Nisbah Magazine Nisbah, Winter 2013 | Page 65

The Prophet  sickness grew so severe, he asked his wives, ‘ Where shall I stay tomorrow?’ The wives understood what he desired, and granted their permission for him to be moved to the house of Aisha , where he spent the last week of his life.   He was so weak, he had to be moved, leaning whilst he was walking, on Fadl ibn Al Abbas  and Ali ibn Abu Talib . During the time in the house of Aisha , she used to recite the Muawazatain (Surah Falaq, Surah Naas) and other duas to the Prophet , using his own blessed  hands to pass over his body. Five days before the death of the Prophet , the sickness worsened, and the Sahaba y would cry in sorrow because of the condition of our beloved Prophet . When the Prophet e heard from Aisha how concerned the Sahaba  were, he askedtobecarriedandtakentothemasjid(mosque). He was so weak, he fainted in pain, and it took seven splashes of water to awaken him, and grant him the energy to go on. He climbed the mimbar (pulpit)with assistance, and gave what is known as his very last khutbah, in which he told the Sahaba  not to make his tomb a worshipped idol, or a place of worship. The Prophet  then offered himself to the people, to repay any injuries he may have afflicted on them. A man came to the Prophet  and said, ‘You owe me three dirhams’, so the Prophet  told Fadl ibn Al Abbas t to pay him. After praying the Dhuhr prayer, the Prophet  continued his sermon, encouraging good behav iour towards the Ansar (people of Madina), and he repeated several times about the performance of prayer, and to be good to slaves. The Prophet  then exhorted the merits of Abu Bakr Siddiq  . ‘ The man in whose company I feel most secure, is Abu Bakr. If I were to make a friendship with any other than Allah  then I would have Abu Bakr as my close friend. For him I feel an affection and brotherhood of Islam.’ Finally, before the Prophet  stepped down from the mimbar for the last time, he requested the people to make dua for him, for those present, and for those who are to come after him. Until four days before his death, despite his pain and suffering, the Prophet  was still leading the prayers. On that day, he led the Maghrib (sunset) prayer. Later in the evening, he grew so frail, he could not go to the masjid. He asked Aisha , ‘Have the people prayed?’ She replied, ‘No they have not. They are waiting for you.’ So he washed, and stood up, but fainted. When he regained consciousness, he asked again if the people had prayed, but again, he fainted when he tried to stand. After this happened the third time, the Prophet  asked Abu Bakr Siddiq  to lead the prayers. Abu Bakr Siddiq  then continued to lead the prayers, for the rest of the lifetime of the Prophet , a total of seventeen prayers. 65 NISBAH