Biography of Prophet Muhammed (PBUH). (Part 28)

Biography of Prophet Muhammed (PBUH). (Part 28)

This is Muhammed

THE PROPHET’S DEATH

ONE NIGHT, shortly after his return to Medina, the Prophet(pbuh) woke up at midnight and asked his servant’ Abd Allah to saddle his mule. They then left the house and went to the Baqi al-Gharqad, the burial ground of the Muslims. There the Prophet (pbuh) stood in the front of the graves and, as though he could see the Muslims buried in them, spoke to them and prayed over them. Later, ’Abd Allah reported, ’The Prophet (pbuh) told me that he was ordered to pray for the dead and that I was to go with him.’

After the Prophet (pbuh) had prayed he turned to ‘Abd Allah and said, ‘I can choose between all the riches of this world, a long life and then Paradise, or meeting my Lord and entering Paradise now.’ ‘Abd Allah begged him to choose a long, rich life, followed by Paradise, but the Prophet (pbuh) told him that he had already chosen to meet his Lord now rather than remain in the world.

The following morning the Prophet (pbuh) awoke with a terrible headache, but despite this he had led the prayers at the mosque. From what he said afterwards to the people assembled there, they understood that his death was near. The Prophet (pbuh) praised his best friend, Abu Bakr, who had begun to weep, and told everyone that he knew they would all meet again at a pool in Paradise. He added, however that although he was sure they would always worship Allah alone, he feared that the pleasures of the world would attract them, and they would begin to compete with one another for material possessions, forgetting spiritual things.

Soon after the Prophet (pbuh) requested that he be moved to the room of A’isha, one of his wives. As the days passed his fever grew worse, until one day he was so ill that he could not even get to the mosque, which was next to where A’isha lived. The Prophet (pbuh) told A’isha to tell the Muslims to let Abu Bakr, her father, lead the prayer, which made them very sad for this was the first time anyone had taken the Prophet's place.

Later, on the 12th day of Rabi al-Awal, in the 11th year of Islam (June 8th 632 A.D.), the Prophet (pbuh) heard the voices of the people in prayer. With great effort he got up and looked from his door at all the Muslims who were assembled in rows behind Abu bakr; he smiled with great satisfaction. Abu Bakr saw him and stepped back to give the Prophet (pbuh) his place. The Muslims were happy, thinking he was going to pray with them as before, but the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), who looked radiantly beautiful that day signaled to them to continue on their own. He prayed in a sitting position at the right of Abu Bakr, after which he went back inside and lay his head on 'A'ishah's lap. He was in such pain that his daughter Fatimah cried out in pity. Then the Prophet (pbuh) said, 'There is no pain for your father after this day; truly, death has appeared to me. We must all suffer it till the Day of Judgement.' As he lay there, A'ishah remembered that he had once said, Allah never takes a Prophet to Himself without giving him the choice.'

Then she heard the Prophet (pbuh) speak. His last words were, 'Nay, rather the Exalted Communion of Paradise.' A’ishah then said to herself, 'So, by Allah, he is not choosing us!' When the people in the mosque heard that the Prophet (pbuh) was dead, they were filled with grief. ‘Umar could not, and would not, believe it, and exclaimed that it was not true. Abu Bakr then went out and spoke gently to the people, saying 'All praise belongs to Allah! O people, whoever worshipped Muhammad, Muhammad is dead. But for him who worships Allah, Allah is living and never dies.' He then recited this verse from the Koran which had been revealed after the battle of Uhud:

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

"Muhammad is but a messenger, messengers (the like of whom)
have passed away before him. Will it be that, when he dies or is slain, you will turn back on your heels? He who turns back
does no hurt to Allah, and Allah will reward
the thankful. No soul can ever die except by Allah's permission
and at a term appointed. Who so desires the
reward of the world, We bestow on him thereof;
and whosoever desires the reward of the Hereafter,
We bestow on him thereof We shall reward the thankful."
(Glorious Quran, 3:144-145)

After this the people pledged their loyalty to Abu Bakr, whom the Prophet (pbuh) had chosen to lead the prayer. Abu Bakr accepted and concluded what he had to say with these words:
'Obey me so long as I obey Allah and His Messenger. But if I
disobey Allah and His Messenger, you owe me no obedience.
Arise for your prayer, Allah have mercy upon you!'
The people rose and asked him; 'Where will the Prophet (pbuh) be buried?' Abu Bakr remembered that the Prophet (pbuh) had said, 'No Prophet dies who is not buried on the spot where he died.' And so the Prophet (pbuh) was buried in a grave dug in the floor of A'ishah's room, in the house next to the mosque. The spot became known as the Haram al-Nabawi and Muslims from all over the world go there to pray and to give their blessings and greetings of peace the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

And Lo! thine verily will be a reward unfailing.
And Lo! thou art of a tremendous nature.
(Glorious Quran, 068 : 3,4 )

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GLOSSARY

'ABD ALLAH : ‘Abd al-Muttalib's youngest son. Father of the Prophet (pbuh).

'ABD ALLAH IBN UBAYY: One of the rulers of Yathrib before the Hijrah. He became a Muslim but secretly plotted with the Meccans against the Prophet (pbuh).

'ABD AL-MUTTALIB: Son of Hashim. He took the place of his father as the head of Quraysh. He dug the well of Zamzam.

'ABD ALLAH IBN ABU RABI'AH: Was sent with 'Amr ibn al-'As to Abyssinia. 'ABDU MANAF: Son of Qusayy; took over as leader of the Quraysh after his father's death.

ABRAHAH : King of Yemen who came to Mecca with a big army to destroy the Ka'bah.

ABRAHAM (IBRAHIM): The founding father of the three monotheistic (worshipping one God only) religions-Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The descendants of his son Ishmael (Isma’il) formed the tribe of Quraysh, which is the tribe of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

ABU BAKR : A rich and much respected merchant of Mecca. The first man to believe in the Prophet (pbuh) and embrace Islam. He was the Prophet's closest friend and companion.

ABU DUJANAH: One of the great Ansar warriors. It was he who died shielding the Prophet (pbuh) with his own body during the battle of Uhud.

ABU JAHL : One of the important men of Quraysh. Violently opposed to Islam, he did many things to harm the Prophet (pbuh). He was killed at Badr.

ABU LAHAB : One of the Prophet Muhammad's uncles, who was a great enemy of Islam. He is referred to in the Koran in surah cxi.

ABU SUFYAN: One of the leaders of Quraysh who led the
unbelievers in their fight against the Prophet (pbuh). He finally became a Muslim. His wife was Hind.

ABU TALIB : The Prophet's uncle, father of ‘Ali, one of the respected men of Quraysh He took care of the Prophet (pbuh) after his grandfather died and continued to protect him until his own death.

'ADDAS : A Christian servant of one of the big tribes of Ta'if and the only person from this town to believe in the Prophet (pbuh) at the time of his first visit there.

ADHAN : Call to prayer.

'A'ISHAH : The Prophet's wife and daughter of Abu Bakr.
AL-'ABBAS : One of the uncles of the Prophet (pbuh). Converted to Islam and joined the Muslims just as they were about to enter Mecca.

‘ALI: Son of Abu Talib. First cousin of the Prophet (pbuh). ‘Ali later married Fatimah, the youngest daughter of the Prophet (pbuh).

ALLAHU AKBAR: Phrase meaning 'God alone is Great'.

ALMS : Money, clothes or food given to the poor.

AMINAH : Aminah bint Wahb. The mother of the Prophet (pbuh).

'AMR IBN AL-'AS: An important and clever man from Quraysh; was sent to Abyssinia to bring back the first Muslim emigrants. Later became one of the great warriors of Islam.

ANSAR : The inhabitants of Medina who became Muslims and asked the Prophet (pbuh) to come and live with them.

APOSTLE : Person sent to teach men about God.

ASSALAMU ALEIKUM WA RAHMATULLAH WA BARAKATUH:
Phrase used by the Muslims in greeting, meaning: 'May the Peace, Mercy and Grace of Allah be upon you.’

BAHIRA : A monk who lived in the desert on the Quraysh caravan route to Syria.

BANI HASHIM: The branch of Quraysh to which the Prophet (pbuh) belonged.

BANI QURAYZAH: A Jewish tribe who were living in Yathrib at the time the
Prophet (pbuh) arrived there. Several times they betrayed their covenant with the Prophet (pbuh) forcing him to fight them.

BEDOUIN : Nomadic Arabs of the desert, usually shepherds.

BILAL : The Slave of Umayyah ibn Khalaf. He became a Muslim against the will of his master and was persecuted cruelly but never lost his faith. Later he became the first mu’adhdhin (the person who calls the adhan).

BISMILLAH : The phrase meaning 'In the Name of Allah the Merciful, the Compassionate'.

BOOTY : Things captured from an enemy in war.

BURAQ : Animal ridden by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) on his ascent to heaven (the Isra' and Mi'raj).

CARAVAN : A group of travelers, usually merchants with their goods.

CLAN : Large family or tribe.

CONGREGATION: Gathering of people for prayer.

CONVERT : To change from one state into another, usually said of religion.

COPT : An Egyptian Christian.

DESCENDANTS: People originating from a certain person (children, grand
children, etc.).

DESTINED : Fated, already decided by God.

FAMINE : Scarcity of food.

FAST : To go without food and water, e.g. the month of Ramadan.
FITRAH : The pure original nature God gave to man.

GABRIEL (JIBRIL): The Archangel who conveyed the Revelation of the Koran to the Prophet (pbuh) from Allah.

GRAZE : To feed on grass, as sheep do.

GUARDIAN : One who is responsible for someone (e.g. a child), a place, or thing.

HADITH : An account of what the Prophet (pbuh) said or did, or his silent approval of something said or done in his presence.

HAGAR (HAAJAR): Abraham's second wife and mother of his first son Ishmael.

HALIMAH : A Bedouin woman from Bani Sa’d, who cared for the Prophet (pbuh) during his early childhood.

HAMZAH : The Prophet's uncle; one of the bravest and strongest of the Muslims. Fought at Badr and was killed in Uhud.

HASHIM : Son of Abdu Manaf Organized the caravan journeys of Quraysh to Syria and Yemen. As a result Mecca grew rich and became a large and important center of trade.

HERACLIUS : Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire.

HERMIT : A holy man who lives far away from people.

HIJRAH : The flight from Mecca to Medina; emigration.

HIND : Abu Sufyan's wife.

IMAM : A man who leads the Muslims in prayer.

ISHMAEL (ISMAIL): The first son of Abraham from his wife Hagar. Settled in Mecca where he helped his father rebuild the Ka’bah. From his descendants came Quraysh.

ISLAM : Religion revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

JA'FAR IBN ABU TALIB: A cousin of the Prophet (pbuh) and brother of 'Ali, he was the spokesman of the Muslims who emigrated to Abyssinia.

KHADIJAH : The Prophet Muhammad's first and only wife until her death. She was the first to believe in the Prophet (pbuh) and to accept as true the Message he brought from Allah.

KHALID IBN AL-WALID: A great warrior, very skilled at warfare. He planned the defeat of the Muslims at Uhud, but later converted to Islam and fought even more strongly for his new faith.

MARTYR : One who dies in the cause of God.

MAYSARAH : Khadijah's slave. Accompanied the Prophet (pbuh) on his journey with Khadijah's caravans.

MINARET : Tower from which the call to prayer is made.

MOSQUE : Building in which Muslims pray.

MUSLIM : One who submits to God, usually referring to the followers of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

OASIS : A small area in the desert where water and trees arc to be found.

PARADISE : Place to which the souls of good people go after death. PILGRIMAGE : Journey to a holy place, e.g. Hajj.

PROPHET : A man who comes with a message from God.
QURAYSH : The descendants of Ishmael, son of Abraham, who became the most important tribe in Mecca. The tribe of the Prophet (pbuh).

QUSAYY : One of the leaders of Quraysh who became ruler over Mecca. He held the keys of the Ka'bah. (He is the great-great-great grandfather of the Prophet (pbuh).)

REPENT : To regret having done wrong and to vow not to repeat it.

REVELATION: Truth sent to man from God.

SACRIFICE : Making an offering to God; to give up a thing for some noble reason.

SA’D IBN MU’ADH: One of the Ansar (the people of Yathrib). He fought beside the Prophet (pbuh) at Badr and other battles. He died after the battle of the Trench.

SANCTUARY: A sacred place; a refuge.

SARAH : Abraham's first wife and mother of his second son Isaac.

SCHOLARS : Learned people.

SCRIPTURES : Holy book or writing.

SCROLL : A roll of paper or skin to be used for writing.

SEAL OF THE PROPHETS: The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) who was the last Messenger from God to man.

SHEIKH : Head of a tribe; old, respected or learned man.

SIDRAT AL-MUNTAHA: The Lote-tree of the Uttermost, limit of the heavens.

SIEGE : To surround a town in order to capture it.

SLANDER : A lie that damages the reputation of a person.

SURAH : Chapter from the Koran.

TAWAF : Ritual encircling of the Ka’bah.

UBAYDAH IBN AL-HARITH: One of the three Muslims Prophet to start the fighting at the battle of Badr.

'UMAR IBN AL-KHATTAB: One of the bravest and most important men of Quraysh, who greatly influenced the course of Islam after his conversion to the faith.

UMAYYAH IBN KHALAF: One of the important men of Mecca and a great enemy of Islam. Fought at Badr and was killed by his former slave, Bilal.

WADI : Shallow valley.

WAHSHI : The Abyssinian slave who killed Hamzah.