T is related that when the prophet returned from his farewell pilgrimage, conscious that his departure to the eternal world was near, he was continually addressing the people, warning them to beware of seditions which would arise after his death, and exhorting them not to withdraw from his form of faith, and not do evil against the divine religion. He bade them beware of leaguing against the rights of his family, but to render them support and obedience which were so obligatory on them to yield. He repeatedly said, "O ye people, I go before you, and when you meet me at the fountain of Koser, I shall demand bow you conducted towards the two great things I left among you, namely, the book of God and my family. Beware then that you act not contrary to my command respecting them. Verily, the holy and omniscient Lord has told me that these two things cannot be separated till they rejoin me at the fountain of Koser. These two I place among you. Usurp not precedence of my family, nor forsake them, nor do any thing against them, lest ye be destroyed. Do not attempt to teach them, for they are wiser than you. Turn not from my faith, nor draw your swords against each other. Know ye, that Aly-bin-Abutâlib, my cousin, is my successor, and will fight for the true meaning of the Korân as I did for its communication. Ho spoke on this subject to many assemblies of the people.
Mohammed made Asâmet-bin-Zayd emeer of a company of hypocrites and seditious people, and commanded them to depart to Room, where Asâmet's father had been slain. The object of the prophet was to free Medeenah of those opposed to the rights of Aly, till he should be established in the khalâfat. He ordered Asâmet to proceed to Jeraf and stop there till the army should be collected, and commanded a party of Musiilmâns to drive the hypocrites out of the city to the camp of Asâmet. In the midst of these preparations the prophet fell sick of that disease by which he departed in the mercy of God.
Taking the hand of the commander of the faithful he went out to Bakee (1) with most of his companions, saying, The Most High has commanded me to implore pardon for the dead at Bakee. On arriving there he said, As-salâm-alaykum O ye people of the tombs, be happy in the state in which the morning finds you, saved from the seditions that await the living; verily, calamities are coming on men, like fragments of a dark night. After imploring for a long time forgiveness for the dead at Bakee, he turned to Aly and said, Jibràeel has every year recited the Koran to me once, but this year has done it twice, which I think is a sign that my death is near. Verily, the Most High offered me perpetual possession of the treasures of earth, or paradise: and I chose the latter, and to meet my Lord. When I die do thou cover my secrets, for whoever else looks on them will become blind.
The prophet returned to his house, and in the space of three days his sickness became severe. He then tied a bandage on his head, and leaning on the commander of the faithful and Fazl-biti-Abbâs, went to the masjid and ascended the member, and sitting down, thus addressed the people: The time is near when I shall be concealed from you. Whoever has any claim on me, let him now declare it. Verily, none can claim favor at the hand of God but by obeying Him, and none can expect to be safe without good works, or to enjoy the favor of God without obedience. Nothing but good works will deliver from divine wrath, and verily, if I should sin I should go to hell. O Lord, I have delivered thy message. He then came down from the member and performed short prayers with the people, and returned to the house of Ummsalmah, where he remained one or two days.
That cursed woman, Auyeshah, having satisfied his other wives on the subject, came to the prophet and induced him by entreaties to go to her house, where his sickness became very oppressive. At the hour for morning prayers BilâI' shouted the azân, but the prophet, near his departure to the holy world, heard it not. Auyeshah then sent to her father, Abubekr, to go to the mesjid and lead the devotions of the people, and Hafsah sent the same message to Omar. As these two women were conversing about the matter before the prophet, not seeming to suppose that he understood them, he interrupted them, saying, Quit such talk; you are like the women that tried to lead Yoosuf astray. Finding that contrary to his orders Abubekr and Omar were in the city with seditious designs, he was very sorrowful, and oppressed as he was with a severe disease, he rose, and leaning on Aly and Fazl-bin-Abbas, with extreme difficulty went to the mesjid, lest Abubekr or Omar should perform prayers and the people doubt who should be his successor. On arriving at the mesjid he found that the curse, Abubekr, had occupied the place of the leader of prayers, and already begun the devotions with the people. The prophet with his blessed hand signed to Abubekr to remove, and he took the place, and from weakness sat down to perform prayers, which he began anew, regardless of Abubekr's commencement.
On returning to his house Mohammed summoned Abubekr, Omar and some others, and demanded if he had not ordered them to depart with the army of Asâmet. They replied that he did. Abubekr said that he went and returned again, and Omar said that he did not go, for he did not wish to hear of the prophet's sickness from another. Mohammed then told them to go with the army of Asamet, and three times pronounced a curse on any who should disobey. HIs exertions produced such exhaustion that he swooned, on which the Musulmâns present and his wives and children wept and lamented aloud. At length the prophet opened his blessed eyes, and said, Bring me an inkstand and a sheep's shoulder blade, that I may write a direction which will prevent your going as tray. One of the companions of the prophet rose to bring what he had ordered, but Omar said, Come back; he speaks deliriously; disease has overcome him, and the book of God is sufficient for us. It is, however, a disputed matter whether Omar said this. However, they said to the prophet, Shall we bring what you ordered? He replied, After what I have heard from you, I do not need them, but I give you a dying charge to treat my family well and not turn from them. The compiler observes that this tradition about the inkstand and shoulder blade is mentioned in several sunnee books.
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