Anas, who used to follow the Prophet ﷺ, serve him, and accompany him, reported that Abu Bakr was leading the people in prayer during the illness in which the Prophet ﷺ passed away. When Monday came and they were standing in rows for the prayer, the Prophet ﷺ drew aside the curtain of the chamber and looked at us while standing, his face like a page of the Quran. Then he smiled and laughed, and we were nearly distracted out of joy at seeing the Prophet ﷺ. Abu Bakr stepped back on his heels to join the row, thinking that the Prophet ﷺ was coming out for the prayer. But the Prophet ﷺ gestured to us to complete our prayer, then he let the curtain fall. He passed away that very day.
- وكان تبع النبي ﷺ وخدمه وصحبه- أن أبا بكر كان يصلي لهم في وجع النبي ﷺ الذي توفي فيه، حتى إذا كان يوم الاثنين وهم صفوف في الصلاة فكشف النبي ﷺ ستر الحجرة ينظر إلينا وهو قائم كأن وجهه ورقة مصحف، ثم تبسم يضحك، فهممنا أن نفتتن من الفرح برؤية النبي ﷺ، فنكص أبو بكر على عقبيه ليصل الصف، وظن أن النبي ﷺ خارج إلى الصلاة، فأشار إلينا النبي ﷺ: أن أتموا صلاتكم، وأرخى الستر، فتوفي من يومه.
Bukhari narrated it in adhan (680) and Muslim in prayer (419:98), both from the hadith of Ibn Shihab Zuhri, who said, "Anas bin Malik informed me," and he related it.His saying, "as if his face were a leaf of the mushaf," is an expression of striking beauty, fine complexion, and the clarity and radiance of the face. There are three pronunciations of the word "mushaf," with damma, kasra, or fatha on the mim, as Nawawi noted.His smile was because the rites of Allah would continue to be upheld after him, and because the people would unite behind his brother Abu Bakr Siddiq .