Among those who side with the majority view—namely, that the Qur’an first descended upon him (Allah bless him and grant him peace) when he was forty years old—there is one who therefore maintained that he lived fifty-eight years in total. This is exceedingly strange.

Yet we have another report transmitted through Musaddad, from Hāshim ibn Ḥassān, from al-Ḥasan, who said: “The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) passed away at the age of sixty.” (1)

Khalīfah ibn Khayyāṭ (2) likewise relates: “Abū ʿĀṣim narrated to us, from Ashʿath, from al-Ḥasan, who said, ‘The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) was commissioned when he was forty-five; he remained in Mecca for ten years, in Medina for eight, and died at the age of sixty-three.’ Such a report, in this form, is extremely odd; Allah knows best.

THE MANNER IN WHICH HE WAS WASHED (Allah bless him and grant him peace)

We have already mentioned that they (Allah be pleased with them) were occupied with the pledge of allegiance to al-Ṣiddīq for the remainder of Monday and part of Tuesday. When that affair had become settled, firmly established, and concluded, they turned thereafter to prepare the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) for burial, consulting Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (Allah be pleased with him) in every matter that perplexed them.

Ibn Isḥāq (3) states: “When Abū Bakr had been given the pledge, the people devoted themselves to the preparation of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) on Tuesday.” We have already cited Ibn Isḥāq’s narration—through ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Qāsim, from his father, from ʿĀʾishah—that “The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) died on Monday and was buried on the night preceding Wednesday.”

Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah (4) reports: “Abū Muʿāwiyah told us; Abū Burdah narrated, from ʿAlqamah ibn Marthad, from Sulaymān ibn Buraydah, from his father, who said: ‘When they began to wash the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace), a caller from within called out, “Do not remove (5) the Prophet’s shirt.”’” Ibn Mājah (6) records the same through Abū Muʿāwiyah, from Abū Burdah—whose name was ʿAmr ibn Yazīd al-Tamīmī of Kūfah.

Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq relates: “Yahyā ibn ʿAbbād ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Zubayr narrated to me, from his father, who said: I heard ʿĀʾishah say: ‘When they intended to wash the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) they said, “We do not know whether we should strip the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) of his garments, as we do with our dead, or wash him while his clothes remain on him.” While they were uncertain, Allah cast sleep upon them until not a single man remained but that his chin had dropped onto his chest; then a speaker addressed them…’” (7)