Time for the Farewell

The day our Prophet delivered his Farewell Sermon, the third verse of Surah al-Maedah was also revealed. It read, “This day I have perfected for you your Religion (with all its rules, commandments and universality), completed My favor upon you, and have been pleased to assign for you Islam as religion. “Upon hearing this verse, some of the Companions understood that this was a kind of sign indicating that the decease of the Messenger of Allah was drawing near, and they cried. Indeed, in very little time, our most beloved Prophet would reunite with his Lord. The Last Prophet, who had been sent as a mercy to all the worlds, was now sixty-three years old. Inflicted with fever, the Messenger of Allah was lying in his bed, burning from high fever. With each day, his illness grew even stronger. In the first couple of days that he had fallen sick, at times when his fever died down, he was able to come to the masjid and lead his Companions in Prayer. One day, when his illness was not so intense, he came to the masjid, stood up on the pulpit, and called out to his Companions,

“O my Companions, no Prophet has ever lived within his community for eternity. Know that one day I, too, will reunite with my Lord. Surely, you, too, will reunite with your Lord one day. The earth shall be left to no one. Every single thing is dependent on the will of Allah. It is not possible to either draw closer or avoid the time that Allah has appointed for us. The place in which we will all meet is by the Pool of Al-Kawthar (Abundant Goodness). Whoever wishes to meet with me by the side of the Pool of Al-Kawthar should protect their hand and tongue and keep them away from evil deeds. O my Companions! Allah has given freedom to one of His servants, to choose between the worldly life and the life of the Hereafter. And this servant has chosen the life of the Hereafter.”

As these words flowed through his blessed lips, Abu Bakr started to cry. He had understood that through these words, the Messenger of Allah was giving them the message of his decease.

Our Prophet reassured him, saying, “Do not cry O Abu Bakr.” Then he said,

“In my eyes, Abu Bakr is the most trustworthy and strong of human beings in terms of his physical and spiritual devotion and selflessness. If I were to choose a bosom friend other than my Lord, I would certainly choose Abu Bakr as my friend. However, from now on, there is only the brotherhood of Islam and the love that is centered around this brotherhood. Even if all doors opening to the Masjid are closed, leave Abu Bakr’s door open!”

It was as though the Messenger of Allah was bidding farewell with his every word. The Companions were all very downhearted and unhappy, and no one could hold back their tears any more.

It was the Thursday before the decease of the Messenger of Allah. His illness had become much more intense by now. There were times when he lost consciousness and fainted. He had fainted once again while the congregation was waiting for him to join them in performing the Night Prayer. As soon as he woke up he asked our blessed mother Aisha whether they had prayed or not. Aisha told him that the congregation was waiting for him, and he asked her to prepare water so that he could make his ablution. However, just as he was about to go out to the masjid for the Prayer, he fainted once again. When he woke up he asked about the Prayer again. He wanted to lead the Prayer, but he was constantly fainting and coming back. Thereupon, he asked that Abu Bakr lead the Prayer. He, himself, came out to pray with the help of two of his Companions. When the congregation saw him, they grew very excited. When Abu Bakr took a step back so that our Prophet could lead the Prayer, the Messenger of Allah signaled for him to stay where he was. With help, he came up to Abu Bakr’s side. Because he had no strength to stand, he completed his Prayer while sitting down.

From that day on, the Messenger of Allah appointed Abu Bakr to lead the Prayers in his place. Still, every day, the Respected Companions waited for him with hope.

They had come to a Monday now. The Monday that fell on the 12th day of the month of Rabi al-Awwal… The Companions had filled the Masjid for the Morning Prayer. The leader of the congregation was Abu Bakr once again. For an instant, there was a kind of activity in the Masjid. The Messenger of Allah had come to the Masjid an-Nabawi. The Companions were just about to end their Prayer because of their joy. They had stood up for the second rakah of the Prayer when the Messenger of Allah arrived right behind Abu Bakr. When Abu Bakr wanted to take a step back, our Prophet touched his shoulder, wanting him to stay there, and he joined in the Prayer from where he sat behind him. After the leader turned and completed the Prayer, our Prophet continued and finished the rakah which he hadn’t been able to catch up to. This had been our Prophet’s last Prayer. As he left the Masjid, he turned to his Companions and said, “A Prophet does not die until one of his Companions leads him in Prayer.” With that he returned to his room.

Sometime later, the sun had risen and it was nearly midmorning. The Messenger of Allah was giving advice to those around him, telling them to work for their afterlife while they still had the chance. Meanwhile, he turned to Fatima, who was crying and shedding tears by her blessed father’s bed side, and said, “My daughter, you must be patient for a while. You must not cry. For the Archangels in the heavens cry when they see you crying.” He wiped away Fatima’s tears, consoled her, and prayed for Allah the Almighty to give her forbearance. Then he said, “O my daughter, every misfortune receives its compliment. From now on, there shall be no sorrow or pain for your father.”

He took his grandsons, Hasan and Husayn, by his side, looked at them with compassion and kissed them on their foreheads. A short while later, our Prophet’s condition started changing. At that moment, the Archangel Gabriel had come and brought news from his Lord.

“You Lord says,” he said, “If he wishes, I will heal him and make him better, but if he wishes, I will take him to My presence and embrace him with My Mercy!” Our beloved Prophet’s response to the Archangel of revelation was, “This is a task which belongs to my Lord. He will do as He wished for me.” Then the Archangel Gabriel said, “O Messenger of Allah! The Archangel of Death is waiting at your door. He is asking for permission to enter. He has never asked for permission from anyone before. And he will not ask anyone else after this.”

Allah’s Messenger gave permission and the Archangel Azrael, upon him be peace, entered. He greeted our beloved Prophet and said, “O Messenger of Allah! The Almighty Allah has sent me to your presence. He commanded me to obey your orders. If you wish so, let me take your honorable soul and lift it to the Sublime Realm, and if not, then I shall return and leave.”

The Messenger of Allah replied, “O Archangel Azrael, fulfill your duty.”

Meanwhile, he stroke his blessed face with his dampened hands and said, “O my Gracious Lord! Help me in overcoming the hardship of death!”

He rested his blessed head on Aisha’s bosom and fixed his black eyes on the ceiling. All the while, he was uttering, “La ilaha illallah (There is no deity but Allah)! Truly, there is serious stupor in death.” He had fainted again. A while later, he came back to himself. Meanwhile, his finger was pointing to the skies. His eyes were directed to the ceiling once again, and his lips were moving. Our blessed mother Aisha hear him uttering these words, “Please forgive and embrace me with Your Mercy, together with the Prophets, the martyrs and the true believers upon whom You bestowed blessings. Accept me to Your highest Companionship! O my Gracious Lord, I wish for You as a Glorious Friend! O my Gracious Lord, I wish for You as a Glorious Friend! O my Gracious Lord, I wish for You as a Glorious Friend!”

This blessed life had started sixty-three years ago, on a Monday, and now it was coming to an end, once again on a Monday. Our blessed Prophet entrusted those after him with the blessed duty of conveying Allah’s message. He was finally able to rejoice in reuniting with his Lord and the Most Beloved.

After the decease of our Prophet, the Muslims went through indescribable grief and shed many tears after him. It was with him that they had seen and learned about everything there was. The world, the Hereafter, the gardens of Paradise, the pits of Hell, hope… It was thanks to him that they were saved from complete perish and abandonment. It was through him that they learned to wish for eternity and not fear death; it was through him that they came to know the Lord of the Worlds. They had been blessed with the honor of spending years by his side, becoming his Respected Companions.

We have never seen him but have lived on with his memories, with him in our dreams. It was he, the beloved Last Prophet, who said, “My brothers will come in the End Times,” and we seek to be of those he calls, “My brothers!” May Allah the Almighty grant us with the blessing of never faltering from the path of our most beloved Prophet in this world and grant us the honor of being with him in the gardens of Paradise.

We are indebted to you and all our gratefulness is upon you. May your intercession be upon us, our beloved Prophet!