#1235

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said:“When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) fell ill with what would be his final illness, he was in the house of ‘Aishah. He said: ‘Call ‘Ali for me.’ ‘Aishah said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, should we call Abu Bakr for you?’ He said: ‘Call him.’ Hafsah said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, should we call ‘Umar for you?’ He said: ‘Call him.’ Ummul-Fadl said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, should we call Al-‘Abbas for you?’ He said: ‘Yes.’ When they had gathered, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) lifted his head, looked and fell silent. ‘Umar said: ‘Get up and leave the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).’ Then Bilal came to tell him that the time for prayer had come, and he said: ‘Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer.’ ‘Aishah said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, Abu Bakr is a soft and tender-hearted man, and if he does not see you, he will weep and the people will weep with him. If you tell ‘Umar to lead the people in prayer (that would be better).’ Abu Bakr went out and led the people in prayer, then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) felt a little better, so he came out, supported by two men, with his feet making lines along the ground. When the people saw him, they said: ‘Subhan-Allah,’ to alert Abu Bakr. He wanted to step back, but the Prophet (ﷺ) gestured him to stay where he was. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came and sat on his right. Abu Bakr stood up and he was following the lead of the Prophet (ﷺ), and the people were following the lead of Abu Bakr. Ibn ‘Abbas said; ‘And the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) started to recite from where Abu Bakr had reached.’”