In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
And the city of Medina was plunged into darkness.
The nursing of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in the homes of his wives.
His longing for the house of ‘A’ishah.
‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, says:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
Used to ask during the illness in which he passed away:
"Where am I tomorrow? Where am I tomorrow?"
He was seeking the day that belonged to ‘A’ishah.
So his wives permitted him to be wherever he wished.
Thus, he stayed in the house of ‘A’ishah,
Until he passed away in her care.
In the narration of Abu Dawud:
The manner in which the Prophet, peace be upon him, sought permission from his wives.
‘A’ishah said:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
Sent for his wives,
Meaning during his illness,
And they gathered.
He said:
"I am no longer able to rotate among you."
"If you see fit to permit me to stay with ‘A’ishah,"
"Then do so."
So they gave him permission.
‘A’ishah said:
Even on the day that was my turn in my house,
Allah took his soul,
While his head was between my chest and my neck,
And his saliva mingled with mine, peace be upon him.
‘A’ishah describes in a poignant image,
How the Prophet, peace be upon him, was moved,
From the house of Maymunah to her own house.
She says:
The Prophet, peace be upon him, became very heavy,
And his pain intensified.
He sought permission from his wives to be nursed in my house,
And they permitted him.
So the Prophet, peace be upon him, went out,
Supported by two men,
His feet dragging on the ground,
Between ‘Abbas and another man.
In the narration of Muslim:
On the authority of ‘Ubayd Allah ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Utbah,
Who was informed by ‘A’ishah, she said:
The first time the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, fell ill,
Was in the house of Maymunah.
He asked his wives for permission to be nursed in her house,
And they permitted him.
He went out, leaning on al-Fadl ibn ‘Abbas,
And leaning on another man,
While his feet were dragging on the ground.
‘Ubayd Allah said:
I recounted this to Ibn ‘Abbas,
And he said: "Do you know who the other man is, whom ‘A’ishah did not name?"
"It is ‘Ali."
Ibn Hajar said:
Ibn al-Tin said:
Meaning he was asking how much time remained until her day.
Because a sick person finds a sense of comfort with some of his family,
That he does not find with others.
The hadith illustrates the severity of the Prophet’s, peace be upon him, condition that day,
To the point that he, peace be upon him, was unable to walk between the houses of his wives.
His wives began to nurse him,
They nursed him, and the Muslims nursed him,
All of them deeply distressed by the approach of those difficult moments.
It had been the habit of the Prophet, peace be upon him, before this illness,
To pray for himself and recite ruqyah over himself.
As ‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, explained, saying:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, whenever he felt pain,
Would recite the protective surahs (al-Mu'awwidhat) over himself and blow gently.
She said: "When his pain intensified, I began to recite over him,"
"And I would wipe him with his own right hand, hoping for its blessing."
It was as if he, peace be upon him,
Was no longer able to even recite over himself, peace be upon him, at that time.
Regarding his nursing, peace be upon him,
‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, narrates the following report,
As ‘Urwah narrates it from her.
‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr says:
‘A’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, used to relate that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
Said after he entered his house and his pain intensified:
"Pour over me from seven water skins whose knots have not been untied,"
"So that I may give counsel to the people."
She said: "So we seated him in a tub belonging to Hafsah, the wife of the Prophet, peace be upon him,"
"Then we began to pour water over him from those skins,"
"Until he began to signal to us with his hand that we had done enough."
She said: "Then the Prophet, peace be upon him, went out to the people,"
"And he led them in prayer and delivered a sermon to them."
So what were those words in those precious minutes?
In which the Prophet, peace be upon him, ascended to the most beloved of places in the hearts of the believers,
For the final time.
And the city of Medina was plunged into darkness.