Dispute about who would succeed him (Peace be upon him) broke out even before having the
Messenger of Allâh’s body prepared for burial. Lots of arguments, discussions, dialogues took place  between the Helpers and Emigrants in the roofed passage (portico) of Bani Sa‘ida. Finally they  acknowledged Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) as a caliph. They spent the whole Monday  there till it was night. People were so busy with their arguments that it was late night — just about  dawn of Tuesday — yet his blessed body was still lying on his bed covered with an inked-garment. He  was locked in the room.
On Tuesday, his body was washed with his clothes on. He was washed by Al-‘Abbas, ‘Ali, Al-Fadl and
Qathm — the two sons of Al-‘Abbas, as well as Shaqran — the Messenger’s freed slave, Osamah bin
Zaid and Aws bin Khauli. Al-‘Abbas, Al-Fadl and Qathm turned his body round, whereas Osamah and
Shaqran poured out water. ‘Ali washed him and Aws leant him against his chest.
They shrouded him in three white Sahooli cotton cloth which had neither a headcloth nor a casing and  inserted him in.
A sort of disagreement arose with regard to a burial place. Abu Bakr said: “I heard the Messenger of
Allâh (Peace be upon him) say: ‘A dead Prophet is buried where he dies.’ So Abu Talhah lifted the bed  on which he died, dug underneath and cut the ground to make the tomb.
People entered the room ten by ten. They prayed for the Prophet (Peace be upon him). The first to  pray  for him were people of his clan. Then the Emigrants, then the Helpers. Women prayed for him after  men. The young were the last to pray.
This process took Tuesday long and Wednesday night (i.e. the night which precedes Wednesday  morning). ‘Aishah said: “We did not know that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was being buried till  we heard the sound of tools digging the ground at the depth of Wednesday night.”