The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), who was the highest example of loyalty, fealty and fairness, would never deny a favour of any one; therefore the death of Hazrat Abu Talib (as) had left a deep effect upon him. He became so distressed and felt the great gap the absence of his uncle caused.
As soon as Imam Ali (a.s.) told him of the bad news of the disaster, his eyes began to flow with tears. After he wiped off his tears, he ordered Ali (a.s.) in a sad voice saying: “Go to wash him, enshroud him and bury him! May Allah forgive him and have mercy upon him.”
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) ordered Ali, and no one at all would think that Ali was not a Muslim, to wash his father (to do the ghussl). Islam wouldn’t permit a Muslim to wash an unbeliever.
After Ali (a.s.) had washed his dead father and the body of the supporter of Islam had been carried on the shoulders of the men, Ali (a.s.) came back to tell the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.). The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) stood up in front of the body of his uncle to escort him with signs of praise and glorification and to be sincere to his favours he had done to Islam.
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) said: “O uncle! Mercy may be upon you and you may be rewarded with good. You brought me up and adopted me when I was a child and you assisted and supported me when I became a man.”
The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) participated in the funeral until his uncle was buried then he said: “By Allah, I will pray Allah to forgive you and I will intercede for you that the mankind and the jinn will be surprised.”
Then the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) added to his word this lament: “Ah father! Ah Hazrat Abu Talib (as)! O uncle, how bitter my sorrow is! How can I forget you! You brought me up when I was a child, responded to me when I was a man and I was for you as the pupil for the eye and as the soul for the body.”
This was evidence by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) proving the faith of Hazrat Abu Talib (as) when saying: “... responded to me when I was a man ...”
But now as the fortress, which protected the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) from the evils of the Quraysh, was ruined when the defending lion was put in the grave, the beasts of the Quraysh found the way empty and guard less.
So they began to harm the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) with all kinds of harm, torment, mockery and bitter insult; therefore the image of Hazrat Abu Talib (as) would have never left the mind of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) especially at this moment when he felt that he was in extreme need of him.
Once he came into his house and his hair was stained with dust that some of the impudent of Quraysh had poured upon his head. His daughter became sad and began to cry. She tried to remove the dust from her father’s head. He calmed her down saying: “Don’t cry my daughter! Allah (s.w.t.) protects your father.”
Then he added after remembering the past of his uncle Hazrat Abu Talib (as) when no one could dare to touch a hair of him: “Quraysh couldn’t hurt me until Hazrat Abu Talib (as) died!”
On every occasion such words came out of his mouth expressing his longing to his uncle and his need of him and of his glorious past: “O uncle! How sudden I felt your absence!”
Allah (s.w.t.) willed to try his Messenger. It was fated that he had to face two disasters each of them was bitterer that the other. Nearly in the same days he lost two supporters, who so often assisted and supported him in his distresses; Hazrat Abu Talib (as), with his powerfulness and strength, who had prevented the Quraysh from daring to do any harm to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and Khadeeja, with her money, kindness, emotion, loyalty and devotedness, who so often assisted him against the distresses, eased his pains and nursed his wounds.
He lost both of them in a very critical time. The wide space would be narrow and the existence would be dark to him, unless he didn’t trust in Allah (s.w.t.) and depend upon Him besides the full mercy of Allah (s.w.t.).
He lost them after those hard years they had spent in the She’b when his uncle was more than eighty years old. Those years were full of strife and struggle and therefore they gave good fruits and left a great glory, which became greater and greater later on.
After Hazrat Abu Talib (as) no shelter remained for the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) to resort to in Mecca. That defensive fortress, which protected him from the disasters, was demolished and the supporter, who sacrificed everything for him, was no longer alive.
In the midst of his distress and pain, the Angel revealed to him this divine order: “Go out of it (Mecca)! Your supporter has died.”