Mukhtasar Muslim

‘Ubaidullah bin Abdullah says: I went to Umm al-Mu’minin Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) and requested, “Please tell me about the incidents during the illness of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).” She said: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) fell ill, he asked, “Have the people performed the prayer?” We replied, “No, they are waiting for you.” He said, “Place water for me in a vessel.” We placed the water, and he performed ghusl (ritual bath). After that, he tried to walk but fainted. When he regained consciousness, he again asked, “Have the people performed the prayer?” We replied, “No, O Messenger of Allah! They are waiting for you.” He said, “Place water for me in a basin.” So we complied with his order, and he performed ghusl again. Then he prepared to walk, but again he fainted. When he regained consciousness, he asked again, “Have the people performed the prayer?” We replied, “No, O Messenger of Allah! They are all waiting for you.” Meanwhile, the people were all waiting in the mosque for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to come for the ‘Isha prayer. Finally, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent a message through a man to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the prayer. That man went to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) and said, “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has ordered you to lead the people in prayer.” Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was very soft-hearted (he would start crying quickly), so he said to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), “O Umar! You lead the prayer.” Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, “No, you are more deserving of leading, and you have been ordered to do so.” Thus, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) led the prayer for several days. During this period, one day the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) felt a little better, so he went to the mosque for the Zuhr prayer, supported by two men. One of these two men was Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), who was his uncle. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reached the mosque when Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was leading the prayer as Imam. When he saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he wanted to step back, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured to him not to step back and said to those with him, “Seat me next to Abu Bakr.” So they seated him next to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) began to pray sitting, and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) continued to stand and follow the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), as if the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was the Imam and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was the follower, and all the companions, as before, were following Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) in this obligatory Zuhr prayer. ‘Ubaidullah bin Abdullah narrates: I went to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) and said, “I will narrate to you the hadith that Umm al-Mu’minin Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated to me.” At his request, I narrated the entire hadith to him. After listening, he said, “This entire hadith is absolutely correct.” Then he asked, “Did Umm al-Mu’minin Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) not mention the name of the other person who was with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?” I replied, “No.” He said, “The other man was Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).”