It’s important to understand that the Qur’an literarily means ‘recitation’ from the word qira’a; it is basically what was revealed to Prophet Muhammad from Allah , memorized by himself and his companions, and kept in an Allah –inspired sequence since the beginning of its revelation. It is represented by a paperback or hardcover copy with beautiful calligraphy and vowels we all own. However, the deep meaning and awesomeness of the Holy Qur’an is not all covered in its paper form, but in the power of recitation passed down to us from the Prophet . The Rightly-Guided Companions are the ones to thank for making sure that the Qur’an, as compiled and authenticated by the Prophet himself and the compilation of which was supervised by archangel Gabriel, is exactly as we know and recite it today.

The complete Qur’an was revealed over a period of 22 years, 2 months, and 2 days portion by portion, and every time it was revealed, the Prophet memorised it himself, declared it a revelation, and then instructed his companions to memorize it; he would recite to them, they memorised, wrote it down, and re-recited it to him who would check and authenticate it, just to be sure it was not adulterated. And every Ramadan, the Prophet and archangel Gabriel would reconfirm all the portions of the Qur’an that had been revealed, including the order of the verses, and during the last Ramadan before the Prophet’s demise, the Qur’an was rechecked and reconfirmed twice.

Because the Qur’an was written on separate pieces of leaflets, palm branches, scraps of leather, thin flat stones, and shoulder blades, there was a need to compile it and put it in one piece. It was thence compiled from the various scribes in the time of the first Caliph, Abu Bakr as-Siddeq (RAA), by Zaid ibn Thabit and a group of other companions in a scrupulous procedure; it was put together in the same order assigned to them by Prophet Muhammad , and made in the shape of sheets tied by strings so that nothing of it would be lost. This was kept safe in the house of our mother, Hafsah bint al Khattab ,daughter of Umar ibn al-Khattab (RAA), wife of Prophet Muhammad , and mother of the believers, after the demise of the first and second caliphs.

In the reign of the 3^rd Caliph, Uthman bin Affan , it was discovered that the copies of the Qur’an, though complete, were in different dialects, and this caused some confusion. So, Uthman bin Affan made the historical decision to have a ‘Standard Version’ which would be followed by everyone regardless of their origin. He sent for the copy that was kept with Hafsah bint Khattab and asked Zaid bin Thabit along with others (Abdullah Ibn Al-Zubair, Said Ibn Al-`As, and Abdul-Rahman Ibn Al-Harith Ibn Hisham) to make copies and had them sent to the major Islamic Centres at the time.

The dotting and vowelization of the letters, that is, placing diacritical marks in the text, was done in order for Muslims of non-Arab origin to be able to recite it with correct pronunciation. This process took three stages and spanned over 100 years. In the first stage (661-680 CE), dots were put as syntactical marks by Abu Al-Aswad Al-Doualy. In the second stage, the alphabets (huruf) were marked with different dotting to differentiate them (e.g. B T TH); this was done by Nasr Ibn Asem and Hayy Ibn Yaamor (685-705 CE). The third and final stage, a complete system of diacritical marks -vowel points (fathah, kesra and dumma) were introduced  by Al-Khaleel Ibn Ahmed Al Faraheedi (d. 786 CE).

This made it possible for millions of Muslims from Iraq to Nigeria to Morocco to be able to recite and memorize the Qur’an in the same pronounciation. The syntax of the Arabic language, phonetic system and phraseology have remained intact for over fourteen hundred years.

A true miracle from a Wise God , sent down through a transparent messenger for the guidance of mankind of various races, tribes, and ages, the Holy Qur’an remains untainted through time.

“You will die and they will die, and Muhammad is but a Messenger; of a surety, all Messengers before him have passed away. If then, he die or be slain, will you turn back on your heels? Whosoever worships Muhammad (SAW), let him then know that Muhammad indeed is dead; but whoso worshipped Allah (SWT), let him know that Allah lives and does not die.”

These were the words that Abu Bakr uttered to the Muslims upon the death of the beloved Prophet Muhammad . In his words, it is witnessed the loss that the Islamic community experienced with the death of the last Prophet of Islam. A new anxiety arose as to whether Islam could continue on without the leadership of the Prophet .

The Prophet had previously mentioned, “My Companions are like the stars, whom you may follow, will get the right path.” With this, the Companions, specifically Abu Bakr and Umar , went on to continue upholding Islam and strengthening the believers’ faith, and spreading the true word to the rest of the world, slowly building the foundation of what would soon become the Islamic empire.

Abu Bakr was chosen to be the first caliph of the Muslims. While some may take this as a chance to exercise and manipulate power and strength, Abu Bakr asked the people to keep him in line.

“I have been given the authority over you, and I am not the best of you. If I do well, help me; and if I do wrong, set me right. Sincere regard for truth is loyalty and disregard for truth is treachery. Obey me so long as I obey God and His Messenger… But if I disobey God and His Messenger, you owe me no obedience.”

However, his leadership could not be less wrought with problems. As soon as the Arabian tribes heard of the death of Prophet Muhammad , the Islamic peace brought on by the alliance during the Prophet’s time broke down and several tribes revolted under the resistance led by rival fake ‘prophets’. This began the period of hurub al-ridda, or the Wars of Apostasy. Most of Abu Bakr’s energy as the first Caliph was focused on suppressing the rebellions and re-establishing Islamic peace. Once the rebellions were quelled, Abu Bakr began a war of conquest that set in motion a historical trajectory that would lead to one of the largest empires in history. Abu Bakr started with Iraq. However, soon he too died only two years after succeeding the Prophet’s leadership.

The companion who succeeded Abu Bakr was Umar ibn Al-Khattab , who was gifted both militarily and politically – two qualities that were important to be one of the strong leaders of Islam. Umar continued the war of conquests begun by Abu Bakr (RA). Umar also began to build a political structure that held together the growing Islamic empire, largely continuing on in the Prophet’s footsteps of religious tolerance. In the words of Umar , “Truly, the Word, that same Word which directed the Prophet, is with us still. Take it, therefore, for your guide and you shall never go astray.” This further strengthened the believers’ faith in Islam; that Islam did not die with the Prophet as long as his followers are still following the Prophet’s teachings.

The actions of  Abu Bakr and Umar reflect their faith, love and devotion to the Prophet and his teachings and the importance of continuing his practices even after his departure. This proved to the believers’ that Prophet Muhammad’s teachings as a Messenger of Allah were enduring and true. Our beloved Prophet Muhammad and Allah will always be in our hearts if we continue to remember and practice what we as Muslims have been instructed.

On the 12^th of Rabi’ Al-Awwal, the Prophet’s fever abated slightly and he went to the mosque for Fajr prayers. Thinking that his fever had passed, the Companions were overjoyed, and Anas bin Malik was reported to have said, “I never saw the Prophet’s face more beautiful than it was at that hour.” However, instead of leading prayers, the Prophet ordered Abu Bakr to persist in his new role as Imam.

During the daytime, the Prophet called for Fatimah, his beloved daughter, and whispered something into her ear that made her cry. Then he added something that made her laugh.

After the Prophet’s death, Aisha inquired as to what her husband said, and Fatima related, “The first time he disclosed to me that he would not recover from his illness and I wept. Then he told me that I would be the first of his family to join him, so I laughed.“

Fatimah, along with Aisha, witnessed the pain that the Prophet endured, and she remarked, “What great pain my father is in!” The Prophet will replied, “He will not suffer any longer when today is over.”

When Sakaratul Mawt (the pangs of death) began, Aisha took the Prophet’s head and leaned it between her chest and neck. He cleaned his teeth with a Siwak softened by Aisha’s saliva, and then he raised his finger towards the ceiling; his wife listened carefully to his last words.

“With those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace with the Prophets and the Truthful ones (As-Siddeeqeen), the martyrs and the good doers. O Allâh, forgive me and have mercy upon me and join me to the Companionship on high … The most exalted Companionship on high. To Allâh we turn and to Him we turn back for help and last abode.”

The Prophet had chosen his last abode: Paradise. His head became heavy in Aisha’s lap and she rose and told the news to the Companions. Mecca was grief-stricken: the noblest, humblest, greatest man among them and of all time had just passed away. Some were in denial; Umar bin Al-Khattab, who was known amongst his Muslim brothers as a lion heart, almost lost consciousness and then said angrily, “Some of the hypocrites claim that the Messenger of Allâh died. The Messenger of Allâh did not die, but went to his Lord in the same way as Moses bin ‘Imran did. He stayed away for forty nights, but finally came back though they said he had been dead. By Allah, the Messenger of Allâh will come back and he will cut off the hands and legs of those who claim his death.”

Abu Bakr, however, though mourning his best friend and Prophet dearly, remained calm (which demonstrated the Prophet’s wisdom in choosing him to lead the Muslims after his death.) He said, “And now, he who worships Muhammad , Muhammad is dead now. But he who worships Allah, He is Ever Living and He never dies. Allâh says: ‘Muhammad is no more than a Messenger, and indeed (many) Messengers have passed away before him. If he dies or is killed, will you then turn back on your heels (as disbelievers)? And he who turns back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allâh, and Allâh will give reward to those who are grateful.’”

It was clear. A glorious age had just ended, but a new era of Islam was about to begin.

After the death of the Prophet , Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq was the natural choice as his successor due to being the Prophet’s closest companion during his life. Abu Bakr before converting to Islam was a successful businessman, and was said to be worth about 40,000 dirhams (a sizeable amount of money at the time). After the Prophet began receiving revelations about Islam, however, he was the first man and second person to become Muslim after Khadijah . He also became known as Al-Siddiq (the Truthful One); when Muhammad returned from his night journey (Israa wal Ma’raaj) and the Quraysh were ridiculing him for his story, he defended and supported the Prophet . As his best friend, Abu Bakr would continue to support the Prophet throughout his lifetime, in whatever way he could. When Abu Bakr was elected as the next caliph, he became the first to assume the title of “Khalifat Rasul Allah,” or deputy to the Messenger of God, in 632 A.D.

The two years of Abu Bakr’s caliphate dealt largely with the issue of ridda, or apostasy. Now that the Prophet had died, many had gone back to their old religious traditions of polytheism, which was a threat to the nascent Islamic state where religion was intricately intertwined with government and politics. There were six main places where rebellions against the new Islamic state occurred.

Of these six rebellions, four took place in the form of “false prophets” who emerged claiming they were the new prophet to be followed after Muhammad : al-Aswad al-Ansi in Yemen, Musaylima from the tribe of Hanifa in the Yamama, Tulayha from the tribes of Asad and Ghatafan, and the self-claimed “prophetess” Sadjah from the tribe of Tamim. Oftentimes, the rebellion involved the refusal to pay taxes to Medina, as well as refusal to obey the new Caliph and any representatives sent there from Medina. Abu Bakr dealt with each of these threats in order to preserve the stability of the area and the state.

Because of his great military experience, Khalid ibn al-Walid was sent out with a large army of Muslims to quell these revolts. Tulayha was the first to be defeated, at the battle of Buzakha, and then soon after Tamim abandoned its support of Sadjah and resubmitted its pledge towards Islam and the state. The most serious battle would be between the Muslims and Musaylima in Yamama, who had caused the largest revolt in central Arabia and was finally defeated in the battle of ‘Akraba, and the area was brought back under the control of Islam again. The apostasy in Yemen and the other two rebellions were also finally put down and their leaders captured, and Abu Bakr showed leniency towards them which caused many to in turn become strong supporters of Islam.

After the apostasy was dealt with, Abu Bakr redirected his focus to the continued expansion of the Islamic state, and made small grounds in expanding into the Persian Empire, as well as solidifying Islamic control over large parts of Syria. Lastly, the united Muslim forces would defeat an enemy in Palestine at in mid 634 A.D.

Abu Bakr then died a few months later, and was buried next to the Prophet . Umar ibn al-Khattab was to be the next leader of the Muslims.

Umar ibn al-Khattab was another great companion of the Prophet . Strong-willed and devoted to the Prophet and to Islam, he was at first an adamant enemy of the religion when it initially emerged. This all changed, however, when one night he heard his sister, Fatimah, and brother-in-law Saeed bin Zayd reciting Qur’an; while he first was in a rage at hearing them recite, he later calmed down and actually listened to the words, and their profoundness compelled him to convert to Islam. From then on, he became one of the strongest champions of the religion.

Umar easily assumed power after Abu Bakr al-Siddiq passed away, aided by the fact that many companions recognized him as the one who would succeed him, in 634 A.D. When Umar became caliph, expansion of the Islamic empire was already well underway. During the decade he was caliph, the Muslims would gain control over and move further into areas such as Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and al-Djazira (the northern area between the Tigris and Euphrates). This could not have been done, however, without the amazing political and strategic genius of Umar.

In order to keep the Islamic Empire as united as possible, Umar would appoint commanders such as Abu ‘Ubayd bin Masood and Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas, who had relatively weak tribal and local connections and as such would not be prone to setting themselves up as independent leaders in the new territories. There were times when Umar appointed well-known and respected companions to high positions, such as how Mu’awiya bin Abu Sufyan succeeded his brother Yazid as governor of Damascus in 639 A.D., and ‘Amr bin ‘As in conquesting Egypt.

While this expansion was going on, however, Umar stayed mostly in the city of Medina, from where he would institute some major changes in the Islamic state and in the lives of the Muslims. While the Muslims as conquerors often simply adopted existing administrative structures in the new territories as well as coins, personnel, and language, Umar also instituted a register (diwan), containing the names of everyone who was entitled to a receive money from the military. In allocating the money, precedence of Islam, or the length one had been a Muslim, as well as tribal and family affiliations was considered. This policy helped prevent the Muslims from dividing themselves into separate, independent leaders or aristocracies in the areas which they conquered.

So, while everyone conquered by the Muslims were granted protection of their persons and property and the right to practice their own religion, the lands as a whole became a kind of trust for the benefit of future Muslim generations. During this time, Umar also instituted the calendar, which dated from the Hijra, and a good number of religious and civil ordinances regarding prayer, Hajj, fasting, penal law (hudud), and many other aspects as well. He also aided in the collection of the Holy Qur’an into one uniform book.

Under Umar , the title of caliph gained further respect and prestige. While he had assumed the title of Caliph, he also became known as “Amir al-Mu’minin,” or the “Commander of the Believers.” Unfortunately, at the height of his command of the Muslims and the Islamic Empire, Umar ibn Al-Khattab was assassinated in 644 A.D. by Abu Lu’lu’a, a Christian slave of the governor of Basra (Al-Mughira bin Shu’ba) who stabbed him in the back with a poisoned knife while he was prostrating in prayer.

On his deathbed, Umar called for a council (or shura) to choose a successor, and Uthman bin Affan was proposed as the next to take command of the Islamic nation.

The noble and God-fearing man that he was, Uthman bin Affan did not want to take on the responsibilities of being a caliph. Being a caliph would mean being responsible for every single thing that occurred within the Islamic domain, which at that point had gotten to be pretty large. However, it was the people’s choice who they believed to be the most honorable and fitting for the duty of governing them, and Uthman was their pick. In fact, he was so reluctant and terrified of the responsibility that the people had to threaten to kill him if he did not accept the position.

Uthman was a wealthy merchant from the Umayyad clan of Mecca. Prophet Muhammad’s message first aroused negativity amongst the Umayyads, but five years later Uthman converted to Islam and became the first Muslim of high social and economic standing. He was most known for his immense generosity and modesty, and married two of the Prophet’s daughters (he married Umm Kalthoum after the death of Rukayya.) Prophet Muhammad highly respected Uthman – in one instance, the Prophet was sitting with his legs revealed when Abu Bakr and Umar ibn Al-Khattab entered to speak with him individually. However, when Uthman entered, the Prophet sat up and straightened his clothing. When Aisha asked why he straightened out his clothing only when Uthman entered, the Prophet said, “Should I not be shy of a man around whom the angels are shy?”

During his rule, Uthman mostly continued the policies of his predecessor. Under his command, the Islamic Empire expanded to include Iran, the Caucuses, Cyprus, as well as most of North Africa. He was admired for his generosity – in one event, he sent hundreds of camels carrying goods on their back to supply his people. He also established one universal way of reciting the Holy Qur’an. At that time, there was a different way of reciting the Qur’an in each of the seven major cities, so Uthman gathered Sayyidna Zayd bin Thabit, Abdullah bin Zubayr, Saeed ibn al Aas, and Abdur Rahman bin Harith, as well as other companions, and gave them the task of putting the surats in order and making transcripts of the original copy. He burned the other differentiating transcripts of the Qur’an, so that it became uniform in script and sequence.

Uthman also made a cohesive central government, to which he appointed his kinsmen as governors in an attempt to easily impose his authority. However, this didn’t fare well with some groups who accused him of favoritism. Sadly, it was because of this misguided rumor that rebels broke into his home and assassinated him. Uthman bin Affan was killed while he was reading the Holy Qur’an.

Ali bin Abi Taleb would be the last of the Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs. He was the cousin of the Prophet , his son-in-law having married his daughter Fatima, as well as one of the first to believe in the Prophet’s message. He was a very close companion of the Prophet his entire life, and was trusted him immensely. This was illustrated most during a time described in the Qur’an when the Prophet was to be attacked in his bed at night by some men of the tribes of Quraysh. However, Allah warned the Prophet of the impending attack, and Allah made the men waiting outside fall asleep and thus be completely unaware when the Prophet quietly slipped away in the night on his Hijra to Medina with Abu Bakr. Ali instead took the Prophet’s place in his bed. When the Quraysh men awoke they rushed into the Prophet’s room, but when they pulled back the covers they realized it was Ali and stopped before they killed him. However, this story shows how willingly Ali risked his life for the sake of the Messenger of God, and would do so again many times in the future.

Ali became the caliph in 656 A.D. He said to the Muslims that he felt they were being torn apart by inner-fighting, and he actively sought to end this, advising the citizens of the Islamic empire that they should seek to follow the Qur’an and Sunnah as well as they could to behave as true Muslims. Ali also favored an equal distribution of tax revenue among the Muslims, and appointed them to high-ranking posts according to their experience and ability rather than tribal affiliation and/or family ties to him, even with his own brother.

Upon his ascension to the caliphate, however, Ali’s reign would from the start be marred by fighting between the Muslims; it would be one of the more turbulent periods in Islamic history. One of the first things Ali would be required to do was to put down a rebellion initiated between Aisha , the mother of the believers, and Talha and Al-Zubayr. The reason for the revolt was stated as being that Ali had failed to take revenge for the death of Uthman against the rebels that had killed him. The conflict came to a head in the “Battle of the Camel,” which took place the last month of 656 A.D., and both Talha and Al-Zubayr were killed while Aisha was respectfully escorted back to Medina.

After this, Ali would begin replacing some provincial governors with companions of the Prophet , and then transferred the capital of the empire from Medina to Kufa, in Iraq. However, a second conflict soon arose between Ali and Mu’awiya, the governor of Damascus. Mu’awiya was still upset by the death of Uthman, and would not pledge allegiance to Ali until he felt Uthman’s death had been avenged. They went to battle against each other on the plain of Siffin in the summer of 657. However, Ali seemed to be gaining a small advantage, and Mu’awiya’s opposing army soon hoisted copies of the Qur’an on the end of their spears, thus inviting Ali to resolve the conflict through consultation of the Qur’an rather than further violent combat.

Tired of fighting and wanting to at last settle the conflict, both sides set down their arms and agreed that two arbitrators, Abu Musa Ash’ari would represent Ali and Amr bin ‘As would represent Mu’awiya. The arbitration would eventually fail, however, with both sides claiming the other was still wrong. This led to the Battle of Nahrawan, which took place in the summer of 658 between Mu’awiya and Ali once again. However, Ali could not defeat Mu’awiya in battle, and Mu’awiya would eventually take control of Egypt, the Hijaz, and Yemen.

Then, in 661 A.D. during the month of Ramadan, Ali would be assassinated after being struck with a poisoned sword while going to the morning prayer, by Abdulrahman bin Muldjam Muradi. He died two days later, but only after issuing the instructions that if he were to live, he would decide punishment for his attacker, but if he died he wanted only his attacker to be killed, and no others in retribution, in a quick and humane way. He recited: “Lo! Allah loves not aggressors.” (2:190)

And so ended the time of the Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs – Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, , who were all close companions of the Prophet and beloved to the Muslim nation. This period was marked by a simplicity, piety, justice, and equality that had never been seen before. It was under these Caliphs that the Muslims would see an extraordinary expansion of the Islamic Empire, from the sands of Egypt to the lands of Iraq and Persia, and thus strongly establish Islam outside of the Arabian Peninsula. Although the Muslims were a minority in these newly-conquered lands, the foundation was being laid for a slow transformation of these societies into the light of Islam, and they would soon become a part of the larger Muslim nation in one of the greatest empires on the face of the earth.

MuslimGirl.net is covering the entire history of the Islamic Empire in the 30 days of Ramadan 2009! Click here to see the entire series.

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2. Watt, W. Montgomery. “Abū Bakr.” Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Edited by: P. Bearman , Th. Bianquis , C.E. Bosworth , E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2009. Brill Online. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN. 27 August 2009
3. Bosworth, C.E. “al- Ḵh̲ulafā; al- Rās̲h̲idūn (a.).” Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Edited by: P. Bearman , Th. Bianquis , C.E. Bosworth , E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2009. Brill Online. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN. 27 August 2009
4. Veccia Vaglieri, L. “ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib.” Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Edited by: P. Bearman , Th. Bianquis , C.E. Bosworth , E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2009. Brill Online. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN. 27 August 2009

Three months after performing his first and final pilgrimage, the Prophet began to experience a severe headache followed by a high fever. This illness began to take its toll on the Prophet, making him very frail and weak.

As the days passed, his sickness got worse and worse. However, three days before it reached its most severe state, the Prophet asked his wives: “Where shall I stay tomorrow, where shall I stay?” Immediately they understood what he wanted and allowed him to stay wherever he desired. He moved to Aisha’s room leaning – while he was walking – on al-Fadl bin al-Abbas and Ali bin Abi Talib. With bandages wrapped around his head, he slowly dragged his feet to her bed. It was there that the Prophet spent the last week of his life.

During that period, Aisha used to recite al-Mu’awwidhat (Chapters 113 and 114 of the Qur’an) and other supplications which he had already taught her.

Once the Prophet knew the severity of his illness, he took it upon himself to visit the graves of the martyrs that fought in the largest Islamic battle in history, the battle of Uhud. He sent them his Salaams, followed by his assurance that he knew that he would be joining them in the near future. Directly after, he visited his fellow companions with tearful eyes. Worried, the Companions asked their Prophet as to why he was crying. The Prophet answered back “I miss my brothers.” Confused, the Sahaba answered back “Aren’t we your brothers?” The Prophet replied “My brothers are those who are going to come after me and follow me.”

As the sickness worsened, the Companions would help carry the Prophet to the Mother of the Believers Aisha’s house after meeting them. When they saw how weak the Prophet appeared, they began to cry in sorrow because of the condition of their beloved Prophet (SAW). Once the prophet began to hear from his wife Aisha that his followers were concerned with his condition, he was surprised and asked to be carried to the masjid where he took that as an opportunity to present what is known as his last sermon. The Prophet had been so weakened that it took seven splashes of water to awaken him and give him the energy to present himself to his followers. He was carried to the top of the pulpit to give his final sermon.

In this speech the Prophet ensured that his last words were words that could be lived by, spreading his da’wah in a manner for him to complete his role as the messenger of Allah, emphasising the importance of prayer and treating women with kindness. He further made supplication for Allah to protect his followers and keep them on the straight path. He then stated: “Allah, the Great, has given a slave of His the opportunity to make a choice between whatever he desires of Allah’s provisions in this world, and what He keeps for him in the world, but he has opted for the latter.”

Finally, before the Prophet stepped down from the pulpit for the last time he requested for his people to pray for him, and not only those who were with him at that moment, but from those who came after him.

As the Prophet arrived to his home, Abu Bakr’s son Abdul Rahman came in to visit him. In his hand was a miswak, and although the Prophet was too weak to ask for it, Aisha had understood his facial expression and helped fulfill the prophet’s needs. She took the miswak and put it in his mouth, but he could not use it because of the lack of saliva in his mouth. Because of that, Aisha took it from the Prophet and moistened it with her own saliva, then gave it back to the Prophet so it was easier for him to use.

Afterwards, the Prophet called for his daughter Fatimah. When she came in to see him, she began to cry at such a distressing sight. Prior to his illness, the Prophet would always kiss his daughter between her eyes, but instead he told her to lean close to tell her something that had made her back away and cry even more. He then signalled for her to lean over once again, and whispered something else to her which made her laugh. Aisha later asked her what the Prophet had said that had caused her to cry and laugh to which Fatimah replied “The first time he disclosed to me that he would not recover from his illness and I wept. Then he told me that I would be the first of his family to join him, so I laughed.” [Sahih al-Bukhari, 2/638]

He gave Fatimah glad tidings that she would become the lady of all women of the world [Rahmat-ul-lil’alameen, 1/282]. Fatimah witnessed the great pain that afflicted her father, so she said: “What great pain my father is in!” To these words, the Prophet remarked:

“He will not suffer any more when today is over.” [Sahih al-Bukhari, 2/641]

The Prophet asked everyone to leave him with his wife, Aisha , and as she leaned over, he slept on her chest. Then, he held his hand to the sky and said that he wanted to be with Allah . Aisha knew he was being talked to by angel Gabriel (peace be upon him).

As Gabriel came down on the Prophet , he informed him that the Angel of Death is at the door asking for his permission to come to him. He has never asked for anyone’s permission before, and so the Prophet (SAW)  said, let him come in. The Angel of Death came in and said Assalam to the Prophet . He said, “Allah sent me to you to let you choose between staying here on Earth or being with Allah .” The prophet chose to be with his creator, Allah . The Angel of Death stood at his head and said, “Oh, beautiful soul, soul of Mohammad , come out to your satisfied lord.” Aisha had said that the Prophet’s hand fell and she felt his head get heavy in her chest; knowing that he died.

She didn’t know what to do so she resorted to opening her house door, which was right in front of the Mosque where everyone was gathered, and yelled out that the Prophet had died. Soon after, the Mosque exploded with tears, and everyone began to cry.

The Companions started crying and walking around aimlessly, their hearts full of sorrow. Umar ibn Al-Khattab was hit with such grief that he held his sword, threatening to cut off the head of whoever says the Prophet died. He was reminded that the Prophet went to meet Allah just as Moses went to meet Him .

Abu Bakr announced to the people: “Whoever worshiped Muhammad, know that Mohammad is dead. And whoever worshipped Allah, know that Allah is never going to die.”

Upon hearing this, Umar ibn Al-Khattab dropped his sword and ran to be alone and cry over the loss of Prophet Mohammad .

Once the Prophet passed away, there was disagreement as to where he was to be buried. Abu Bakr said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah say: ‘A dead Prophet is buried where he dies.’” So Abu Talhah lifted the bed on which he died, dug underneath and cut the ground to make the tomb.

The death of Prophet Muhammad was the greatest grief that Muslims have ever had to endure. He was the only one of God’s messengers who was sent to deliver the message of Allah to all of humanity rather than one group of people, which is why he is the Prophet. No man in the history of the world has had as great an impact as Muhammad , and no Muslim has lived since his lifetime who has not kept him in their mind and heart. Today, 1.6 billion Muslims in every corner of the world pray for him at least five times a day, and this great population of believers all started with one man.

Though his death marked the end of the greatest time in Islam, it was only the beginning of a religion that would create the most virtuous leaders who ever lived, lead humanity towards the light of knowledge and discovery, and change the face of the world forever.

MuslimGirl.net is covering the entire history of the Islamic Empire in the 30 days of Ramadan 2009! Click here to see the entire series.

Gabriel (peace be upon him) filled the cave with light, and Muhammad clearly saw someone with a mysterious piece of parchment. He commanded Muhammad to “Recite!” three times before Muhammad , shaken, asked what he should read. It was then that the first five verses of the Quran were revealed, from Surat Al-Alaq:

“Read in the name of your Lord who created, created man from a clot. Read, for your Lord is most Generous, Who teaches by means of the pen, teaches man what he does not know.” (96: 1-5)

Tired and shell-shocked, he returned home in a state of fear and asked Khadijah to, “Cover me, cover me.” The tactful, intelligent, and supportive wife that she was, she waited until Prophet Muhammad’s anxiety had abated before asking about its cause. After the experience was told, Khadijah said, “Allah will not let you down because you are kind to relatives, you speak only the truth, you help the poor, the orphans, and the needy, and you are an honest man”. Later, she consulted with her cousin Waraqa, who possessed admirable knowledge about revelation and scripture, and he confirmed the truth: “Muhammad is the expected Prophet.”

After that, Prophet Muhammad began receiving revelations. His first convert was Khadijah , who not only believed in him without hesitation but also helped spread the message of Islam. The next two converts were Ali bin Abi Talib (cousin) and Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (close friend). The Prophet was reported to have said that everyone whom he approached with the message of Islam took their time answering his message – except Abu Bakr , who was unhesitating; this is why he will always be remembered as Al-Siddiq, or The Believer.

For three years, the Prophet only made da’waah within his own family and close friends. However, he was finally commanded by Allah to publicize the message in Mecca. When he began sharing his profound message – that there is only one God – a number of men in their community had approached Abu Talib about what Prophet Muhammad was doing. Assuming he only wanted fame, they offered to make Prophet Muhammad a king among them if he would end his efforts. When Abu Talib approached Prophet Muhammad about the matter, the Prophet told him that they could offer to place the moon in his right hand and the sun in his left, and he would still not defy Allah’s command.

Poor and unprotected converts were subjected to horrible torture by the disbelievers; these disbelieving Meccans assumed that the rise of Islam would be their downfall, a prospect that encouraged hostility of the worst kind. The powerful and ruthless Umar ibn Al-Khattab was among their number, and yet he converted later: his story is nothing short of miraculous.

Umar ibn Al-Khattab’s belligerence to Islam was well-known; he resolved to defend the traditional religion of Arabia and was said to have been adamant in persecuting the Muslims. He saw the new monotheistic religion as a cause of discord and disunity for the tribe of Quraish, and when the message began to spread, he decided that the only solution was to kill Prophet Muhammad (SAW). He said to himself, “Here is a man who has split the people. People lived smoothly enough. He appeared on the scene. He has torn son from father and brother from brother. Now his followers are running away to another land. Surely Muhammad is the cause of all trouble. I must slay him and put an end to the trouble.”

On his way to the Prophet’s dwelling with his sword in tow, Umar was met by a fellow Quraishi who laughed when he heard the murderous plans. “Set your own house in order first,” he said, “your sister and her husband have converted to Islam”. After hearing such shocking news, Umar changed course and made for his sister Fatima’s house. Upon his arrival, he found the two newly-converted Muslims reading Surat Taha. He began to beat his brother-in-law cruelly and furiously; Fatima bravely ran to help and was struck on the head. She began to bleed, and the couple shouted together, “Yes, we have become Muslims. Do what you will!”

At the sight of the blood on his sister’s head, Umar felt remorse for his actions. He asked to take a look at the Qur’anic verse. Fatima told him to go cleanse himself first before being able to read the Holy Book. He did as he was asked, and upon his return Fatima noticed that her brother was calmer. She handed him the pages of the Qur’an, and Umar sat down to read. After a few moments, struck by the beauty and divinity of the verses, he began weeping: “Surely this is the word of Allah!”

Umar proceeded to make his way to the Prophet’s house once more, yet for a different cause. He converted to Islam, and the Muslims were filled with great joy, for one of Islam’s greatest enemies had now become a follower.

The Prophet’s message continued to spread, particularly after Umar’s conversion, and opposition to him grew and was led by Amr ibn Hisham (better known as Abu Jahl, or “Father of Ignorance”). His methods of torture grew so severe that Summayyah, one of the earliest converts, died as the first martyr of Islam. Prophet Muhammad himself was unharmed, as his uncle, Abu Talib, was a prominent member of Mecca and protected him unfailingly. But Muhammad was left on his own when both Abu Talib and Khadijah died in the year 619 AD. Little did he know that his biggest undertaking was yet to come: Hijra – his migration to the city of Medina.

MuslimGirl.net is covering the entire history of the Islamic Empire in the 30 days of Ramadan 2009! Click here to see the entire series.