In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Darkness fell upon Medina.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was washed.
He was shrouded, the funeral prayer was performed for him, and he was buried.
The Companions were stunned by the death of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
They had no guidance on what they should do.
They were shocked by his passing.
The news was greater than even their greatest elders could bear.
Consider Umar, may Allah be pleased with him.
As we mentioned a short while ago.
"Do not say he is dead."
And Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, was weeping.
He bore the truth alone.
He bore it and steadied the people upon it.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had died.
Events crowded upon the noble ones.
Medina still contained hypocrisy and its people.
The people were still close to the era of ignorance.
They were not yet accustomed to governance and its systems.
They were not yet used to hearing and obeying.
Before Allah bestowed upon them the favor of the new religion.
So the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, were occupied.
With uniting the people behind one man.
To lead them in their prayers.
To attend to the needs of the Muslims.
To gather them upon one heart and one word.
Once the Companions finished that matter.
They turned their attention to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
For the purpose of washing, shrouding, and burying him.
For the bitter truth had to be faced.
The Companions were divided in their opinions regarding how to wash and bury him.
Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
When they intended to wash the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
They said, "By Allah, we do not know."
"Should we strip the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, of his clothes?"
"As we strip our own dead?"
"Or should we wash him while his clothes are on?"
When they differed.
Allah cast sleep upon them.
Until there was not a man among them.
But his chin was resting on his chest.
Then a speaker spoke to them from the side of the house.
They did not know who he was.
"Wash the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him."
"While his clothes are on."
So they rose to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
And they washed him while his shirt was on.
They poured water over the shirt.
And they rubbed him through the shirt, not with their bare hands.
Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, used to say:
"If I could have known then what I know now."
"None would have washed him but his wives."
Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that he said:
"I washed the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him."
"I looked to see what is usually seen from the dead."
"But I saw nothing."
"For he was pure, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him."
"In life and in death."
Four people took charge of his burial and interment, to the exclusion of others.
Ali, al-Abbas, al-Fadl, and Salih.
The freed slave of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
They dug a *lahd* (niche) for the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
And they set the bricks upright over him.
Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was shrouded.
In three white *sahuli* garments.
Made of cotton, with no shirt or turban among them.
People were confused, thinking that he, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Was shrouded in a Yemeni cloak.
Which is the *hulla* or the *hibra*.
Aisha said:
"The cloak was indeed brought."
"But they returned it and did not shroud him in it."
Then the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was wrapped.
In a Yemeni *hulla*.
That belonged to Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr.
Then it was removed from him.
Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr took it.
And said, "I shall keep it."
"So that I may be shrouded in it myself."
That is why they mentioned to Aisha what they mentioned.
She denied it and said:
"As for the *hulla*."
"People were merely confused about it."
"It was bought for him to be shrouded in."
"But the *hulla* was left aside."
Al-Tirmidhi said:
It is narrated regarding the shroud of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Various narrations.
And the hadith of Aisha.
Is the most authentic of the hadiths narrated regarding the shroud of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
People began to prepare for the prayer over the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
It was the prayer of farewell.
It was the Ummah, bereaved by the death of its Prophet, Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
People prayed over him individually, with no one leading them.
They said, "How shall we pray over him?"
He said, "Enter in groups, one after another."
So they would enter through this door and pray over him.
Then they would exit through the other door.
Ibn Kathir said:
This action.
Their praying over him individually, with no one leading them.
Is a matter of consensus, with no disagreement.
The night now cloaks Medina in tears.
Moistening beards and cheeks.
This is Fatima, a piece of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Weeping and mourning the Messenger of Allah, her father.
Here are the Mothers of the Believers.
Weeping for the beloved, precious Prophet.
The matter had become a great reality.
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had died.
Could Umm Salama accept the death of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him?
Could she believe that she would not see him after this day?
The young children fell asleep.
And the rest of the people shed tears.
Medina was covered in deep, ancient sorrow.
Hearts were torn asunder.
And suddenly, in the night.
The sound of shovels and pickaxes broke the silence.
The axes were striking the earth.
To embrace the master of the children of Adam.
Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Could Umm Salama believe in the death of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him?
Umm Salama said:
"I did not believe in the death of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him."
"Until I heard the sound of the pickaxes."
That was at the dawn of Wednesday.
As stated in the narration of Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her.
He, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was buried in the place where he passed away.
Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"I heard something from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that I have not forgotten."
He said:
"Allah does not take the soul of a prophet."
"Except in the place where he loves to be buried."
A red velvet cloth was placed under the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, when he was buried.
A red velvet cloth.
Shaqran, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"By Allah, I am the one who laid the velvet cloth under the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in the grave."
They differed between a *lahd* (niche) and a *shaqq* (trench).
Until they spoke about it and their voices rose.
Umar said:
"Do not raise your voices in the presence of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, neither in life nor in death."
Or words to that effect.
So they sent for the one who digs a trench and the one who digs a niche.
The one who digs a niche arrived.
So he dug a *lahd* for the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and then he was buried.
It became a Sunnah, and his Companions followed his example.
Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"Dig a *lahd* for me."
"And set the bricks upright over me."
"Just as was done for the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him."
The *lahd* was.
According to the hadith of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both.
From the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
"The *lahd* is for us, and the *shaqq* is for others."
Jabir ibn Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with them both, said:
"The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was buried in a *lahd*."
"And bricks were set upright over him."
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was buried.
They cast the earth over him.
His grave was raised from the ground by about a span.
Anas said:
"We had not yet dusted our hands from the burial of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him."
"Before we felt our hearts had changed."
This was confirmed by Ubayy ibn Ka'b.
He explained it by saying:
"We were with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him."
"And our focus was one."
"But when he passed away, we looked this way and that."
Anas ibn Malik checked on the house of Fatima, may Allah be pleased with her.
He said, "When we buried him, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him."
"I passed by the house of Fatima."
"O Anas, could your souls bear to cast earth upon the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him?"
And they cast earth upon the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
The separation occurred, and the bonds were severed.
The fortresses of Medina grew dark.
As Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, reported.
On the day he died, everything in it grew dark.
He passed away, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, at the age of sixty-three.
And it has been said otherwise.
For al-Tirmidhi narrated from Ibn Abbas.
That the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, passed away at the age of sixty-five.
It was also reported from Ibn Abbas that he, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, passed away at the age of sixty-three.
Ibn Hajar said:
The majority hold that his age, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, at the time of his death was sixty-three years.
And Medina grew dark.