This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amanpuri's book Aamad Mustafa ﷺ.
The Death of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم
There is a difference of opinion regarding the birth date of the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
◈ Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, may Allah have mercy on him, writes:
ولد نبينا محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم فيه .
"Our Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born on the 10th of Muharram."
Reference: (Ghaniyat al-Talibeen: 392/2 Beirut Edition)
This difference of opinion is acknowledged, but the question is: for those who celebrate the Milad-un-Nabi ﷺ on the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal, what date do they consider as the date of his passing?
◈ Janab Ahmad Raza Khan Sahib says:
"The birth of the Prophet ﷺ is on the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal, which was a Monday, and his blessed death also occurred on this date."
Reference: (Malfoozat: 220/2)
◈ Regarding the death of the Prophet ﷺ, he also says:
"The well-known and accepted opinion of the majority is that it is the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal."
Reference: (Fatawa Razawiyya: 415/26)
Janab Ahmad Raza Khan's research is that the birth and death of the Prophet ﷺ both occurred on the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal. Some time ago, people used to call the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal "Bara Wafat" and it was the day of the "Khatm Sharif."
The state of the Companions on the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal, overwhelmed by grief, how much sorrow had debilitated them, how deeply saddened they were by the separation from their beloved Prophet ﷺ, can be somewhat understood from a hadith narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him:
لما كان اليوم الذى دخل فيه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم المدينة أضاء منها كل شيء، فلما كان اليوم الذى مات فيه أظلم منها كل شيء، وما نفضنا عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم الأيدي وإنا لفي دفنه حتى أنكرنا قلوبنا .
"When the Holy Prophet ﷺ migrated and arrived in Madinah Munawwarah, everything in Madinah shone with happiness, but on the day the Prophet ﷺ passed away, everything in Madinah became dark with grief. We ourselves were burying the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; the soil had not yet been swept, and our hearts were not ready to accept this tragic event."
Reference: (Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 3618, Sunan Ibn Majah: 1631, and its chain is Hasan)
This hadith has been declared "Sahih" by Imam Tirmidhi, may Allah have mercy on him, Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (6634)
, and Imam Hakim, may Allah have mercy on him
Reference: (57/1)
, who said it is Sahih according to Imam Muslim's conditions. Hafiz Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, agreed with this.◈ Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 774 AH), states:
إسناده صحيح على شرط الصحيحين .
"Its chain is authentic according to the conditions of Bukhari and Muslim."
Reference: Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya: 274/5
◈ Regarding Ja'far bin Sulayman Duba'i, Hafiz Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him (676 AH), writes:
قد وثق كثير من الأئمة المتقدمين .
"Many early scholars have declared him trustworthy."
Reference: Sharh Sahih Muslim: 150/3
◈ Imam Bayhaqi, may Allah have mercy on him (d. 458 AH), established a chapter on this hadith:
باب ما جاء فى عظم المصيبة التى نزلت بالمسلمين بوفاة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم .
"Description of the severe grief experienced by the Muslims due to the death of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ."
Reference: Dala'il al-Nubuwwah: 265/7
◈ Another narration from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, is reported in these words:
شهدته يوم دخل المدينة فما رأيت يوما قط، كان أحسن ولا أضوأ من يوم دخل علينا فيه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، وشهدته يوم موته، فما رأيت يوما كان أقبح، ولا أظلم من يوم مات فيه رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم .
"The day the Messenger of Allah ﷺ arrived in Madinah, I was there in Madinah. It was such a beautiful day that I have never seen a more beautiful and bright day. And the day the Prophet ﷺ passed away, I was also there. I have never seen a more dreadful and darker day in terms of grief."
Reference: Sunan al-Darimi: 89 and its chain is authentic
A Weak Hadith:
However, the hadith in which these words appear:
لما قبض رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، أظلمت المدينة، حتى لم ينظر بعضنا إلى بعض، وكان أحدنا يبسط يده، فلا يبصرها، فما فرغنا من دفنه حتى أنكرنا قلوبنا .
"On the day the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) passed away, such darkness prevailed in Medina that we could not see one another; if anyone stretched out his hand, it was not visible. We had finished the burial of the Prophet (peace be upon him), but our hearts did not accept it."
Reference: (Dala'il al-Nubuwwah by Al-Bayhaqi: 265/7)
The chain is very weak; Muhammad bin Yunus Al-Kadimi is severely criticized and abandoned.
A Fabricated Hadith Attributed to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him):
It is attributed to Sayyiduna Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him):
لما رمس رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم جاءت فاطمة رضي الله عنها فوقفت على قبره وأخذت قبضة من تراب القبر ، فوضعته على عينها وبكت وأنشأت تقول:
ماذا على من شم تربة أحمد ... ألا يشم مدى الزمان غواليا
صبت على مصائب لو أنها ..... صبت على الأيام عدن لياليا .
"When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was buried, Lady Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) came to the blessed grave of the Prophet (peace be upon him), took a handful of soil from there and placed it on her eyes. Then she kept crying and began reciting poetry:
Whoever has smelled the soil of the blessed grave of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him), no sudden calamity will befall him in this world. Such grief has fallen upon me due to the death of my father that if it were to fall on days, the days would turn into nights."
Reference: (Al-Durra Al-Thamina by Ibn Al-Najjar, p. 139; Ithaf Al-Za'ir by Abu Al-Yaman, p. 167)
This is a false narration, fabricated by unknown people.
➊ Who is Ahmad bin Muhammad Al-Katib? Identification and authentication are required.
➋ No authentication was found for Tahir bin Yahya bin Hussain bin Ja'far.
➌ The life details of Yahya bin Hussain bin Ja'far could not be found.
➍ Abu Ja'far Al-Baqir (may Allah have mercy on him) did not receive narration from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), so this is also a disconnected (mursal) narration.
◈ Hafiz Al-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him, died 748 AH) says:
مما ينسب إلى فاطمة، ولا يصح .
"The narration attributed to Lady Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) is not authentic."
Reference: (Siyar A'lam Al-Nubala: 134/2)
◈ Rafiq Ghaar, companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in presence and travel, and the first Caliph Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), in a state of grief, is described by Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) as follows:
إن أبا بكر دخل على النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم بعد وفاته، فوضع فمه بين عينيه، وضع يديه على صدغيه، وقال: وانبياه، واخليلاه ، واصفياه .
"After the death of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him), Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) came, placed his face between the eyes of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his hands on the temples of the Prophet (peace be upon him), saying: Alas my Prophet, alas my friend, alas my companion!"
Reference: (Musnad Imam Ahmad: 31/6, and its chain is Hasan)
Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), the brave and courageous, upon hearing the verses of sorrow about the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him), fell to his knees in deep grief:
◈ Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates:
إن أبا بكر خرج وعمر بن الخطاب يكلم الناس فقال: اجلس يا عمر، فأبي عمر أن يجلس، فأقبل الناس إليه، وتركوا عمر، فقال أبو بكر: أما بعد فمن كان منكم يعبد محمدا صلى الله عليه وسلم، فإن محمدا قد مات، ومن كان منكم يعبد الله فإن الله حي لا يموت، قال الله: وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ اِلَّا رَسُوْلٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ إلى قوله: الشّٰكِرِیْنَ [آل عمران: 144] ، وقال: والله لكأن الناس لم يعلموا أن الله أنزل هذه الآية حتى تلاها أبو بكر، فتلقاها منه الناس كلهم، فما أسمع بشرا من الناس إلا يتلوها . فأخبرني سعيد بن المسيب، أن عمر قال: والله ما هو إلا أن سمعت أبا بكر تلاها فعقرت، حتى ما تقلني رجلاي، وحتى أهويت إلى الأرض حين سمعته تلاها، علمت أن النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم قد مات .
"Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) came while Sayyiduna Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) was talking to people. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr said: Umar! Sit down, but Sayyiduna Umar Farooq did not sit. People left Sayyiduna Umar and came to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr. After the prescribed sermon, he said:
Whoever worshipped Muhammad (peace be upon him) should know that Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace be upon him) has passed away, and whoever worships Allah, Allah is always alive and never dies. Allah Himself has said:
وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ اِلَّا رَسُوۡلٌ ۚ قَدۡ خَلَتۡ مِنۡ قَبۡلِهِ الرُّسُلُ ؕ اَفَا۠ئِنۡ مَّاتَ اَوۡ قُتِلَ انۡقَلَبۡتُمۡ عَلٰۤي اَعۡقَابِكُمۡ ؕ وَ مَنۡ يَّنۡقَلِبۡ عَلٰي عَقِبَيۡهِ فَلَنۡ يَّضُرَّ اللّٰهَ شَيۡئًا ؕ وَ سَيَجۡزِي اللّٰهُ الشّٰكِرِيۡنَ
Reference: Al-Imran: 144
"Muhammad (peace be upon him) is not but a messenger; [other] messengers have passed on before him..."
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says: By Allah! It felt as if no one had any prior knowledge of the revelation of this verse. People learned this verse from Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, they kept listening and reciting it.
The narrator of the hadith, Imam Al-Zuhri (may Allah have mercy on him), narrates from Saeed bin Musayyib (may Allah have mercy on him) that Sayyiduna Umar Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By Allah! I regained consciousness when I heard Sayyiduna Abu Bakr reciting this verse. I was stunned and felt as if my legs would not support my weight and I would fall to the ground. When I heard the recitation of these verses, I became certain that the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) had indeed passed away."
Reference: (Sahih Al-Bukhari: 4454)
Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), the beloved of the Messenger and the son-in-law of Lady Fatimah Batool (may Allah be pleased with her), describes her state of grief in these words:
لما دفنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، ورجعنا قالت فاطمة: يا أنس ، أطابت أنفسكم أن دفنتم رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فى التراب ورجعتم .
"When we finished the burial of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) and returned, Lady Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: Anas! How could you bear to bury the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) under the soil and then return?"
Reference: (Musnad Imam Ahmad: 204/3, and its chain is authentic)
And yet we celebrate that day! Even if unknowingly, this disgrace is happening because of us? Not only that, but under the pretext of Eid Milad, countless innovations, superstitions, errors, dozens of forbidden acts and evils have emerged: the image of the Prophet’s tomb, polytheistic praises, standing at the end of the gathering with the belief that the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) himself is present in the gathering, (seeking refuge in Allah) distributing sweets, cooking large pots, building doors and mountains, decorating buildings with lights, hanging flags, putting pictures of the Prophet’s blessed sandals on them, wearing special clothes, taking pictures, organizing dances and ecstasies, night vigils, collective voluntary prayers, collective fasts, collective Quran recitations, mixing of men and women, young boys participating in processions and women watching them, fireworks, torch-bearing processions which are a Christian custom, singing and music, obscenity and nudity, immorality and wickedness, show and hypocrisy, fabricated stories and false narrations, expressing polytheistic and kufr beliefs about the Prophets, angels, and companions, qawwali, frivolity, wasting wealth, money and time, and now these programs even lead to unrest, fights, and even murder and destruction. For God's sake! Stop these evils which can only be prevented by freeing ourselves from the innovation of Milad.
