Shamail Tirmidhi

The companion of the Messenger, Salim bin Ubaid (may Allah be pleased with him), narrates: During the illness of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he fell unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he asked, “Has the time for prayer arrived?” The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) replied, “Yes.” He said, “Order Bilal to give the call to prayer, and order Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer.” Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fell unconscious again. When he regained consciousness, he asked, “Has the time for prayer arrived?” It was said, “Yes.” He said, “Order Bilal to give the call to prayer and order Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer.” Again, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fell unconscious, and when he regained consciousness, he asked, “Has the time for prayer arrived?” It was said, “Yes.” He said, “Order Bilal to give the call to prayer and order Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer.” Umm al-Mu’minin, Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), said, “O Messenger of Allah! My father is soft-hearted; when he stands in your place, he will begin to weep and will not be able to lead the prayer. Please order someone else.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fell unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he said, “Order Bilal to give the call to prayer and order Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer. You are like the women who were with Yusuf (peace be upon him).” Thus, Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) was ordered, and he gave the call to prayer, and Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) was ordered, and he led the people in prayer. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) felt some recovery and lightness in his body, so he said, “Find a man for me on whom I can lean.” So Barirah (the servant of Lady Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her) and another person came. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) went out leaning on both of them. When Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) saw him, he began to step back. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured to him to remain in his place, until Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) completed the prayer. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) began to say, “Whoever says that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has passed away, I will strike off his neck with this sword of mine.” The narrator says that most people were unlettered, and no prophet had been sent among them before. Therefore, everyone remained silent at Umar’s (may Allah be pleased with him) words. Then some people said to Salim (may Allah be pleased with him), “Go and call the companion of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) (Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him).” Salim (may Allah be pleased with him) says, “I went to Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), weeping out of fear. He was in the mosque at that time. When he saw me coming, he asked, ‘Has the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away?’ I said, ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says that he does not want to hear anyone say that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has died. Whoever says so, he will strike off his neck with his sword.’ Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said to me, ‘Come, let us go.’ So I went with him. When he arrived, the people had gathered at the house of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He said, ‘People! Make way for me.’ So the people cleared a path for him. He came and leaned over the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), touched him (kissed him), and recited this verse «إنك ميت وإنهم ميتون» “Indeed, you (O Muhammad) will die, and indeed, they [too] will die.” The people said, “O companion of the Messenger of Allah! Has the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away?” Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Yes.” The people became convinced that Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) had spoken the truth. Then the people said, “O companion of the Messenger of Allah! Shall we perform the funeral prayer for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?” He said, “Yes.” They asked, “How?” He said, “A group should enter the chamber, say the takbir, supplicate, and send blessings upon him, then come out. Then another group should enter, say the takbir, send blessings, supplicate, and then come out. In this way, all the people should perform the funeral prayer.” Then the people asked, “O companion of the Messenger! Should the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) be buried?” He said, “Yes.” They asked, “Where?” He said, “In the very place where his soul was taken, for Allah the Exalted took his soul in a pure place.” The people became convinced that Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) had spoken the truth. Then Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) ordered that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) be washed by his paternal cousins. Meanwhile, the Muhajirun gathered to consult about the matter of the caliphate. They said, “Let us go to our Ansari brothers so that we may include them in this matter.” (When they went to them) the Ansar said, “One leader from among us and one leader from among you.” In response, Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Who is the person who possesses these three virtues (which Allah the Exalted mentioned in a single verse): ① The second of the two when they were in the cave; ② When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his companion, ‘Do not grieve’; ③ ‘Indeed, Allah is with us.’ Who were these two?” The narrator says, then Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) extended his hand and pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). Then the other people also pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) in a very good and harmonious manner.