It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) appointed Sayyiduna Usama bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) as the commander of the army, news reached the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that people were objecting to Usama (may Allah be pleased with him) being made the commander and were criticizing his appointment as leader. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up and said: "You people object to Usama being appointed as the commander of the army and criticize his being made the leader. You did the same regarding his father before this, even though he was truly deserving of being made the leader. And he was the most beloved to me. After him, this son of his is among the dearest of people to me. I advise you to treat him well; he is among your best people."

Mawla-e-Rasool Sayyiduna Abu Muwayhibah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that (in the last days of his life) the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was commanded (by Allah) to go and pray for the people of the Baqi’ graveyard. So, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) went there one night and prayed for them three times. On the second night, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: "Abu Muwayhibah! Saddle my mount for me." Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) mounted it, and I walked on foot until the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) reached the graveyard. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) dismounted, and I held his mount. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) stood by the people of Baqi’ and said: "Congratulations to you for the state you are in compared to the state the people are in. Trials and tribulations are coming one after another like the darkness of night, each subsequent trial will be more severe than the previous one. Congratulations to you for the state you are in." After this, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) returned and said: "Abu Muwayhibah! I have been given the choice between two things: either I take the keys to the victories that will come to my Ummah after me, or I choose Paradise and meeting my Lord." I said: "O Messenger of Allah! May my parents be sacrificed for you, please tell me which of these you have chosen?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: "When Allah wills, the world will return and come to an end, so I have chosen to meet my Lord, the Exalted." After that, seven or eight days passed, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) passed away.

(Second Chain) It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Muwayhibah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent for me at night and said, "Abu Muwayhibah! I have been commanded by Allah to seek forgiveness for the people of Baqi', so come with me." I went with him. When he stood there, he said, "Peace be upon you, O dwellers of the graves! If you knew how Allah has saved you from the conditions (that have befallen), and in what state the living are now, you would consider your state to be blessed compared to theirs. Trials and tribulations are coming one after another like pieces of a dark night; each subsequent trial is more severe than the previous one." Then he turned to me and said, "Abu Muwayhibah! I have been given the choice between the treasures of the world and living in it forever and then Paradise, or meeting my Lord and Paradise. I said, 'May my parents be sacrificed for you! Choose the treasures of the world, living in it forever, and then Paradise.' He said, 'Abu Muwayhibah! No, by Allah! I have chosen to meet my Lord and Paradise.' Then he prayed for forgiveness for the people of Baqi', and returned. After that, in the morning, the illness began in which he (peace and blessings be upon him) departed from this world.

It is narrated from Yazid bin Babnoos, he says: I and a companion of mine both went to the service of Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyidah Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her). We sought permission to be present in her service. She placed a cushion for us and drew a curtain in front of herself. My companion said: Umm al-Mu’minin! What do you say about ‘Iraak’? She asked: What do you mean by ‘Iraak’? Hearing this, I struck my companion on the shoulder, so she, that is, Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), said: What is this? You have hurt your brother. Then she herself said: Do you mean by ‘Iraak’ the menstruation? Say the word that Allah has used, that is, ‘al-maheedh’. Then she said: I would be in the state of menstruation and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would embrace me and touch my head, and there would be a cloth between me and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Whenever the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would pass by my door, he would say something beneficial. One day, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by but did not say a word. Then he passed by again, yet did not say anything. This happened two or three times. I said to the maid: Place a cushion for me near the door, and I wrapped a cloth around my head. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by me and said: Aisha! What is the matter? I said: My head hurts. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Oh, my head! And then he left. A few days passed, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was brought, wearing a sheet. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to me and sent a message to the other wives that I am ill, I do not have the strength to come to each of you in turn, so all of you give me permission to stay with Aisha or Safiyyah. I had never had the opportunity to nurse a patient before. The Messenger of Allah’s (peace and blessings be upon him) head was inclined towards my head, when suddenly his blessed head fell upon my shoulder. I thought that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) wanted to rest his head on mine. A little cool water came out from the blessed mouth of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and fell on my neck. Seeing this, my hair stood on end. I thought that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had fainted. I covered the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) with a cloth. Meanwhile, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and Mughira bin Shu’bah (may Allah be pleased with him) arrived. They sought permission to enter. I allowed them to enter and drew the curtain towards myself. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: How severe is the unconsciousness upon the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! After that, both of them got up, and when they reached near the door, Sayyiduna Mughira (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Umar! The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has passed away. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: You are wrong; you always think of wrong things. Allah will not cause the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to pass away until He destroys the hypocrites. Then Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came. I lifted the curtain. He looked at the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and recited:“Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’oon”and said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has passed away. Then he came to the blessed head of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), bent down, and kissed his blessed forehead and involuntarily exclaimed: Oh, Prophet of Allah! Then he raised his head, then bent down again and kissed the blessed forehead of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) a second time and said: Oh, Messenger of Allah! Then he raised his head, and bent down a third time and kissed the blessed forehead of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: Oh, Friend of Allah! The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has indeed passed away. After that, he went towards the mosque, where Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was addressing the people, saying that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) will not pass away until Allah destroys the hypocrites. Then Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) began to speak, praised Allah, and said: Allah the Exalted has said: {إِنَّکَ مَیِّتٌ وَإِنَّہُمْ مَیِّتُونَ … } … Surely you (O Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him) will die, and they too will die. Then he recited this verse: {وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِہِ الرُّسُلُ أَفَإِنْ مَاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ انْقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَی أَعْقَابِکُمْ} … And Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is but a Messenger. Messengers have passed away before him. If he dies or is killed, will you then turn back on your heels? And whoever turns back on his heels will not harm Allah in the least, and Allah will reward the grateful. Also, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Whoever used to worship Allah, let him know that Allah is Ever-Living, never dies. And whoever used to worship Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), let him know that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has passed away. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Although this verse was in the Book of Allah, I did not remember that it was in the Book of Allah. Then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O people! This is Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), who is the greatest and most honorable among all the Muslims, so pledge allegiance to him. Thus, the people pledged allegiance to him.

It is narrated from Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyida Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) that on the day when the illness of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) began, he (peace and blessings be upon him) came to me. I said:“Oh, my head!”He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“I wish that this (death) would happen to you during my lifetime, so that I could prepare you for the Hereafter and bury you myself.”So I said, with a sense of jealousy:“It seems to me as if you (peace and blessings be upon him) would spend the night with another of your wives on that very day.”He (peace and blessings be upon him) said:“Oh, my head! Call your father and brother to me, so that I may write a document in favor of Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). I fear that someone else may say or someone may wish that he is more deserving (of the Caliphate of Prophethood). Allah Almighty and the believers will not be pleased with anyone other than Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).”

(Second chain) It is narrated from Sayyida Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) returned to my home one day after offering the funeral prayer at the Baqi' graveyard. I had a headache and was saying: "Oh, my head!" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do not say that, rather (I say) 'Oh, my head!'" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If you pass away before me, there is no harm to you. I myself will bathe you, shroud you, offer your funeral prayer, and bury you." I said: "By Allah! After doing all these things, you will come to my house and spend the night here with any of your wives." Upon hearing this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) smiled. After this, the illness of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began, which led to his passing.

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).