Wafat al-Nabi - صلى الله عليه وسلم - «Wa Azlamat al-Madina»
- Author died
- 1430 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Minhaj
Wafāt al-Nabī - ṣallā Allāhu 'alayhi wa-sallam - «Wa-Aẓlamat al-Madīnah» (The Death of the Prophet - ﷺ - "And Medina Grew Dark") is a specialized monograph on the prophetic biography by the Palestinian hadith scholar Nizar Rayan (d. 1430 AH / 2009 CE), chronicling the illness, demise, and burial of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ .
Background and Composition
The work originated as an academic research study composed in the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza, completed in Shawwal 1417 AH and later revised by the author in Rabi' al-Akhir 1428 AH . Despite its formal scholarly methodology, it was structured to function as a work of devotional reflection (riqāq), aiming to convey the emotional impact of the Prophet's passing on the early Muslim community . The book includes a foreword written by Rayan's teacher, Muhammad ibn Salih Taha (known as Abu Ayman Taha) .
The subtitle «Wa-Aẓlamat al-Madīnah» is drawn from the authentic report of Anas ibn Malik, who observed that while everything in Medina was illuminated on the day the Prophet entered it, everything in it grew dark on the day he died .
Content and Methodology
The monograph traces events sequentially across thematic subheadings (maṭālib), beginning with the initial onset of the Prophet's fatal illness and concluding with his death, preparation, and burial . The work contains a total of 118 textual narrations and segments .
Rayan adopted a strict hadith-critical approach to the biographical material:
- He confined the selection entirely to acceptable narrations (al-ḥadīth al-maqbūl), categorized as either sound (ṣaḥīḥ) or good (ḥasan), explicitly excluding weak (ḍa'īf) and fabricated reports .
- He provided critical evaluations and sourcing for narrations cited outside the canonical collections of Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, whose contents were taken as established .
- He integrated narrations highlighting the psychological shock and reactions of prominent Companions, including Abu Bakr, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, Fatimah, and 'A'ishah .
Publication
The book was published in a single volume (128 pages) by Dar al-Minhaj (Beirut and Jeddah) in partnership with the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs in Qatar, with a second edition issued in 1434 AH / 2013 CE .
Answer updated