he said, each giving you a glimpse of what was spoken.

In one narration — and there is a difference of opinion whether it was said on this day or a few days right before his illness began — Uqba ibn Amir says that the Messenger of Allah came out and prayed for the shuhada of Uhud. And he says it was:

As if he was bidding farewell to those who were alive and those who had passed away. And then he said to the companions:

I will precede you on the Day of Judgment, and I will be a witness for you, and I will be waiting for you at the Hawd — the pond of the Messenger of Allah, from which he will give a drink to the believers, after which they will never feel thirsty again. And he said: as if I can see my place at the Hawd right now.

And I don't fear upon you, O my companions, that you will begin to associate partners with Allah after me. But rather:

I fear that you will compete with one another in gaining from this dunya.

In another narration he said: the people before you used to take the graves of their prophets as masajid — so don't do that. I forbid you explicitly from doing that. They would take the graves of the prophets and the righteous. And then he said to take care of the Ansar, for they are those whom the Prophet ﷺ was intimately close to and confided with. Take care of them, overlook their faults, and accept the good that they do.

Amongst the last things he said — one of the final things narrated — he said to the believers:

Hold on to the prayer, hold on to the prayer, and fear Allah with what your right hand possesses — those over whom you have responsibility.

And after that, Anas ibn Malik says:

He never came out of his home after that day.

The Eve of Departure — The 11th of Rabi' al-Awwal

The day before he died — Sunday, the 11th of Rabi' al-Awwal — he made sure to get rid of any belongings he had. He only had seven dirhams, seven silver coins, in his home. And he told Aisha to donate them, to give them away. But Aisha was busy taking care of him, and so he would pass out again and again in and out of consciousness. When he would wake up, the first thing he would ask was: did you donate the seven dirhams? And she would say: No, Messenger of Allah, not yet — I am busy taking care of you. He would say: donate it. And he would pass out again. This happened multiple times until she realized how important this was to him, and so she donated them.

The Final Morning — Salatul Fajr on the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal

And then came the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal. Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه was leading the companions in Salatul Fajr. And Anas ibn Malik says:

The last look we had at the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was when the believers were behind Abu Bakr in lines and lines in Salatul Fajr. He lifted up the curtain from his home and began just looking at the companions — the masjid full at Fajr. And he smiled out of pleasure.

And Anas ibn Malik says that when they saw the face of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم:

We almost broke our prayer out of overwhelming joy at seeing the face of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. He says: there was nothing more beautiful to us than seeing his face — كَأَنَّهُ وَرَقَةُ مُصْحَفٍ — as if it was the page of a Quran.

And Abu Bakr, realizing the commotion and thinking the Prophet ﷺ was about to come out, was about to step back so the Prophet could lead them in prayer. But the Prophet ﷺ indicated: No, stay where you are. And he lowered the curtain. And he was never seen alive again by the companions as a whole. He went back and he laid down.

Fatima's Visit and the Miswak

Fatima, his daughter, came. And the Messenger of Allah's tradition was that he would stand up and kiss her and sit her wherever he was sitting. But he wasn't able to do so. Yet she drew close to him and he still kissed her. And she said: Oh, how much pain my father is in. And the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم told her: after today, there will be no more pain upon your father.

And Abdur Rahman ibn Abi Bakr, the brother of Aisha, came in holding a miswak. Aisha, who was so close to the Messenger of Allah, saw in his eyes that he wanted the miswak. So she took it from Abdur Rahman, softened it first in her own mouth, and gave it to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. He cleaned his teeth with a vigor she had never seen before. And then the miswak fell from his hand.

The Passing of the Prophet ﷺ

And then he raised his hand up to the sky. And he said:

Oh Allah, forgive me and have mercy on me and join me with the highest companionship. Aisha says that she knew the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had told them that no Prophet reaches the time of death except that he is shown his place in Jannah and then given the choice of death or not. And so she says his voice was very husky, very weak, and she heard him say:

That I want to be in the companionship of the righteous and the martyrs and the truthful and the prophets. And so she realized he had just been given the choice and he chose to be with Allah. And then his last words were:

Oh Allah, forgive me and have mercy on me and join me with the highest companionship. Oh Allah, the highest companion, the highest companion, the highest companion — until his hand fell down.

And Aisha says his head — she was holding him closely, cradling him — his head was next to her shoulder, between her chin and her chest. And his head fell to the side. And she says a very cold saliva came out of his mouth onto her chest that caused her skin to have goose bumps. And she says:

But when his soul came out, I never smelled something more beautiful than that smell. And she realized that the Prophet ﷺ had died. صلى الله عليه وسلم.

The Companions' Grief

The companions were at a loss. No one knew what to do. Some weren't able to speak, some weren't able to stand. Umar al-Khattab came into the room, having asked for permission, and saw the Prophet ﷺ. He thought he was still alive, that he had fallen unconscious again. And Mughira, who had come with him, said as they were leaving:

يَا عُمَرُ، مَاتَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ — Oh Umar, he has not passed out. He has passed away.

And Umar al-Khattab just lost it. He went out and said: whoever says that Muhammad ﷺ has died, I will kill him with my sword. He has only gone to his Lord, like Musa ﷺ went for forty days, and he will come back and he will take care of the hypocrites.

And news had spread and the companions realized what had happened, hearing the crying. And Abu Bakr — who had been out of town after seeing the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم that morning seemingly getting better, and had gone to visit his wife who lived a little further away — came rushing back. He went straight into the room of Aisha, his daughter. He saw the Prophet's ﷺ face covered, uncovered it, and kissed him on the forehead. And he said:

You have succeeded in life and in death. And then he said: Allah will not cause you to die twice.

And then he came out to the companions, as Umar al-Khattab was standing there. He said: Umar, sit. And Umar had just lost his mind. And Abu Bakr began to speak, and the people came around him. He said:

Whoever used to worship Muhammad, know that Muhammad ﷺ has passed away. But whoever used to worship Allah, know that Allah is alive and He never dies. And then he recited the verse from Surah Aal 'Imran:

Muhammad is only a messenger ﷺ. Indeed, messengers have passed away before him. If he is killed or dies, will you then turn back on your heels? And whoever does so does not harm Allah in the least bit, but Allah will reward those who are grateful. And it was as if the companions had heard this verse for the first time. And they all began reciting this verse to one another, to console one another.

Reflecting on His Legacy

So tomorrow, the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal, is the day the Prophet ﷺ passed away. And as we remember his death, we remember that even though he has passed, here we are — 1400 years later — his ummah 1.2 billion and growing, around the world. His message still stays with us. Allah says:

And know that amongst you is the Messenger of Allah. And even though he is physically not amongst us, his sunnah and his teachings are still amongst us. And so the message of today's khutbah — reflecting on the death of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ — is so that you and I grow in our attachment to the Prophet ﷺ, and that we grow in our practice of his sunnah. And we see what it is that he emphasized before he passed away so that we may implement it in our lives.

Du'a — Closing Supplication

Oh Allah, we ask You to bless us to drink from the hand of the Messenger of Allah on the Day of Judgment from his Hawd al-Kawthar, a drink after which we will never feel thirsty again.

Oh Allah, we ask You to join us with him — even though we have not seen him in this world — that we may see him in paradise. Oh Allah, we ask You to make us the neighbors of the Messenger of Allah in paradise. Oh Allah, we ask You to make us the neighbors of the Sahaba in paradise. Oh Allah, we ask You to grant the Messenger of Allah the highest level —

— and we ask You to grant us his companionship in the highest levels of paradise.

اللَّهُمَّ آمِينَ