The Final Moments of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

The Final Moments of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

The Islamic calendar is filled with months of immense spiritual and historical significance, and among them is the 12th of Rabi' ul-Awwal, etched deeply into the hearts of Muslims around the world as the day the Muslim ummah had to experience the death of the most beloved person in the world, It marks the profound departure of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). 

In this blog, we will journey through the heart-wrenching yet beautiful accounts of the Prophet’s (PBUH) final hours. These moments are more than historical events; they are profound lessons in faith, resilience, and the boundless love he had for his people and vice-versa. 

As his life started to progress towards its end, the Prophet (PBUH) maintained his focus in fulfilling his mission of spreading the word of Allah (SWT) and educating the followers of Islam, to the best of his ability. Even in his final moments, his concern for his Ummah shone through. one of his companions, Anas ibn Malik reported witnessing a glimpse of the Prophet (PBUH)’s last moments. He said,

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَمَّارٍ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ حُرَيْثٍ، وَقُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، وَغَيْرُ وَاحِدٍ، قَالُوا‏:‏ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ‏:‏ آخِرُ نَظْرَةٍ نَظَرْتُهَا إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم، كَشْفُ السِّتَارَةِ يَوْمَ الاثْنَيْنِ، فَنَظَرْتُ إِلَى وَجْهِهِ كَأَنَّهُ وَرَقَةُ مُصْحَفٍ، وَالنَّاسُ خَلْفَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، فَكَادَ النَّاسُ أَنْ يَضْطَربُوا، فَأَشَارَ إِلَى النَّاسِ أَنِ اثْبُتُوا، وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ يَؤُمُّهُمْ وَأَلْقَى السِّجْفَ، وَتُوُفِّيَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنْ آخِرِ ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ‏.

"The last occasion when I caught sight of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) was the unveiling of the curtain on a Monday. I looked at his face as if it were a parchment of the Qur’an, as the people were performing the ritual prayer behind Abu Bakr. The people were about to get restless, so he gestured to them to keep calm, as Abu Bakr led them in prayer, and he cast the curtain aside. Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) died at the end of that day.” [Ash-Shama'il Al-Muhammadiyah 386]

The Prophet's (PBUH) gesture, urging believers to continue praying, symbolizes a profound moment. It’s as if he was conveying, “I have fulfilled my mission; I have done what I was sent to do.”

Once he drew back the curtain, the ambiance of the final moments of the Prophet (PBUH) was described by Hazrat Aisha (RA) as being quite different from the norm. Instead of Aisha (RA) having her head in the Prophet’s lap, this time it was the Prophet (PBUH) whose head was in her lap. Both She and Ibn Mas’ud (RA) vividly described the severity of the fever of the Prophet (PBUH), noting it was 'hotter than anything they had ever felt.'

رضى الله عنها ـ كَانَتْ تَقُولُ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهَ صلى الله عليه وسلم كَانَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ رَكْوَةٌ ـ أَوْ عُلْبَةٌ فِيهَا مَاءٌ، يَشُكُّ عُمَرُ ـ فَجَعَلَ يُدْخِلُ يَدَيْهِ فِي الْمَاءِ، فَيَمْسَحُ بِهِمَا وَجْهَهُ وَيَقُولُ ‏"‏ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ، إِنَّ لِلْمَوْتِ سَكَرَاتٍ ‏"‏‏.‏

Aisha (RA) used to say that There was a leather or wood container full of water in front of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (at the time of his death). He would put his hand into the water and rub his face with it, saying, "There is no god but Allah; verily, death has its agonies." [Sahih al-Bukhari 6510]

As the Prophet (PBUH) continues to mentally and physically prepare himself to have a meeting with the Lord [Sahih al-Bukhari 4451], He looks up and His face lights up as Jibrael (AS) enters the room. Jibrael (AS) goes on to give the Prophet (PBUH) the choice to either live for eternity in this world, as long as this world exists, or to be with the highest companion.

Once the news of the Prophet’s demise became apparent, the first ones to visit him was Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA), who rode from his house, on a horse, to the Prophet’s residence. Upon entering he ignored everybody and went straight to the Prophet’s body, uncovered his face. He knelt down and kissed him and then started weeping. After taking a moment to compose himself, Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) addressed the Muslims to ease their distress and provide clarity. He said:

فَمَالَ إِلَيْهِ النَّاسُ، وَتَرَكُوا عُمَرَ فَقَالَ أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَمَنْ كَانَ مِنْكُمْ يَعْبُدُ مُحَمَّدًا صلى الله عليه وسلم فَإِنَّ مُحَمَّدًا صلى الله عليه وسلم قَدْ مَاتَ، وَمَنْ كَانَ يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ حَىٌّ لاَ يَمُوتُ، قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى ‏{‏وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلاَّ رَسُولٌ‏}‏ إِلَى ‏{‏الشَّاكِرِينَ‏}‏ وَاللَّهِ لَكَأَنَّ النَّاسَ لَمْ يَكُونُوا يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَنْزَلَ الآيَةَ حَتَّى تَلاَهَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ فَتَلَقَّاهَا مِنْهُ النَّاسُ، فَمَا يُسْمَعُ بَشَرٌ إِلاَّ يَتْلُوهَا‏.‏

Abu Bakr said, "Amma ba'du, whoever amongst you worshipped Muhammad, then Muhammad is dead, but whoever worshipped Allah, Allah is alive and will never die. Allah said: 'Muhammad is no more than an Apostle and indeed (many) Apostles have passed away before him ..(up to the) grateful.' " (3.144) (The narrator added, "By Allah, it was as if the people never knew that Allah had revealed this verse before till Abu Bakr recited it and then whoever heard it, started reciting it.") [Sahih al-Bukhari 1241, 1242]

The pain and sorrow that overwhelmed the Muslims during that time are beyond imagination. They faced the immense challenge of returning to their daily lives after losing the most beloved person to them. The thought of praying in the same mosque where the Prophet had once led them as their imam was a painful reminder of their loss. Celebrating any occasion without him, going back to their homes where they once had the Prophet(PBUH) as a guest, all these instances acted as a constant sting. Each moment was a reminder of their individual grief, and they all had to find a way to come to terms with it.

The Prophet (PBUH) had previously described and compared the level of grief Muslims were going to experience at the time of his death, with the loss of a child. As he talked about the reward for the parents who have experienced burying their child, Aisha (RA) went on to question what about those who have never been tested with the loss of a child to which the Prophet (PBUH) replied “ then you have the reward of my loss because they won’t be tested with anything harder than my dead”. This exchange is reported in the hadith Jami` at-Tirmidhi by Abdurabbih bin Bariq Al-Hanafi who said,

References:

https://sunnah.com/shamail:386

https://sunnah.com/bukhari:6510

https://sunnah.com/bukhari:4451

https://sunnah.com/bukhari:1241

https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:1062