His recent position

وقال ولد الددو الشنقيطي في معرض كلامه: النكبة الأولى كانت وفاة الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم، وكان الوحي أشد ما يكون تتابعا، والنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في أوج قوته، —–وقد ترك الأمة في حال لم يحدد فيها طريقة اختيار الحاكم، ولم يعين لهم حاكما معينا. وهذا كان سببا لأزمة ارتدت فيها فئات من المسلمين، مما أدى إلى تأسيس الخلافة بعد ذلك.”

Translation

“The first calamity was the death of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Revelation had been descending in rapid succession, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was at the height of his strength. He left the Ummah in a state where he had not specified a method for selecting a ruler, nor appointed a particular ruler for them. This led to a crisis in which factions among the Muslims turned back (apostatized), which in turn led to the establishment of the Caliphate thereafter.”

His old position

نتحدث هنا عن ستّ نكبات كبرى، وأولُها وفاةُ رسولِ الله ﷺ. فقد انتقل إلى الرفيق الأعلى من غير أن يفرض دستورًا مكتوبًا للأمّة، ولا أن يحدّد طريقةً مُلزِمة لاختيار الحاكم أو مساءلته أو عزله، ولم يُسمِّ حاكمًا بعينه. وقد ترتّب على ذلك أزمةٌ كبيرة زلّت فيها طوائف من المسلمين.

ومع أنّ الوحي كان قد تكامل ونزل متتابعًا، وكان النبي ﷺ في ذروة قوته وأثره، إلا أنه لم يُقنّن للأمة أسلوبَ الحكم تفصيلًا، ولم يُفوِّض به شخصًا أو أسرةً بعينها، ولم يقل: يحكمكم فلان ثم فلان؛ على خلاف ما صنعه في قيادات الجيوش—كما في بعث مؤتة حين قال: أميرُكم زيد، فإن قُتل فجعفر، فإن قُتل فعبدُالله بن رواحة، فإن قُتل فليتّفق المسلمون على رجلٍ منهم. هذا الضبطُ التفصيليّ لم يجعله في الشأن العامّ للحكم.

وقد توفّاه الله وهو يهمّ أن يكتب للأمّة شيئًا ينظّم هذه المسائل، لكنّ الله حال بينه وبين ذلك؛ وفي هذا حكمةٌ إلهية واختيارٌ ربانيّ، إذ لا ينبغي أن يُحسَم أمرُ الحكم بنصٍّ قاطعٍ من الوحي؛ لما يعتري حياةَ الناس من تطوّرٍ وتنوّعٍ واختلافِ آراء عبر الأزمنة. فلو حُسِم يومئذٍ بنصٍّ ملزِمٍ واحد، لربما كان ذلك سببًا في صراعاتٍ ودماءٍ لا تنتهي—ومع أنّ الفتن وقعت على كلّ حال، إلّا أنّ ذلك من قضاء الله النافع وحكمته.

الخلاصة: لم تُحسَم قضيّة الحكم بنصٍّ وحْييٍّ قاطع، وتُركت للاجتهاد، رحمةً بالأمّة واتّساعًا لظروفها عبر العصور.

Translation

We are speaking here about six major calamities, the first of which is the passing of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He departed to the Highest Companion without imposing a written constitution on the Ummah, without defining a binding method for selecting, holding to account, or removing a ruler, and without naming a specific successor. This led to a major crisis in which some groups among the Muslims slipped.

Although revelation had been completed and had come in succession, and the Prophet ﷺ was at the height of his influence and impact, he did not codify a detailed system of governance for the community, nor did he delegate it to a particular person or family, nor did he say, “So-and-so shall rule you, then so-and-so”—unlike what he did with army leadership. In the expedition of Muʾtah, for example, he said: “Your commander is Zayd; if he is killed, then Jaʿfar; if he is killed, then ʿAbdullāh ibn Rawāḥah; if he is killed, let the Muslims agree upon one of themselves.” Such detailed designation he did not apply to the public matter of rule.

Allah took him in death while he was inclined to write something for the Ummah to organize these issues, but Allah prevented that; and in this lies divine wisdom and choice: the matter of rule should not be settled by a definitive text of revelation, given the development, diversity, and differences of opinion that unfold through the ages. Had it been settled then by a single binding text, it might have been a cause of endless conflict and bloodshed—and although trials did occur regardless, that too was Allah’s beneficial decree and wisdom.

In summary: The issue of governance was not resolved by a conclusive revelatory text; it was left to ijtihād—as a mercy to the Ummah and an allowance for its changing circumstances across the ages.

What’s mistaken in the statement (intended or not)

1) “The Prophet’s passing was a calamity—and this caused the Ummah to deviate.”

نعم: كانت وفاةُ النبيّ ﷺ أعظمَ نكبةٍ للأمّة؛ لأنّها اقترنت بانقطاع الوحي. وقد بَكَت أمُّ أيمنٍ رضي الله عنها لهذا المعنى، وقالت: «ما أبكي أنّي لا أعلم أنّه حيث صار خيرٌ له، ولكن أبكي لانقطاع الوحي من السماء»؛ فبكى أبو بكرٍ وعمرُ رضي الله عنهما معها.

Yes: the Prophet’s death ﷺ was the Ummah’s greatest calamity because it marked the cessation of revelation. Umm Ayman (ra) wept for this very reason—saying, “I do not cry because I do not know he is in a better place, but because revelation has ceased”—so Abū Bakr and ʿUmar (ra) wept with her. (Reported in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)

لكن ربطُ ذلك بـ انحرافٍ عامٍّ للأمّة غيرُ دقيق؛ فالذين ارتدّوا أو تمردوا كانوا طوائف محدودة، ولم يكونوا السوادَ الأعظم من المسلمين، ولا يمثّلون جماعةَ الأمّة.

But tying his passing to a Ummah-wide deviation is inaccurate. Those who apostatized or rebelled were limited groups; they did not represent the main body of the Muslims, nor the Ummah’s normative mainstream.

ثم إنّ النبي ﷺ زكّى صدرَ هذه الأمّة ووعدَ باستمرار طائفةٍ منصورةٍ على الحقّ؛ ممّا ينقض دعوى “الانقلاب العام” بعد وفاته:

Moreover, the Prophet ﷺ affirmed the integrity of this Ummah’s earliest generations and promised the continued presence of a group aided upon the truth—undermining the claim of a “general overturn” after his passing.

«خَيْرُ النَّاسِ قَرْنِي، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ…»
“The best of people are my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them…” [al-Bukhārī & Muslim]

«لَا تَزَالُ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي عَلَى الْحَقِّ ظَاهِرِينَ…»
“A group from my Ummah will continue upon the truth (manifest) until the command of Allah comes.” [al-Bukhārī & Muslim]

الخلاصة
كان انقطاعُ الوحي بفقدِه ﷺ أعظمَ المصاب، لكنّ القول بـ“انحراف الأمّة كلّها” غير صحيح؛ فقد بقي السوادُ الأعظم على   الهُدى، وتشهد الأحاديث بصلاح الصدر الأوّل واستمرار طائفةٍ ظاهرةٍ على الحقّ إلى قيام الساعة.

(Summary):

The cessation of revelation with his ﷺ passing was the greatest calamity; however, claiming that “the entire Ummah deviated” is incorrect. The great majority remained upon guidance, and the ḥadīths testify to the righteousness of the earliest generation and the continued presence of a manifest group upon the truth until the Last Hour.

“Saying revelation was ongoing, he was at peak strength, and had only twenty gray hairs—therefore his ﷺ passing was sudden or ‘too early’—implicitly questions Allah’s wisdom.”

Response: His death occurred precisely at the divinely appointed time and after completion of the mission. The “twenty gray hairs” remark is irrelevant to divine timing and does not signal an unfinished mission.

First principle: Death occurs only at its appointed time—never “too soon”

﴿وَمَا كَانَ لِنَفْسٍ أَنْ تَمُوتَ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ كِتَابًا مُؤَجَّلًا﴾
“No soul can die except by Allah’s permission, at a decreed time.” (Āl Imran 3:145)

﴿وَلِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلٌ﴾
“For every nation there is a term.” (al-A’rāf 7:34)

إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُمْ مَيِّتُونَ
“Indeed, you are to die, and indeed, they are to die.” (al-Zumar 39:30)

Implication: Calling the Prophet’s ﷺ death “premature” implicitly questions Allah’s ḥikmah (wisdom) and qadar (decree). The Qur’ān states plainly: no one dies before or after the decree.

Evidence 1: The religion was perfected before his passing

الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ
“Today I have perfected your religion for you…” (al-Ma’idah 5:3)

This verse, revealed near the end of his life, establishes that the core mission was complete. A “premature” passing is incompatible with explicit perfection and completion announced by Allah.

Evidence 2: Sūrat al-Nasr itself signaled the nearness of his departure

The Sūrah:
 إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ وَالْفَتْحُ . وَرَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ أَفْوَاجًا. فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَاسْتَغْفِرْهُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ تَوَّابًا
“When the help of Allah comes and the victory, and you see people entering Allah’s religion in crowds, then glorify the praises of your Lord and seek His forgiveness; surely He is ever-Accepting of repentance.”

Ibn ʿAbbās and Umar’s understanding (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Tafsīr Sūrat al-Naṣr):
Ibn ʿAbbās (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhumā) explained that Sūrat al-Naṣr indicated the Prophet’s term had drawn near—a view ʿUmar (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu) affirmed:

«إنها أجلُ رسولِ الله ﷺ أعلمه اللهُ له» فقال عمر: «ما أعلم منها إلا ما تقول».

 “It (Sūrat al-Nasr) is the term of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ which Allah informed him of.” ʿUmar said: “I know of it nothing except what you say.”

Implication: The Qur’ān itself—by the understanding of the most learned youth (Ibn ʿAbbās) and the second Caliph (ʿUmar)—announced closure, not “unfinished business.”

Evidence 3: He consciously chose the Highest Companion at death

1. A) General rule for all Prophets

ما من نبيٍّ يُقبضُ حتى يُرى مقعدَه من الجنّةِ ثم يُخيَّر»

English: “No prophet is ever taken (in death) until he is shown his place in Paradise, then he is given the choice.”
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (e.g., 4437; also in Muslim with similar meaning) — narrated from ʿĀʾishah(raḍiyallāhu ʿanhā).

1. B) The Prophet ﷺ applied this to himself (the “servant given a choice”)

 «إن عبدًا خُيِّر بين الدنيا وبين ما عند الله فاختار ما عند الله» — قالت ʿĀʾishah: ففهم أبو بكر أنه رسول الله ﷺ فبكى…

“Indeed, a servant was given the choice between (the life of) this world and what is with Allah, so he chose what is with Allah.” ʿĀʾishah says: Abū Bakr understood that the “servant” was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so he wept.
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (e.g., 3654; 4432) and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim.

1. C) His final words confirm the choice

«اللَّهُمَّ الرَّفِيقَ الأَعْلَى»

“O Allah, (I choose) the Highest Companion.” ( Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)  (reports of his last moments).

Implication:
These narrations show that the Prophet’s ﷺ passing was neither sudden nor “premature.” In line with the sunnat al-anbiyāʾ (the way of the prophets), he was shown his place and given the choice, and he chose the Highest Companion. His death therefore occurred exactly at its appointed, wise time, after the mission’s completion—not “too soon.”

Evidence 4: The final illness, prayer-leadership, and immediate succession show preparedness—not “suddenness”

• In his last illness, the Prophet ﷺ instructed that Abū Bakr lead the prayer repeatedly (Bukhārī/Muslim). This strong signal of precedence aided the community’s swift consensus.
• The Companions applied shūrā (consultation) and bayʿah (pledge) at once (Saqīfah), and the Caliphate was established immediately with Abū Bakr (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu).
• The Muslims implemented the principles he laid out (the Successors are from Quraish), and the matter is Shura.
• Early rebellions (Ridda) were caused by false prophets, tribal secession, and the refusal of zakāh, not because the Prophet ﷺ died “too soon” or left a vacuum.

Implication: The Ummah was not blindsided. Prophetic principles and precedents were in place; the community moved smoothly from Prophethood to Caliphate—another sign of Allah’s perfect timing.

About “twenty gray hairs”

Reports mentioning the Prophet ﷺ had around twenty white hairs relate to his appearance, not to the timing or readiness of his departure. Youthful appearance does not negate:

1. Completion of dīn (Q 5:3),
2. Qur’anic notice of nearing term (Sūrat al-Naṣr),
3. His conscious choice of the Highest Companion, and
4. The preparation of the community for immediate succession.

Conclusion (one paragraph)

To claim the Prophet ﷺ died “suddenly at full strength” (as if “too early”) implicitly questions Allah’s wisdom. The Qur’ān states that death occurs only at its decreed time; it also announces the perfection of dīn and—by Sūrat al-Naṣr—signals the nearness of his passing. The Sunnah records that he chose the Highest Companion at death; the Companions recognized cessation of revelation as the only cause for tears; and the Ummah moved immediately to the Caliphate by shūrā & bayʿah. All of this shows a mission completed on time, with divine wisdom—not a life cut short.

Part II (in shā Allāh):  will address the claim that the Prophet ﷺ did not leave a formal “constitution,” and the further implication that he knew it but was prevented from stating it—an assertion that parallels certain Shīʿī viewpoints. We will examine this claim against the Qur’an, the authentic Sunnah, and the practice (ijmāʿ and application) of the Companions.