On the last Monday of Safar, the Prophet attended a funeral at Baqi. When he returned, ‘Aishah told him that she had a headache. “Nay, it is I who have a headache,” the Prophet said, “O Aishah, my head.”

Although the Prophet’s illness worsened, he still gave each of his wives his time by staying with a different wife each day. When he was with his wife Maymoona, he asked her whom he was to stay with the next day. Knowing that he wanted to be with Aishah, his other wives waived their rights in favour of Aishah. Supported on both sides by Fadl bin Abbas and Ali bin Abu Talib the Prophet went to Aishah.

Covenant and counselling

‘Aishah relates that the Prophet’s illness increased at her house. He said, “Pour seven unopened water skins on me so that I can make a bequest to the people.” The Prophet sat in a tub belonging to Hafsah , and ‘Aishah poured water over him until he motioned for her to stop. Then he went out and led the people in prayer. He addressed them, saying, “Your predecessors made graves of their Prophets and ancestors into places of worship. I forbid you to do this. May Allah curse the Jews and Christians for turning their prophets’ graves into places of worship. You must not turn my grave into an idol to be worshipped.”

The Prophet asked that anyone whom he owed anything to should come forward, for he did not want to meet his Lord without first being forgiven by those he had wronged, or without having repaid his debts.

The Prophet then turned toward his followers and related: “Allah gave one of His slaves a choice between the treasures of this world and that which lies with Allah. The slave chose that which lies with Allah.”

Abu Saeed Khudri reports: When Abu Bakr heard this, he burst into tears and said, “May I be sacrificed for your sake along with my mother and father.” We were amazed by his behaviour. “Look at Abu Bakr,” we said to each other. “The Prophet told us about a slave of Allah who chose the next world when given a choice between this world and the hereafter. Now why is Abu Bakr reacting like this?” After a few days, however, we understood that the salve the Prophet had referred to was himself. We then realised that Abu Bakr was superior to us in knowledge.”

The Prophet’s regard for Abu Bakr increased with this incident. He then asked for all doors opening into the Mosque to be closed, except the door of Abu Bakr’s house. The next day, Thursday, the Prophet’s illness intensified and he said, “Let me write something for you so that you will never go astray.”

Umar , however, protested, “The Prophet is in great pain. We have the Qur’an, and this is enough for us.” This led to a dispute among the Companions at the Prophet’s bedside, and he said to them, “Sit down.”

That same day, the Prophet ordered that all Jews, Christians and polytheists be turned out from the Arabian Peninsula. He also stressed that delegations to Madinah were to be received with honour exactly as he used to receive them. He stressed the importance of prayer and the just treatment of slaves and servants. In closing he said: “I leave you with two things. As long as you hold them tightly, you will never go astray: they are the Book of Allah and my Sunnah.”