Chapter 11 - THE END OF THE PROPHET’S LIFE

The Farewell Pilgrimage

The next year, the Prophet invited all Muslims to join him for a pilgrimage. 100,000 of them responded to his call. The Prophet took all of his family and wives with him. Most everyone in Arabia joined him. The pilgrimage rites were spelled out in their minutest details by the Prophet himself. These include the state of ritualistic purity (Haram) which consists in wearing two simple pieces of white cloth only (for men). This acts as an equalizing factor whereby there is no distinction between rich and poor, young of old. The rituals of Tawwaf around the Kaaba, Saay between Safa and Marwa, stay at Mina, visit of Mount Arafat, and visit to the Valley of Urana. There, the Prophet delivered what is referred to as “the Last Sermon” while mounted on his camel. He emphasized that Islam is based on the Qur’an (revealed over a period of 23 years) and the tradition that the Prophet was leaving. He pronounced the last verse to be revealed (“This day, I have finalized your religion…”). Hearing this, Abu Bakr realized that the Prophet had finished his mission and will not be around for long. He was sad. This was the last verse to be revealed in the Qur’an.

The Prophet and the Muslims finished their pilgrimage by spending the night at Muzdalifa, throwing pebbles at Mina and sacrificing camels. They then shaved their heads and declared the pilgrimage complete. The Muslims with him returned to their homes in the various parts of Arabia (Tihama, Hadramawt, Medina, etc).

The Prophet’s Death

The Prophet was still worried about threat from the Roman Empire. He asked Usama Ibn Zayd to prepare an expedition to go north. Usama was Zayd Ibn Al Harith’s young son and was not even twenty years old. Zayd was the Prophet’s adoptive son who had died leading the Muslims at the Battle of Muta. The Prophet chose him because of his skills and motivation. Old experienced Muslims (such as Abu Bakr and Umar) were to serve under the young leader.

The expedition got postponed when the Prophet got sick. The Prophet’s illness got worse. He addressed the Muslims one more time briefly where he asked for the support of Usama in his mission. The Prophet died on June 8th 632 (10 AH) in his wife Aisha’s room next to the Mosque. The Prophet was 63 years old. Umar got emotional insisting that the Prophet was not really dead. Abu Bakr injected some sense into the situation by reciting verses from the Qur’an “Muhammad is nothing but a messenger, other messengers before him came and are gone. If he were to die or get killed, will you return to your old ways?”. The prophet was buried inside Aisha’s room at the spot where he died (just like Moses).

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Abu Bakr and Umar heard that the Medina Ansars were getting together to decide what to do next. They were ready to choose one among them (Saad Ibn Ubada) to assume leadership in Medina. Umar suggested choosing Abu Bakr (the longest time companion of the Prophet) as the first leader to succeed the Prophet. Everyone agreed. Abu Bakr was 60 years old. In his inaugural speech, Abu Bakr said “Obey me as long as I obey God and the Prophet, but if I deviate, do not obey me”.

Legacy of the Prophet

Prophet Muhammad had great influence on the history of the world. He left a holy book, the Qur’an, and his own teachings referred to as the Traditions of the Prophet. His message initiated the Islamic civilization. His immediate successors, the Rightly Guided Khalifs kept the initial message and teachings pristine for a period of 30 years. At the end of this period, an internal civil war broke out giving rise to the first Islamic dynasty: the Ummayads which lasted for about 100 years and ruled from Damascus.

Islamic influence spread fast. In less than a century, the Islamic territory expanded from Arabia where the message started to the conquest of Spain in 711 AD. The Islamic territory extended from Spain in the west to India in the east. Many Islamic dynasties developed in succession.

The second dynasty, the Abbasids that ruled from Baghdad witnessed the golden age of Islam. Great achievements in trade, commerce, culture, scientific discoveries and religious matters took place over a period of 500 years. The Mongol invasion of Baghdad in 1258 AD ended that era but lead to another momentum in Islamic history when the Mongol invaders converted to Islam. Turkish influence mounted gradually to the point of taking over most of the Islamic territory till modern times. During this time, three dynasties shared influence over the Islamic territory: the Mughals in India, the Safavids in Persia and the Ottomans in the rest of the territory (Middle East, North Afica and Turkey). The western Islamic territory (Spain and Morocco) remained autonomous for most of that time.

A Moroccan adventurer named Ibn Battuta spent 30 years traveling in the Islamic world during the fourteenth century. His travel basis was Mekka. He would go there at the time of pilgrimage (Hajj), hook up with a caravan coming from an Islamic land and go back with them for a few years. Then he would return to Mekka and redo this for another Islamic land. Mekka was the main Islamic center acting as a hub for exchange of ideas and progress. When something new showed up in Spain (for example), chances are it will make it to Mekka and then to other Islamic territories within a year or two.

The legacy of Prophet Muhammad spreads over 1400 years and touched a substantial fraction of humanity. In early 21st century, the world Muslim population is over 1.2 billion people covering most of the globe. The true legacy of Prophet Muhammad is, however, the comfort and solace that Muslims find in their heart and the peace that comes to their lives.

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REFERENCES

Muhammad Haykal, “The Life of Muhammad”, American Trust Pub. 1976.

A.S. Hashim, “Life of Muhammad”, Volumes I and II, 1990.

Albert Hourani, “A History of the Arab Peoples”, Warner Books, 1991.

Ira M. Lapidus, “A History of Islamic Societies”, Cambridge University Press, 1988.

300 km

MAP OF THE REGION MEDITERRANEAN SEA Damascus SYRIA PERSIA Jerusalem

Tabuk

EGYPT Khaybar Medina Mekka

Taif ARABIA RED SEA AFRICA

YEMEN INDIAN OCEAN

ABYSSINIA

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