Someone asked me the reason for the delay in the burial of Prophet Muhammad for three days. I was told this was due to the Caliphate. Is this true?

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds.  I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, passed away on Monday in the month of Rabee’ Al-Awwal, at forenoon. The Companions prepared his funeral on Tuesday and placed him on the bed in his room; thereafter, people went in groups to perform funeral prayer upon him. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was buried that night, i.e. before the morning of Wednesday. The details are mentioned in the books of Hadeeth (narrations) and Seerah (the biographies of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam).

The delay of his burial was for many reasons. Some of them are: no one led the funeral prayer, so people entered in his room in small groups to perform the funeral prayer. They had different opinions before reaching a point of consensus concerning many matters, for instance the manner in which the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, should be washed, the place he should be buried in and the leadership of the Ummah (Muslim nation) after his death, etc.

The death of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was a catastrophic event for the Muslims; they did not immediately recover their senses. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was the most beloved person to them, and this made it nearly impossible for them to bury him. Faatimah said to Anas “Were you able to put soil on the body of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and bear that?”

Allaah Knows best.