Life in Madinah- Farewell Pilgrimage 10AH &

The Last Days of the Holy Prophet ‫ﷺ‬

The Farewell Pilgrimage

Introduction to the Last Pilgrimage:

Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬declared his intention to perform Hajj. All Muslim areas responded to the call and Muslims
from all over journeyed towards Makkah. Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬left for Makkah from Madina on 25th Zul-Qada.
He was accompanied by 90,000 Muslims. This Hajj was performed, in total, by 124,000 Muslims; there was
not even a single pagan.

Pilgrimage begins:

On the 8th of Zul-Hajj, the Hajj began. At mid-day, Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬gave a sermon to the congregation. On
the 9th of Zul-Hajj, they set out for Mina.

The Farewell Sermon:

On midday of 9th of Zul-Hajj, Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬gave his farewell sermon in the Uranah valley of Mount Arafat
on the Mount of Mercy (Jabal-Rehmah). (See ‘O Level Islamiat Book’- Page 78). This can be called the first
Universal Charter of Human Rights.

His every word was repeated loudly by Hazrat Rabi bin Umayya to the congregation. In the beginning of
this address, Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬said: O people! Listen to my words, for I do not know whether I shall ever
meet you in this place again after this year!

In this sermon, Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬emphasized the following points:

1. Muslims should regard the lives and property of other Muslims as sacred.
2. Those who are entrusted with someone else‘s property should stay true to their trust.
3. Usury is abolished.
4. Rights of wives and husbands over each other: O my people! You have rights over your wives
and your wives have rights over you
5. Equality of human beings: The Arabs are not superior to Ajamis (foreigners) nor the Ajamis to
Arabs.
6. Brotherhood of Muslims: ―All Muslims are brethren.
7. Kind treatment of slaves. They should be given the same food and clothes that we use. Their
mistakes should be forgiven. Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬also said that those who abuse slaves will not enter
Paradise.
8. No prophet will ever come after Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬, nor will any new religion be born.

Then, the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬asked, “O God! Have I conveyed Thy Message?” In reply, the people replied as one,
―Yes. At this, Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬added, “O God! Thou art my Witness.” At that moment, Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬
received a revelation from Allah, which he told the assembly as well:

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“This day have I perfected for you your faith, and completed My blessing upon you, And have accepted for
you Islam as a religion. (Surah Maidah 5:3) After this, pilgrims completed the remaining rites of Hajj.
Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬stayed in Makkah for 3 days.

Last six months of the Prophet ‫’ﷺ‬s life

Received deputations and appointed governors, tax collectors and teachers to various areas.

10 AH- Year of Deputations

Tribal deputations for embracing Islam:

 9 AH and 10 AH are called ‘Years of Deputations’ because many tribes came to Madina to submit to
Islam.
 After Battles of Badr, Uhad and Al-Khadaq, the Arabs said: Let him and his people fight it out; if he
prevails over them, then he is a true Prophet.
 During this time, more than 70 delegations called on the Holy Prophet in Madina and many tribes
straight away converted to Islam.
 When a tribal deputation returned from Madina, it took with it a teacher to explain Islam, a Zakat
collector and a governor for far-flung areas.
 The Hawazin accepted Islam when, upon request, Muslims agreed to repatriate them with the
6,000 prisoners of war captured at Hunain.
 Saqif also converted when its chiefs went to Madina and accepted Islam. The kings of Yemen,
Bahrain and Oman also accepted Islam.

Beginning of the rise of false prophets:

Three increasingly powerful false prophets emerged during this period:

1. Musailma the Liar - Central Arabia.
2. Aswad Ansi - Yemen
3. Tulayha - Najd

Musailma wrote to Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬that he too was a prophet and demanded that Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬divide the
earth with him. Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬called Musailma “Musailma the Liar” and told him that it is Allah who has
ownership of the earth and it is He who gives to the creatures of His choice.

Aswad Ansi was the chief of his tribe. As he claimed magical powers, people flocked under his banner. He
captured Najran and Sana.

11 AH- Death of the beloved Holy Prophet ‫ﷺ‬

Last days of the Holy Prophet ‫ﷺ‬:

 During his last days, the Prophet was busy preparing an expedition (commanded by Usama bin Zaid)
against Christian tribes on the Syrian border.
 As the Prophet had been poisoned by a Jewish woman at Khyber, the poison still lingered in his
body and was showing its deadly effect on his health.
 He was ill for 15 days before dying.
 During his illness, the Prophet stayed at Aysha‘s house.
 The poison the Holy Prophet digested started affecting the Prophet. (Mutton that had been
poisoned by a Jewish woman in Khaybar)
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  The leg of mutton spoke and informed the Prophet that it was poisoned, so he stopped eating it.
 When his final illness came, the Prophet said: “O ‘Aysha, I still feel the pain of the food that I ate in
Khaybar, and this time I feel that my aorta is being cut from that poison.” (Sahih Bukhari)
 When he grew too weak to lead the prayers, he appointed Hazrat Abu Bakr as the Imam.
 This is the only indication from the Prophet as to whom he would like as his successor.
 On the 13th day of his illness, the Prophet felt better and went to the Masjid-e-Nabwi.
 This exertion exhausted him and he returned to Aysha‘s house.
 That day, he breathed his last.
 The beloved messenger of Allah died on the 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal, 632 AD.
 He was buried on the spot where he died.

The last words that the Messenger of Allah spoke were,

“The prayer, the prayer! And fear Allah with regard to those whom your right hands possess.”

The hadith of Aysha who said: When the Prophet was healthy, he used to say,

“No soul of a Prophet is taken until he has been shown his place in Paradise and then he is given the
choice.”

When death approached him while his head was on my thigh, he became unconscious and then recovered
consciousness. He then looked at the ceiling of the house and said, “O Allah! (with) the highest
companions." I said (to myself), “He is not going to choose (to stay with) us.” Then I understood what he
meant when he said that to us when he was healthy. The last words he spoke were, "O Allah! (with) the
highest companions.” (Sahih Bukhari & Sahih Muslim)

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