Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) and Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrate: When the time of the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace and blessings be upon him) passing drew near, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) placed the edge of his cloak over his face. When he felt suffocated by it, he removed it from his face and said:

“May Allah curse the Jews and the Christians who took the graves of their prophets as places of worship.”

Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says: He was warning the people against adopting the same practice as those people.

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Once, the people were performing the Fajr prayer on a Monday. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was leading them in prayer when suddenly the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) lifted the curtain of the chamber of Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). He looked towards the people; they were standing in rows for prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) smiled, then he laughed. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) began to step back, joining the row, thinking that perhaps the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would come out to lead the prayer.

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The people intended to be tested regarding their prayer, meaning, out of joy at seeing the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), (they would break their prayer), but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured to them to complete their prayer. Then he went back into the chamber and let the curtain fall between himself and the people. On that very day, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away.

Zuhri narrates: Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) told me: When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away, Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) stood among the people to deliver a sermon and said: I will never hear anyone say that Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has passed away. Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has not passed away; rather, his Lord has called him, just as He called Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him), who remained away from his people for forty days.

Zuhri narrates that Sa'id bin Musayyib (may Allah be pleased with him) told me: Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) also said in his sermon: I hope that the Messenger of Allah will cut off the hands and feet of those who think that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has passed away.

Zuhri narrates: Abu Salamah bin Abdur Rahman told me that the noble wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), told him: Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) came riding on his horse from his house in“Sukh.”He dismounted, entered the mosque, and did not speak to anyone until he entered the house of Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). He approached the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who at that time was covered with a Yemeni sheet. He uncovered the face of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), leaned over him, kissed him, and began to weep. Then he said: May my father be sacrificed for you! By Allah, Allah will never combine two deaths for you. As for the death that was decreed for you, it has come to you.

Zuhri narrates: Abu Salamah narrated that Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) told me: Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) came out while Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was talking to the people. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Sit down. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) refused to sit. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Sit down. Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) refused to sit. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) recited the testimony of faith, so the people turned their attention to him and left Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

“O people! Whoever among you used to worship Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), then Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has passed away. And whoever worships Allah, then indeed Allah is alive and will never die.”

Allah the Exalted has said:“Muhammad is but a Messenger; Messengers have passed away before him. So if he dies or is killed, will you turn back on your heels? Whoever turns back on his heels will never harm Allah in the least, and Allah will soon reward the grateful.”

Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: By Allah, it was as if the people did not know that Allah had revealed this verse until Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) recited it to them. Then all the people learned it from him, and everyone was reciting it.

Zuhri narrates: Sa'id bin Musayyib told me: Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) told me: By Allah, when I heard Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) reciting this verse, my legs could not support me, and I fell to the ground. When I heard him recite this verse, I became certain that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had passed away.

Zuhri narrates: Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) told me: The next day, when the people were pledging allegiance to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) in the mosque of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he heard Sayyiduna Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) saying this. At that time, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was sitting on the pulpit of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up, recited the testimony of faith before Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and then said: As for what follows, what I said to you all yesterday was not as I said it. By Allah, I did not find this in the Book of Allah which Allah revealed, nor did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) give us any instruction about it. But I hoped that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would live so long that he would pass away after all of us (here the narrator is unsure of the exact words), but Allah chose for His Messenger that which is with Him over that which is with you. So this is the Book of Allah; according to it, Allah guided His Messenger, so take hold of it, and seek guidance through that by which Allah guided His Messenger.

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) began to weep at the passing of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). She said: "O dear father, how close you are to your Lord! O dear father, we inform Sayyiduna Jibreel of your passing. O dear father, Paradise al-Firdaws is your abode."

Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: When the illness of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) intensified, his head was in the lap of Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) at that time. Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "Dear father, how much pain you are in today." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) lifted his blessed head and said: "O Fatimah! After today, your father will never experience any pain."
When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away, Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "O dear father, you have answered the call of your Lord. O dear father, how close you were to your Lord's presence. O dear father, Paradise al-Firdaws is your abode. O dear father, we inform Sayyiduna Jibreel (peace be upon him) of your passing." Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: When we had buried the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), I passed by the house of Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her), and she said: "O Anas, how could you bear to throw earth upon the Messenger of Allah?"

Abu Burdah reports: I went to visit Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), and she brought out a thick lower garment that was made in Yemen and a sheet called "mulabbadah." Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) swore by the name of Allah and said: The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away wearing these two garments.

Abu Burdah narrates: Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) brought out a patched waistcloth and a thick sheet before us and informed us that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) passed away in these clothes.

Lady Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was covered with a Yemeni cloak.

Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was wrapped in a Yemeni sheet, then it was separated from him. Qasim narrates: The remaining part of that cloth remained with us afterwards.

Lady Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) passed away, his companions were overcome with grief, and they began to wonder about giving the Prophet (peace be upon him) the ritual bath. They said: Should we remove the clothes of the Prophet (peace be upon him) just as we remove the clothes of our deceased, or what should we do? Then Allah Almighty caused them to fall asleep, and there was not a single person among them who had his head raised (i.e., everyone was dozing). During this time, a caller from within the house called out: The people did not know who it was (he said): Give the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) the ritual bath while he is clothed.

Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: So the people gave the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) the ritual bath while his shirt was on his body.

Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: Later, I thought of something—if I had thought of it earlier, only the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) would have given him the ritual bath.

Lady Aisha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: When the people gathered to give the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) the ritual bath (ghusl), they differed among themselves. They said: By Allah! We do not understand whether we should remove the clothes of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as we remove the clothes of our deceased, or should we give him the bath while his clothes remain on his body. Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: Then Allah Almighty caused sleep to overcome those people, until each of them had his chin resting on his chest. Then, from a corner of the house, a caller called out: The people did not know who he was. (He said:) Give the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) the bath while his shirt is on his body. The narrator says: So all of them agreed upon this matter. They gave the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) the bath in such a state that his shirt was on his body. They kept pouring water over the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and rubbed his body from beneath the shirt. Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) had the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) seated in his lap and was supporting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) against his chest.

Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: I did not see anything from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that is seen from the deceased (i.e., nothing like urine or excrement came out from his body).