The burial of the Prophet

After the oath to Abu Bakr, the people turned to preparing the Messenger of God for burial. ¹ Ali ibn Abi Talib (may God be pleased with him), al-Abbas and his two sons al-Fadl and Qutham, Usama ibn Zayd (may God be pleased with him) and Shuqran, the Prophet's freedman, took charge of his washing. He was washed in his shirt, and wrapped in three white garments, and was buried from the middle of the night of Wednesday. No one led the people in the prayer over him. ^{12 2}

Ibn Ishaq says that the people turned to preparing the Prophet on Tuesday after the oath to Abu Bakr. ¹ The Prophet was not stripped of his clothes for washing; water was poured over the shirt and the body was rubbed from beneath it. ¹² Aws ibn Khawli asked Ali to let the Ansar take part in the washing, and he agreed. ¹ He was wrapped in three white garments and a striped Yemeni cloak. ²

Ibn Ishaq reports that the people disagreed about the place of burial. Abu Bakr said that he had heard the Prophet say: "No prophet is taken up but he is buried where he dies." The bed on which he died was lifted, and the grave was dug beneath it. ² Abu Ubayda ibn al-Jarrah (may God be pleased with him) and Abu Talha were called to dig the grave. Abu Ubayda would dig the trench as it is done for the people of Mecca, and Abu Talha would dig the niche as it is done for the people of Medina. Abu Talha's man came first and dug the niche for the Messenger of God. ²

The people entered to him in groups to pray for him, and then he was buried from the middle of the night of Wednesday. ² Aisha said that the people did not know of his burial until they heard the sound of spades in the depths of the night. ²

Ali, al-Fadl, Qutham, Shuqran and Usama went down into the grave. ² It is mentioned that al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba claimed that he was the last of the people to have seen the Prophet at the grave, because he had dropped his ring into the grave on purpose, and Ibn Ishaq includes this in his report. ³

Ali, al-Abbas, al-Fadl, Qutham, Usama and Shuqran, the Prophet's freedman, took charge of his washing. Usama and Shuqran poured the water, and Ali washed him, holding him against his chest, with his shirt on, rubbing the body from behind the shirt. ^{4 5} Aws ibn Khawli came in to Ali asking for his share of the Prophet, and Ali let him in. ⁴

Ibn Ishaq relates from Aisha that the people disagreed: should they strip the Prophet of his clothes as they strip their dead, or wash him in his clothes? God cast sleep upon them until no man among them was without his chin on his chest. Then someone spoke to them from the side of the house, whom they did not know: "Wash the Prophet in his clothes." So they washed him with the shirt on him. ⁵

He was wrapped in three garments: two cotton sheets of Sahar, and a striped cloak. ⁵ Abu Ubayda used to dig for the people of Mecca, and Abu Talha used to dig for the people of Medina and cut a niche. al-Abbas called two men and said: "O God, choose for Your Messenger"; Abu Talha's man found Abu Talha and brought him, and he cut a niche for the Prophet. ^{5 6}

The Muslims disagreed about the place of burial: some said he should be buried in his mosque, and others with his companions. Abu Bakr said: "I heard the Prophet say: No prophet is taken up but he is buried where he dies." So his bed was lifted and the grave was dug beneath it. ⁶ The people entered upon him in groups, men, then women, then children, and no one led the people in prayer over him. ⁶ He was buried in the middle of the night of Wednesday. ⁶ Aisha did not know of his burial until she heard the sound of spades in the depths of the night. ⁶ Ali, al-Fadl, Qutham and Shuqran went down into the grave, and Aws ibn Khawli went down with them after Ali had ordered him to. ^{6 7}

Shuqran took a velvet cloth that the Prophet used to spread, put it in the grave and said: "By God, no one shall wear it after you, ever." ⁷ Ibn Hisham relates from al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba that he used to claim he was the last to have seen the Prophet at the grave, saying that he had dropped his ring into it on purpose. ⁷ A group from Iraq asked Ali in Kufa about this, and he said: "Al-Mughira lied; the last to have seen the Prophet in the grave was Qutham ibn al-Abbas." ⁷

• The story of the washing and shrouding from Ibn Ishaq is given on several chains: Abd Allah ibn Abi Bakr, al-Husayn ibn Abd Allah, and Yahya ibn Abbad from his father from Aisha. ⁴
• Disagreement among the people over the shrouding and the wrapping is transmitted from Ja'far ibn Muhammad from his father, and from Zayn al-Abidin. ⁵
• Ibn Hisham notes that one copy has "Asad" in place of "As'ad" in one line of Hassan's verse. ⁶
• The report about al-Mughira with Ali and Qutham comes in Ibn Ishaq's narration on the chain "from Muqsim from Abd Allah ibn al-Harith". ⁷