Riyad as-Salihin, 1860

'Uqbah bin 'Amir (May Allah be pleased with him) said:

One day the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went out and asked Allah's forgiveness for the martyrs of the battle of Uhud after eight years. It seemed that by so doing, he bid farewell to the living and the dead. He then came back, rose to the pulpit and said, "I shall be your precursor; I am a witness for you (before Allah), and I will be present before you at the River (Haud Al-Kauthar). By Allah I can see with my own eyes the Haud from this place. I am not afraid that you will associate anything with Allah in worship after (my demise), but I apprehend that you will vie with one another for the life of the world." The narrator said: It was the last time that I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]. There are some more narrations with very minor changes in its wording.

وعن عقبة بن عامر رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم خرج إلى قتلى أحد، فصلى عليهم بعد ثمان سنين كالمودع للأحياء والأموات، ثم طلع إلى المنبر ، فقال‏:‏ إني بين أيديكم فرط وأنا شهيد عليكم، وإن موعدكم الحوض ، وإني لأنظر إليه من مقامي هذا، وإني لست أخشى عليكم أن تشركوا، ولكن أخشى عليكم الدنيا أن تنافسوها‏"‏ قال‏:‏ فكانت آخر نظرة نظرتها إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏.‏ ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏‏.‏ وفي رواية ‏:‏ ‏"‏ولكني أخشى عليكم الدنيا أن تنافسوا فيها ، وتقتتلوا فتهلكوا كملا هلك من كان قبلكم‏"‏ قال عقبة‏:‏ فكان آخر ما رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم على المنبر‏. وفي رواية قال: «إني فرط لكم وأنا شهيد عليكم وإني والله لأنظر إلى حوضي الآن، وإني أعطيت مفاتيح خزائن الأرض، أو مفاتيح الأرض، وإني والله ما أخاف عليكم أن تشركوا بعدي، ولكن أخاف عليكم أن تنافسوا فيها» . والمراد بالصلاة على قتلى أحد: الدعاء لهم، لا الصلاة المعروفة.‏

References1 variant

In-Book Reference: Book 18, Hadith 53

Sharh · explanationclick to expand

Guidance from the Hadith: 1) One should not make the worldly life his chief concern or the limit of his knowledge. Rather, he should work for the Hereafter. 2) It shows some signs of the Prophet’s prophethood, as he saw his promised Basin in the Hereafter from his place while in this world. This is right and true, and we should believe in it. 3) It gives glad tidings that Islam will endure and the Ummah will remain steadfast. Note: The author (may Allah have mercy upon him) said that the prayer in the Hadith means supplication. This is not a right interpretation, however. The correct meaning is related in this narration by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim, which reads in part: “He prayed over the martyrs of Uhud as he would pray over the dead,” i.e. the funeral prayer. Indeed, the Hadiths clarify and interpret one another.