Indexed OCR Text

Sîratul-Mustafa
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his chest. Now they are busy stitching him up." On hearing this,
Halîmah and her husband were left bewildered in shock. In a
tumultuous uproar, both of them darted across to the grazing
field where they saw the young boy standing to one side
looking ashen-faced. Halimah says, I clutched him to my
bosom to comfort him and his milk-father also held him onto
his chest and asked him what happened. He then gave an
account o what transpired." Halimah then returned home with
him. Narrated by Abû Y'alâ and Tabrânî with a reliable chain
of narrators. [Sîrat Ibn Hisham volume 1 page 56, also see
Majm'a Al-Zawaid volume 8 page 221]
The splitting open of his chest occurred four times in
Rasûlullah 's life:
The first time was when he was merely a boy of four in the care
of Halimah S'adiyyah. He was on the grazing-field when two
angels, Jibraîl and Mîkâîl appeared as men in white garments
bearing a golden tray laden with ice. They cut open his chest
and removed his heart. They then split open his heart and fished
out a few pieces of congealed blood and said: "This is Saytân's
portion." They then washed his heart with ice water in the tray
and returned it to its original location after which they stitched
him up. They also cast a seal (of prophethood) between his
shoulder blades.
This incident of the splitting of the chest whilst in the custody
of Halîmah S'adiyyah is narrated by a number of Sahabah in a
range of Ahadîth. The first narration is reported by 'Utbah bin
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،Abd 52 رضي الله عنه as quoted in Musnad Ahmad and Tabrani.
'Utbah' narration is also cited in Mustadrake Hâkim volume 2
page 616. Hâkim comments that this narration of 'Utbah tallies
.رحمة الله عليه with the conditions laid down by Imam Muslims3
52 This Hadîth of 'Utbah bin 'Abd Al-Sulamî is extracted by Ahmad Tabrânî
and others. He says that he asked Rasûlullah # what his early days were
like. He thereafter recalls the days he was nurtured in Banû S'ad. In it he
also mentions that when the two angels split his chest open, one of them
asked the other to stitch him up and the other complied. And he also
branded him with the seal of prophethood. [Fathul-Bârî volume 6 page 409
chapter on the seal of prophethood]
53 One of the narrators of this Hadîth is Baqiyyah bin Walid, which is why
some authors are reluctant to accept this Hadîth to be on the terms of Imam
Muslim. 'Abdullah bin Mubarak, Yahyâ bin Ma'în, Abû Zur'ah 'Ajalî and
Ibn S'ad say that Baqiyyah bin Walid in his own is reliable if he narrates
Ahadîth from reliable sources otherwise not. Imam Nasaie says that
Baqiyyah bin Walîd's narrations are acceptable if he narrates with words
like "Akhbaranâ" or "Haddathanâ" and if he narrates with words like 'an,
his narrations are not acceptable. [Tahzîb volume 1 pages 474-475] Bear in
mind that although this narration is cited with the phrase 'an in Talkhîs, but
in Mustadrak it is cited with the phrases "Haddathana" and "Akhbaranâ" as
follows: "Baqiyyah bin Walid narrated to us; he said, Buhair bin Sa'îd
narrated to me from Khalid bin M'adân from 'Utbah bin 'Abd Al-Sulamî
dicail si). So, Baqiyyah bin Walid narrates from a reliable narrator. Not
from some unknown, mysterious or untrustworthy narrator. He narrates
from Buhair bin Sa'îd. And Buhair bin Sa'îd has been declared reliable by
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And Hâfiz Zahabî does not challenge the authentication of
Hâkim in his Talkhîs of Mustadrak. After narrating this Hadîth
of 'Utbah ورضى الله عنه 'Allamah Haythami says: "Narrated by
Ahmad and Tabrânî and the chain of narrators cited by Ahmad
is satisfactory.
The second narration:
Narrated by Hadrat Abu Zar رضى الله عنه as cited in Musnade
Bazzar, Dârmî etc. 'Allâmah Zarqânî deali , says: "There
is absolutely no doubt about the authenticity of the Hadîth of
Abû Zar Lical, because Hâfiz Diyâud-Dîn Muqaddasî
endorses the authenticity of this Hadîth in his book Mukhtarah.
And the 'Ulama maintain that the approval of Hafiz Diyâud-
Dîn Muqaddasî as far as the authenticity of a Hadîth is
concerned is more dependable and reliable than the approval of
Hâkim.54
This Hadith of Abu Zar رضي الله عنه is also cited in Dalailu-Abi
Nu'aim. Hâfiz 'Asqalânî writes in Fathul-Barî that this Hadîth
of Abu Zar رضي الله عنه is quoted in Musnade Ahmad and Dalailu
Bayhaqî. [Fathul-Bârî volume 6 page 409]
Ahmad bin Hambal, 'Ajalî, Ibn S'ad, Nasaîe, Abû Hâtim and Ibn Hibbân.
[Tahzîb volume 1 page 421]
54 'Allâmah Zarqâni's actual words are: "I would respond that there is no
doubt in the soundness of this chain of narrators because Diya has approved
of it and the 'Ulama maintain that his declaration of authenticity is more
superior and reliable than the declaration of Hâkim. [Zarqânî volume 1 page
161]
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The third narration:
Narrated by Hadrat Anas bin Malik رضى الله عنه as quoted in
Tabqât Ibn S'ad. [Volume 1 page 97] All its narrators have
been accepted and declared reliable by Bukhârî and Muslim.55
Fourth narration:
Narrated by Ibn 'Abbas رضي الله عنه as quoted by 'Allamah
Suyûtî with reference to Bayhaqî and also quoted by Ibn
‘Asâkir in Khasais. [Al-Khasaisu Al-Kubra volume 1 page 55]
Fifth narration:
Narrated by Shaddad bin Aus رضي الله عنه as quoted by Hafiz
'Asqalânî in Fathul-Bârî in the chapter of Khâtamun-Numuwah
and also quoted by 'Allâmah Zarqânî in Sharah Mawâhib
55 The narration in question is as follows: We have been informed by Yazîd
bin Hârûn and 'Affân bin Muslim who said that Hammad bin Salimah
narrated to them from Thâbit who in turn narrates from Anas bin Malik
that Rasulullah # was once busy playing with some children رضي الله عنه
when a person came and seized him and cut open his stomach (or chest). He
then extracted a fragment of congealed blood and hurled it away saying:
"This is from you the portion of Shaytân." He then washed it in a golden
tray with Zam Zam water after which he stitched him up. The other children
scurried away to his foster mother shrieking that Muhammad has been
killed. She rushed out to Rasûlullah % and found him looking pale." Hadrat
Anas رضي الله عنه says: "We were able to catch a glimpse of the scars left by
the stitches on his chest." [Tabqat Ibn S'ad, chapter on the signs of
prophethood before Islâm, volume 1 page 97]
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volume 1 page 150 with reference to Musnad Abû Y'alâ and
Dalâil Abû Nu'aim.
Sixth narration:
The narration of Khalid bin M'adân the Tâbi'ie. This narration
is quoted as a Mursal narration in Tabqât Ibn S'ad volume 1
page 96. However, according to the chain of narrators cited by
Muhammad bin Ishâq, Khâlid bin M'adân says that a group of
Sahabah رضي الله عنهم mentioned to me the incident of the slitting
open of the chest ..
56">
[Sîrat Ibn Hisham volume 1 page 56
and page 175] After quoting this Hadîth by Muhammad bin
Ishaq, Hâfiz Ibn Kathîr says that this is a strong and reliable
chain of narrators.57
56 This Hadith of Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه is quoted by Hafiz 'Asqalani in
Fathul-Bârî under the chapter dealing with the verse 'Allâh Ta'âlâ spoke to
•"عليه السلام Musa
57 The narration of Hadrat 'Ayishah رضي الله عنها as quoted by Abu Nu'aim
has two narrators within its chain who are critically analysed. The first is
Yazîd bin Bânbûs. Abû Hâtim says Yazîd bin Bânbūs is an unknown but
Dâr Qutnî says that he is not a problem. In other words, he is a dependable
narrator. Ibn Hibbân considers him amongst the reliable narrators. [Tahzîb
volume 11 page 316] Hâfiz Muzayy says in Tahzîbul-Kamâl: "Ibn Hibbân
counts him (Yazîd bin Bânbûs, the aforementioned narrator) amongst the
reliable narrators. Bukhârî narrates from him in Adab. Abû Dâwûd narrates
from him and Tirmizî in Shamâil. Nasaie also narrates from him. [Tahzîbul-
Kamâl volume 7 page 221]
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In the narrations of Ibn 'Abbas, Shaddad bin Aws and Khalid
bin M'adân, although some of the narrators are declared
unreliable, thus resulting in these narrations being declared
unreliable when viewed individually, but the unreliability of a
Hadîth is diminished when narrated by a number of chains of
narrators. Secondly, if an apparently weak narration is reported
by a number of Sahabah رضي الله عنهم and in a variety of chains of
narrators, such a weak Hadîth may unquestionably corroborate
and support an authentic Hadîth. A combination of a number of
weak Ahadîth lends more authenticity and strength to an
authentic Hadîth.
Now the question arises as to why no mention is made, in the
Ahadîth dealing with M'irâj, of the splitting of the chest that
occurred in childhood or why don't other narrations make
The second narrator in question Dawud bin Al-Muhabbar. Some scholars
have declared him a liar but Yahyâ bin Ma'în says he is reliable and not a
liar. Abû Dâwûd says he is reliable but a little inclined to weakness. Nasaie
says he is an unreliable narrator. [Tahzîb]
Nonetheless, this Hadîth is nothing less than the status of 'not a problem' in
the parlance of the scholars. Furthermore, when the chain of Abû Dawud
Tayâlisî is attached to this Hadîth, it adds more weight to its authenticity.
This is why Hafiz Ibn Mulaqqin and Hafiz 'Asqalânî interpret the status of
this Hadîth to be Thâbit (established). Hâfiz Ibn Mulaqqin's words are as
follows: "And the splitting if the chest is also established when Rasûlullah
was bestowed with prophethood as extracted by Abû Nu'aim in Dalâil."
And in Sharah Bukhari, 'Allâmah 'Asqalânî's words are similar. In fact, his
words are the same. [Volume 7 page 387]
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mention of this splitting that transpired in childhood but make
mention of the occasions? We respond that this is no proof of
its unreliability. It is illogical to assert that the lack of reference
to something is an implication that the thing does not exist.
Take the case of the Ahadîth dealing with M'iraj; these Ahadîth
are narrated by at least fifty different Sahabah رضي الله عنهم but
each Sahâbî's narration differs slightly from the other in that
one may mention certain issues that the other didn't. Regard
these narrations also in the same light. Perhaps some narrators
made mention of the splitting of the chest that took place in
M'iraj whilst others only mentioned the one that occurred in
childhood whilst some narrators made mention of both. The
incident of Rasûlullah 's chest being split open occurred at
various times and in several locations and each incident is
starkly different from the rest. The mention of just one incident
does not necessarily mean that the other incident did not occur.
The second time this incident of the splitting of the chest
occurred was when Rasûlullah % was ten years old. This is
narrated on the authority of Hadrat Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه in
Sahîh Ibn Hibbân and Dalâil Abû Nu'aim etc. [Sîrat Ibn
Hishâm volume 1 page 56]
Hâfiz Muqaddasî quotes Hadrat Abû Hurayrah's Hadîth in
Mukhtarah and 'Abdullah bin Ahmad quotes the same in
Zawâidu Musnad with a complete chain of narrators. 'Allâmah
Zarqânî says that the chain of narrators in Zawâidu Musnad
constitutes exceptionally reliable narrators. [Zarqânî volume 1
page 183]
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"Narrated by 'Abdullah and all the narrators narrating this
Hadîth are reliable. Ibn Hibban has declared them reliable. And
this Hadîth is also cited in Sahîh Muslim on the authority of
Hadrat Anas رضي الله عنه .[Fathul-Bari, chapter on the signs of
prophethood in Islâm]
The third time this incident of the splitting of the chest occurred
was when Rasûlullah % was bestowed with prophethood. This
is cited in Musnad Abû Dâwûd Tayâlisî page 215 and in
Dâlâilu Abû Nu'aim volume 1 page 69 on the authority of
رضي الله عنها Hadrat 'Ayeshah
In their respective commentaries on Bukharî, Ibn Mulaqqin58
and Hafiz 'Asqalânî in Fathul-Barî under the chapter of M'iraj
in the section dealing with the verse 'and Allâh Ta'âlâ
communicated with Mûsâ aulade', both of them have
acknowledged the authenticity of the splitting open of the chest
that occurred at the time Rasûlullah # was bestowed with
prophethood. Furthermore, the fact that this incident occurred
when Rasûlullah % was being commissioned with prophethood,
is additionally corroborated by a Hadîth quoted in Musnad
- رضي الله عنه Bazzar on the authority of Hadrat Abu Zar Ghiffari
'Allamah Haythami says: "This Hadith of Abu Zar رضي الله عنه is
different from another Hadîth also by Abû Zar that appears in
Bukhârî under the chapter dealing with M'irâj. This former
Hadîth is narrated by reliable narrators all found in Bukhârî
58 Hâfiz Ibn Mulaqqin's hand-written commentary on Bukhârî is available in
Âsifah library, Hyderabad, Dakkan.
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except 'Abdullah bin 'Uthmân Al-Kabîr who is declared
reliable by Abû Hâtim Râzî and Ibn Hibbân. However, 'Uqailî
has cast some doubt over his reliability in Hadîth.
The fourth time the incident of the splitting of the chest
occurred in M'irâj. This is narrated in Bukhârî, Muslim,
Tirmizî, Nasaie and other kitâbs on the authority of Hadrat Abû
Zar ucalus). The Ahadîth dealing with this are Mutawatir
and Mashhûr (successively and unanimously acknowledged).
In short, the four occasions of the splitting of Rasûlullah 's
chest is established from authentic and reliable Ahadîth.
According to some narrations, a fifth occasion is also cited
when Rasûlullah was twenty years old. However, the
Muhaddithîn
unanimously declare such narrations as
unreliable.
The reality of 'the splitting of the chest'
In Mawahib, 'Allâmah Qastalânî and in Sharah Mawâhib,
‘ Allâmah Zarqânî writes:
"Whatever has been mentioned regarding the splitting of the
chest and the withdrawal of the heart and other such
paranormal occurrences have to be accepted as they are without
deviating from their reality. After all, nothing is impossible
before the power and influence of Allah Ta'âlâ. This is the
view of Imâm Qurtubî in his book Al-Mufahham. ‘Allâmah
Tîbî, Hâfiz Taurbushtî, ‘Allâmah Suyûtî and Hâfiz 'Asqalânî in
his book Fath, also endorse this opinion favouring the splitting
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of the chest in its literal sense. This is corroborated by a Hadîth
that makes mention of the Sahabah actually catching sight of a
line of stitching-scars on Rasûlullah 's chest. 'Allâmah Suyûtî
says: "Some contemporary ignoramuses blatantly refute the
reality of the splitting of the chest and reinterpret it in a
figurative sense. (Several contemporary biographers are also
inclined to this view. They assert that the splitting of the chest
is not in its literal sense but rather it refers to Sharah Sadr
(metaphorical expansion of the chest). This is downright
ignorance and absolutely wrong. They embrace such absurd
theories because of their divine abandonment (they are not
favoured with divine guidance) and because of their irrational
obsession with philosophy and also because of their apathetic
detachment from the knowledge of the Sunnah. May Allâh
Ta'âlâ protect us all from this. Âmîn. [Zarqânî Sharah
Mawâhib volume 6 page 24]
To sum up, Shaqqus-Sadr (the splitting of the chest) is in the
literal sense of the word. Taking a metaphorical meaning of
Sharah Sadr (metaphorical expansion of the chest), which
refers to a exclusive type of knowledge is a blatant mistake.
The literal splitting of the chest is a totally exclusive miracle of
Rasûlullah ¿ whilst Sharah Sadr (metaphorical expansion of
the chest) is not exclusive to Rasulullah . From the times of
Abu Bakr رضى الله عنه and Umar رضي الله عنه right up to these
present times as well, the pious 'Ulamâ have been undergoing
this divine perception of Sharah Sadr (metaphorical expansion
of the chest). Furthermore, if the connotation of Sharah Sadr
were taken instead of the literal splitting of the chest, what
would be the meaning of the Hadîth that refers to the Sahabah
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actually catching sight of stitch-scars on Rasulullah رضي الله عنهم
's blessed chest? Would stitch-scars be visible if the
metaphorical Sharah Sadr occurred? Lâ Hawla wa Lâ
Quwwata Illâ Billâhil 'Aliyyil-'Azîm.
The rationale behind Shaqqus-Sadr (the splitting of the
chest)
The very first time Rasûlullah ¿ was subject to the splitting of
the chest in the care of Halimah S'adiyyah, a black blotch of
something was extracted from his heart. This in reality was
some constituent of sin that was removed from his heart. After
this extraction, his heart was washed probably to ensure that no
impression of sin remains behind. Additionally, his heart was
washed with ice because the intrinsic nature of sin is heat as
explained by Shaikh Akbar in Futûhât. So, in order to douse the
substance of sin, ice was used to wholly eradicate all hints of
sin and transgression. This is also evident from the Holy Quran
wherein Allâh Ta'âlâ declares:
"Those who unlawfully consume the wealth of the orphans are
actually consuming fire into their bellies."
This verse clearly reveals that unlawful wealth, no matter how
cool it may seem in this world, but in relation to the hereafter,
its very nature is no less intense than fire. Or for instance, the
nature of patience in this world is more bitter than a hanzal
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(colocynth59) but it would be far sweeter than honey in the
hereafter. And continue applying the same logic elsewhere.
It appears in a Hadîth that Rasûlullah said: "Charity
extinguishes sin just as water extinguishes fire." [Ahmad,
(رضي الله عنه Tirmizi on the authority of Mu'az bin Jabal
In yet another Hadîth it is reported: "Anger is from Shatân and
Shaytân was created from fire. (In other words, anger was
created from fire.) And fire is doused by water. So if anyone of
you is overcome with anger, he should perform Wudû." [Abû
Dâwûd]
Imam Ghazalî dealda, says: "He may perform Wudu either
with cold or warm (hot) water. Fire is composed of two basic
properties: heat and its nature to rise. In view of its first
intrinsic property, Rasûlullah % prescribed the treatment of
Wudû to combat anger. In other words, extinguish the heat of
the anger with water. And to combat the second intrinsic nature
of fire, i.e. to rise and flare up, Rasûlullâh % prescribed the
following remedy:
"When one of you is overcome with anger whilst he is
standing, he should sit down. If his anger subsides, well and
good otherwise he should lie down. [Ahmad and Tirmizî on the
[رضي الله عنه authority of Hadrat Abu Zar
59 A spongy bitter yellow fruit about the size of a lemon but speckled with
green. Use: laxative. [Encarta Concise English Dictionary, Bloomsbury,
2001 edition.]
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Anger triggers a sort of arrogance and pride in a person.
Rasûlullah # prescribed humility and self-abasement to combat
this malady. He advised us to sit or to lie down the moment we
are beset with fury. Bear in mind that you are created from the
very same smattering of soil. There is no need to turn into a
raging fire.
In Bukhârî, Muslim and other authentic Hadîth books it is
mentioned that Rasûlullah % would make the following Du'a
after Thanâ in Salâh:
Translation: "O Allâh! Cleanse my sins with the water of snow
and hail."
In this Du'â, Rasûlullah % makes reference to two things;
firstly, he indicated to the impurity of sins. He requested Allâh
Ta'âlâ to wash away his sins. Normally, only impurity is
washed away. There is no need to cleanse an already clean
item. The second detail he makes reference to in this Du'â is
the extremely high temperature of sin. This is why he requested
Allâh Ta'âlâ to douse his sins with water of snow and hail. If
there was only impurity in sins without any form of heat,
Rasûlullâh * would probably have requested that his sins be
washed in warm water instead of ice. However, coupled with
impurity, sins also comprise of heat. So together with the
purification of the contamination, cooling off and smothering
this heat is also required. Although the objective of purification
will be realised with the usage of warm water but the objective
of dousing or cooling off can only be exhaustively attained by
with the usage of ice and hail water. This is why Rasûlullah
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implored Allâh Ta'âlâ to cleanse his sins with cold water
instead of warm water. This is one of the reasons Imam Nasaie
infers from this Hadîth that the usage of cold water is more
virtuous than warm water. The line of reasoning behind this is
that the goal of Wudu and Salah is to extinguish the fire of sins
as evident from the Hadith of Abu Zar رضى الله عنه (relating to
the remedy for anger). And in M'ujam Tabrânî it is related on
the authority of Hadrat 'Abdullah bin Masud رضي الله عنه that
Rasûlullah ¿ said: "As the hour of Salah draws closer, a caller
from Allâh's side cries out: 'O children of Adam! Rise and
extinguish the fire you have ignited upon yourselves.' The true
believers then rise, perform Wudû and say their Salah. Allâh
Ta'âlâ then pardons their sins."
Just as we deduce from these verses and Ahadîth the intrinsic
nature of sins contains heat, similarly, we infer from the Hadîth
that the inherent nature of divine love is coolness. It appears in
the Ahadîth that Rasûlullah & would often make the following
Du'â:
Translation: "O Allâh! Render your love for me more beloved
to me than my own self, my family and more beloved to me
than cold water."
The intrinsic nature of cold water is obviously cold but the
intrinsic nature of the family is also cool as evident from the
following verse wherein Allâh Ta'âlâ broaches the Du'â of His
exceptional servants thus:
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Translation: "O our Lord! Grant us from our spouses and
children the coolness of the eyes." [Al-Furqan verse 74]
In other words, o Allah! Allow me to see them in Your
devotion and not in Your disobedience. This is so, because
devotion to Allâh Ta'âlâ is a source of coolness to a believer's
eye. And indisputably, only cool things can be as source of
coolness for the eye. We conclude that the intrinsic nature of
devotion to Allâh Ta'âlâ is cool whilst conversely; the nature of
disobedience to Allâh Ta'âlâ is hot because disobedience is
closely linked to hell-fire. This is why, Rasûlullah % combined
both family and cold water in the same Du'â; "O Allâh! Make
Your love more cherished to us than our families and cold
water." Âmîn.
According to Arabic grammarians, compatibility between the
M'atûf60 and M'atûf 'Alayh61 is not essential, as this is beyond
the field of their subject matter. However, according to the
literati, compatibility between the two is indispensable.
Therefore, it would be most inconceivable for the speech of
Rasûlullâh , who was the most eloquent in language, to be
bare of this compatibility between the M'atuf and M'atuf
‘Alayh.
Just as we deduced from the Quranic verses and Ahadîth that
the intrinsic nature of sins is heat whilst the nature of obedience
is coolness, similarly, I imagine the intrinsic nature of Mubâhat
60 First of two words or clauses joined together with a conjunction.
61 Second of two words or clauses joined together with a conjunction.
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(permissible things) to be perhaps moderate; neither cold nor
hot. And Allâh Ta'âlâ knows best.
The splitting of Rasûlullah 's chest that occurred whilst he
was a boy of ten was actually carried out to cleanse his heart of
the matter of fun and amusement because fun and amusement
makes one negligent of Allâh Ta'âlâ.
The third time that this splitting occurred when Rasûlullah
was bestowed with the mantle of prophethood. This was
executed to prepare the heart to bear the intricacies of Wahî
(divine revelation) and to withstand the spiritual knowledge of
Allâh Ta'âlâ.
The fourth occasion of this splitting of his chest took place in
M'iraj. This was carried out to ensure that Rasûlullah 's heart
withstands, amongst other things, the journey through the
celestial realms, the witnessing of divine Nur, heavenly
revelations, the intimate conversation with Allâh Ta'âlâ and so
that his heart can withstand without a trace of protest, the
divine speech of Allâh Ta'âlâ.
In short, this splitting of his chest took place on a few occasions
and the underlying wisdom for each occasion differed from the
others. The objective of such repeated splitting was to ensure
that his blessed and illuminated heart reaches the very
extremities of purity and spiritual illumination. For further
details, scholars may refer to Fathul-Bârî under the chapter on
M'irâj.
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Why the seal after the splitting?
When the aim is to secure something, a seal is normally placed
over it to ensure that whatever is within it does not fall out. For
instance, a seal is affixed to a bag of jewels to ensure no
precious stone rolls out. Similarly, Rasûlullah *'s heart was
imbued with divine knowledge and wisdom and then a seal was
affixed to an area between his shoulder blades so that nothing
escapes from this priceless treasure. [Khawâtimul-Hikam page
152]
Furthermore, with the splitting of the chest, just as the inner
depths of the heart was cleansed of Shaytan's portion,
similarly, a seal was cast between his shoulder blades a little
closer to the left in line with the heart so that the heart is well-
protected against satanic whisperings and external onslaughts.
This is the area from which Shaytan launches his attacks. It is
reported on the authority of 'Umar bin 'Abdul 'Azîz
Llealina, that a person asked Allâh Ta'âlâ to reveal to him
the route Shaytan employs to launch his spiritually destructive
onslaughts against the heart of a human being. Allâh Ta'âlâ
revealed to him the area between the shoulder blades more
towards the left in line with the heart as the entryway for
Shaytân. And when the servant remembers Allâh Ta'âlâ,
Shaytân promptly withdraws. [Rawdul-Anf volume 1 page 111]
In short, just as the interior of the heart was cleansed of
Shaytân's ruinous matter, so too was a seal cast onto his back
to impede Shaytân's probable access even from the outside.
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When was the seal cast?
According to some scholars, Rasûlullah % was born with the
seal of prophethood between his shoulder blades. The 'Ulamâ
of Banû Isrâîl identified him with this distinctive mark.
However, according to others, this seal was cast only after the
splitting of the chest. The former opinion is more authentic and
generally preferred, as some Ahâdîth explicitly mention
Rasûlullah being born with the seal of prophethood.
Nonetheless, it wouldn't be bizarre to maintain that the Ahadîth
that mention the seal to be cast after the splitting of the chest
are actually referring to a renewal of the old casting. If this
interpretation were acknowledged, all the ostensibly conflicting
narrations would now be consistent with one another. [Zarqânî
volume 1 page 160/163]
The phenomenon of the splitting of the chest left Halimah
exceptionally alarmed. She was anxious over Rasûlullah 's
well being. For fear of him coming to any harm, she returned to
Makkah and described to his mother what transpired. Upon
hearing what happened to the child, Hadrat Aminah was in no
way left panic-stricken. She then recalled the divine Barakat
(blessings), Nûr and good she experienced during pregnancy
right up to birth. She then affirmed: "This son of mine is
destined to be a great person. Shaytân will be unable to
approach this child. Calm down. There's nothing to fret about.
Nothing will harm him."
Halimah then returned home and Rasûlullah
started living
with his mother once again. When Rasûlullah # was six, his
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mother decided to journey to Madinah. She took him along
with her. Ummu Ayman also accompanied them on this trip.
She stayed at her ancestral home for month and on her return to
Makkah, she passed away at a place called Abwâ and she was
buried there as well. Innâ Lillâhî ... [Ibid]
In the guardianship of 'Abdul Muttalib
Ummu Ayman returned to Makkah with Rasûlullah and
consigned him to the care of 'Abdul-Muttalib. 'Abdul-Muttalib
always kept Rasûlullah % with him. Whenever 'Abdul-Muttalib
appeared in Musjidul-Harâm, a special mat would be placed in
the shadow of the Baitullah for his exclusive use. Not a soul
would dare to even place a foot on this mat. Even 'Abdul-
Muttalib's own children would sit on the fringes of this mat but
Rasûlullah % would seat himself comfortably right on the
centre of the mat. His uncles would plan to steer him away
from this seat but 'Abdul-Muttalib, with unreserved affection
would say: "Leave this son of mine alone. By Allâh! This child
is destined to an altogether unprecedented rank of eminence."
He would then call him to sit nearby. Whenever 'Abdul-
Muttalib laid eyes upon Rasûlullâh , he was unable to contain
his utter joy.
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Sirat Ibn Hishâm62, 'Uyun Al-Athar and Mustadrak Hâkim
report from Kindîr bin Sa'îd who in turn narrates that his father
said: "During the era of ignorance before the advent of Islam, I
once came to Makkah to perform Hajj. I saw a person busy
making Tawaf of the K'abah whilst uttering the following
couplet:
Translation: "O Allâh! Return Muhammad, my conveyance to
me,
O Lord! Return him to me and do me a great favour."
I asked the people who this is and they replied that this is
'Abdul-Muttalib. He had just sent his grandson in search of
some lost camels. Whenever he sends his grandson on an
errand, the child returns successful. On this latest errand, the
young boy was taking longer than usual. This is why 'Abdul-
Muttalib, frantically restless was repeatedly reciting the above
poem. A little while later, Rasûlullah & returned with the lost
camels. The moment 'Abdul-Muttalib caught sight of him, he
embraced him saying: "Son! I was dreadfully apprehensive
over your well-being. Now I will never allow you to part from
me."
62 Hâfiz Suyûtî says that this incident is mentioned in Sirah Muhammad bin
Ishaq, Dalâilu Bayhaqî and Dalâilu Abû Nu'aim. Abû Nu'aim narrates the
same incident from another source of narrators on the authority of Ibn
'Abbas رضي الله عنه .Ibn Stad and Ibn 'Asakir also narrate the same from
Zuhrî, Mujâhid and Nâf'I bin Jubair. [Khasâisu Kubrâ volume 1 page 81]
140