By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz
      
“In the Messenger of Allah there is certainly for you an Excellent Exemplar, for those who look forward to Allah and the Last Day, and remember Allah greatly.” (Holy Qur’an 33:21)
We are on the eve of that tragic day in history when the Best of creation, the Last and Greatest of Divine Messengers, and the Excellent Exemplar for the Godwary, left the mortal world on completion of his 23-year mission. 
As the man with the universal message, prophesied by all prophets of the past such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and others (peace upon them), Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) needs no introduction, since his universal message of Islam was revealed in the full limelight of history, and all events of his life are fully recorded.
To better understand the position of the Seal of Messengers and his lasting legacy for the human race, here are parts of a supplication from his great-grandson and 4th Infallible Heir, Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS), which is a testimony to his unrivalled status in the sight of God. 
“Praise belongs to Allah, Who was kind to us through Mohammad (Allah bless him and his progeny) to the exclusion of past communities and bygone generations, displaying thereby His power, which nothing can render incapable, though it be great, and nothing can escape, though it be subtle.
“O Allah, bless Muhammad, entrusted by You with Your revelation, distinguished by You among Your creatures, devoted to You among Your servants, the Imam of mercy, the Leader of good, the key to blessing.
“O Allah, so raise him, because of his striving for Your sake, to the highest degree of Your Garden, that none may equal him in status, none may match him in level, and no angel brought nigh or prophet sent out may parallel him in Your sight.”
Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), born in the monotheistic Hashemite clan in direct descent from Prophet Ishmael (AS) the firstborn son of Prophet Abraham (AS), passed away – attained martyrdom due to food poisoning – at the age of 63 years, after revolutionizing the society of Arabia and bequeathing to all humanity the blueprint of a civilized life and perpetual bliss in the Hereafter.
Raised as an orphan by his loving uncle Abu Taleb (AS), he departed from the mortal world with his head resting on the lap of his dearest cousin, ward, son-in-law, and Divinely-Designated Vicegerent, Imam Ali Ibn Abi Taleb (AS), and his daughter Fatema Zahra (SA) and her two sons Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Husain (AS) nearby. 
Imam Ali (AS), as the closest person to Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), after having received the mysteries, washed and prepared for burial the body of his cousin and father-in-law, as was commanded by the latter. 
During the funerary bath of the Prophet, the Imam sighed: “May my father and mother be sacrificed for you O Messenger of Allah! By your departure, the things that have ceased that did not end with the death of any other person, are Prophethood, Divine Revelation, and the News from Heaven; If you had not enjoined us with patience and forbidden impatience, we would have exhausted our tears for you, until our conditions become worsened.”
Later Imam Ali (AS) disclosed that while bathing the bathing the Prophet, celestial angels had descended to assist him. “The house and the courtyard were full of unseen clamour. Angels were descending and ascending. Their whisperings did not leave my hearing. They were praying to Allah for him.”
It is clear that except for Imam Ali (AS), members of the Hasehmite clan, and a few loyal companions of the Prophet, the majority of those who used to hover around him were sadly not present at his funeral due to preoccupation with unwarranted political maneuverings for leadership that was not theirs.  
The Prophets of God toiled relentlessly to irrigate the plant of religion, after sowing the seeds of purity and virtues in human communities. Their goal was to guide people towards monotheism, or the worship of the One and Only God, Who has no partners or associates. The Prophets strove to establish peace, justice and equity in the society, by warning people against the cardinal crime
“In the Messenger of Allah there is certainly for you an Excellent Exemplar, for those who look forward to Allah and the Last Day, and remember Allah greatly.” (Holy Qur’an 33:21)
We are on the eve of that tragic day in history when the Best of creation, the Last and Greatest of Divine Messengers, and the Excellent Exemplar for the Godwary, left the mortal world on completion of his 23-year mission. 
As the man with the universal message, prophesied by all prophets of the past such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and others (peace upon them), Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) needs no introduction, since his universal message of Islam was revealed in the full limelight of history, and all events of his life are fully recorded.
To better understand the position of the Seal of Messengers and his lasting legacy for the human race, here are parts of a supplication from his great-grandson and 4th Infallible Heir, Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS), which is a testimony to his unrivalled status in the sight of God. 
“Praise belongs to Allah, Who was kind to us through Mohammad (Allah bless him and his progeny) to the exclusion of past communities and bygone generations, displaying thereby His power, which nothing can render incapable, though it be great, and nothing can escape, though it be subtle.
“O Allah, bless Muhammad, entrusted by You with Your revelation, distinguished by You among Your creatures, devoted to You among Your servants, the Imam of mercy, the Leader of good, the key to blessing.
“O Allah, so raise him, because of his striving for Your sake, to the highest degree of Your Garden, that none may equal him in status, none may match him in level, and no angel brought nigh or prophet sent out may parallel him in Your sight.”
Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), born in the monotheistic Hashemite clan in direct descent from Prophet Ishmael (AS) the firstborn son of Prophet Abraham (AS), passed away – attained martyrdom due to food poisoning – at the age of 63 years, after revolutionizing the society of Arabia and bequeathing to all humanity the blueprint of a civilized life and perpetual bliss in the Hereafter.
Raised as an orphan by his loving uncle Abu Taleb (AS), he departed from the mortal world with his head resting on the lap of his dearest cousin, ward, son-in-law, and Divinely-Designated Vicegerent, Imam Ali Ibn Abi Taleb (AS), and his daughter Fatema Zahra (SA) and her two sons Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Husain (AS) nearby. 
Imam Ali (AS), as the closest person to Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), after having received the mysteries, washed and prepared for burial the body of his cousin and father-in-law, as was commanded by the latter. 
During the funerary bath of the Prophet, the Imam sighed: “May my father and mother be sacrificed for you O Messenger of Allah! By your departure, the things that have ceased that did not end with the death of any other person, are Prophethood, Divine Revelation, and the News from Heaven; If you had not enjoined us with patience and forbidden impatience, we would have exhausted our tears for you, until our conditions become worsened.”
Later Imam Ali (AS) disclosed that while bathing the bathing the Prophet, celestial angels had descended to assist him. “The house and the courtyard were full of unseen clamour. Angels were descending and ascending. Their whisperings did not leave my hearing. They were praying to Allah for him.”
It is clear that except for Imam Ali (AS), members of the Hasehmite clan, and a few loyal companions of the Prophet, the majority of those who used to hover around him were sadly not present at his funeral due to preoccupation with unwarranted political maneuverings for leadership that was not theirs.  
The Prophets of God toiled relentlessly to irrigate the plant of religion, after sowing the seeds of purity and virtues in human communities. Their goal was to guide people towards monotheism, or the worship of the One and Only God, Who has no partners or associates. The Prophets strove to establish peace, justice and equity in the society, by warning people against the cardinal crime
 of worshipping idols, indulging in superstition, and committing sins and vices.
The Almighty Creator had sent Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) as “Mercy unto the entire creation” (Holy Qur’an 21:107). His monotheist mission included completion of the most sublime morals. He transformed nations from fratricidal and fragmented races into the monolithic Ummah of Islam, without the superficial differences of ethnicity, colour of skin, language, class or geographical barriers. He opened up horizons of knowledge, wisdom, science and civilization. Allah in several Ayahs lauds the excellent characteristics of His Last and Greatest Messenger and calls him “Most Excellent Exemplar” for the entire humanity, for practical demonstrating whatever he preached. 
The Lord Most High Himself sends blessing on His Dearest Prophet: “Indeed Allah and His angels bless the Prophet; O you who have faith! Invoke blessings on him and invoke Peace upon him in a worthy manner.” (33:56)
Allah, along with testimony to His Own Indivisible Unity, thus decreed that the Name and Designation of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) continuously rings every single moment on Planet Earth as it revolves on its axis and the timings of the five-times-a-day ritual prayer differ from place to place. 
This will continue forever as is evident by the “Azaan” recited in mosques as well as by persons praying individually in their homes at differing times. The name ‘Muhammad’ (SAWA) is an inspiration for the seekers of truth and justice, and that is the reason Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion. 
There are two main factors for the spread of Islam’s message. The flawlessly eloquent wordings of the Holy Qur’an that none can ever match, and the perfect personality of the Prophet whose pristine teachings his legitimate heirs, the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt retained and promulgated, even though his political role was usurped by opportunists masquerading as caliphs.
The famous Hadith Thaqalayn, acknowledged by all Muslim denominations is a firm testimony to the pivotal position of Allah’s Revealed Word and the Infallible Progeny of the Prophet. 
The Prophet, who had always projected Imam Ali (AS) as his “Wasee” (Testamentary Legatee) and formally proclaimed him as Vicegerent on Divine Orders at the field of Ghadeer-Khom two months and ten days before his departure from the mortal world, said in clear words that his rightful successors are twelve. The last one to rise in the end times as Qaem al-Mahdi (AS) to cleanse the world of all oppression and corruption and fill it will peace, prosperity, and justice.
Here is a glimpse of the last moments of the Prophet’s 63-life. In “Khasa’es of Nasa’i”, which is an authoritative book of our Sunni brethren, compiled over a thousand years ago, Umm Salamah, a wife of the Prophet narrates:
“By Allah, the closest person [to the Prophet] at the time of the Prophet’s death was (Imam) Ali. Early on the morning of the day when he was to die, the Prophet called Ali who was out on some errand. He asked for Ali three times before his return. Ali came and we thinking that the Prophet needed some privacy with him came out. I was the last to be out; therefore, I sat closer to the door than the other women. I saw Ali lowered his head towards the Prophet and the Prophet kept whispering into his ears. Thus, Ali is the only person who was near the Prophet till the last.”
The tragic 28th of Safar, 39 years later in 50 AH saw the martyrdom of his elder grandson Imam Hasan Mojtaba (AS) – a victim through poisoning by the usurper caliph Mu’awiya. The last day of Safar happens to be the martyrdom anniversary of another Infallible Heir of the Prophet. In 203 AH, Imam Reza (AS) was the victim in Khorasan of another usurper caliph – Mamoun the Abbasid. This is indication of the firm bond between the Prophet and his Infallible Progeny.