Wafatnya Nabi Muhammad ﷺ

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ died on the twelfth of Rabi' al-Awwal, 11 AH — a Monday, the same day of the week on which he had been born. He was sixty-three years old. He died in Aisha's chamber, with his head resting on her chest, in the forenoon of the day. His final words were 'With the highest companions. O Allah, with the highest companions' — he was choosing the company of prophets and the righteous in the highest realm over continued life in the world. Aisha later said she knew at those words that he had chosen what is with Allah over what is with them. His hand went limp in hers. The news shattered the community. Umar ibn al-Khattab drew his sword and refused to believe it, threatening anyone who announced the death. Abu Bakr came, went to Aisha's chamber, uncovered the Prophet's ﷺ face, kissed his forehead, and said: 'You are beautiful in life and beautiful in death.' Then he addressed the people: 'Whoever worshipped Muhammad — Muhammad has died. And whoever worshipped Allah — Allah is alive and does not die.' He recited Surah Al Imran 3:144: 'Muhammad is no more than a messenger; the messengers have already passed away before him.' Umar said: 'By Allah, it was as if I had never heard this verse before. My legs went out from under me.' The companions buried the Prophet ﷺ beneath the bed in Aisha's chamber — the spot where he died — because they had heard he said no prophet is buried except where he dies. Aisha lived in the room with the grave for the rest of her life. The chamber was later incorporated into the expansion of the mosque; the tomb that contains the Prophet ﷺ, Abu Bakr, and Umar ibn al-Khattab now stands at the heart of the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. The death of the Prophet ﷺ closed twenty-three years of revelation: from the first word in the Cave of Hira to the final breath in Aisha's arms. The community he left behind was prepared — a complete revelation preserved by thousands, a Sunnah observed and narrated by thousands more, and a governing community that had received the tribes of Arabia in the Year of Delegations. The mission was complete. The message would continue.