Life-of-Muhammad

Life of Muhammad sa 189
now? Ibni ‘Abbas ra , who must have been ten or eleven
years of age at the time of their revelation and who was
now seventeen or eighteen, volunteered to answer. He
said, "Leader of the Faithful, these verses contained a
prophecy about the death of the Holy Prophet sa . When a
Prophet's sa work is done, he wishes no longer to live in
the world. The verses spoke of the imminent victory of
Islam. This victory had a sad side and that was the
impending departure of the Prophet sa from this world."
‘Umar ra complimented Ibn ‘Abbas ra and said that when
the verses were revealed only Abu Bakr ra understood
their meaning.
LAST DAYS OF THE PROPHET sa
At last the day drew near which every human being
must face. The Prophet's sa work was done. All that God
had to reveal to him for the benefit of man had been
revealed. The spirit of Muhammad sa had infused new life
into his people. A new nation had arisen, a new outlook
on life and new institutions; in short, a new heaven and
a new earth. The foundations of a new order had been
laid. The land had been ploughed and watered and the
seed scattered for a new harvest. And now the harvest
itself had begun to show. It was not, however, for him to
reap it. It was for him only to plough, to sow and to
water. He came as a labourer, remained a labourer and
was now due to depart as a labourer. He found his
reward not in the things of this world but in the
pleasure and the approval of his God, his Maker and
Master. When the time came for reaping the harvest, he
preferred to go to Him, leaving others to reap.
The Holy Prophet sa fell ill. For some days he
continued to visit the mosque and lead the prayers.
Then he became too weak to do this. The Companions ra
were so used to his daily company that they could
hardly believe he would die. But he had been telling
them of his death again and again. One day, touching