During his (prayers and peace be upon him) last days on earth, the Prophet’s daughter Fatimah (blessings of Allah be upon her), spent a lot of time with him. One day, the Prophet made a gesture to Fatimah to come closer to him. She came closer, and he whispered something in her ear that made her weep. Then, he whispered something in her ear that made her laugh. People were astonished at this, but she would not reveal what he said until after his death.

The mother of the believers, A’isha, then asked her about this and Fatimah replied, “In the first instance my father informed me about his death and stated that he was not likely to recover from his illness. Hence, I began weeping. However, when he talked to me for the second time he told me that I would be the first person from amongst his Ahl al-Bayt who would join him. This made me happy and I understood that I would be joining my dear father very soon.”

During the last moments of his life the Prophet opened his eyes and said: “Call my brother so that he may come and sit by my side.” All those present understood that he meant no one other than Ali. Ali sat by the side of his bed but felt that he wanted to rise from his bed. He, therefore lifted the Prophet from his bed and made him rest on his own chest.

A number of traditionists have narrated that, before the Prophet died, the Angel Jibreel came to him and gave him the option of recovering from his illness and continuing his life in this world or for the Angel of Death to come to him, take his soul, and proceed to the next world and live among those referred to in the verse, “These are with those upon whom Allah has bestowed favours from among the Prophets and the truthful and the martyrs and they are the best friends that one can have.” (Surah al-Nisa, 4:69). The Prophet replied, “No. With the Divine Companion” and passed away.

The Messenger of Allah, the Chosen One, the Seal of the Prophets, returned to Allah, Glorified and Exalted, on Monday, the 28th of Safar.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) bathed the sacred body of the Prophet and shrouded him, as the Prophet had directed that his body should be bathed by one who was nearest to him and such a person could be no one except Ali. Then he uncovered the Prophet’s face while he was bitterly weeping and said, “O Prophet of Allah! I love you more than I have loved my parents. Your death put an end to the prophethood, to revelation, and to the messengers from the Lord. While death of other Prophets had not resulted in this way. Your death caused a grief that every other grief was forgotten. The grief of your separation became common sorrow and everybody felt it. If you had not ordered us to be patient and not to lament and bemoan loudly, we would have kept weeping and lamenting ceaselessly, though all this lamenting could not have compared with the actual loses of your separation. But death is an inevitable event, nobody can turn death back and nobody can stop it from coming. Please remember us before Allah“. (Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon No. 23).

“The first person who offered prayers for the Prophet was Imam Ali. Thereafter the companions came in groups and offered prayers and these rites continued till Tuesday noon. Thereafter it was decided that the sacred body of the Prophet might be buried in the same house in which he had breathed his last. The grave was prepared by Abu ‘Ubaydah bin Jarrah and Zayd bin Sahl and the obsequies were performed by Imam Ali with the assistance of Fadl and Abbas.

Adapted from “The Message” by Ayatullah Ja’far Subhani

I’ve added a “Sufism” forum to Muslim Message. I felt it was appropriate in a time when Sufism is under attack from some. I’ve invited a wise and well-versed young brother from Bangladesh to be moderator. He describes himself as a member of Ahl al-Sunnah and a 100% follower of Sufism.

He is Syed Badrudduza Director General of “Torikae Mojaddedia Dawate Khalk Elallah.”

The forum is currently empty, so please come and fill it with mystic chants and drunken poems of spiritual ecstasy.

As reported by the master of traditions, Mullah Muhammad Muhsin ibn al-Murtada al-Fayd al-Kashani (may Allah make his grave fragrant), Ibrahim ibn al-’Abbas said:

“I have never seen al-Ridha (peace be upon him) being asked something but that he knew the answer, and I do not see another more knowledgeable than him. Al-Ma’mun would test him by asking about everything, and anything he said in reply would always be taken from the Qur’an. He would complete a reading of the whole Qur’an every three days, and would say, ‘If I wished to complete it in less than three days, then I would do so; but I never read a verse but that I reflect upon its meaning and in what circumstances it was revealed.’”

Ibrahim ibn al-’Abbas also said, “I have neither seen nor heard anyone more excellent than Abu al-Hassan al-Ridha (peace be upon him), and I have witnessed things in his presence that I witnessed at the hand of no other. I have never seen him speak harshly to anyone, nor heard him interrupt anyone who was speaking to him. He would never refuse to see to the need of anyone if it were in his power; he would never stretch his legs, or recline in front of anyone sitting with him. I have never seen him rebuking any of his servants, nor spitting or laughing out loud — rather, his laugh was as a smile. When he retired to eat and the food was set down, he would have his servants sit down with him, and even the gatekeeper and the stableman. He would sleep little at night and would fast much. He would never miss fasting for three days every month, saying this was like fasting for a lifetime. He would always help people and give charity without others knowing about it, especially on dark moonless nights. Do not believe anyone who claims to have seen someone like him in excellence.” 1

It is related by Shaykh al-Muhaddithin (the greatest hadith scholar), Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Babwayh, known as Shaykh Saduq (may Allah shower mercy on him):

Imam al-Ridha (peace be upon him) said, “Imamate is the rank of the prophets, and the inheritance of the spiritual guardians. Imamate is the caliphate of Allah and the Messenger; it is the station of the Commander of the Faithful and heritage of Hasan and Husayn. The Imamate is like the guiding reigns of the din, and the government of the Muslims; it is righteousness in this world and the glory of the believers. Truly, Imamate is the root of a flourishing Islam and its wide-spread branches. Through the Imam prayer, alms-giving, fasting and pilgrimage are perfected, booty and charity become plentiful and the laws and punishments are executed. The Imam makes lawful what Allah has made lawful, and forbids what Allah has forbidden.” 2

Imam al-Ridha (peace be upon him) was poisoned by the ‘Abbasid caliph, al-Ma’mun, and died on the 17th of Safar, 203 A.H. He was buried in Mashhad, Iran.

1. Al-Muhajjah al-Bayda fi Tahdhib al-Ihya
2. ‘Uyun Akhbar al-Ridha

The master of traditions, Mullah Muhammad Muhsin ibn al-Murtada al-Fayd al-Kashani has written that the most noble Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family) said:

“By the One Who has my soul in His hand, none will enter the Garden except those who have good behavior.” He also said, “Truly, Allah has encircled Islam with nobility of character and righteous actions.”

Al-Fayd al-Kashani commented:

“The following aspects of noble behavior might be mentioned: enjoying healthy social relations; spending one’s energy in undertaking kindly actions, establishing peace; feeding people; visiting sick Muslims, whether they be righteous or astray; accompanying the funeral procession to the grave; having good relations with one’s neighbors, be they Muslim or non-believers; showing respect for the older generation; forgiveness and peacemaking between people; having generosity; nobility and tolerance; greeting people with the word salam (peace); suppressing one’s anger, defending Islam; and rendering loathsome [to oneself and others] lying, backbiting, slander, miserliness, oppression, deviousness, trickery, bad relations between people, breaking off family relations, pride, haughtiness, deceit, envy, injustice, tyranny and violence.

“According to the consensus of scholars, jurists, and historians, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was the gentlest of people, the most courageous, the most just, the most forgiving, and the most generous; he would not sleep for a single night while there was a dinar or a dirham remaining in his house; if any money remained in his possession, he would not return to his house until he had given it away in charity or in generosity.

“He used to mend his own shoes and patch his own clothes; he would serve by performing household jobs and would help by cutting up the meat with the womenfolk. He was the most modest of men, never allowing his glance to linger when looking at someone’s face. He would accept an invitation from both freeman and slave. He would accept presents. He would not eat out of charity. When he ate, he would eat what was within his reach, and never reclining. He never ate his fill of bread for three consecutive days for as long as he lived, and this was out of desire to discipline himself — not because of poverty or miserliness. He would attend feasts, visit the sick, witness burials and walk amongst his enemies without a guard. He would sit with the poor and bereft and share their meals.”

Source: Al-Muhajjah al-Bayda fi Tahdhib al-Ihya

The celebrated traditionist ‘Ali ibn lbrahim al-Qummi (may Allah make his grave fragrant) related from his father that there was, in Mecca, a Jew called Yusuf. One night he saw stars moving and meteors falling. On that night the Prophet (Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah) was born.

Yusuf exclaimed: “A prophet was born this night! For we find written in our books that when the last of the prophets shall be born, devils will be stoned (with meteors) and prevented from approaching heaven.”

In the morning, he went to the assembly of Quraysh and asked: “Was there a child born among you last night?” They answered: “A child was born to ‘`Abdullah ibn `Abdi ‘l-Muttaiib last night.”

“Show him to me”, he said.

Thus, they all went to the door of Aminah’s house and demanded that she bring her son out to them, and he was brought out in his swaddling clothes. Yusuf looked into his eyes and uncovered his back. He saw a black mole between his shoulders, covered with a few soft hairs. When the Jew saw him, he fell down unconscious. The people of Quraysh laughed at him. But he said: “Do you laugh, O people of Quraysh? Shall he not soon come to destroy you? Prophethood shall, moreover, now depart from the Children of Israel to the end of time.”

Everyone went his way still discussing what the Jew had told them.

From: A’lam al-Wara bi-A’lam al-Huda (Informing people of the Guides of Righteousness) by Abu Ali al-Fadl ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Fadl al-Tabarsi