Life of Muhammad — Page 192
sa 192 above all other Prophets as , and more successful than any of them. But take care, do not turn my grave into an object of worship. Let my grave remain only a grave. Others may worship the graves of their Prophets as and turn them into centres of pilgrimage, places where they may repair and perform austerities, make their offerings, and do their thanksgiving. Others may do this, but not you. You must remember your one and only objective — that is, the worship of the One and Only God. " After he had thus warned Muslims about their duty to guard the hard-won idea of One God and the distinction between God and Man, his eyelids began to droop. His eyes began to close. All he then said was, "To my Friend the Highest of the High — to my Friend the Highest of the High," meaning evidently that he was heading towards God. As he said this he gave up the ghost. The news reached the mosque. There many Companions ra had assembled, having given up their private tasks. They were expecting to hear better news but instead heard of the Prophet's sa death. It came like a bolt from the blue. Ab u Bakr ra was out. ‘ Umar ra was in the mosque, but he was utterly stupefied with grief. It angered him if he heard anyone say the Prophet sa was dead. He even drew his sword and threatened to kill those who should say the Prophet sa had died. There was much the Prophet sa had yet to do, so the Prophet sa could not die. True, his soul had departed from his body, but it had gone only to meet its Maker. Just as Moses as had gone for a time to meet his Maker only to return, the Prophet sa must return to do what had been left undone. There were the hypocrites, for instance, with whom they had yet to deal. ‘ Umar ra walked about sword in hand almost as a mad man. As he walked he said: "Whosoever says the Prophet sa has died will himself die at ‘ Umar ra 's hands. " The Companions felt braced and they half- believed what ‘ Umar ra said. The Prophet sa could not die. There must have been a mistake. In the meantime some Companions went in search of Ab u Bakr ra , found him