The passing of the Prophet ﷺ

In the early months of 11 AH, after the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Prophet ﷺ fell ill in Medina. The illness came with a fever and lasted a number of days. As it grew heavier, and with the agreement of his other wives, he asked to be nursed in the home of Aisha, may God be pleased with her. There he rested, close to the mosque he had built and the community he had taught. For the people of Medina, the sight of their teacher unwell was a quiet shock, because so much of their daily life had been shaped around him.

Even while weak, he did not stay away from the people for long. When he was too unwell to lead the prayer himself, he asked Abu Bakr, may God be pleased with him, to lead the congregation in his place. On one of his last days he drew back the curtain of his room and looked out at the rows of worshippers standing in prayer. The sight of his community gathered and at peace seemed to bring him comfort, and the Muslims took heart from seeing him, hoping he was recovering.

He passed away in Medina, in the home of Aisha, on a day the community would never forget. The news spread quickly and grief swept through the city. Many could not believe it at first. It was Abu Bakr who steadied the people, reminding them that whoever worshipped Muhammad ﷺ should know that he had died, but whoever worshipped God should know that God is ever-living and never dies. His calm words brought the shaken community back to its feet at the hardest hour it had known.

In the days that followed, the Muslims gathered to settle who would lead them, and Abu Bakr was chosen as the first to take charge of the community's affairs after the Prophet ﷺ. This moment mattered because it showed that the message would carry on. The one who had received the revelation had completed his task and delivered it in full, and now the people he had taught would hold to it together. The Prophet ﷺ was buried in the very room in which he passed, which lies within the Prophet's Mosque in Medina to this day.