شق الصدر
The Incident of the Splitting of the Chest of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
Translated by: Reza Ervani bin Asmanu
This article about the Splitting of the Chest of Prophet Muhammad is part of the Life of Prophet Muhammad
فكان صلى الله عليه وسلم يشب في يومه شباب الصبي في الشهر ، ويشب في الشهر شباب الصبي في سنة ،
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would grow in one day like a child grows in a month, and he would grow in a month like a child grows in a year.
قالت : فقدمنا على أمه فقلنا لها : ردي علينا ابني فإنا نخشى عليه وباء مكة ، قالت : ونحن أضن شيء به مما رأينا من بركته ، قالت : ارجعا به ،
Halimah said: We came to his mother and said: “Return my son to us, for we fear he may be struck by the plague of Mecca.” His mother replied: “We are most reluctant to let him go, for we have witnessed his blessings.” Then she said: “Take him back with you.”
فمكث عندنا شهرين فبينا هو يلعب وأخوه خلف البيوت يرعيان بهما لنا ، إذ جاء أخوه يشتد ، فقال : أدركا أخي قد جاءه رجلان فشقا بطنه ،
So he stayed with us for two months. One day, while he was playing with his brother behind the houses as they tended the animals for us, his brother suddenly came running and said: “Hurry! My brother has been approached by two men who split open his chest!”
فخرجنا نشتد ، فأتيناه وهو قائم منتقع اللون ، فاعتنقه أبوه وأنا ، ثم قال : ما لك يا بني ؟ قال : أتاني رجلان فأضجعاني ثم شقا بطني فوالله ما أدري ما صنعا ، فرجعنا به .
We rushed quickly and found him standing pale-faced. His father embraced him, as did I, and then asked: “What happened to you, my son?” He replied: “Two men came to me, laid me down, and split open my chest. By Allah, I do not know what they did.” So we brought him back.
قالت : يقول أبوه : يا حليمة ما أرى هذا الغلام إلا قد أصيب ، فانطلقي فلنرده إلى أهله . فرجعنا به إليها ،
His father said: “O Halimah, I think this boy has been afflicted by something. Let us return him to his family.” So we took him back to his mother.
فقالت : ما ردكما به ؟ فقلت : كفلناه وأدينا الحق ، ثم تخوفنا عليه الأحداث .
His mother asked: “Why have you returned him?” I replied: “We have cared for him well and fulfilled the trust, but we feared that he might be harmed.”
فقالت : والله ما ذاك بكما ، فأخبراني خبركما ، فما زالت بنا حتى أخبرناها .
His mother said: “By Allah, that is not the reason. Tell me the truth.” She kept pressing us until we finally told her what had happened.
قالت : فتخوفتما عليه ؟ كلا والله إن لابني هذا شأنا ، إني حملت به فلم أحمل حملا قط كان أخف منه ولا أعظم بركة ، ثم رأيت نورا كأنه شهاب خرج مني حين وضعته أضاءت لي أعناق الإبلببصرى ، ثم وضعته فما وقع كما يقع الصبيان ، وقع واضعا يديه بالأرض رافعا رأسه إلى السماء ، دعاه ، والحقا شأنكما .
His mother said: “So you feared for him? No! By Allah, my son has a great destiny. When I carried him, I never experienced a pregnancy lighter than his nor one more full of blessing. When I gave birth to him, I saw a light like a shooting star emerge from me, illuminating the necks of the camels in Busra. Then, when I placed him on the ground, he did not fall as other infants do, but he landed with his hands placed firmly on the earth and his head raised toward the sky. So leave him be and mind your own affairs.”
هذا حديث جيد الإسناد .
This is a hadith with a good chain of transmission.
قال أبو عاصم النبيل : أخبرني جعفر بن يحيى ، قال : أخبرنا عمارة بن ثوبان أن أبا الطفيل أخبره ، قال : رأيت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ، وأقبلت إليه امرأة حتى دنت منه ، فبسط لها رداءه فقلت : من هذه ؟ فقالوا : أمه التي أرضعته . أخرجه أبو داود .
Abu ‘Āshim al-Nabīl said: Ja‘far ibn Yahya told me, ‘Umārah ibn Thawbān told us, that Abu al-Ṭufail said: “I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). A woman approached him until she drew near, and he spread his cloak for her.” I asked: “Who is this?” They replied: “This is his foster mother who nursed him.” Reported by Abu Dawud.
قال مسلم : حدثنا شيبان ، قال : حدثنا حماد ، قال : حدثنا ثابت ، عن أنس : أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أتاه جبريل وهو يلعب مع الغلمان ، فأخذه فصرعه فشق قلبه ، فاستخرج منه علقة ، فقال : هذا حظ الشيطان منك ، ثم غسله في طست من ذهب بماء زمزم ، ثم لأمه ، ثم أعاده في مكانه ، وجاء الغلمان يسعون إلى أمه ، يعني مرضعته ، فقالوا : إن محمدا قد قتل ، فاستقبلوه منتقع اللون . قال أنس : قد كنت أرى أثر المخيط في صدره .
Imam Muslim narrated: Anas said, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was playing with the boys when Jibreel came to him, took hold of him, laid him down, split his chest, and removed a clot of blood, saying: “This is the portion of Satan in you.” Then he washed it in a golden basin with Zamzam water, stitched it back, and returned it to its place. The boys ran to his foster mother saying: “Muhammad has been killed!” They met him with his face pale. Anas said: “I used to see the mark of the stitching on his chest.”
وقال بقية ، عن بحير بن سعد ، عن خالد بن معدان ، عن عبد الرحمن بن عمرو السلمي ، عن عتبة بن عبد ، فذكر نحوا من حديث أنس . وهو صحيح أيضا ، وزاد فيه : ” فرحلت – يعني ظئره -بعيرا ، فحملتني على الرحل ، وركبت خلفي حتى بلغنا إلى أمي فقالت : أديت أمانتي وذمتي ، وحدثتها بالذي لقيت ، فلم يرعها ذلك ، وقالت : إني رأيت خرج مني نور أضاءت منه قصور الشام .
Another narration added that after this incident, his foster mother saddled a camel, placed me on the saddle, and rode behind me until we reached his mother. She said: “I have fulfilled my trust and duty,” and she told her what had happened. His mother was not alarmed and said: “I saw a light emerge from me that illuminated the palaces of Sham.”
وقال سليمان بن المغيرة ، عن ثابت ، عن أنس ، قال : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : ” أتيت وأنا في أهلي ، فانطلق بي إلى زمزم فشرح صدري ، ثم أتيت بطست من ذهب ممتلئة حكمة وإيمانا فحشي بها صدري قال أنس : ورسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يرينا أثره- فعرج بي الملك إلى السماء الدنيا ” . وذكر حديث المعراج .
Anas narrated from Sulaiman ibn al-Mughīrah that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “I was approached while I was among my family, and I was taken to Zamzam where my chest was opened. Then I was brought a golden basin filled with wisdom and faith, and my chest was filled with it.” Anas said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) showed us its mark.” Then the angel ascended with me to the lowest heaven. He then mentioned the story of the Mi‘raj.
وقد روى نحوه شريك بن أبي نمر ، عن أنس ، عن أبي ذر . وكذلك رواه الزهري ، عن أنس ، عن أبي ذر أيضا . وأما قتادة فرواه عن أنس ، عن مالك بن صعصعة ، نحوه . وإنما ذكرت هذا ليعرف أن جبريل شرح صدره مرتين : في صغره ووقت الإسراء به .
Similar narrations were reported by Sharik ibn Abi Namr from Anas from Abu Dharr, and likewise by al-Zuhri from Anas from Abu Dharr. Qatadah narrated it from Anas from Malik ibn Sa‘sa‘ah in a similar manner. I mention this so it may be known that Jibreel split his chest twice: once in his childhood, and once during the Isra’ (Night Journey).
Source: Siyar A’lam an Nubala
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