أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 52580
العمر : 72
 | | موضوع: The Death of the Messenger الإثنين 12 فبراير 2018, 9:16 pm | |
| The Death of the Messenger
Book 24
“Muhammad is no more than a messenger, and indeed (many) messengers have passed away before him. If he dies or is killed, will you then turn back on your heels (as disbelievers)? And he who turns back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah; and Allah will give reward to those who are grateful.” (TMQ, al-Baqara:144).
One night, after his return to Madinah, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) awoke at midnight, called to his servant Abu-Mowayheba, and said, “Saddle my mule.” Abu-Mowayheba prepared the Prophet’s mule. Then the Prophet (Peace be upon him) mounted it, and said to Abu-Mowayheba, “I have been ordered to pray for the deceased people in the Baqi (The burial ground of the Muslims in Madinah). Come with me.”
Together, they made their way to the Baqi. Abu-Mowayheba walked behind the Prophet’s mule, and when they arrived, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) dismounted and Abu-Mowayheba hurried to the mule and held its bridle. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) turned to the graves and said, “Peace be upon you all, dead people. Enjoy your current state; much better than the state of the living ones.
The Fetan (to disbelieve after one has believed in Allah, or a calamity or an affliction) have drawn near as gloomy as the dark nights, the one following the other, and the latter worst than the former.” He then turned to Abu-Mowayheba and said, “O, Abu-Mowayheba! I have been granted the chance to choose between all the riches of this world as well as living a long life, then entering Paradise, or meeting my Lord then going to Paradise now.” “ O, dear Prophet! I beg you to choose a long rich life followed by Paradise”, said Abu- Mowayheba. “No, Abu-Mowayheba. I have already chosen to meet Allah and to go to Paradise”, said Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Then he remained there for some time asking Allah to forgive the dead Muslims, and by midnight he left followed by his servant.
Returning home, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) found his wife Aisha suffering from a headache. “Oh! My head”, she said. “It is me who is supposed to say ‘Oh! My head’, Aisha”, said Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). He sat beside her, turned to her, and started joking with her saying, “What if you died before me and I had to wash you, shroud you, pray for you, and bury you?” “I can imagine it right now” replied Aisha. “You will return to my house and enjoy your time with one of your wives.” He smiled and went to bed that night suffering from a severe headache.
The following days, he used to pass by his wives’ houses, spending one night with each of them. As his case became worse, he started to ask each wife he visits, “Where am I to spend tomorrow?” His wives understood that he wanted to stay in Aisha’s house so that she could nurse him during his illness. One day, when at his wife Maymouna’s house, his pains became worse, so he asked his wives to be nursed at Aisha’s. When they agreed, he called for his cousin Ali Ibn Abu-Taleb and his uncle Al-Abbas. He leant on them and set off to Aisha’s with his head bind up. He remained there and did not go out except in prayer times.
The night fell; all the people assembled to perform the Isha’ prayer. Resounding everywhere was Belal’s pleasant voice announcing the Azan (Call to prayers), “Allah is the Greatest...Allah is the Greatest... Allah is the Greatest...Allah is the Greatest.” He finished and all the people kept waiting for Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) to arrive, yet, he did not.
Inside was the Prophet (Peace be upon him) trying to go out to perform the prayer, yet, he fainted. When he came back to consciousness, he asked Aisha, “Did the people pray?” “No, they are waiting for you”, she said.
He asked for water to make Wudu’ (Ablution), yet he could not make it as he fainted again. A while later, he returned to consciousness and asked, “Did the people pray?” “No, they are waiting for you”, replied Aisha. He tried again to make Wudu’, yet again he fainted.
All the people were gathering outside, so when he came back to consciousness, Belal entered and said, “It is time for prayer, dear Prophet.” “I cannot pray outdoors today.
Order Abu-Bakr to be the Imam (The one who leads Muslims in prayers) instead of me”, said he (Peace be upon him). Aisha was worried about her father, because she knew that no one can replace the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him), and that all the people will dispute with whoever replaces him. Therefore, she wanted the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to choose someone else. “Abu-Bakr is a very sensitive man who always cries.
If he becomes the Imam, the people will not be able to hear his voice”, she said to Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). “Order Abu-Bakr to be the Imam”, replied he (Peace be upon him). She repeated her words, “Abu-Bakr is a very sensitive man.” “You are like those women in Yusuf’s (Joseph) story (meaning that what shows on you is completely different than what is deep inside you, exactly like the wife of the Nobleman who gathered the women and pretended that she wanted to show them her hospitality, while in reality she wanted to show them Yusuf’s beauty so that they excuse her for loving him).
Order Abu-Bakr to be the Imam.” Belal went out crying. All the people hurried to him and asked anxiously, “What is wrong, Belal?” “The Messenger of Allah is unable to pray outdoors”, replied Belal. Hearing his words, all the Muslims burst into tears.
A while later, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) wanted to go out to the people, so he said to his wives, “Pour on me seven bottles of water from seven different wells, so that I can go out to the people to fulfill their needs.” They poured water on him and he went out leaning on a man of his relatives. He reached the pulpit, and sat down on it. All the people hurried towards him, feeling happy that he is out again. When they gathered around him, he said, “O, Allah! Forgive the martyrs of Uhud. O, Allah! Forgive the martyrs of Uhud. Dear, Muhajereen, you are now increasing in number, while the Ansar are not. Therefore, be generous to their good ones and forgive their hurtful ones.
O, everyone! Allah has granted one of his servants the chance to choose between life and what Allah is keeping for him, so he chose what Allah if keeping for him.”
Abu-Bakr understood that Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was talking about himself, and that by this, he was announcing to the people that his death is coming soon. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) had never abandoned him before.
So he said, “Ourselves, our children, and our properties; all are for you.” “Abu-Bakr has always been the most generous person to me in his company, and if I were to have a friend from my Ummah (Islamic nation), I would have chosen Abu-Bakr for that”, said the Prophet (Peace be upon him). He, then, added, “O, people! If anyone is suffering from anything deep inside, tell me to pray for him.” A man stood up and said, “O Prophet of Allah! I am a hypocrite, a compulsive liar, and very pessimistic.” All the people were astonished from that man who scandalized himself, and Omar Ibnul-Khattab said, “Woe unto you! If you had not scandalized yourself, Allah would not have ever scandalized you.” “Quiet, Ibnul-Khattab. A scandal in life is much easier to bear than a scandal in the Hereafter. O, Lord! Grant him truthfulness and faith, and take pessimism away of him”, replied the Prophet (Peace be upon him).
The following days, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) performed all the prayers indoors. He was unable to come out, so Abu-Bakr remained the Imam. On Monday morning, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) heard the voices of the people in the mosque, so he parted the curtains of his room and looked through. He saw all the Muslims standing in rows behind Abu-Bakr praying, so he smiled. When the people saw him, they were very happy and started to clear the way for him; they thought that he had come to pray with them.
Abu-Bakr, too, took some steps back to give the Prophet room to stand as the Imam. However, the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) made a sign for them to continue praying, and then he drew the curtains and went.
The Prophet’s pains became harder, so he put his head in Aisha’s lap. He used to dip his hands in a cup of water, and then wipe his face saying, “O, Allah! Help me bear the agonies of death.” Sometime later, his head became heavier in Aisha’s lap. She thought that he had fainted, so, she covered him with a dress. Then, Omar Ibnul-Khattab and Al-Mougheera Ibn Sho’ba came, took permission from Aisha, and entered. They both looked on the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and Omar said, “Oh! The Prophet’s faint is very hard.” “The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) is dead, Omar”, said Al-Mougheera. “You are a liar”, said Omar harshly, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) can never die before Allah ruins all the hypocrites.”
Then, he went out, giving a speech and menacing all those who said that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) is dead.
Abu-Bakr came and entered the Prophet’s house. He removed the cover on the Prophet’s face and said what can be translated ad, “Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.” (TMQ, al-Fatiha:156). The messenger of Allah has died.”
Then, he kissed him on his head and said sadly, “Oh! My Prophet. Oh! My chosen messenger. Oh! My intimate friend.” Going out, he found Omar giving a speech and telling the people that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) will never die before Allah ruins all the hypocrites. He went towards him and said, “Sit down, Omar. Sit down, Omar”, then proceeded, “I certify that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is His messenger. O, people, whoever worshipped Muhammad, Muhammad is dead, but for him who worships Allah, Allah is living and never dies.”
He kept silent for a moment, then recited this Holy verse, that can be translated as, “Muhammad is no more than a messenger, and indeed (many) messengers have passed away before him. If he dies or is killed, will you then turn back on your heels (as disbelievers)? And he who turns back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah; and Allah will give reward to those who are grateful.” (TMQ, al-Baqara:144).
Everyone now became certain that the messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) ha died. They all burst into tears. Fatima came and started to mention her father’s virtues, which increased the people’s anguish. She cried out in pity, “Oh, father! Oh, father! You are the best of the whole creation. You have answered Allah’s invitation. To Jibril, we should announce your death. Upon Allah’s call, you emitted your last breath.”
At the time of prayer, Belal went on announcing the Azan, “Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. I witness that there is no God but Allah, I witness that there is no God but Allah, I witness that Muhammad.” At that moment, he remembered Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), now deceased in his house. He could not help crying. He burst into tears followed by all the people. The whole of Madinah was shaken by tears and wrapped up in anguish and deep grief.
END
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