What made the Prophet (peace be upon him) cry?
Rifa’ah ibn Rafi’ (may Allah be pleased with him) said that Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) stood on the pulpit and then cried, saying:
عن رفاعة بن رافع رضي الله تعالى عنه قال: قامَ أبو بَكرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ رضي الله تعالى عنه على المنبرِ ثمَّ بَكى فقالَ: قامَ رسولُ اللَّهِ صلَّى اللَّه عليه وسلم عامَ الأوَّلِ على المنبرِ ثمَّ بَكى فقالَ: سلوا اللَّهَ العفوَ والعافيةَ، فإنَّ أحداً لم يُعطَ بعدَ اليقينِ خيراً منَ العافيةِ”
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stood on the pulpit in the last year and then cried, saying: “Ask Allah for pardon and afiyah (well-being), for after yaqeen (certainty), no one has been given anything better than well-being.” (Tirmidhi)
One day, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) delivered a speech, which would have been on a Friday, and he was so soft-hearted that he started sobbing at the recollection that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had stood on that very spot the previous year and had cried.
Why did the Prophet (peace be upon him) cry?
Scholars have commented on the reason he cried and suggested that it was because Allah Almighty had shown him some of the future. What brought tears to his eyes was state of the Ummah – how it would be face many tribulations (fitan) and the Prophet (peace be upon him) was afraid for his Ummah. He was concerned at how they would handle these trials and tests.
Fitan (trials and tribulations)
Hudayfah ibn al Yaman, the keeper of the Prophet’s secrets (peace be upon him), was entrusted with knowledge of the fitan and whenever Omar (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to know anything on this topic, he would consult Hudayfah. Omar asked him about the fitan which would surge like the waves of the sea, afflicting the Ummah one after another.
We are witnessing this fitan in our lifetime – the calamities befalling our brothers and sisters in Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan, Yemen, Rohingya, Kashmir, China. Not everyone can swim. Many will sink.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) cried because it broke his heart that his Ummah would experience these severe tests and that many would not make it. Abu Bakr followed the Prophet (peace be upon him) in his compassion and mercy, so it made him cry as well.
The tragedy is that so many of these fitan are self-inflicted by the Ummah. What we have done to ourselves our enemies could never had done to us. Our lack of unity and infighting are destroying us and causing devastation to our own people.
The dua that was not granted
Allah did not grant to the Prophet (peace be upon him) his dua to keep his Ummah united. Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
One day Allah’s Messenger (peace be on him) came from Al-‘Aliyah: a high place in Madinah. He passed by the mosque of Banu Mu’awiyah, went in and performed two rak’ahs there and we also performed prayer with him (peace be upon him) and then he prolonged his dua, he made a very long supplication (peace be upon him) to his Lord. He then came back to us and said:
“I asked my Lord for three things, and He granted me two, but withheld one. I asked my Lord that my Ummah should not be destroyed by famine, and He granted this to me. I asked my Lord that my Ummah should not be destroyed by drowning (in a flood), and He granted this to me. But I asked my Lord that my Ummah not be destroyed by internal fighting, and He did not grant this to me.” (Muslim)
Thus we see that Allah Almighty granted the first two duas but not the third. The first dua, for protection from famine, relates to sustenance, which is solely within Allah’s domain as Ar-Razzaq (The Provider). He is the one who ensures provision for His creation. The second dua, for protection from annihilation by drowning, safeguards the survival of the Ummah, unlike the people of Nuh (peace be upon him), who were destroyed by a flood.
However, the third dua—to protect the Ummah from internal conflict—differs fundamentally. This issue relates to discipline, unity, and our collective responsibility to uphold Allah’s commands. It is not Allah’s role to ensure we remain united; rather, it is our duty to follow His guidance and strive to live in harmony. Allah Almighty reminds us of this obligation in the Quran:
وَٱعۡتَصِمُوا۟ بِحَبۡلِ ٱللَّهِ جَمِیعࣰا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا۟ۚ
Hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. (3:103)
Unity is OUR duty
The lesson here is that while Allah provides sustenance and protection, unity among the Ummah is a matter of collective effort, requiring us to show love, cooperation, and mutual respect in our Ummah. It is our duty not to fight each other. Unity can only come from our efforts. We need to come to together. Just as we cannot delegate the duty to pray to someone else, we cannot expect someone else to make us united. We need to work to reunite.
It is part of the fitan that we, despite being 2 billion Muslims, have no power.
Forgiveness and well-being
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was deeply concerned for the safety and unity of his Ummah—both from external enemies and internal discord to the extent it made him weep. This is why he (peace be upon him) taught us to pray for forgiveness and well-being.
After yaqeen (certainty) and imaan (faith) in Allah, the greatest blessings are afu (forgiveness) and afiyah (well-being). If you have forgiveness from Allah then you have secured entry to Jannah, and if you have afiyah, then you have a good life in the dunya. Even if you are poor, as long as you have afiyah, your quality of life is good. However even if you are very wealthy, if you do not have afiyah, you cannot enjoy your wealth or your life.
One day, Abbas, the Prophet’s uncle, asked him to teach him a special supplication. The Prophet (peace be upon him) told him to ask for afu and afiyah. Abbas went away, but did not feel satisfied, so he returned and asked the same question again. However the Prophet (peace be upon him) explained that there was nothing better than this.
وعن أبي الفضل العباس بن عبد المطلب رضي الله عنه قال: قلت يا رسول الله: علمني شيئًا أسأله الله تعالى، قال: ”سلوا الله العافية” فمكثت أيامًا، ثم جئت فقلت: يا رسول الله: علمني شيئًا أسأله الله تعالى، قال لي: ”يا عباس يا عم رسول الله سلوا الله العافية في الدنيا والآخرة”.
Abul-Fadl Al Abbas bin Abdul-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to teach me a supplication. He (peace be upon him) said, “Beg Allah for safety (from all evils in this world and in the Hereafter).” I waited for some days and then I went to him again and asked him: “O Messenger of Allah Teach me to supplicate something from Allah.” He said to me, “O Al Abbas, the uncle of the Messenger of Allah! Beseech Allah to give you safety (afiyah) in this life and in the Hereafter.” (Tirmidhi)
‘Afiyah extends beyond physical health; it also includes mental and spiritual well-being. The Prophet (peace be upon him) frequently asked Allah Almighty for afiyah, praying for good health and protection from pain and illness for himself and for the Ummah. He continuously asked Allah Almighty for well-being and we should repeat it as well:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْعَفْوَ وَالْعَافِيَةَ
O Allah I ask you for forgiveness and wellbeing. [Ibn Majah]
Afiyah encompasses all aspects of well-being—physical, mental, and spiritual— affecting our deen, dunya, akhirah. It is a comprehensive blessing that touches every facet of life and the Hereafter.
وَعَنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي بَكْرَةَ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي: يَا أَبَتِ أَسْمَعُكَ تَقُولُ كُلَّ غَدَاةٍ
اللَّهُمَّ عَافِنِي فِي بَدَنِي اللَّهُمَّ عَافِنِي فِي سَمْعِي اللَّهُمَّ عَافِنِي فِي بَصَرِي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا أَنْتَ
تُكَرِّرُهَا ثَلَاثًا حِينَ تُصْبِحُ وَثَلَاثًا حِين تمسي فَقَالَ: يَا بُنَيَّ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَدْعُو بِهِنَّ فَأَنَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ أستن بسننه.
‘Abd ar-Rahman b. Abu Bakra said that he remarked to his father that he had heard him say every morning, “O God, grant me afiyah soundness in my body; O God, grant me afiyah soundness in my hearing; O God, grant me afiyah soundness in my sight. There is no god but Thee and that he repeated it three times morning and evening. He replied, “Sonny, I heard God’s messenger using these words as a supplication and I like to follow his practice.” (Abu Dawud)
We all want protection from inward and outward fitan, which include physical and mental illness. Illness can disrupt life, limiting our ability to execute plans, pursue dreams, and achieve goals. Illness forces one to prioritise survival over progress. When faced with the choice between wealth and health, many may prioritise wealth, but they eventually spend all that wealth in pursuit of health. Health is far more valuable than wealth.
We ask Allah to grant us forgiveness and wellbeing and to protect us from the fitan and bring relief to all those suffering throughout the world. Ameen.
Based on the khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim 10th Jan 2025
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- What made the Prophet (peace be upon him) cry?
Shaykh Haytham Tamim
Shaykh Haytham Tamim is the founder and main teacher of the Utrujj Foundation. He has provided a leading vision for Islamic learning in the UK, which has influenced the way Islamic knowledge is disseminated. He has orchestrated the design and delivery of over 200 unique courses since Utrujj started in 2001. His extensive expertise spans over 30 years across the main Islamic jurisprudence schools of thought. He has studied with some of the foremost scholars in their expertise; he holds some of the highest Ijazahs (certificates) in Quran, Hadith (the Prophetic traditions) and Fiqh (Islamic rulings). His own gift for teaching was evident when he gave his first sermon to a large audience at the age of 17 and went on to serve as a senior lecturer of Islamic transactions and comparative jurisprudence at the Islamic University of Beirut (Shariah College). He has continued to teach; travelling around the UK, Europe and wider afield, and won the 2015 BISCA award (British Imams & Scholars Contributions & Achievements Awards) for Outstanding Contribution to Education and Teaching.
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