Lessons Derivable from the Death of Prophet Muhammad

[إدريس عبدالله]

Prophet Muhammad-peace be upon him-is the fountainhead of a Muslim life. No other person in history occupied a position in relation to his people, as did Prophet Muhammad with respect to his. He was the focus for all social, spiritual, political, economic, military and judicial activities. He was the founder and architect of the nascent community. He was the Prophet and the Messenger of Allah. When he passed away, he left a vacuum that was impossible to fill. His legacy was tested immediately upon his death. At stake was the continuity of the historical process. The Prophet had welded together a community of believers transcending their allegiance to tribe, race or nationality. The glue that had cemented this process was the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet. Below are some of the lessons that can be learnt from the death of the Prophet:
1- The Prophet is a human being and not God or an angel. There are Muslims who out of love and ignorance have elevated the Prophet above his status to the extent that they ascribe to him attributes that are exclusive preserve of Allah the Most High. The death of the Prophet clearly shows that he is human and should not be equated with Allah. This was why after Abubakar- May Allah be pleased with him- confirmed that the Prophet had indeed passed away, he entered the mosque where Omar (r) was speaking to the people and recited the following passage from the Qur’an: ﭽ ﭳ ﭴ ﭵ ﭶ ﭷ ﭸ ﭹ ﭺ ﭻﭼ ﭽ ﭾ ﭿ ﮀ ﮁ ﮂ ﮃﮄ ﮅ ﮆ ﮇ ﮈ ﮉ ﮊ ﮋ ﮌﮍ ﮎ ﮏ ﮐ ﮑ ﭼ
Meaning: “Muhammed is but a Prophet before whom many prophets have come and gone. Should he die or be killed, will you give up your faith? Know that whoever gives up his faith will cause no harm to God, but God will surely reward those who are grateful to Him” (Q3:V144).
2- The Prophet’s love for his ummah and his desire to save them from the wrath of Allah is unparalleled. This can be clearly seen in the series of events that took place during his illness few days before his death. Prominent among these is his warning against grave worship. Aisha and Abdullah bin Abbass narrated that when the last moment of the Prophet’s life came, he started putting his ‘khamisa’ on his face and when he felt hot and short of breath he took it off his face and said: “May Allah curse the Jews and the Christians for they built places of worship at the grave of their Prophets.” The Prophet was warning from what those people had done. (Muwatta Malik). Likewise he was keen to ensure that people carry out their obligations to Allah especially salat. Salim bin Ubaid narrated that the Prophet fainted during his death illness then he woke up and said: “has the time for prayer come?” they said yes, he said: “tell Bilal to call the Prayer and tell Abubakar to lead the people in prayer” (ibn maajah)
3- The companions of the Prophet set a good example on crises management within the ummah. Immediately upon the death of the Prophet, competing positions emerged regarding the issue of succession. The first position was that of the Ansar, the residents of Madina who had provided protection and relief to the Muhajirun (those who migrated) from Mecca. They felt that as the hosts who had stood by the Prophet at the hour of need, they deserved the leadership of the community. At the minimum, they argued that leadership should be shared. They proposed a committee of two, composed of one person from the Muhajirun and one from the Ansar, to lead the community. The second position was that of the supporters of Abu Bakr as Siddiq-May Allah be pleased with him. They based their position on the fact that the Prophet, when he had become too ill before his death to lead the congregational prayers, had nominated Abu Bakr as the Imam. Abu Bakr was the first man to accept Islam and was also one of the closest of his Companions. There are many authentic traditions that confirm the highest affection and esteem that the Prophet had for Abu Bakr. Urged by the community leaders to prevent an open rift, Abu Bakr, along with Omar ibn al Khattab, proceeded to the courtyard of Banu Saida where the Ansar were holding a congregation to elect their leader. One of the Ansar put his position thus: “We are the Ansar—the helpers of God and the army of Islam. You, the Muhajirun are only a brigade in the Army. Nonetheless some amongst you have gone to the extreme of seeking to deprive us of our natural leadership and to deny us our rights.” Abu Bakr spoke to the Ansar: “O men of Ansar! We, the Muhajirun were the first to accept Islam. We enjoy the noblest lineage and descent. We are the most reputable and the best esteemed as well as the most numerous in Arabia. Furthermore, we are the closest blood relatives of the Prophet. The Qur’an itself has given us preference. For it is God—may He be exalted in praise—Who said, “First and foremost were al Muhajirun, then al Ansar and then those who have followed these two groups in virtue and righteousness.” Then taking the hands of Omar and Abu Ubaida, who were seated on either side of him, Abu Bakr said, “Either one of these two men is acceptable to us as leader of the Muslim community. Choose whomever you please”. At this time Omar raised the hand of Abu Bakr and said, “O Abu Bakr! Did not the Prophet command you to lead the Muslims in prayer? You, therefore, are his successor. In electing you, we are electing the best of all whom the Prophet of God loved and trusted”. The Ansar and the Muhajirun then stepped forward and took the oath of allegiance (baiyah) to Abu Bakr. In selecting Abu Bakr, the Companions established several precedents. They demonstrated that the Muslims were a living community capable of articulating their own destiny through a collective consultative process in the absence of the Prophet. They established that the Caliph, as the temporal ruler of the Islamic community, had to be a man of piety, trust, knowledge, strength, justice, integrity and righteousness. The community was like a newborn child taking its first breath after being cut off from the umbilical cord connecting it to its spiritual parent.