you be to me in the station of Aaron to Moses? For Moses appointed Aaron over his family, saying: “Take my place among my people and set things right; do not follow the path of those who spread corruption” (Q 7:142). The Prophet ﷺ therefore said to him, “Are you not pleased to be to me as Aaron was to Moses—except that there will be no prophet after me?”

ʿAlī then came out from the Messenger ﷺ during the illness in which he passed away. When the Prophet ﷺ fell ill he would still divide his time equally among his nine wives, except for Sawdah bint Zamʿah, who had given her day to ʿĀʾishah. But when the illness intensified he began to say, “Where shall I be tomorrow? Where shall I be tomorrow?”—meaning: when will it be ʿĀʾishah’s turn? So the wives, may Allah be pleased with them, permitted him to remain in ʿĀʾishah’s house, and he stayed there until he died.

ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked, “How did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wake up this morning?” He replied, “He woke up, praise be to Allah, in a state of recovery.” This shows that when a person cannot reach the sick himself, he should enquire about him from whoever sees him—