Table of Contents
Hints of an Approaching End
As the mission of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ neared completion, Allah gently prepared him and the believers for his departure from this world. These preparations appeared as clear signs, some in the Quran, some in his statements and actions, and some in how events unfolded around him.
The companions later understood that what seemed at the time like ordinary praise or guidance was in fact a farewell. In this chapter we look only at those specific signs that indicated his time in this world was close to ending, without re‑explaining the details of his final illness or passing that will come later.
Revelation of Surah An‑Nasr
One of the clearest signs of the nearing end was the revelation of Surah An‑Nasr. This short chapter came after the conquest of Makkah and the entry of many people into Islam. Outwardly, it looked like a declaration of victory. In reality, it was also a subtle announcement that the mission was complete and that the Messenger ﷺ would soon return to his Lord.
Allah says:
إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ وَالْفَتْحُ
وَرَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ أَفْوَاجًا
فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَاسْتَغْفِرْهُ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ تَوَّابًا
“When the help of Allah comes and the victory,
and you see the people entering into the religion of Allah in multitudes,
then glorify the praises of your Lord and seek His forgiveness. Certainly He is ever accepting of repentance.”
[Surah An‑Nasr 110:1‑3]
Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما, who was still young at the time, later explained that this surah was not merely about success, but about the conclusion of the Prophet’s task. In an authentic report in Sahih Bukhari, Umar ibn Al‑Khattab رضي الله عنه used to ask the senior companions about this surah. They said it told the Prophet ﷺ to praise Allah and seek forgiveness when victory comes. Ibn Abbas said:
هُوَ أَجَلُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَعْلَمَهُ اللَّهُ لَهُ
“It is the end (appointed term) of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, which Allah informed him of.”
[Sahih al‑Bukhari]
Umar replied:
مَا أَعْلَمُ مِنْهَا إِلَّا مَا تَقُولُ
“I do not know from it except what you have said.”
[Sahih al‑Bukhari]
So the surah came with a message: when the mission is complete, increase in tasbih and istighfar. The Prophet ﷺ understood that this meant his time was almost over, and he acted accordingly, as we will see.
Change in His Dhikr and Worship
After Surah An‑Nasr, the companions noticed a clear change in the Prophet’s personal worship. Even before his final illness, he ﷺ began to frequently repeat specific phrases in his bowing and prostration.
Aishah رضي الله عنها said:
كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُكْثِرُ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَمُوتَ أَنْ يَقُولَ فِي رُكُوعِهِ وَسُجُودِهِ:
سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا وَبِحَمْدِكَ، اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي
يَتَأَوَّلُ الْقُرْآنَ
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to frequently say before he died, in his bowing and in his prostration:
‘Subhanaka Allahumma Rabbana wa bihamdik, Allahumma ighfir li
(Glory is to You, O Allah our Lord, and praise is Yours. O Allah, forgive me).’
He was applying (fulfilling) the Quran.”
[Sahih al‑Bukhari, Sahih Muslim]
She explained that he was living the instruction of Surah An‑Nasr: to glorify Allah and seek His forgiveness when the help and victory had come.
This was a clear sign to those close to him that he was preparing to meet Allah with abundant tasbih and istighfar. The increase in this special dhikr in his salah was not just a random habit, but a reflection of his sense that his journey was almost complete.
Another narration in Sahih Muslim states that after the revelation of An‑Nasr, he did not pray any prayer without saying in ruku and sujud:
سُبْحَانَكَ اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا وَبِحَمْدِكَ، اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي
This consistency showed that he had entered a final phase in his worship, marked by deep glorification and seeking forgiveness.
Revelation of “Today I Have Perfected Your Religion”
Another powerful sign was the revelation of the verse:
الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا
“Today I have perfected for you your religion, completed My favor upon you, and have approved for you Islam as your religion.”
[Surah Al‑Ma’idah 5:3]
This verse was revealed during the Farewell Pilgrimage, on the day of Arafah. It indicated that the message was complete and that nothing essential remained to be revealed.
A Jewish man said to Umar ibn Al‑Khattab رضي الله عنه, as reported in Sahih Bukhari:
آيَةٌ فِي كِتَابِكُمْ، لَوْ عَلَيْنَا مَعْشَرَ اليَهُودِ نَزَلَتْ لَاتَّخَذْنَا ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمَ عِيدًا
“There is a verse in your Book which, if it had been revealed to us Jews, we would have taken that day as a festival (Eid).”
He then recited this verse. Umar replied:
قَدْ عَلِمْتُ الْيَوْمَ الَّذِي نَزَلَتْ فِيهِ، وَالمَكَانَ الَّذِي نَزَلَتْ فِيهِ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ بِعَرَفَةَ يَوْمَ جُمُعَةٍ
“I know the day it was revealed and the place in which it was revealed to the Prophet ﷺ. It was while he was standing at Arafah on a Friday.”
[Sahih al‑Bukhari]
Completion of the religion naturally implies that the Messenger who brought it would soon depart. The companions did not immediately see it as a farewell, but looking back, many of them understood this verse as one of the greatest signs that the mission was perfected and that the end of revelation and the end of his life were near.
The perfection of the religion in this verse means that no new form of worship or belief can be added after the Messenger ﷺ. It also implied the nearing end of revelation and his earthly life.
The Farewell Pilgrimage and Its Tone
The last Hajj of the Prophet ﷺ is commonly called “Hajjat al‑Wadaʿ,” the Farewell Pilgrimage. Even this name reflects its nature. During this Hajj, his words carried a strong sense of farewell and final advice.
He ﷺ said, in the sermon that will be discussed in detail elsewhere:
لَعَلِّي لَا أَلْقَاكُمْ بَعْدَ عَامِي هَذَا
“Perhaps I will not meet you after this year.”
[Reported in various narrations with similar wording]
These kinds of statements made many companions feel a sense of sadness and awareness that they might be seeing him for the last time in such a large gathering. The way he repeated essential principles of Islam, emphasized rights, and stressed that he had conveyed the message, all carried the tone of someone completing a trust.
Another report in Sahih Muslim shows the Prophet ﷺ asking the people on that occasion:
أَلَا هَلْ بَلَّغْتُ؟
“Have I conveyed (the message)?”
When they responded, “Yes,” he said:
اللَّهُمَّ اشْهَدْ
“O Allah, bear witness.”
[Sahih Muslim]
This call for Allah’s testimony that he had completed his duty is another indication that he knew his mission was ending, and that he wanted the Ummah to be fully aware that the truth had been delivered completely.
Subtle Hints in His Words to Individuals
In the final period of his life, the Prophet ﷺ gave certain companions personal hints that his time was near. Sometimes these hints were general, and sometimes more explicit.
One of the most striking examples was his discussion with his daughter Fatimah رضي الله عنها during his last illness, which will be detailed elsewhere. However, it is important here to note that he informed her in private that he would soon pass away.
In one narration in Sahih al‑Bukhari, Aishah رضي الله عنها said:
فَسَارَّهَا النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَبَكَتْ، ثُمَّ سَارَّهَا فَضَحِكَتْ
“The Prophet ﷺ spoke secretly to Fatimah, so she wept. Then he spoke secretly to her again, and she laughed.”
After his passing, Fatimah explained:
أَخْبَرَنِي أَنَّهُ يُقْبَضُ فِي وَجَعِهِ هَذَا
“He informed me that he would die from this illness of his.”
Then he gave her glad tidings that she would be the first of his family to join him. This private conversation was a very direct sign to her that his departure was imminent, and it prepared her heart.
There were also other companions who sensed from his words a farewell tone. Ibn Abbas, as mentioned, understood Surah An‑Nasr as an announcement of his passing. Others, like Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه, also perceived from various events and statements that the end was near, as will be seen in connection with his reaction to the verse about the Prophet being a mortal messenger.
Verses Reminding of the Mortality of the Prophet ﷺ
Throughout the Quran, Allah had already made clear that Muhammad ﷺ is a human and not divine, and that he too will taste death like all other humans. These verses became especially meaningful near the end of his life.
Allah says:
إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُم مَّيِّتُونَ
“Indeed, you are to die, and indeed, they are to die.”
[Surah Az‑Zumar 39:30]
And He says:
وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ ۚ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ
“Muhammad is not but a messenger. Messengers have passed on before him.”
[Surah Al‑Imran 3:144]
These verses were revealed earlier, not only at the very end, but they functioned as a foundation so that when the final signs appeared, the believers would not fall into confusion about his nature or claim that he could not die.
Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه would later recite the verse 3:144 to the people when the Prophet ﷺ passed away, but the force of that moment depended on the fact that this truth had been established long before as part of the preparation for his departure.
Increasing Focus on the Hereafter
As his departure approached, the Prophet ﷺ spoke more openly about longing to meet his Lord. This was not a despair of this world, but the natural state of a Prophet who had completed his mission and whose heart was fully attached to the next life.
He ﷺ said, in a hadith in Sahih Muslim:
اللَّهُمَّ فِي الرَّفِيقِ الأَعْلَى
“O Allah, (let me be) in the Highest Companion.”
These words became especially significant in the final moments of his life, but even before that, his mention of “Ar‑Rafiq al‑Aʿla” reflected his desire for the company of the prophets, the righteous, and the nearness to Allah.
There is also the famous hadith:
مَا بَيْنَ بَيْتِي وَمِنْبَرِي رَوْضَةٌ مِنْ رِيَاضِ الْجَنَّةِ
“Between my house and my pulpit is a garden from the gardens of Paradise.”
[Sahih al‑Bukhari]
While this hadith is not itself a sign of his departure, some scholars see in the Prophet’s frequent references to the hereafter, Paradise, and the meeting with Allah in his last years a gentle preparation for the community to think beyond his physical presence and to focus on the eternal life.
Intensified Concern for His Ummah
As his time drew near, the Prophet ﷺ showed a deep and obvious concern for the future of his Ummah after him. His supplications, his repeated warnings against returning to disbelief or oppression, and his emphasis on sticking to the Quran and Sunnah all carried the feeling of a man giving his last will.
He ﷺ said:
إِنِّي فَرَطُكُمْ عَلَى الْحَوْضِ
“I am your predecessor at the Hawd (the Reservoir).”
[Sahih al‑Bukhari]
He also warned:
لَا تَرْجِعُوا بَعْدِي كُفَّارًا، يَضْرِبُ بَعْضُكُمْ رِقَابَ بَعْضٍ
“Do not return to disbelief after me, striking the necks of one another.”
[Sahih al‑Bukhari, Sahih Muslim]
These statements were part of a series of teachings that became more frequent near the end of his life. They carried an emotional weight that many companions felt was connected to his awareness that he would soon be gone and that they would have to carry the burden of the message without his physical guidance.
The strongest sign that the Prophet’s departure was near was the completion of revelation and the religion. His increasing focus on dhikr, istighfar, and final advice to the Ummah all flowed from this completion.
A Life Completed with Clarity
The signs of the Prophet’s nearing departure were not sudden or harsh. Allah, in His mercy, spread them out and made them gentle. A short surah about victory hinted at the end. A verse about perfection of religion quietly closed the door of new laws. A shift in dhikr signaled his readiness to meet his Lord. Farewell words in Hajj, secret news to his beloved daughter, and repeated reminders of his human mortality all prepared the companions for what would come.
By the time his final illness began, those who reflected deeply, such as Abu Bakr and Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهم, already sensed that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had fulfilled his trust and that the journey of meeting Allah was close. Understanding these signs allows us to see that his departure was not an interruption of his mission, but its natural and honored completion.