From the signs of this departure was the following...

From the signs of this departure was the following: First , the Holy Qur'an was reviewed to him twice in that year whereas it was reviewed to him once a year before. [1] Therefore, he felt that his inevitable death was near. [2] He began announcing his coming death to the Muslims. He said to his daughter Fatima (a.s.), “Gabriel used to review the Qur'an to me once every year, but this year he reviewed it to me twice.

I do not see that for anything except that my death is near.” [3] Second , the following verses were revealed to him, (Surely you shall die and they (too) shall surely die. Then surely on the Day of Resurrection you will contend one with another before your Lord). [4] After the revelation of these verses, Muslims heard him saying, “I wish I knew when that shall be.” Third , the Sura of an-Nasr was revealed to him and he felt that his death was about to come.

After that, he often kept silent for [1] Gabriel used to recite the whole Qur'an to the Prophet (a.s.) once every year. [2] Al-Khasa’is al-Kubra, vol. 2 p. 268. [3] Tareekh ibn al-Atheer, vol. 5 p. 523. [4] Qur'an, 39:30-31.

a while in the prayer, and when Muslims asked him why, he said, “I am consoled for my life (I have been told that I am about to die).” [1] The farewell Hajj When the Prophet (a.s.) was certain that he would soon leave to the better world, he saw that he should make a pilgrimage to the Inviolable House and to show to his nation the ways of its rescue and deliverance that would keep it safe from disasters and seditions and make it prevail over the nations of the earth.

Therefore, he performed the hajj to the Kaaba to announce there before all Muslims that that was the last year that Muslims could see him among them. He said, “I do not know.

Perhaps, I will not meet you after this year in this place forever.” The hajjis felt worried and they said one to another: “the Prophet informs about his death.” In order to assure a good future for his nation, the Prophet (a.s.) said, “O people, I leave among you the two weighty things; the Book of Allah and my progeny, my household.” When the Prophet (a.s.) finished the rites of the hajj, he stopped at the well of Zamzam and ordered Rabee’ah bin Khalaf to stand beside him and to repeat loudly what he would say.

The Prophet (a.s.) said (before the hajjis), “Do you know which country this is? Do you know which month this is?