The day the Prophet ﷺ died

When news spread through Madinah that the Prophet ﷺ had died, the community did not take it well, and that is putting it gently. Some refused to believe it outright. Umar ibn al-Khattab was among those who could not accept it and said so publicly.

Abu Bakr had been away from the mosque. He came, went in to the Prophet ﷺ, and then came out to the people.

What he said is one of the most widely transmitted passages in the early material. Paraphrased: whoever used to worship Muhammad — Muhammad has died. Whoever worships Allah — Allah is Living and does not die. He then recited the verse of Surah Al Imran which asks whether, if he were to die or be killed, they would turn back on their heels.

The reports describe the effect as immediate. Umar said afterwards that it was as though he had never heard the verse before that moment.

This is the day Abu Bakr is most often remembered for, and it is worth being clear about why. He did not say anything new. He recited a verse that everyone present already knew by heart. What he did was stay steady enough to say it, on a day when almost nobody else could.