This episode will discuss the biography and works of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique (may Allah be pleased with him), the greatest man after the Prophets. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) fell ill after returning from the Farewell Hajj. One day, as he was getting increasingly ill, he stood up to deliver a Speech/Khudbah and said: Allah Almighty has given one of His beloved servant two choices. The first is that they must either choose the life of this world or die and go to Allah and collect some things from Him. And that servant of Allah chose to gather what is from Allah. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was present there with other companions and as soon as he heard this, he started crying. Abu Saeed Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) is a companion of the Ansar narrated this incident. We all looked at Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) in surprise because we did not understand why he was crying. But later, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed away, we understood why Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was crying. He understood the meaning of the Prophet’s words. Here the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wanted to explain that he was that servant of Allaah. And Abu Saeed Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was the most knowledgeable among us.
Abu Bakr Siddique (may Allah be pleased with him) spent a long time with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He could understand the meaning of many of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) words.
When Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was crying, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “The person who has benefited me the most with his friendship and wealth is Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).”
When the companions migrated from Mecca to Medina, they had no place to stay. At that time, Abu Bakr Siddique (may Allah be pleased with him) bought a place for them in the Prophet’s Mosque. The companions stayed on the land adjacent to the Prophet’s Mosque. Many of the Companions had their homes very close to the mosque, so they would walk to it, while many of them had homes so that if they opened the door, they could see the Prophet in the mosque. Referring to this incident, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that all the doors to the Prophet’s Mosque should be closed, except for the door of Abu Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with him). So from this it is understood how dignified Abu Bakr Siddique (may Allah be pleased with him) was that he used to enter the mosque through his own private door and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered that the doors of the other companions be closed.
Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) realized that the time of the Prophet’s death was approaching and that he was becoming increasingly ill, so the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the prayers.
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered Abu Bakr Siddique (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the prayers, Aisha Siddique (may Allah be pleased with her) repeatedly requested the Prophet (peace be upon him) to allow Hazrat Umar to lead the prayers because she said that her father was a very soft-hearted person and would get very emotional and cry during the prayers, which could lead to mistakes in the prayers.
But the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the prayers.
A hadith narrator narrates an incident two days before the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that we saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) coming down to the mosque to pray, carrying the shoulders of two men. A hadith narrator narrates an incident two days before the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that we saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) coming down to the mosque to pray, carrying the shoulders of two men. At that time, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was leading the prayer. When he saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) coming, he stepped back. But the Prophet (peace be upon him) made Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) understand with a gesture of his hand that he should stay where he is. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) began to pray with Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).
Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) followed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in praying, and the rest of the companions followed Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) in praying.
Then come Monday, the 12th of Rabiul. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) removed the curtain of his house and saw the worshippers praying in the mosque. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw the Companions praying under the leadership of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and the mosque was full of worshippers.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was delighted to see this scene. It is narrated in the Hadeeth that his face became like a shining silver plate. He was happy because he could see the success of the work he had worked on all his life.
After the prayer, Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the house of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said that since the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was well, he would go to his wives. Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) had two wives, one of whom was in Medina city and the other was some distance from Medina city. Abu Bakr Siddique (may Allah be pleased with him) thought that since the condition of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was improving, he could visit his wives.
At this time, Usamah ibn Zayd entered on behalf of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). At that time, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was preparing an army for war, which Usamah ibn Zayd led.
Since the Prophet (peace be upon him) was not in good physical condition, the army did not start the campaign but remained some distance from the city of Medina. Seeing Usamah ibn Zayd, the Prophet (peace be upon him) raised his hands and prayed, even though he was sick. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was having a hard time speaking, but he suddenly said that “he had been to a respected companion” three times. That is, he was talking to the angel of death. It is worth noting here that the angel of death does not come and speak to ordinary people, but in the case of prophets, it is different. In the case of prophets, the angel of death takes their lives with their permission.
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said in his last words that whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him. That is, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) loved to meet Allah, and Allah loved that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) should meet Him.
Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) died, that is, he went to the afterlife. The death of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was the most painful for his ummah. When the news of the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) spread, the companions could not remain still. They did not know what to do. Some could not stand or some were speechless.
Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi said that a chaotic situation arose in Medina. As if they have had a difficult time in their lives. When Abu Bakr heard that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was not alive, he was at a place called Shonay. He rode a fast horse to Medina and entered the house of the Prophet, then removed the cloth from his face and kissed his forehead and said, “May my parents be sacrificed for you. You are as pure in death as you were in life.”
Then Abu Bakr went to the Prophet’s Mosque and found Hazrat Umar (RA) in a furious state. When Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived at the mosque, the people turned their attention to him. He said to the people present, “Those of you who worship the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) should know that he has died. And those of you who worship Allah should know that Allah never dies.”
Then Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) recited this verse of the Quran:
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 unbelief? And he who turns back on his heels will never harm Allah at all; but Allah will reward the grateful.
(Quran 3:144)
After hearing this verse, Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that he became calm and realized that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had died.
Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was the closest friend of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Yet, even in that difficult moment, he remained calm and brought everyone back to reality.
