On the twenty-eight of Safar, 11 AH, Holy Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, departed life. As is unanimously agreed, it was Monday. The Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم) was 63 years old when he departed life.
At the age of forty, he was commissioned, by Almighty Allah, to convey the Divine Mission; and Archangel Gabriel began conveying to him the commandments of Almighty Allah and the Divine Revelation. At Makkah, he invited people to follow the religion of monotheism for 13 years. He then immigrated to al-Madinah at the age of 53. He departed life in the tenth year after his immigration (hijra). Hence, Imam Ali Amir al-Mu’mineen (عليه السلام) did the funeral rituals and then offered the ritual prayer of the dead for his soul. The companions, in groups, then came near him to offer prayers individually without having any Imam to lead them in prayer. Imam Ali (عليه السلام) buried him in the holy room where he – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him and his Household – departed life.
It has been narrated that Anas ibn Malik said, “As soon as we completed the ritual of burying the Holy Prophet (صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم), Lady Fatimah (عليه السلام) came to me and said, ‘How could you be bold enough to pile up soil on the face of the Messenger of Allah?’ She then wept and shouted, ‘Oh for my father whose prayers were responded by the Lord! Oh for my father; how nigh he is from his Lord!’”.
According to a narration, Lady Fatimah al-Zahra’ (عليه السلام) took a handful of the soil of the Holy Prophet’s tomb, put it between her eyes, and said,
صُبَّتْ عَلَيَّ مَصَائِبُ لَوْ اَنَّهَاصُبَّتْ عَلَى الْاَيَّامِ صِرْنَ لَيَالِيَا
In his book of al-Durr al-Nazim, Shaykh Yusuf al-Shami has mentioned that Lady Fatimah al-Zahra’ (عليه السلام) composed the following verses, elegizing her father (صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم):
صُبَّتْ عَلَيَّ مَصَائِبُ لَوْ اَنَّهَاصُبَّتْ عَلَى الْاَيَّامِ صِرْنَ لَيَالِيَا
قَدْ كُنْتُ ذَاتَ حِمًى بِظِلِّ مُحَمَّدٍلا اَخْشَ مِنْ ضَيْمٍ وَ كَانَ حِمَیً لِيَا
فَالْيَوْمَ اَخْضَعُ لِلذَّلِيلِ وَ اَتَّقِيضَيْمِي وَ اَدْفَعُ ظَالِمِي بِرِدَائِيَا
فَاِذَا بَكَتْ قُمْرِيَّةٌ فِي لَيْلِهَاشَجَنا عَلَى غُصْنٍ بَكَيْتُ صَبَاحِيَا
فَلَاَجْعَلَنَّ الْحُزْنَ بَعْدَكَ مُونِسِيوَ لَاَجْعَلَنَّ الدَّمْعَ فِيكَ وِشَاحِيَا