ILLNESS OF THE PROPHETP.B.U.H


One month after reaching Madinah, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) became ill. He sometimes was able to leave his house for the Mosque to offer prayers. The days he could not come to the Mosque, Abu BakrR.A used to lead the prayers. When Abu BakrR.A recited the Holy Qur’an in the Mosque, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to sit up, and repeat the verses being recited in the Mosque.

Whenever the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) felt he could go to the Mosque he would go even if it meant taking the help of people to go there. One day he said, while talking to people; "O brothers, soon a person who is dear to you will leave you". Those who were present in the Mosque could not stop weeping, as they had understood the meaning of these words. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was telling them that soon he would no longer be with them. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) comforted them and said, "Lament not, we all are helpless before His Will".

When his condition stabilised a little he would leave his house at night for the graveyard of Baqee graveyard, where there were graves of Muslims. He would stay there for a long time and after praying for the dead he would go to the mosque. On reaching the mosque he addressed the common Muslims and said, "Brothers and sisters, if I have offended someone, I am ready to compensate. Whosoever wants to take Qasas from me can have it. If I have hit someone, he should step ahead to avenge himself. I will bow my back to receive his strike".

The Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) house, where he spent last moments of his life, was near the Mosque of Madinah. This one-storied house used to become extremely hot in summer. On all four sides was a courtyard where goats used to graze. One day in the morning, the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) condition worsened. He asked his relatives to fetch water from seven different wells of Madinah. They fetched water as directed. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) drank one sip from each bowl and after some time said that his condition had improved.

A reader should not be surprised at the method adopted by the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to cure himself. At those times in Arabia, water was thought the best medicine. Only an Arab can value the importance of water, as he struggles throughout his life because of its scarcity. How could we value it? We have this blessing in abundance and are unaware of its real significance and value? For an Arab, water is sustenance not only for his body and soul but a cure for all his aches. In the burning land of Arabia when one became ill water was the best cure sought for him.

Today, in the last decade of the 20th century, it has been determined by the latest research that many of the human diseases are curable by water alone. This method involves the treatment of common diseases ranging from influenza to the diseases of the stomach, blood, heart and even some cancers by hydrotherapy.

On that day, after drinking the water of the seven wells, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) felt relief. He expressed his desire to go to the Mosque and left for it aided by two persons. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) wanted to have one more meeting with the Muslims. This day again he repeated his words that if anyone held any complaint against him, he should express it openly so that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) could rectify it, "If I have hit someone or have insulted anyone, he should step forward to avenge the wrong. He should not be afraid that I would be insulted or defamed by his action. It never is so, for in my eyes, this world’s abuse bears no importance when compared to any insult in the hereafter". Then the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) of Islam asked the Muslims to recall whether he had taken any loan from them? If he owed them anything, they should come forward to have their debts cleared. One among them rose and said, "O Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) of Allah, you had taken three Dirhams from me". The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) immediately repaid the loan.

He then started conversing about UsamahR.A. UsamahR.A was the son of ZaydR.A bin Harith, who in the beginning had been the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) slave. ZaydR.A bin Harith belonged to the clan of Bani Kalb. He was young when captured in battle. A person Hakim bin Haza had bought him for his paternal sister KhadijahR.A Bint Khuwaylid who became the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) wife at forty and placed ZaydR.A bin Harith under the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) care. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) not only set him free but also adopted him as his son. The people of Makkah had started calling ZaydR.A bin Harith as ZaydR.A bin Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). This name remained common with the people until a verse was revealed;

40.

Muhammad is not
The father of any
Of your men, but (he is)
The Messenger of Allah,
And the seal of the Prophets:
And Allah has full knowledge
Of all things.
(Surah Ahzab; V-40)

In this verse, it had been directed that ZaydR.A bin Harith should not be called by the name of ZaydR.A bin Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Although the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had adopted him as his son, but he was not his real child. ZaydR.A bin Harith was martyred in the Battle of Mutah. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had during his days of illness appointed his son UsamahR.A as commander of the Muslim army. UsamahR.A headed the army and fought against the forces of Syria. UsamahR.A was then only twenty-one. This appointment had been undesirable for some aged chiefs. Although due to regard of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), they did not express their objections, however, they did voice their objection later during the Caliphate of Abu BakrR.A.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) addressed the Muslims, "I have appointed Usamah bin ZaydR.A as the Commander for the reason that in addition to being ZaydR.A's son, he is a brave and intelligent young man. I know that he definitely possesses the qualities needed to be a good Commander".

UsamahR.A could not complete his preparations for the battle owing to the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) death, but when Abu BakrR.A became the Caliph, he, observing the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) decision, sent the Muslim army under the command of Usamah bin ZaydR.A to Syria. UsamahR.A reached Syria; fought the battle and emerged victorious. Thus it was proved that the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) trust in this young man was not baseless. This victory of UsamahR.A in Syria opened the doors of Islam under UmarR.A’s Caliphate, to the whole of the Syrian territories that later entered the fold of Islam.

The day when Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) talked about UsamahR.A, he turned the topic in the end and said, "O Mohajirs (who have migrated from Makkah to Madinah), I advise you to treat the Ansar, who are the real habitants of Madinah, with greatest kindness, as I greatly trusted them. When we migrated to Madinah, these people offered great sacrifices for us, exhibited immense devotion, therefore, if any mistake is committed by the Ansar, treat them with clemency because the Ansar are for me like my body’s robe. They have carried out their duties well. Now they are left with no more duties to dispense with, but these people reserve great rights upon you".

"O people! When I leave the world and you have buried me, do not prostrate before my grave, for bowing and prostration are reserved only for One Divine Self the Allah Subhan".

After saying this, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) left the Mosque for his home, and the Muslims present in the Mosque kept watching their Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) leave with tears in their eyes.