The Demise of the Holy Prophet (sa) and the Consensus

In respect to the demise of the Holy Prophet (sa), Urwah bin Zubair has reported another narration from the blessed wife of the Holy Prophet (sa), Hazrat Aisha (ra):

“The Holy Prophet (sa) had passed away while Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) was in Sun‘a’ (in other words, he was in the village of Sun‘a’, located in the outskirts). Upon hearing the news, Hazrat Umar (ra) stood up (when the Holy Prophet (sa) passed away, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) was not present, however, Hazrat Umar (ra) was present and he stood up) and said, ‘I swear by Allah, the Holy Prophet (sa) has not passed away.’”

Hazrat Aisha (ra) states:

“Hazrat Umar (ra) would say, ‘I swear by Allah, at the time, I felt that Allah will surely cause the Holy Prophet (sa) to awaken in order to cut the hands and feet of some of the people.’ Meanwhile, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) arrived, removed the cloth from the face of the Holy Prophet (sa), kissed [his forehead] and said, ‘May my parents be sacrificed for you. You are holy and pure at the time of your demise, just as you were during your life. I swear by Him in Whose hands is my life, Allah will never allow you to be subjected to two deaths.’ After saying this, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) went outside and said, ‘O you who is swearing an oath, stop what you are doing (i.e. he told Hazrat Umar (ra) to stop).’ When Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) began speaking, Hazrat Umar (ra) sat down. Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) praised God and said,

ألَا مَنْ كَانَ مِنْكُمْ يَعْبُدُ مُحَمَّدًا صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَإِنَّ مُحَمَّدًا قَدْ مَاتَ، وَمَنْ كَانَ يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ فَإِنَّ اللّٰهَ حَىٌّ لاَ يَمُوتُ

“‘Whosoever worshipped Muhammad (sa), then let it be known that Muhammad has surely passed away. And whosoever worships Allah, then they should know that Allah is Living and can never die.’ Then, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) recited this verse:

اِنَّكَ‭ ‬مَيِّتٌ‭ ‬وَّاِنَّهُمۡ‭ ‬مَّيِّتُوۡنَ‬‬‬

“That is, surely, thou wilt die, and surely they too will die. (Surah az-Zumar, Ch.39: V31).

“He then recited the following verse:

وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ اِلَّا رَسُوۡلٌ ۚ قَدۡ خَلَتۡ مِنۡ قَبۡلِهِ الرُّسُلُ ؕ اَفَا۠ئِنۡ مَّاتَ اَوۡ قُتِلَ انۡقَلَبۡتُمۡ عَلٰۤي اَعۡقَابِكُمۡ ؕ وَمَنۡ يَّنۡققَلِبۡ عَلٰي عَقِبَيۡهِ فَلَنۡ يَّضُرَّ اللّٰهَ شَيۡئًا ؕ وَسَيَجۡزِي اللّٰهُ الشّٰكِرِيۡنَ

“‘And Muhammad is only a Messenger. Verily, all Messengers have passed away before him. If then he die or be slain, will you turn back on your heels? And he who turns back on his heels shall not harm Allah at all. And Allah will certainly reward the grateful.’”

(Surah aal-e-Imran, Ch.3: V.145)

The narrator says, “Upon hearing this, the people wept profusely.”

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab Fada’il Ashab a-Nabi (sa),Bab Qaul al-Nabi (sa) lau Kunta Muttakhidhan Khalilan, Hadith 3667-3668)

Hazrat Ibn Abbas (ra) states:

“I swear by Allah, it seemed as though up until that moment when Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) had recited this verse, the people were unaware that Allah had even revealed this verse. It was as if the people learnt this verse from him, and following this, whomever I came across was reciting this very verse.” The narrator states, “Sa‘eed bin Musayyib told me that Hazrat Umar (ra) stated, ‘I swear by Allah, as soon as I heard Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) recite this verse, I became so anxious that I fell to the ground because my feet could not hold me up out of awe. When I heard Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) recite this verse, I realised that the Holy Prophet (sa) had passed away.’”

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Maghazi,Bab Marad al-Nabi (sa) wa Wafatuh, Hadith 4454)

Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (ra) narrates:

“Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) passed by Hazrat Umar (ra) while he was saying that the Holy Prophet (sa) had not passed away and would not pass away until Allah the Almighty eradicates the hypocrites.” Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (ra) continues, “Upon hearing this, they (the companions) rejoiced and raised their heads, while Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) said, ‘Let it be known that the Holy Prophet (sa) has indeed passed away (he was addressing Hazrat Umar (ra) and said that the Holy Prophet (sa) had indeed passed away). Have you not heard that Allah the Almighty has stated:

اِنَّكَ‭ ‬مَيِّتٌ‭ ‬وَّاِنَّهُمۡ‭ ‬مَّيِّتُوۡنَ‬‬‬

“Surely, thou wilt die, and surely they too will die.”

“And, [Allah the Almighty has also stated]:

وَمَا جَعَلۡنَا لِبَشَرٍ مِّن قَبۡلِكَ الۡخُلۡدَ

“We granted not everlasting life to any human being before thee.”’

Following this, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) stood at the pulpit and addressed the people.”

In any case, Abu Abdillah Qurtabi states in the commentary of this hadith, “This incident is a great testament to the bravery of Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), because the pinnacle of bravery is to remain resolute and steadfast during adversity, and there could have been no greater trial for the Muslims at that time than the demise of the Holy Prophet (sa).

Thus, at that moment, the extent of his knowledge and bravery both became apparent.”

(Al-Mawahib al-Laduniyyah, Vol. 4, p. 457, Al-Maktab al-Islami, 2004)

His bravery was demonstrated by his ability to endure the tragedy, and his knowledge was demonstrated through his explanation of the verses of the Holy Quran.