The Conquest of Makkah (6)

After this, the Prophet never appeared at public prayers. A few hours after he returned from the mosque, the Prophet died whilst laying his head on the bosom of Ayesha. As soon as the Prophet’s death was announced a crowd of people gathered at the door of the house of Ayesha, exclaiming, “How can our apostle be dead?” “No,” said Omar, “He is not dead, he will be restored to us, and those are traitors to the cause of Islam who say he is dead. If they say so let them be cut in pieces, but Abu Bakr entered the house at this moment, and after he had touched the body of the prophet with demonstration of profound affection, he appeared at the door and addressed the crowd with the following speech:

“O Muslims, if any of you has been worshipping Muhammad, then let me tell you that Muhammad is dead. But if you really do worship God, then know you that God is living and will never die. Do you forget the verse in the Qu’ran; “Muhammad is but an apostle, before whom other apostles have already passed?” and also the other verse: “You shall surely die [O Muhammad] and they also shall die? “Upon hearing this speech of Abu Bakr, Omar acknowledged his error and the crowd was satisfied and disseminated.

Al Abbas, the Prophet’s uncle, supervised the preparation for the burial, and the body was duly washed and perfumed.

There was some dispute between the Quraishites and the Ansars as to the place of burial; but Abu Bakr settled the dispute by affirming that he had heard the Prophet say, that a prophet should be buried at the very spot where he died. A grave was accordingly dug in the ground within the house of Ayesha, and under the bed on which the Prophet died. In this grave the body was buried, and the usual rites were performed by those who were present. Thus the glorious life of the Prophet Muhammad ended. The Arabs, being then united in one faith and under one banner and one prince found themselves in a position to make those conquests which extended the faith of Islam over so great a part of the world.[1]

“By a fortune absolutely unique in history, Muhammad is a threefold founder of a nation, of an empire and of a religion. Illiterate himself, scarcely able to read or write,[2] he brought a book which is a code of laws, a book of Common Prayer is reverenced to this day by a sixth of the whole of the human race, as a miracle of purity of style, of wisdom and of truth. It was the one miracle claimed by Muhammad – his standing miracle he called it and a miracle indeed it is. But looking at the circumstances of the time, at the unbounded reverence of his followers, and comparing him with the fathers of the church or with mediaeval saints, to my mind the most miraculous thing about Muhammad is that he never claimed the power of working miracles. Whatever he had said he could do, his disciples would straightway have seen him do. They could not help attributing to him miraculous acts, which he never did, and which he always denied he could do. What more crowning proof of his sincerity is needed? Muhammad to the end of his life claimed for himself that title only, with which he had begun, and which the highest philosophy and the truest Christianity will one day, I venture to believe agree in yielding to him, that of a Prophet, a very Prophet of God.”[3]

Muhammad treated even the most insignificant of his followers. Modesty and kindliness, patience, self-denial and generosity pervaded his conduct and riveted the affections of all around him. He disliked to say, “No”. If unable to answer a petitioner in the affirmative he preferred silence. “He was more bashful,” says his wife Ayesha, “than a veiled virgin; and if anything displeased him, it was rather from his face, than by his words, that we discovered it; he never smote anyone, but in the service of God, not even a woman or a servant”. He was not known ever to refuse an invitation to the house even of the meanest, nor to decline a proffered present, however small. When seated by a friend, he did not haughtily advance his knees toward him. He possessed the rare faculty of making each individual in a company think that he was the favoured guest. If he met any one rejoicing at success, he would seize him eagerly and cordially by the hand. With the bereaved and afflicted, he sympathized tenderly. Gentle and indulgent towards little children, he would not disdain to accost a group of them at play, with the salutation of peace. He shared his food, even in time of scarcity, with others; and was sedulously solicitous for the personal comfort of every one about him. A kindly and benevolent disposition pervades all these illustrations of his character.”