Hadith: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) went out and supplicated for the martyrs of the battle of Uhud eight years after (their death), as if he was bidding farewell to the living and the dead

عن عقبة بن عامر رضي الله عنه : أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم خرج إلى قتلى أحد، فصلى عليهم بعد ثمان سنين كالمُوَدِّعِ للأحياء والأموات، ثم طلع إلى المنبر، فقال: «إني بين أيديكم فَرَط ٌوأنا شهيد عليكم وإن مَوْعِدَكُمُ الحَوْضُ، وإني لأنظر إليه من مقامي هذا، ألَا وإني لست أخشى عليكم أن تُشركوا، ولكن أخشى عليكم الدنيا أن تَنَافَسُوهَا» قال: فكانت آخر نظرة نَظَرْتُها إلى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم . وفي رواية: «ولكني أخشى عليكم الدنيا أن تنافسوا فيها، وتَقْتَتِلوا فتَهْلِكوا كما هلك من كان قبلكم». قال عقبة: فكان آخر ما رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم على المنبر. وفي رواية قال: «إني فَرَطٌ لكم وأنا شهيد عليكم وإني والله لأنظر إلى حوضي الآن، وإني أُعْطِيتُ مَفَاتِيحَ خَزَائِنِ الأرض، أو مَفَاتِيحَ الأرض، وإني والله ما أخاف عليكم أن تشركوا بعدي، ولكن أخاف عليكم أن تَنَافَسُوا فيها».
[صحيح] - [متفق عليه]

‘Uqbah ibn ‘Āmir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: One day, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) went out and supplicated for the martyrs of the battle of Uhud eight years after (their death), as if he was bidding farewell to the living and the dead. He then ascended the pulpit and said: "I shall be the precursor before you; I am a witness for you (before Allah), your promised place to meet me will be the Cistern of Al-Kawthar; and I am (now) looking at it from this place of mine. I am not afraid that you will worship others besides Allah, but I am afraid that the worldly life will tempt you and cause you to compete with each other for it." That was my last sight of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). According to another narration: “…but I am afraid that you will compete over the worldly life, whereupon you will kill each other for it and perish as past nations did.” ‘Uqbah (may Allah be pleased with him) added: “This was the last time I saw the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) on the pulpit.” According to a third narration, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “I will be there ahead of you, and I will be your witness. By Allah, I can see my Cistern now. I am given the keys to the treasures of the earth, or the keys to the earth. By Allah, I do not fear that you will associate others with Allah after I am gone, but I fear that you will compete with one another for them (the treasures of the earth).”
[Authentic hadith] - [Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim]

Explanation

Eight years after the battle of Uhud, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) went out to the place where the martyrs of that battle are buried and supplicated for them. He then went up the stairs of the pulpit and made a speech as if bidding farewell to people. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told the people that: - He was seeing his Cistern and he would precede them to it. - He was a witness for them. - His Ummah would possess the treasures of the earth. - He did not fear that his Ummah would associate others with Allah in worship; rather, he feared something else, which the people are drawn to faster; that the worldly life would open up before them and that they then compete with each other for it and fight for it, so it destroys them as it destroyed the previous nations. ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Āmir (may Allah be pleased with him) concluded by saying that this was the last time that he saw the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) on the pulpit.