EVENTS

632 CE / The Choice. 11th Year after Hijrah (Migration)

Important events and incidences that took place

When the Prophet returned from the Farewell Pilgrimage he began to experience incapacitating headaches and fatigue. He would often wrap a cloth around his aching temples and go to the Mosque to lead the prayers or to address the people. Moreover, despite being sixty three years of age, he still had the stature and grace of a much younger man, his eyes were still bright, and there were only a few white hairs in his black hair.

One morning after prayers he stood and addressed his followers and after praising those who died at Uhud he said “God has given one of his servants the choice between this world and that which is with God, and he has chosen the latter.” The only person who seems to have understood this reference to his imminent death was his closest friend Abu Bakr, who began to weep bitterly. “Gently, gently, Abu Bakr,” Muhammad said tenderly.

Naturally, the Prophet’s companions became concerned and anxious. Soon he would resign himself to the quarters of Aisha where his wives would nurse him and tend to him. His fever increased in the first days of his sickness but whenever it would subside, the Prophet would walk to the Mosque to lead the prayers until one day, he was so overcome with fatigue that he ordered Abu Bakr  to lead the prayers in his place. 

The Prophet lay much of the time with his head resting on Aisha’s lap; but when Fatimah came Aisha would withdraw a little to allow the father and daughter some privacy together. Fatimah, whom he loved deeply as his only surviving offspring, visited him every day. At one of these visits Aisha saw him whisper something to his daughter, who then began to weep. Then he confided to her another secret and she smiled through her tears. As she was leaving, Aisha asked her what he had said, and she answered that they were secrets.

But then later after the Prophet passed away, she informed Aisha about what the Prophet had whispered to her:

 “He first told me that he would meet his Lord after a short while and so I cried. Then he said to me: ‘Don’t cry for you will be the first of my household to join me.’ So I laughed.” 

On Monday the twelfth of Rabi’ Al-Awwal, in the eleventh year of Islam, the Prophet’s fever abated, and although he was exceedingly weak he decided to respond to the call to prayer and attend the congregation. The prayer had already begun when he entered, and the people were almost drawn away from it for joy at the sight of him, but he motioned them to continue. Abu Bakr realised the commotion could have only one cause and so stepped back to allow the Prophet to lead, but the Prophet placed his hand on his shoulder and pressed him to continue while he sat on his right and prayed seated.

The Prophet had now returned to his couch and was lying with his head in Aisha’s arms as if all strength had been used. None the less, when her brother entered the room with a tooth-stick in his hand, she saw the Prophet looking at it in such a way that she knew he wanted it. So she took it from her brother and softened it and then gave it to the Prophet, who rubbed his teeth with it vigorously despite his weakness.

Not long afterwards the Prophet lost consciousness as though it was the onset of death, but after an hour he opened his eyes. Aisha heard him murmur: “With the supreme communion in Paradise, with those upon whom God has bestowed favours from among the Prophets and the truthful and the martyrs and the good, and a goodly company are they.” And again she heard him murmur: “O God, with supreme companionship”: and these were the last words she heard him speak. As his soul departed to its heavenly abode, his head grew heavier upon her chest, until the other wives began to weep, and Aisha laid his head on a pillow and joined then in weeping.

LESSONS & WISDOMS

632 CE / The Choice

A closer look at the events; in search of deeper meanings and drawing lessons

Nearing the end of his noble life the Prophet would often speak of paradise, and when he did so it was as a man who sees what he describes. The Prophet, like all Prophets before him, was given a choice as to whether he wished to remain in this world as an immortal or depart; he chose to be ‘in the company of the highest’. The Prophet never failed to inspire his followers to look ahead to the eternal life of the hereafter. Even upon informing them of his near parting he assured them of a meeting they would have beside his Hawd- a lake where believers quench their thirst on their entry to paradise. Motivation by way of reminding oneself of the hereafter can have a pivotal role in overcoming life’s obstacles. Thus did the Prophet mould their perception to revolve around the hereafter and the notion of reward and punishment mete out therein.

A series of incidences occurred in the last days of the Prophet’s life which clearly indicated the superiority Abu Bakr held over all the other Companions. It became evident that he was to succeed in leadership of the Muslim Nation when the Prophet insisted that he alone lead the prayers in his place during last days of his illness .

In the final moments of his life the Prophet lay in the arms of his wife, ‘Aisha, as if all strength had been used. None the less when her brother, Abdur Rahman, entered the room with a tooth-stick in his hand, she saw the Prophet looking at it in such a way that she knew he wanted it. So she took it and softened it before giving it to him; he rubbed his teeth with it vigorously despite his weakness. We learn from this the importance of personal hygiene and self grooming as God loves the ones who purify themselves inwardly and outwardly.

EDICTS & RULINGS

632 CE / The Choice

Revelation and rulings particular to this year

Though the following verse was revealed earlier at the battle of Uhud, when it was recited by Abu Bakr after the death of the Prophet to the congregation they reacted as if they had not heard of the revelation before. Umar would say afterwards: “When I heard Abu Bakr recite that verse, I was so astounded that I fell to the ground. My legs would no longer carry me, and I knew that God’s messenger had died”:

Muhammad is only a Messenger and he has been preceded by other Messengers. If he were to die or be killed, would you turn on your heels? Those who turn on their heels do not harm God in any way. God will recompense the thankful.

***

It is said that the last verse to be revealed to the Prophet was from the Quranic chapter al-Baqara, verse 281:

And guard yourselves against a day in which you shall be returned to God; then every soul shall be paid back in full what it has earned, and they shall not be dealt with unjustly.

***

Abdullah bin Abbas states that the last chapter of the Quran to be revealed was the chapter al-Nasr, meaning by that no complete surah was sent down to the Prophet after it. When explaining the opening verses, Ibn Abbas would say that they indicated the departure of the Prophet from this earthly abode:

When God’s help and victory have arrived

And you have seen people entering God’s religion in droves,

then glorify your Lord’s praise and ask His forgiveness. He is the Ever-Returning.

***

During the Prophet’s illness, he would order Abu Bakr to take his place and lead the followers in prayer. According to some historians, this was a clear indication that the Prophet desired Abu Bakr to take the position of Khalifah and lead the Muslims after him passing away.

***

Also during the Prophet’s illness, once when Abu Bakr was leading the Muslims in prayer, the Prophet made a surprising appearance in the Mosque and approached Abu Bakr to join in with the prayer. Sensing the Prophet’s presence Abu Bakr stepped backed to allow him to take his place and lead the people in prayer. From this narration some of the scholars have deduced the permissibility of altering ones intention during the prayer. According to them, this narration indicates that one could change their intention from say the travellers prayer to the residents prayer, or, from praying alone to becoming the Imam midway through the prayer (if someone else decided to join you in prayer). This deduction was based on the notion that Abu Bakr must have changed his intention from that of an Imam leading the prayer to that of a follower (now that he was praying behind the Prophet).

CONTENTIOUS NARRATIVES

632 CE / The Choice

The ‘Bewitchment’ of Muhammad

Towards the end of the Prophet’s life, as reported by his wife Aisha in sahih al-Bukhari, he was affected by black magic and fell ill as a result. Muslim scholars hold three views with regard to this incident:

The first view: The sorcery which the Prophet was exposed to is merely a disease or condition like a transient illness. This is possible in regard to the Prophets as is to any human being. It does not disprove prophethood or disturb the message or revelation. God the Exalted protected His Prophet from whatever interferes with the mission of conveying the message and from being killed, not from transient physical diseases.

The great scholar Ibnul Qayyim said regarding this issue:

Sorcery that affected the Prophet (peace be upon him) was a transient disease that Allah cured him from. There is nothing defective about it for all Prophets are exposed to illness as well as fainting; he (peace be upon him) fainted during his illness, fell down when his leg weakened and was bruised in battle. This is affliction by which Prophets increase in rank and degree. The most tested of all mankind are the Prophets; they were afflicted with killing, hurt, abuse and imprisonment, so it is not strange for a Prophet to be afflicted with some sorcery from his enemies, just as he was hurt when someone stoned him in Uhud and as animal intestines were thrown on him during his prostration and other similar incidents.

The second view: Sorcery merely affected his externals and organs, not his heart, mind or intellect as God protected the heart and mind of the Prophet from being affected in this manner. This opinion is attributed to Al-Qadi Iyyad and Ibn Hajar al-Haythami.

The third view: what was reported –that the Prophet was charmed– is unacceptable forgery, and was in fact fabricated by disbelievers. However, this opinion was adopted by only a minority of Muslims from the Mu’tazili sect as the incident was recorded by Bukhari in his rigorously authenticated collection of Hadith, as-Sahih, and cannot be denied.

Placing aside the difference of opinion, the affect such magic had on the Prophet was marginal, making him think at times that he had relations with his wife when in fact he hadn’t. As narrated by Aisha, “Magic was worked on the Prophet so that he began to fancy that he had done something which he hadn’t”. The notion peddled by some Christian missionaries that Muhammad had become bewitched and lost his mind is somewhat farfetched and has no credible recourse to primary sources; nor secondary. Magic can certainly charm or bewitch individuals but nothing of the like afflicted the prophet, rather the nature of his illness was narrated in full by his disciples.

As alluded to by Ibnul Qayyim, the incident was nothing more than a trial in the life of the Prophet against a different type of evil; indeed his entire life was a ‘jihad’ against evil.