Consoling Oneself with the Loss of the Chosen One ﷺ

Let the Muslims console themselves in their calamities with the calamity of my passing.

The greatest loss ever experienced by this Ummah, both individually and collectively, was the departure of our beloved, the Chosen One ﷺ.

The Final Morning

It was Monday, the 12th of Rabīʿ al-Awwal. As the time for Fajr arrived, Rasūlullah ﷺ was too weak to lead the believers in ṣalāh. Resting in the room of ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها , he entrusted Abū Bakr رضي الله عنه to lead the ṣalāh.

As he lay upon his bed, he gently lifted the curtain that separated his blessed home from the Masjid.

The Ṣaḥābah had not seen him for two days.

The moment their eyes met his radiant face, their hearts overflowed with joy. Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه later recalled, “We were about to break our ṣalāh out of happiness.”

A ripple of excitement spread through the Masjid. Abū Bakr رضي الله عنه thought the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had come to lead the prayer himself. He instinctively stepped back and turned toward him, but Rasūlullah ﷺ simply motioned to him, “Remain where you are.”

Anas رضي الله عنه would later say, “The last time we saw the face of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was when he lifted that curtain.”

His Final Moments

As the morning wore on, the fever of Rasūlullah ﷺ intensified. He drifted in and out of consciousness while the pain of his illness grew heavier.

Beside him was a vessel of water. He would place his blessed hand into it and gently wipe his forehead, seeking relief from the unbearable heat of the fever.

Even in those final moments, as every breath became more difficult than the last, his tongue remained alive with the remembrance of Allah.

He repeatedly said:

“Lā ilāha illā Allāh. Verily, death has its pangs.”

Again and again, he testified to the Oneness of Allah. Then he supplicated:

“O Allah, help me through the pangs of death.”

These were among the final words of the Messenger ﷺ, words filled with tawḥīd and submission before meeting his Lord.

Eventually, the pain became so severe that he could no longer speak with ease.

Rasūlullah ﷺ then lifted his blessed gaze toward the heavens. His lips moved softly, almost imperceptibly. ʿĀʾishah رضي الله عنها leaned in closely, longing to hear his final words. She later narrated that she heard him say:

“O Allah, forgive me, have mercy upon me, and allow me to be with al-Rafīq al-Aʿlā.^[1]”

She said that the very last words she heard from him were:

“Al-Rafīq al-Aʿlā.”

And with those words, the soul of the Beloved ﷺ departed this temporary abode.

The one through whom Allah had guided humanity, the one whose mercy embraced every soul around him, had returned to His Lord.

The Greatest Calamity

By Allah, what an immense calamity it was! A tragedy that set hearts ablaze, engulfed generations past and future in grief and sorrow, and laid upon the shoulders of faith a burden of loss unlike any other. It was an affliction so overwhelming that it nearly swept away every vestige of beautiful patience.^[2]

It is through this loss that every believer was instructed to console themselves in their own losses.

Rasūlullah ﷺ said:

The Consolation of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq رضي الله عنه

Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq رضي الله عنه, when offering condolences to people, would say:

The Advice of Abū al-ʿAtāhiyah

Abū al-ʿAtāhiyah said:

The Explanation of al-Bājī

Al-Bājī said:

“It is possible that the Rasūlullah ﷺ intended by this statement that the calamity of losing him is greater than every other calamity of this worldly life, for there is no affliction greater than the affliction of losing him. Every loss besides him can, in some way, be compensated for, but there is no replacement for him ﷺ.

Thus, when one of us is afflicted with the loss of a relative or a beloved companion, that loss is still lesser than the loss of the Rasūlullah ﷺ. In such moments, a person finds consolation by remembering that they have already endured a far greater calamity, the passing of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and remained patient. Therefore, it is even more fitting that they exercise patience in the face of a hardship that is lighter and less severe.”^[6]

A Child’s Understanding

There was once a young boy whose mother loved to play a simple game with him. She would smile and say, “Tell me something that will make me happy,” and he would eagerly think of something cheerful to brighten her day.

One day, she changed the question.

“Tell me something that will make me sad.”

The little boy paused. Looking at his mother with concern, he quietly replied, “You wouldn't be able to bear it.”

Curious, she smiled and urged him, “Go on, tell me.”

Still hesitant, he said, “It will make you very, very sad.”

But she continued to insist, reassuring him that she wanted to hear his answer. The boy, reluctant to cause her pain and feeling compassion for her, finally spoke the words he believed carried the greatest sorrow imaginable:

“Rasūlullah ﷺ has passed away.”

Out of all the tragedies he could have mentioned, that was the one his innocent heart chose.

Though he was only a child, he instinctively understood that the most beloved person to every believer is the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and that no calamity could ever surpass the loss of the one through whom Allah guided humanity.

It is for this reason that the passing of Rasūlullah ﷺ remains the greatest tragedy ever to befall the Ummah. And it is why the scholars taught that whenever a believer is overwhelmed by the loss of a loved one, they should remember the passing of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. In remembering the greatest of all calamities, every other grief finds its place, and the heart is reminded to seek patience and solace in Allah.^[7]