The U’lamâ of biographies—Allah have mercy on them! —narrate that when Abu Bakr went to the Saqayfah of the Bani Saa’d, A’bbâs—u. w. b.—ordered the door of the august apartment to be locked upon the people. When they were about to commence washing the corpse, the members of the family heard a voice exclaim without the chamber: ‘Do not wash him; he is pure, and needs no ablution.’ After this voice, however, they heard another: ‘Wash him; for the first speaker was Eblis—the curse of God be on him!—but I am Khizer.’ After that A’li and A’bbâs, with Fadzl and Qatham, the sons of the latter, and Asâmah B. Zayd, and Ssâleh, a manumitted slave of the lord of apostleship—u. w. b.—who was surnamed Shuqrân, besides whom there were no other men in the apartment, suspended a curtain of striped Yemeni cloth, took up the corpse of that prince, and carried it behind this curtain. On that occasion there arose a difference of opinion among them whether they ought to wash the apostle in his clothes, or whether they ought to undress him and wash him, like any other corpse. While they were discussing this question the Omnipotent Sovereign sent upon them such a sleep that all drooped their chins on their breasts, and from a corner of the room the voice of an invisible herald uttered the words: ‘Do not make the apostle of Allah naked, but wash him in his garments.’ As the members of the family knew this to be an allocution from the other world, they rose and began to wash the corpse.
Wâqidy has a tradition that when A’bbâs ordered the door to be locked upon the people, the Anssâr shouted from without the apartment: ‘O ye members of the family, we are the brothers of the apostle; our relationship, connection, and intimacy with the apostle in all religious matters is evident and known to everyone. It is our desire that one of us be present with you, that we be not excluded from participating in your attendance upon his lordship, and from the felicity connected therewith’ Some allege that Awus B. Khawly the Anssâry exclaimed: ‘O A’li, we adjure thee by God the Most High and Glorious to allow me to enter.’ And, making allowance for the discrepancy of the two traditions, he was admitted to the place where the corpse of his holy and prophetic lordship underwent ablution; but no one was allowed to take part therein.
It has been ascertained as authentic that the corpse of his lordship was laid down on his face, so that his blessed head was turned to the east. A’li B. Abu Ttâleb—u. b. w. —commenced the operation by pressing his lordship to his bosom, and then taking a towel, which he introduced between the blessed body and the garment, whilst Fadzl was holding up the latter, and keeping it separate therefrom. A’li the Commander of the Faithful then gently washed the propitious body, Asâmah B. Zayd and Shuqrân poured the water, and A’bbâs with Qatham turned the sacred corpse from one side to the other, in which latter operation aid was offered also from the invisible world, so that only a slight effort was required to move the body from one hand to the other. A’li—u. b. w.—not being able to see any dirt or impurity on the body of his lordship, as happens with other dead persons, he said: ‘May my father and mother be a sacrifice for thee! What has perfumed thee in thy living and in thy dead condition?’
There is a tradition that his lordship was first washed with pure water, then with water of the leaves of the lote-tree, and the third time with camphor-water. It is related that after the ablution had been completed, a few drops of water remained in the cavities of the eyes and in the navel of his lordship, which A’li drank, and it became the cause of the increase of his knowledge and of his memory. The Emâm Nâttaq Ja’fer-us-sâdiq—u. w. b.— has a tradition that A’li drank the water which was on the blessed body of the prophet—u. w. b.—and there is also a tradition that A’li had seen an impurity in the eye of the apostle of God, and licked it out with his tongue. It is related that A’li, having once been asked for the reason of his perfect memory, replied: ‘When I washed the body of the apostle of God, and some water remained on his eyes, I could not find it in my heart to allow it to be spilled on the ground, so I licked it with my tongue, whereon my memory and knowledge became augmented.’
In some biographical works it is related that a man asked Ebn A’bbâs: ‘How did you wash the prophet?’ And he said: ‘First they tied up a curtain of Yemen cloth, and this became afterwards a custom among us, as well as with many pious individuals. After that A’bbâs ordered the Bani Hâshem to lock the door of the room, and they asked that one of the Anssâr should be present in the place where his lordship was to be washed. Hereon Awus Bin Khawly, who had fought at Bedr, came in, and then A’bbâs retired behind the curtain, where he called A’li, Fadzl, Abu Sofyân B. Alhâreth and Asâmah B. Zayd. After they had gone within, they, as well as those who had remained without the curtain, were overpowered by sleep, and drooped their heads. Then a voice from the invisible world was suddenly heard to exclaim: ‘Do not wash the apostle of God, for he is pure;’ but A’bbâs said: ‘Indeed we shall wash him.’ The members of the family rejoined: ‘We shall not wash him.’ A’bbâs, however, continued: ‘For the sake of a voice, the speaker whereof we do not know, we shall not neglect the command of the prophet.’ Accordingly A’bbâs and A’li approached the couch, and seated his lordship on the extremity of it. Then a voice from the invisible world was heard saying: ‘Lay the apostle of God on his back and wash him.’ After that both rose and placed his lordship so that his head was turned to the east, and his feet to the west. When they wished to turn his lordship from one side to the other, his propitious limbs moved immediately. His lordship had on his body a vest and a long shirt; his corpse was first washed with pure water, and then perfumed with camphor-water. Both the just-mentioned garments having been pressed, the propitious limbs of his lordship were rubbed with aromatic herbs, and after wrapping his body in a winding-sheet it was fumigated, taken from the place where it had been washed, and laid on a couch. After all this had been done, a voice was heard from the invisible world, saying: ‘Dress your prophet, and God the Most High will dress you.’ Therefore they put his clothes on him.
According to a certain tradition, Ssiddyqah said: ‘They wrapped the apostle of God in three white cloths, neither of which was either a shirt or a turban.’ According to the tradition of A’bbâs, the shroud of his lordship consisted of two pieces of white garments, and one of striped Yemen cloth; and the couch on which they laid the apostle belonged to Omm Solmah or to Omm Habyhah, which had been purchased for four thousand dirhems; and according to some later accounts that very couch is still in existence at Madinah. It is related that after washing and shrouding his lordship they placed him on the couch and left him alone for some time, that the angels might pray over him, as he had enjoined [in his life-time]. After that, crowds of Musalmâns arrived, every one of whom said his prayers alone, without any one leading the devotions, because A’li the Commander of the Faithful—u. w. b.—had told the companions that in the funeral ceremonies no one should officiate as Emâm, saying: ‘His lordship is your Emâm in life and in death.’ And as some alleged that his lordship —u. w. b.—had himself issued these orders, certain persons were the cause of the procrastination of the interment.
In some traditions it is related that first A’li the Commander of the Faithful—u. w. b.—and A’bbâs, with a number of intimate friends; then all the Mohâjer, with the Anssâr; and finally the women and children, prayed near the body. There is a tradition of A’li, that on Tuesday, which was the second day after the demise of the apostle of God, he said: ‘I heard a celestial herald uttering the words: “First the crowds of the Musalmans are to pray for the prophet.”’ Biographers and historians relate that a difference of opinion arose among the companions where the apostle of God was to be buried. Some maintained that his noble tomb ought to be in his own house, while others proposed the mosque, and others the Baqyi’ cemetery. Abu Bakr said: ‘I have heard the apostle of God tell us that no prophet is to be buried in any other place than that wherein he expired.’ According to a certain tradition, A’li B. Abu Ttâleb said: ‘On the face of the earth, no place is more acceptable to God the Most High than that where the spirit of the apostle of Allah was grasped.’ At any rate, they arrived at the conclusion to inter the sacred body of his lordship in the place whence his pure spirit took his departure to paradise.
It is related that there were two grave-diggers in Madinah, one Abu O’baydah Jurrâh, who used to make graves for the Mohâjer, by digging up the soil as a fissure, and this is called the medium size; the other was Abu Ttolhah the Anssâry, who served the Anssâr with niche-graves. Each of the two just-mentioned sections desired the grave of his holy and prophetic lordship to be dug according to its own usage. A’bbâs sent for both the grave-diggers, and an arrangement was made that the one arriving first should dig the grave of his lordship the refuge of termination in his own way. On that occasion A’bbâs said: ‘O God Most High, select the manner which is best for Thy prophet.’ Of the two messengers who had been despatched, one could not find Abu O’baydah, but the other brought Abu Ttolhah, who was told to dig the grave like a niche,* according to his own custom. According to a certain tradition, his lordship was, during the night of Wednesday, left on the edge of the grave, and was afterwards placed into the niche at the lower portion thereof:
Where art thou whose separation tears our hearts?
Our distressed minds are in agony for thee.
Thou, the cypress of paradise, why under ground?
Thou, the source of life, why covered with earth?
According to one tradition, A’bbâs, A’li B. Abu Ttâleb and Shuqrân, but according to another Fadzl and Qatham, the sons of A’bbâs, and according to [yet] another A’bdu-r-rahman B. Awuf, stood at the grave of his holy and prophetic lordship, and Shuqrân pushed Qottayfah, who had been present with his lordship at the conquest of Khayber, into the cavity of the grave, saying: ‘I swear by Allah that no one but thyself shall cover up the grave.’ And a number of religious persons have asserted that this had been done to fulfil one of the predictions of his lordship the prince of existences. There is a tradition that the last person who came out from the grave of the apostle of God was A’li the Commander of the Faithful—u. w. b.—and another that it was Qatham, the son of A’bbâs. The tradition, however, ascribed to Moghyrah B. Sha’bah is that he said: ‘I left my ring in the grave on purpose, and again entering when all had left, I took it out.’ This tradition is weak and unfounded, because we read in some trustworthy books that when those words of Moghyrah were reported to A’li, he said: ‘Moghyrah had not the boldness to do any such thing.’ In the Raudzatu-l-ahbâb it is related that Moghyrah B. Sha’bah had thrown his ring into the grave, which he entered on pretence of taking it out, and when he had touched the feet of that prince he came out and said: ‘I am more closely connected with the apostle of God than you are.’ Among critics, however, this tradition does not enjoy much credit.
It is related that after the intimate friends of his lordship the refuge of termination had come out of the grave, they threw earth on it. According to one tradition they left its top flat, but according to another they raised it. Then all the friends went away and entered the house of Fattimah Zohrâ, where they went through the ceremonies of condolence. The favourite daughter of the apostle of God asked them: ‘Have you buried the prophet?’ They replied: ‘Yes.’ She asked: ‘How could you find it in your hearts to throw earth on his lordship? Was he not the prophet of the Merciful [God]?’ They replied: ‘O daughter of the apostle of God, we are also grieved and distressed, but we cannot avoid obeying the commands of God the Most High.’
In the Maqssad Aqssa it is related that when the apostle of God was interred in the house of A’ayshah and the burning lamp was extinguished by the storm of time, Fattimah Zohrâ remained in the place, weeping day and night. She was being consumed, like a candle, by the fire of her own heart, looked now and then at Hasan and Husayn, lamenting so violently over her own dereliction and the hopeless state of her children, that she increased the fire of her own heart, the people wept tears of blood, the friends and companions all weeping with them, addressing the lord of human beings and cream of existences in the following strains:
O lord, what hast thou seen of these broken hearts
That, leaving us, thou reposest in another place?
We knew not thy value, O shadow of God!
Therefore thou withdrewest thy shadow from our heads.
As this narrow world had not suited thee,
Thou hast selected thy place near the throne of God;
Thou hast met Him without a leader,
Without a mediator thou hast reached His exalted presence!
Thou art the bird of the sacred nest. No wonder
Thou flewest from this cage again to the rose-garden.
Send us a perfume from the rose of hope,
Of the perfume thou hast inhaled in paradise;
Pour one drop into our thirsty palates
Of the pure wine thou hast tasted of the truth.
In the Kitâb Dallâylu-n-nabawwat it is recorded that when his holy and prophetic lordship—u. w. b.—departed from the perishable to the imperishable world, the daylight vanished, so that the people could not see each other, nor even the palms of their hands before their eyes, until the time when the interment had been completed. After that, Abu Bakr and several daughters of A’bdu-l-muttalleb, who were the paternal aunts of the apostle of God, recited threnodies, during which some comforted Fattimah Zohrâ —u. w. b.—but others, weeping and lamenting, did not interfere with her distress and impatience. The author of these pages says that in the biographies of the members of the family and of the companions, innumerable threnodies bewailing the death of the apostle of God occur in verses, but for fear of incurring the charge of prolixity he inserts only the following three distichs uttered by Fattimah:
When my grief increases I visit thy tomb weeping,
I lament and cry; shall I receive thy answer?
O tenant of the grave, hast thou taught me to weep?
Wilt not thy memory overwhelm all other griefs?
I was on the grave, absent from myself,
But I was not absent from my burning heart!
The benediction of Allah be on him, on his descendants, friends, and companions who followed him. Salutations to them all.