Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says: When the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was healthy, he used to say: "No prophet is given death until he is shown his place in Paradise and then given the choice (between life and death)." When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) fell ill and his head was on my thigh, he lost consciousness, then regained it, and began to gaze fixedly at the ceiling and started saying: "O Allah! Take me to the Highest Companion." At that moment, I realized that he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not prefer us (over the choice of life and death), and I recognized that now he (peace and blessings be upon him) was fulfilling the very hadith he used to narrate to us in his healthy state. The last words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were: "O Allah! Take me to the Highest Companion."