The Death of the Messenger of Allah is the Greatest of Afflictions

The Death of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) is the Greatest of Afflictions

Ibn ‘Abbas and Saabit Al-Jumahee both related that the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said:

“If one of you is afflicted with a calamity, then let him remember his calamity by me (i.e., by my death); for indeed, it is the greatest of calamities.”

It becomes clear to us from this hadith that the death of the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) is the greatest disaster that has occurred or will occur to the Muslim Nation. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) requests that when we remember our calamities or afflictions, we should remember his death and his parting as well, a reflective process through which our other disasters will become insignificant in comparison.

Whenever we lost any of our relatives or loved-ones, we are sure to have felt the pain of parting and the anxiety of the farewell. The question now is this: Have we had any such feelings or sentiments when we contemplate the death of the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam).

What would happen if a man were to lose his entire family; his heart would ache and bleed while his tears would pour forth profusely. He marries after a period, and after many years pass, one of his sons dies. What is his sadness and pain if compared to the first calamity; is not the new affliction less painful in degree? And with that perspective – i.e., by remembering the death of the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) – we should console ourselves whenever we are afflicted with a hardship.

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) is addressing us, saying,

“O people, let any person – or any believer – who has been afflicted with a calamity remember his calamity by me and hence find solace in his calamity by any other person [or occurrence], for no one from my Nation will be afflicted by a calamity after me that is more severe upon him than my calamity.” [Related by Ibn Majah, and narrated by ‘Aishah (RA) in Sahih Sunan Ibn Majah (No. 1300)]

The Prophet’s words, ‘find solace’ are indeed curative and healing words that are like medicine for the heart. What would happen if one were to lose his beloved parents in a car accident? Would not the effects of that calamity remain in his heart for the rest of his life? And what would happen if he lost his mother, wife, or son? Why is it that we feel nothing, yet we have been afflicted with the loss of the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam)? It is a calamity that outweighs all others when we contemplate the Prophet’s statement:

“One of you does not believe until I am more beloved to him than his child, his father, and all people.” [Bukhari (15); Muslim (44)]

When we consider the hadith before this one, it is as if this hadith means: Not one of you believes until my death becomes a greater calamity for him than losing his son, his father, and all people.

By Allah, where are these feelings and sentiments? Yet they are the feelings and sentiments of the true believer.

Have you lost your mother? And if so, when you were weeping immediately afier her death, did you remember that she took you out of the darkness of her stomach to the light of the world, after which she cared for you and raised you? Through the message of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), Allah has taken you out of the darkness of misguidance and has brought you into the light of guidance and Tawhid (Islamic Monotheism), and because of that guidance – by the will of Allah – you are saved from eternity in the Hellfire. But does the same hold true for your mother’s favours: are you saved from eternity in the Hellfire because of the milk she fed you or because of her kindness and care?

By Allah, in a single day, had I lost 1000 mothers, each equal in kindness and love to my mother, it is not befitting for me to be more sad on account of their loss than the sadness required from me over the death of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam).

Have you lost your son? Do you not quickly burst into tears when you remember his help, dutifulness, and love? No matter what level these matters reach, they do not reach the level of what the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) conferred upon us. What he left for us will – by the help of Allah – make us enter Paradise, whose width is equal to the heavens and the earth, a place of eternity and eternal bliss.

We are given pleasure by the help of our children and by their love, yet the years pass and fade away; however, the bliss of Paradise knows no end. Does not the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) deserve from us that we should be sadder over his death than over the death of anyone else; that we should remember him more than we remember anyone else we have lost, in terms of children, parents, and other loved ones?

The Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) Contributed and Left Behind More Good than did any Relative or Loved One

No matter how much love, care, or generosity we have received from a loved one or a relative, it does not even bear to be compared to the wonderful love, compassion, and care of the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam), for he (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) has shown us the way to achieving happiness and all that is good, while he has warned us away from all paths of evil and loss, whether it be regarding this world or the next. Who from our relatives, friends, or loved ones has made a similar contribution?

Keep this in mind, and it will help you to truly feel the tragedy of losing the Prophet (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam). To further appreciate the significance of the Prophet’s guidance and lasting legacy, consider these questions:

– What if you entered the Hellfire?
– What if you were deprived of Paradise?
– What if you are punished in the grave?
– Who provides benefit to you? And what will save you from all of the above?