The Demise of the Holy Prophet (sa) and the Consensus (Hazrat Musleh Mau'd's (ra) Narration)
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) states:
“It is recorded in books of traditions and history that the demise of the Holy Prophet (sa) had such a profound impact upon the Companions that they were utterly shocked, rendering some unable to speak, some unable to walk, some unable to maintain control over their senses and thoughts; in fact, some were so deeply impacted by this shock that within the span of a few days, they passed away one after the other.
“Hazrat Umar (ra) was so severely impacted by this shock, that he denied the news of the Holy Prophet’s (sa) demise altogether and stood with his sword in his hand declaring, ‘If anyone says that the Holy Prophet (sa) has passed away I will kill them. He has merely been summoned just as Mosesas had been. Just as he returned after 40 days, so too will the Holy Prophet (sa) return after some time. Those who raise allegations against him and are hypocrites will be killed and crucified.’ He made this declaration with such passion that none of the Companions felt the strength to refute him. In fact, seeing this passion from Hazrat Umar (ra) convinced some of them that indeed, the truth is that the Holy Prophet (sa) has not passed away and this joy was apparent from their expressions.
“Thus, people felt either dejected or elated. Upon seeing this state of affairs, some of the more prudent Companions immediately sent a Companion to bring back Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), who had travelled to a village near Medina with the permission of the Holy Prophet (sa) once his health had slightly improved. The Companion had only just set out when he met Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) who was on his way back. Upon seeing him, tears began flowing from the eyes of the Companion who had set out to deliver the news and wept uncontrollably. Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) understood what had happened and asked the Companion whether the Holy Prophet (sa) had passed away. He explained that Hazrat Umar (ra) was declaring that whoever said the Holy Prophet (sa) had passed away, he would behead them with his sword.
“Upon this, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) proceeded to the Holy Prophet’s (sa) home. He removed the sheet that was covering the blessed body of the Holy Prophet (sa) in order to confirm that he had indeed passed away. The grief of losing his beloved drew Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) to tears, as he bent down and kissed the Holy Prophet’s (sa) forehead and said, ‘By God, Allah the Almighty will not cause you to die twice. The world has suffered by your loss, such suffering which has never been endured upon the demise of any other prophet. Your being is beyond description and your grandeur is such that no amount of mourning will lessen our grief. Had we possessed the power to hinder your demise then all of us would have sacrificed our lives in exchange for saving yours from death.’
“After saying this, he covered the Holy Prophet (sa) with the sheet and then proceeded towards the area where Hazrat Umar (ra) was sitting with a group of Companions and he was telling them that the Holy Prophet (sa) had not passed away and was still alive. When he reached there, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) asked Hazrat Umar (ra) to be silent, however, he did not listen and continued speaking. Thus, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) moved to one side and began informing people that the Holy Prophet (sa) had passed away. The Companions moved away from Hazrat Umar (ra) and began gathering around Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra); eventually, Hazrat Umar (ra) had no choice but to listen to him. (As has been mentioned earlier), Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) then said:
وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ اِلَّا رَسُوۡلٌ ۚ قَدۡ خَلَتۡ مِنۡ قَبۡلِهِ الرُّسُلُ ؕ اَفَا۠ئِنۡ مَّاتَ اَوۡ قُتِلَ انۡقَلَبۡتُمۡ عَلٰۤي اَعۡقَابِكُمۡ ؕ وَمَنۡ يَّنۡقَلِبۡ عَللٰي عَقِبَيۡهِ فَلَنۡ يَّضُرَّ اللّٰهَ شَيۡئًا ؕ وَسَيَجۡزِي اللّٰهُ الشّٰكِرِيۡنَ، يَـٰٓأَيُّهَاالنَّاسُ مَنْ كَانَ مِنْكُمْ يَعْبُدُ مُحَمَّدًا فَإِنَّ مُحَمَّدًا قَدْ مَاتَ، وَمَنْ كَانَ يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ حَىٌّ لاَ يَمُوتتُ
“Meaning, ‘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? Surely you will die, and surely they too will die. O people! Let whoever worshipped Muhammad (sa) hear that Muhammad (sa) has passed away. Whoever worshipped Allah should remember that He is Living and cannot die.’
“When Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) quoted both of the verses just mentioned and informed people that the Holy Prophet (sa) had passed away, the Companions realised the reality and immediately began weeping. Hazrat Umar (ra) himself states, ‘When Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) proved the Holy Prophet’s (sa) demise through verses of the Holy Quran, it felt to me as if those two verses had been revealed on that very day, and my knees became weak, almost unable to bear the weight of my body. I began stumbling and the immense shock caused me to fall to the ground.’”
(Dawat al-Amir, Anwar al-‘Ulum, Vol. 7, pp. 345-347)