What Was the Splitting of the Prophet's (PBUH) Chest, and When Did It Happen?
ما هي حادثة شق صدر الرسول صلى الله عليه و متى وقعت؟
He was four or five years old, and he was still in Bani Saad. Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Jibrīl came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) while he was playing with his playmates. He took hold of him, laid him on the ground, split open his chest, took the heart out and then extracted a blood clot out of it and said: “That was the devil’s share in you.” Then he washed it with Zamzam water in a golden basin and then joined the wounded parts together after he restored the heart to its place. The boys came running to his mother, i.e. his wet nurse, and said: “Muhammad has been killed.” They rushed to him and found his color was changed.
Halima feared for him after this incident, and took him back to his mother, so he stayed with his mother until he was six years old.
كان عمره عليه الصلاة والسلام اربع او خمس سنوات ، وكان مازال في بني سعد ، روى مسلم عن أنس أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه، أتاه جبريل ، وهو يلعب مع الغلمان، فأخذه فصرعه، فشق عن قلبه ، فاستخرج القلب ، فاستخرج منه علقة ، فقال : هذا حظ الشيطان منك ، ثم غسله في طست من ذهب بماء زمزم، ثم لامه، ثم أعاده إلى مكانه، وجاء الغلمان يسعون إلى حليمة ، فقالوا ان محمدا قد قتل، فوجدته حليمة وهو منتقع اللون
وخشيت عليه حليمة بعد هذه الوقعة، فردته إلى أمه ، فكان عند أمه آمنة إلى أن بلغ ست سنوات.
1. The Occurrence in the Desert of Banu Sa'd | وقوع الحادثة في بادية بني سعد في الطفولة المبكرة
Around age four or five, while playing with other children near Halimah's encampment, angel Gabriel came to him. Gabriel took hold of Muhammad, laid him on the ground, and performed a miraculous physical and spiritual purification on his chest.
أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ (سورة الشرح: 1)
وقعت الحادثة والرسول ﷺ في نحو الرابعة أو الخامسة من عمره يلعب مع الصبيان في بادية بني سعد، فأتاه جبريل عليه السلام فأخذه فصرعه وشق صدره الشريف تمهيداً لعصمته وتطهيره.
2. Removing the Clot: Satan's Share | استخراج حظ الشيطان وتطهير القلب المبارك
Gabriel removed the Prophet's heart and extracted from it a single black blood clot, announcing: "This was the portion of Satan in you." By removing this susceptibility to evil, Allah made Muhammad naturally repulsed by idol worship, obscenity, and sins throughout his pre-prophetic youth.
وَوَضَعْنَا عَنكَ وِزْرَكَ الَّذِي أَنقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ (سورة الشرح: 2-3)
أخرج جبريل قلب النبي ﷺ واستخرج منه علقة دم سوداء قائلاً: "هذا حظ الشيطان منك"، فطهره الله بذلك من أصل الميل للوساوس والمعاصي، فنشأ معصوماً يبغض الأوثان والفواحش بفطرته النقية.
3. Washing with Zamzam Water in a Gold Basin | غسله بماء زمزم في طست من ذهب
Gabriel washed the purified heart inside a golden basin using water from the blessed well of Zamzam. He then joined it and returned it to its place, and Anas later reported seeing the trace of the stitching on his chest (Sahih Muslim).
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا (سورة الشمس: 9)
غسل جبريل القلب الطاهر في إناء من ذهب بماء زمزم المبارك، ثم لأمه ورده إلى موضعه. وشهد خادمه أنس بن مالك رضي الله عنه أنه كان يرى أثر المخيط في صدر النبي ﷺ.
4. The Alarm of the Children and Halimah's Return | فزع الغلمان وقلق حليمة وخوفها عليه
The other boys witnessed Gabriel seize him and ran terrified to Halimah and her husband, crying: "Muhammad has been killed!" They rushed to the scene and found the young boy standing upright, pale but calm and unharmed. Fearing for his safety, Halimah decided to return him to his mother in Mecca.
وَاللَّـهُ يَعْصِمُكَ مِنَ النَّاسِ (سورة المائدة: 67)
ارتعب الغلمان حين رأوا المشهد، فركضوا فزعين إلى حليمة وزوجها يصيحون: "إن محمداً قد قُتل!" فهرعا إليه ليجداه قائماً منتقع اللون سالماً، فخافت حليمة على حياته وقررت رده إلى أمه بمكة حفظاً له.
5. Divine Inviolability of the Final Messenger | الدلالة العقدية على كمال العصمة الإلهية
Shaqq al-Sadr was repeated once more prior to the Night Journey (Isra and Mi'raj). It stands in Sunni creed as an unmistakable physical reality proving the Prophet's complete protection from demonic influence, preparing both his body and soul for direct divine revelation.
إِنَّ عِبَادِي لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطَانٌ (سورة الإسراء: 65)
تعد حادثة شق الصدر حقيقة حسية ثابتة في صحيح السنة تكررت قبل رحلة الإسراء والمعراج؛ دلالة على إعداد النبي جسداً وروحاً لتحمل ثقل الوحي، وحفظه الدائم من مداخل الشياطين ليبلغ رسالة ربه كاملة.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Where did the incident of the splitting of the chest occur?
In the desert of Banu Sa'd while Prophet Muhammad was a young child living with Halimah.
Who performed the splitting of the chest?
Angel Gabriel (Jibril), according to the hadith in Sahih Muslim.
What did Gabriel remove from the Prophet's heart?
He extracted a dark clot of blood and said: "This was the part of Satan in you" (Sahih Muslim 162).
What was his heart washed with?
It was washed with Zamzam water in a golden basin; filling the heart with faith and wisdom is reported in the second splitting before the Night Journey.