Chapter X: Remembrance of Death
Hazrat Ayesha said: When the people assembled for the washing of the body of the Prophet, they said : By God, we don't know how to wash the Prophet. Shall we uncover his wearing cloth as we do in other cases or shall we wash him within his wearing cloth? Ayesha said that God had sent on them slumber and there was nobody among them who did not place his head over his bosom and sleep. Then a man (whom no-body knows who he was) said : Wash him within his wearing cloth. Then they got up from slumber and did so and the Prophet was washed within his wearing apparel. After this they clothed him with coffin cloth. Hazrat Ali said : We washed to take off His wearing apparel when it was proclaimed to us : Don't take off the cloth of the Prophet. We washed him and turned him from one side to another. His side automatically turned to another side without our efforts. Thus we finished his washing.
This is in short the story of his death. There was no cloth of his which was not buried with him. Hazrat Abu Jafar said : The bed sheet of the Prophet was spread in the grave and on it was placed the body of the Prophet. There is a great lesson and an ideal in the death of the Holy Prophet.
THE DEATH OF HAZRAT ABU BAKR
When the death of Hazrat Abu Bakr approached, Hazrat Ayesha came to him and recited the following poem.
Vol-IV THE BOOK OF CONSTRUCTIVE VIRTUES 403
By my life, this life is nothing but a night-dream Power of wealth is meaningless when death comes.
He said covering his faces : Don't utter this, rather say : Death pangs have truly come from which you have been warned (Quran). Look to my two cloths. Cleanse them and coffin me therewith, as there is more need for new cloth for those who are alive than those who are dead. The people came to him and said : Shall we not call for you a physician? He said : My Physician looked to me and said : I do what I will (Quran).
Hazrat Salman Farsi came to see him and said: Give us advice. He said : God will open for you the treasures of the world. Take from these only what is necessary for you: Know that he who prays Fajr remains in the security of God, Don't think His security little. If you do it, you will be turned down into Hell.