Ubaidullah narrates that we went to Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyida Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) and we asked: O Umm al-Mu’minin, tell us about the illness of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) before his death. She said: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) fell ill, a sound came from his mouth, which we can liken to the sound made by someone eating dried dates. This happened both before and during the days of his illness. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) continued to visit his wives in turn. When he became more exhausted, he sought permission from his wives to spend his time in the house of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), so that they could all come there and look after him. All of them granted him this permission. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came supported by two men; one of them was Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him). At that time, the feet of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) were dragging on the ground. Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Ubaidullah: Did Umm al-Mu’minin not inform you of the name of the other man who was with Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him)? Ubaidullah said: No, she did not. So he informed that the other man was Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).

(Second chain) It is narrated from Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyida Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was ill in the house of Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyida Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her), he (peace and blessings be upon him) sought permission from his wives, saying,“You may visit me for my care in the house of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her).”All the wives gladly granted him (peace and blessings be upon him) this permission. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came supported by Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) and another man, in such a state that his (peace and blessings be upon him) feet were dragging on the ground. Ubaidullah says: Upon hearing this, Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:“Do you know who the other man was? He was Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).”But Umm al-Mu’minin (may Allah be pleased with her), since she was displeased with him, did not mention his name. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was in the house of Sayyida Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her). He (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Abdullah bin Zam’ah:“Go and tell the people to perform the prayer.”He went and met Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and said:“O Umar! Lead the people in prayer.”When he began to lead the prayer and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) heard his voice, because he had a loud voice, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Is this not the voice of Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)?”The Companions said:“Yes, O Messenger of Allah!”He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Allah Almighty and the believers will not accept this. Tell Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the people in prayer.”Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyida Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) submitted:“O Messenger of Allah! Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) is soft-hearted; when he recites the Qur’an, he weeps, he cannot control his tears.”Sayyida (may Allah be pleased with her) says:“I only said this so that people would not sin by saying such things about Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), that he was the first person to stand in the place of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).”He (peace and blessings be upon him) again said:“Tell Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the people in prayer.”I also repeated my statement. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer. You are like the women who tried to beguile Yusuf (peace be upon him).”

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Zam’ah narrates that when the illness of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) intensified, I was present in his service along with some other Muslims. Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) gave the call to prayer, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Tell someone to lead the prayer. I went outside and found Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) among the people, but Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was not present. I said: Umar! Please get up and lead the prayer. He stood up and pronounced the opening takbir; his voice was very loud, so when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) heard his voice, he said: Where is Abu Bakr? Allah and the people of Islam will not accept anyone other than Abu Bakr. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent a message to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), but when he arrived, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) had already led that prayer. After that, Abu Bakr led the people in the remaining prayers. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Zam’ah (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to me: O Ibn Zam’ah! May good come to you, what have you done to me? By Allah! When you told me to lead the prayer, I thought that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) himself had instructed you to tell me, otherwise I would not have led the people in prayer. I said: By Allah! The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not actually give me this instruction, but when I did not see Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), I considered you the most deserving among those present to lead the prayer.

Sayyiduna Buraidah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) fell ill, so he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer. Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) submitted: O Messenger of Allah! Abu Bakr is extremely soft-hearted and tender-hearted. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Just tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer, you women seem like the women of Sayyiduna Yusuf (peace be upon him). Thus, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) led the people in prayers during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that during the days of his final illness, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer. I submitted: Abu Bakr will begin to weep and his voice will not reach the people; it would be better if you command Umar. In another narration, Sayyida Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) submitted to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): O Messenger of Allah! Abu Bakr is extremely soft-hearted; when he stands in your place, his voice will not reach the people, it would be better if you give this command to Umar. But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: You women are like the women of Yusuf (Joseph), I am saying: Tell Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the people in prayer. Upon hearing this, Sayyida Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) turned to me and said: I do not find any good from your side.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) fell ill and his illness became severe, so he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer. Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) submitted: O Messenger of Allah! Abu Bakr is extremely soft-hearted; when he stands in your place, he will not be able to lead the people in prayer. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I am telling you to tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer; you are like the women who tried to seduce Yusuf (peace be upon him). So the Messenger of Allah’s (peace and blessings be upon him) messenger went to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) led the people in prayer during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

Sayyidah Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was afflicted with his final illness, Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) came to inform him of the time for prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer." We said: "O Messenger of Allah! Abu Bakr is extremely soft-hearted; when he stands in your place, he will begin to weep and will not be able to lead the prayer. It would be better if you command Umar." But the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer." We said: "O Messenger of Allah! Abu Bakr is very tender-hearted and soft; when he stands in your place, he will begin to weep and will not be able to lead the prayer. If you command Umar, it would be better." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer. You are like the women who tried to entice Yusuf (peace be upon him)." So we sent a message to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and called him, and he led the people in prayer. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) felt some improvement in his health, he was taken to the mosque with the support of two men, while his feet were dragging on the ground. When Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) sensed the arrival of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he began to step back, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured to him to remain in his place. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came and sat beside Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) followed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the rest of the people followed Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Ubaidullah bin Abdullah bin Utbah bin Mas'ud, who says: I went to Umm al-Mu'mineen Sayyidah Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) and asked: Will you describe to me the illness of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? She said: Yes, why not, the details are that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was severely ill. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: Have the people performed the prayer? We replied: No, O Messenger of Allah! They are waiting for you. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Place water for me in a vessel. We placed the water, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ghusl (ritual bath), but when he tried to stand up, he fainted. Then, when he regained consciousness, he asked: Have the people performed the prayer? We replied: No, O Messenger of Allah! They are waiting for you. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Place water for me in a vessel. (The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, performed ghusl.) Afterwards, when he tried to stand up, he fainted again, while the people were gathered in the mosque for the Isha prayer and were waiting for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Finally, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent a message to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the people in prayer. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was extremely soft-hearted; he said: Umar! You lead the people in prayer, but Umar said: You are more deserving of this. So, during those days, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) led the people in prayer. Then, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) felt better, he went to the mosque for the Zuhr prayer with the support of two men; one of them was Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him). When Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) sensed the arrival of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), he began to step back, but the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured for him not to step back. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) told those two men, and they seated him beside Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Abu Bakr continued to stand and lead the prayer, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed while sitting. I (Ubaidullah bin Abdullah) went to Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) and said to him: Shall I not narrate to you the incident that Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated to me? He said: Yes, narrate it. Then he did not deny any part of it, except that he asked: Did she mention the name of the other man who was with Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him)? I said: No. He said: He was Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) fell ill during his final illness, he was in the house of Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Call Ali to me." But Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) submitted: "Shall we call Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Call him." Meanwhile, Sayyida Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! Shall we call Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him)?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Call him too." Sayyida Umm al-Fadl (may Allah be pleased with her) submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! Shall we call Sayyiduna Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him)?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Call him too." When these people gathered, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his blessed head, and when Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was not seen, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "People, get up from the presence of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) came to inform the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) of the time for prayer, so the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer." Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) submitted: "Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) is extremely soft-hearted and a man who weeps; when people do not see you (peace and blessings be upon him), they will begin to weep, (and seeing them, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) will also begin to weep and will not be able to lead the prayer). It would be better if you command Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the people in prayer." In any case, it happened that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) went and began to lead the prayer. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) felt some improvement in his condition, so he was taken, supported between two men, and his feet were dragging on the ground. When the people saw him coming, they began to say "Subhan Allah, Subhan Allah" to draw Abu Bakr's (may Allah be pleased with him) attention. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) began to step back, but the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured for him to remain where he was. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came and sat beside Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) remained standing on his right side. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) followed the prayer of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the people followed Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) states that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began the recitation from where Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) had reached. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away in that very illness. The narrator Waki’ once narrated that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) followed the prayer of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the people followed Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) and Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) went taking support of Sayyiduna Usama bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him). He (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was wearing a cotton garment, with its two ends thrown over his shoulders, and he (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) went and led the prayer.