One Ummah Conference Darkness in Madinah

One Ummah Conference: Darkness in Madinah

Opening Salutation and Khutbah al-Hajah

"Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you."

"Indeed, all praise is for Allah. We praise Him, seek His help, and ask for His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils within ourselves and from the evils of our deeds. Whomever Allah guides, there is none to misguide, and whomever Allah misguides, there is none to guide. I bear witness that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah alone, without any partners, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah send blessings and peace upon him, his family, his companions, and grant them abundant peace. To proceed..."

Introduction

My dear brothers and sisters, I want to take you back into history. I want to take you back to the day that the Prophet ﷺ died. Imagine yourself as one of the companions. You're standing in the barren desert, and from a distance, in the piercing heat, as the wind is blowing, you see people rushing towards the masjid of the Prophet ﷺ.

And as you're walking, a rider on a horse races by you. And he tells you, hurry, for indeed Abu Bakr is about to get onto the minbar. So you hasten to the masjid, walking faster and faster and faster, and you finally get to the masjid.

And the masjid is jam-packed. You see all of the companions there, and Abu Bakr رضي الله تعالى عنه gets upon the minbar. And after praising Allah سبحانه وتعالى he starts to recite in the most beautiful voice:

Quranic Verse:

"And Muhammad is not but a messenger. [Other] messengers have passed on before him. So if he was to die or be killed, would you turn back on your heels [to disbelief]? And he who turns back on his heels will never harm Allah at all; and Allah will reward the grateful."

Reference: Surah Al-Imran (3:144)

The Brightest and Darkest Days in Madinah

My dear brothers and sisters, Anas ibn Malik, the close companion of the Prophet ﷺ, he said there was no brighter day in the city of Medina than the day that the Prophet ﷺ entered into the city. And there was no darker day in the city of Medina than the day that the Prophet ﷺ passed away. In this lecture, I want to share a couple of those glimpses that led up to the death of the Prophet ﷺ, and the effect not only that it had upon the companions of the Prophet ﷺ, but upon the ummah as a whole.

The Poisoning at Khaybar

To briefly go back a bit further, during the battle of Khaybar, during the expedition of Khaybar, the Prophet ﷺ was given some soup. That soup was poisoned. And the companions rushed the Prophet ﷺ to try to suck that poison out of him, trying to protect his life to the best of their ability.

And they were able to take out as much as they did, and they thought that they had been successful. But as time went on, they realized that indeed they had not taken out all of that poison, and it was that very poison from the battle of Khaybar from that expedition that eventually led to the death of the Prophet ﷺ. The death and the illness of the Prophet ﷺ started on the 29th of Safar.

The Final Illness Begins

And there were many moments that actually led on to the actual death of the Prophet ﷺ. I want you to imagine the Messenger of Allah, an individual who had the strength of a hundred individuals, an individual that was the most courageous and most bravest of individuals is now put in a situation and in a predicament where he is bed-stricken. He cannot get out of bed, and he can barely walk.

And at this time, his wives come to him, and he asks them politely that in these last days, I would like to spend my final moments with Aisha رضي الله تعالى عنها . And in those very moments, when someone is passing away, they always ask for their final requests and their final wishes. And the wives of the Prophet ﷺ were bound to give in, and they actually did.

And from the 29th of Safar up until the death of the Prophet ﷺ, the Prophet ﷺ remained in the house of Aisha رضي الله تعالى عنها. And in the next few glimpses, you see the concern that the Prophet ﷺ had and the ideal example that he set for all of us. That we can only hope that Allah سبحانه وتعالى would grant us a similar tawfiq, because the exact same tawfiq was restricted to Allah's Messenger ﷺ alone.

The Prophet's Preparation and Final Advices

So when he was in the house of Aisha رضي الله تعالى عنها he started to prepare for his last day. He started to prepare his ummah that there will come a time when he will no longer be alive and no longer be amongst them. So he asked Aisha رضي الله تعالى عنها to bring him some water so that he can make ghusl.

That in this time of weakness, in this time of sickness, we all know what we look like during that time. It's not a pretty moment, it's not a beautiful sight. But the Prophet ﷺ, in advising his companions, he wanted to look good for them.

So water was brought to him and he bathed himself. And he got up on the minbar, advising his companions رضي الله عنهم possibly for the last time. And he gave them approximately six pieces of advice over the next several days.

And I want you to contemplate over these pieces of advice, for they are the legacy of the Prophet ﷺ.

First Advice: Do Not Take My Grave as a Place of Worship

The first advice that he gave to his companions is that he gave them a forewarning that he was about to die. And he said that do not do to me as the Christians did to Isa ibn Maryam. They took his place of death as a place of worship. So do not take my grave as a place of worship and do not take it as a place that is frequented. The Prophet ﷺ's message was all about taking the people into Tawheed and getting them to leave shirk.

And he did not want to see that the great veneration that they had in their hearts for him ﷺ, that even after his death, they should go back to their old ways, or that people should start to slowly introduce shirk after the Prophet ﷺ had purified Islam for them. So the first piece of advice you will see is always the most crucial. And this was the first piece of advice that he gave to his companions.

That after I die, do not take my grave as a place of worship. He gave this few pieces of advice and then he went back to the house of Aisha رضي الله عنها

For those of you who have been to the masjid of the Prophet ﷺ, you will see how close the house of Aisha actually was to the masjid. In fact, it was actually connected and there was just a wall in between that separated the two. And during this time of illness, the Prophet ﷺ did not want to incite fear into his companions. So he shut the curtain that would actually go in and he put a curtain in the window so that people would not be able to see inside.

And if someone wanted to see the Prophet ﷺ, they would actually have to wait till he came out. And during the last five days, the Prophet ﷺ would come out advising them each and every day to the best of his ability.

Second Advice: Set Your Records Straight

The second advice that the Prophet ﷺ gave was directly related to the last revelation that he received. The last revelation that the Prophet ﷺ received contrary to common notion was not:

"Today I have perfected your religion for you"

Reference: Surah Al-Ma'idah (5:3)

It was not the revelation that today I have perfected your religion for you and completed my favor upon you. But rather the last revelation that was given to the Prophet ﷺ was:

Last Quranic Verse Revealed:

"And fear a Day when you will be returned to Allah. Then every soul will be compensated for what it earned, and they will not be treated unjustly."

Reference: Surah Al-Baqarah (2:281)

And with this last revelation the Prophet ﷺ also gave one of his last pieces of advice. He said, here is my back in front of you. Here is my honor in front of you.

If I have abused or hit anyone's back, let him take his revenge today. If I have taken anyone's honor, here is my honor in front of you today, let him take that revenge. The Prophet ﷺ implementing that verse of Allah سبحانه وتعالى that you want to set your record straight before you leave this dunya.

You don't want to show up in the akhira owing anyone some sort of debt. Whether it be tangible or non-tangible. And the Prophet ﷺ implementing that advice by himself foremostly.

Brothers and sisters, this is an advice that we need to take very personally. That in our lives we will always have wronged someone whether we realize it or not. And you want to set that record straight before you come in سبحانه وتعالى front of Allah

Because in this dunya, you can seek forgiveness. In this dunya, you can apologize. But once you show up in front of Allah سبحانه وتعالى the only thing that will be left is your deeds.

There will be no apologies, there will be no sorries. You will either be giving people your good deeds. And if you run out of good deeds on that day and may Allah protect us all, you will end up taking the bad deeds of evil.

You will end up taking the bad deeds of other individuals. And that is how justice will be done on that day. And the Prophet ﷺ implemented that very last commandment of Allah سبحانه وتعالى.

Third Advice: Hold Fast to the Quran and Sunnah

On the third advice that the Prophet ﷺ gave to his companions, he said, in my life, I have made many covenants and I have made many agreements. So honor my word and live up to those covenants and live up to those agreements. And I have left you with something.

If you were to hold on to it, you will never go astray. Indeed, that is the book of Allah سبحانه وتعالى and that which is similar to it, my sunnah. On the third advice the Prophet ﷺ gave to his companions, he advised them that the messenger of Allah was not something that we just claim to love.

He was not just an individual that we claim to honor. But rather it is the obligation upon every Muslim that any word the Prophet ﷺ gave, the Muslims have to honor that word. And the Prophet told us that in order for us to remain guided, in order for us to remain upon the straight path, we must stick to the book of Allah سبحانه وتعالى and to the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.

For indeed, revelation came down for the sake of guidance. And it came down for the sake of unity and it came down to solve all of our problems. And it is only when we distance ourselves from the book of Allah سبحانه وتعالى

and the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ that problems start to occur and they start to manifest themselves.

And the solution to all those problems is always going back to the book of Allah and the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. And rather it is a fundamental pillar of our iman in Allah سبحانه وتعالی that we resort all of our differences to the book of Allah and the sunnah of the Messenger ﷺ. And then the Prophet ﷺ, he went on to give his last advice to the ummah.

Final Advice: Hold Fast to the Salah

And just as the first advice, the last advice that the Prophet ﷺ would give is usually the most important as well. And that advice was given from his very bed. As he is laying down in a state of weakness, his companions are close to him and the adhan has not been called yet.

So he tells his companions, let one of you go and give the adhan. And after, as the adhan was being given, the Prophet ﷺ wavered in and out of consciousness. And when he woke up, he asked, has the salah been performed? Has the salah been done? And the answer that was given was no.

And then the Prophet ﷺ raised his voice to the best of his ability. In his weakness, he told them:

Final Command:

"Hold on to the salah, hold on to the salah and fulfill the right of what the right hand possesses."

The salah, my brothers and sisters, was the final command that the Prophet ﷺ gave to this ummah.

And he commanded this ummah to hold on to it for dear life. That as his very last advice, he said, hold on to your salah and guard that which the right hand possesses. We all know what the salah is.

And as we're going to come to see, this was the farewell advice of the Prophet ﷺ and in fact his legacy. And we will want to implement that legacy, so please pay attention to this last advice. That guard your salah and that which your right hand possesses.

Scholars have actually differed as to what the Prophet ﷺ meant when he said that which the right hand possesses. If you were to look through the Quran, when Allah سبحانه وتعالى talks about salah, it is usually zakah that is accompanied with it. It is usually the zakah that is paired together with salah.

So quite a few of the scholars said that it was protect your salah and protect your zakah. That was the farewell advice of the Prophet ﷺ. Another group of scholars, they said when Allah سبحانه وتعالى talks about that which the right hand possesses, he is actually referring to the slaves.

That guard the rights of your slaves, show mercy upon them, do not oppress them, do not show any injustice to them. And Allah سبحانه وتعالى knows best, but the more applicable advice is the more general advice. And that was guard your salah and guard your zakah.

Abu Bakr Leads the Prayer

On the fourth day prior to the death of the Prophet, he did something he had never done before. Never in his life had he missed the jama'a of the Muslims without reason. And on the fourth day when he was no longer able to stand, Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه himself describes that two people had to come to the Prophet ﷺ's house and have them put their arms around him and his arms around them. And they tried carrying him, but his legs could not hold his weight. So they started to drag him, his foot leaving a sliding print as they're going to the masjid.

And the Prophet ﷺ was unable to stand. So he requested to return back to his house. And he told Aisha رضي الله عنها or Aisha command Abu Bakr to lead the salah.

And this was the first time in history since the advocates of the message of that someone else led the salah. And Aisha رضي الله عنها she said Ya Rasulallah, if Abu Bakr leads the prayer, he's going to cry too much and people not be able to concentrate. And she repeated this several times.

Yet the Prophet ﷺ insisted that Abu Bakr lead the prayer. And this was to show that indeed Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه was to be the next leader of the Muslims. The one who leads the prayers is the one who leads the jama'a.

And thus Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه was appointed. And it started on the fourth to last day before his death. The next three days continued as similar. The next three days continued as similar. And the Prophet was so weak that he was no longer able to speak. He was no longer able to lift his own limbs.

The Final Moments

However, on that last day, the Prophet ﷺ seemed to have gotten better. And he got up from his bed and opened the curtain to his house. And he lifted the veil from his window.

Looking out at his companions, he glanced a smile. Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه saw this and his heart jumped for joy. He thought that the messenger of Allah has become cured.

And he is going to come back to lead the Muslims. But little did he know that it was in fact the last smile the Prophet would give his companions. The scholars mentioned that that smile the Prophet gave was the happiness that he saw that the Muslims were still coming to the masajid.

That the Muslims were still congregating to worship Allah. And that is what the smile was all about. Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه he led the prayer that day and he dispersed back to his home.

He dispersed back to his home. And the Prophet hit the pinnacle of his sickness on that day. Abdullah bin Mas'ud رضي الله عنه, he came to visit the Prophet ﷺ and he said, I have never seen anyone in such a state of anguish as I saw the messenger of Allah on that day.

I have seen the injured, I have seen the wounded, I have seen the martyrs and I have seen the tortured. But never did I see anyone in the pain and anguish that I saw Rasulallah in that day. And I said to Ya Rasulallah, it is as if you are suffering the pain of more than just one individual.

And the Prophet nodded his head. And Abdullah bin Mas'ud, wanting to let the Prophet ﷺ rest, parted from him that day. Little did he know that that would be the last time that he saw him.

The Siwak and Final Words

Abdur Rahman, the brother of Aisha, he walked into the house of Aisha رضي الله تعالى عنها. And it was customary that men at that time, they would carry this stick known as the siwak, something to clean their teeth. And Aisha رضي الله عنها she noticed that when Abdur Rahman walked into the apartment, he walked into the house, the Prophet's eyes glanced straight to that siwak.

And Aisha رضي الله عنها she knew that was what the Prophet wanted. She knew that the Prophet wanted his teeth cleaned. So she took the siwak from Abdur Rahman and she started to chew on it herself.

Trying to put her saliva on it so that the Prophet would have a taste of her saliva. And she took that siwak and started to brush the teeth of the Prophet. And she narrates that as she was doing so, the pangs of pain, the sounds of pain were leaving the mouth of the Prophet.

Someone who was in some serious pain. And as she continued to do so, she saw that the eyes of the Prophet fixed onto the skies. And she narrates that at that moment as his eyesight fixed onto the skies, I remember what the Prophet told me.

That every messenger chooses when he dies. And he knew at that point that the Prophet had chosen death for himself. And before he died, in the lap of Aisha رضي الله عنها his head on her lap, the last words of the Prophet came out of his mouth.

Last Words of the Prophet:

"Oh Allah, unite me with the highest of companions. Oh Allah, unite me with the highest of companions."

Words cannot do justice to describe this moment. But the best words that I've come across was what Al-Hafidh ibn Hajar said about this scenario. When he said that in the thighs of the most beloved of this world, being united with the most beloved of this world, Allah's messenger was longing for the most beloved of the Akhirah, Allah سبحانه وتعالى

And if there was ever a unification of love in this world, combining the love of this world and the love of the Akhirah, it was that moment that Allah's messenger passed away on the lap of Aisha رضي الله عنها yet longing for the love and companionship of Allah سبحانه وتعالى.

The Immediate Aftermath

You can only imagine what must have gone through the mind of Aisha رضي الله تعالى عنها at that moment. She had lost her husband. She had lost her best friend. She had lost her source of guidance. She had lost the comfort of her eyes and the coolness of her heart.

And that was Aisha رضي الله تعالى عنها his beloved wife. And as she started to weep, people could hear the weeping. And they knew that indeed the Prophet had passed away.

Umar's Reaction and Abu Bakr's Response

And words started to get around that the messenger of Allah had died. And it reached Umar ibn al-Khattab. And when he heard this, he said, whoever has said that Muhammad has died has indeed lied.

Rather he has only left his people like Musa left his people for 40 days and indeed he shall return. And whoever says that Muhammad has died, then let him prepare his neck for my sword. And he said this to everyone that claimed the death of the Prophet.

Eventually words started to get around Medina. And Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه heard about this. Abu Bakr got on his horse and he started to race. He started to race towards the masjid of the Prophet. And he got to the masjid ignoring everyone, ignoring all the commotion. He walks into the house of Aisha رضي الله تعالى عنها.

And he sees her crying. He goes up to the messenger of Allah and kisses him on the forehead. Closing his eyes.

Realizing that his leader had just passed away. Realizing that his best friend had just passed away. Realizing that this was the end of prophethood, the end of revelation.

And that a new generation was now about to start. A generation where revelation did not exist. A generation where mankind would have to resort to their own decisions without any divine intervention.

And Abu Bakr showed those glimpses of leadership that the Prophet had trained him for. And he went into the masjid as confident as ever. And he climbed the minbar and he addressed the people.

Abu Bakr's Address:

"O people! Whoever worshiped Muhammad, then let him know that Muhammad has died and passed away. Yet whoever worshiped Allah, then know that Allah is ever living and does not die."

And then he recited the ayah that I recited for you previously.

Reference: Surah Al-Imran (3:144)

And Umar رضي الله تعالى عنه at that moment, he collapsed to the ground. It had struck him and he said: It was as if I was hearing this ayah for the first time. It was as if I was hearing this ayah for the first time. And I realized that indeed the Messenger of Allah had passed away.

The Washing and Burial

And chaos became even more apparent after Abu Bakr got off. Chaos became even more apparent, but it was a different type of chaos. This chaos was not about the death of the Prophet any longer. But it was about what was going to happen to the Muslims.

What was going to happen to the believers at that time. And the unanimously agreed that Abu Bakr رضي الله تعالى عنه was to be the next leader of this ummah. He was to be the next leader of this ummah.

And he would then make all the decisions that went forth. And Abu Bakr رضي الله تعالى عنه at that point decided that the Messenger of Allah needed to be washed and he needed to be buried. And this is the first time where the Messenger of Allah is not there to advise them and not there to guide them as to what to do.

So Abu Bakr, he called the close companions and he asked them, How should the Prophet be washed? Should his clothes be taken off? Should his clothes remain on? And they differed with one another until Allah جل جلاله caused them a slumber. That as they continued to argue in their majlis in the masjid, they slowly fell asleep one by one as night time came. And when they were all asleep, a voice came from the back.

An angelic voice that said that Muhammad should be washed with his clothes on. And then the closest companions of the Prophet, during the night, they went and prepared the body of the Prophet. Preparing him in three white garments, they washed his body and his hair was combed and no turban was tied on his head for one of the few moments in his life that his head was seen uncovered.

And as daytime came, they went to prepare the grave of the Prophet. And the companions again began to fight as to who would dig the grave of the Prophet. And then Abu Bakr at that time, he chose the closest companions from the family of the Prophet. So Ali ibn Abi Talib, Fadhl ibn al-Abbas, and al-Abbas himself, they dug the grave of the Prophet. And as they prepared their grave, they realized that this was time for a new beginning.

That the Messenger of Allah has now truly died. And some of the companions actually fainted as they were digging the grave of the Prophet. And even more chaos broke at that time. They took out the companions that had fainted and the grave was finally dug.

The Janazah Prayer

And Anas ibn Malik, he came at that time and he wanted to know what was going to happen with the janazah of

the Prophet. Again Abu Bakr رضي الله تعالى عنه, not having the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ, he said that there can be no leader after Muhammad. So let every companion go to the house of the Prophet and pray his janazah individually. And that is what they did. Groups of companions went into the house of the Prophet, prayed their janazah individually.

And then the Prophet was eventually buried. Now as the Prophet's grave has now been buried, his body is now being placed into the grave, the companions now start to take the dirt and start to put it upon the Prophet.

The Hearts Begin to Doubt

And Anas ibn Malik, who had accompanied the Prophet for 10 years, he was the servant of Allah's Messenger. And he said that we had not even finished putting the last pieces of mud and the last pieces of dirt over the grave of the Prophet, except that we had already began to doubt our hearts. We had already began to lose confidence.

We already began to feel as if there was no leader. And it was as if our iman had decreased without doing anything wrong. Now brothers and sisters, those were the companions of the Prophet who had the pleasure and honor and nobility of being amongst the Prophet and having this raised status.

And that is how they felt about the Messenger of Allah.

The Greatest Calamity

Hadith:

The Prophet said:

(Sunan Ibn Majah)

"If any of you is struck with a calamity or a tribulation, then let him remember his calamity and tribulation with me. For indeed it is the greatest of tribulations and the greatest of calamities."

Reference: Sunan Ibn Majah

If you truly understood what took place on that day, the 12th of Rabi'ul Awwal, the day that the Prophet died, you would realize that the door of fitna had opened up for this ummah. You would realize that this ummah was no longer protected, that it was bound to make mistakes thereafter and there would be no divine intervention. And the Prophet is telling you that that is the greatest of tribulations, that the day that he died.

A Call to Reflection

And it is sad to see that we will cry when our pets may die. We may cry when some of our relatives pass away. We may cry when we see our parents in pain.

Yet when it comes to the individual who is supposed to be the most beloved to us, we cannot even shed a single tear. This is the state of our hearts and this is something that we need to rectify. That when the name of Allah's Messenger ﷺ is mentioned, when his death is brought up, the hearts should pour out with tears.

But it is due to the sins that we have fallen into, due to our lack of remembrance of Allah جل جلاله and due to the lack of attention that we pay to purifying our hearts and our souls, that right now, even if we wanted to cry, we are unable to do so.

Leaving a Legacy

Brothers and sisters, Allah's Messenger ﷺ, he left that farewell legacy in the points that he mentioned. And right now, it is up to all of you to honor that legacy of the Prophet ﷺ. It is up to you to leave a legacy of your own.

Each of us do not know how we will die. We can only hope and pray that Allah جل جلاله grants us a good ending. But you can try your best to prepare to leave that legacy.

You can try your best to leave that legacy. And it begins by changing yourself from today. That the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he gave key fundamental pieces of advice.

Those pieces of advice being, hold on to your salah and give your zakah. Do not oppress one another. And in times of conflict, always return back to the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ and the Book of Allah.

The Final Command to Have Hope

And that last piece of advice which I wanted to hold on to till the very end. The Prophet ﷺ, on the third day prior to his death Jabir رضي الله عنه he said that the Prophet ﷺ commanded his ummah. He commanded his ummah that let none of you die except that he is hopeful in meeting Allah جل جلاله. That he has hope and love that he wants to meet Allah جل جلاله and be united with him.

Because those who long to hope for Allah جل جلاله, Allah longs and hopes to meet with them. But those who are fearful of Allah جل جلاله and hate to be united with Allah جلاله,then جل likewise Allah جل جلاله does not want to be united with them. So have hope in the mercy of Allah.

Have hope in the love of Allah. And begin that change of yourself from today. Become more consistent in your prayers.

Building Our Legacy

Allah جل جلاله has blessed you with a beautiful community in the city of Calgary. It has potential like very few other cities that I have seen. And it is up to you to tap into that potential.

And start that legacy that you want to leave behind. When you pass away, how do you want to be remembered?

Do you want to be remembered, oh today Abdullah died. And the only thing that was known was he used to drive a blue car.

Or do you want to be remembered that here is the slave of Allah. This is Muhammad, this is Fatima, this is Khadija. This was the one that built the house of Allah.

This is the one who took care of the orphans. This is the one who took it upon themselves to enjoy the good and forbid the evil. Brothers and sisters, it is up to you to choose that legacy.

And I advise you to pay close attention to the very next lecture. Because that is what it is all about. I pray to Allah جل جلاله that He purifies our hearts. And He grants us the best of endings.

Closing Dua

End of Khutbah