Seerah / Before Prophethood
The opening of the chest in childhood
- Date
- Childhood · approximate
- Location
- Among Banu Sa'd (desert)
- People
- Jibril (AS)
Anas (RA) reports in Sahih Muslim that Jibril came to the Prophet ﷺ while he was playing with other children, opened his chest and cleansed his heart.
As it was narrated
The story, in the words of those who were there
Read slowly. These are the Companions' own words, from the verified hadith collections.
حَدَّثَنَا شَيْبَانُ بْنُ فَرُّوخَ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا ثَابِتٌ الْبُنَانِيُّ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَتَاهُ جِبْرِيلُ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهُوَ يَلْعَبُ مَعَ الْغِلْمَانِ فَأَخَذَهُ فَصَرَعَهُ فَشَقَّ عَنْ قَلْبِهِ فَاسْتَخْرَجَ الْقَلْبَ فَاسْتَخْرَجَ مِنْهُ عَلَقَةً فَقَالَ هَذَا حَظُّ الشَّيْطَانِ مِنْكَ . ثُمَّ غَسَلَهُ فِي طَسْتٍ مِنْ ذَهَ…
Anas b. Malik reported that Gabriel came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) while he was playing with his playmates. He took hold of him and lay him prostrate on the ground and tore open his breast and took out the heart from it and then extracted a blood-clot out of it and said:That was the part of Satan in thee. And then he washed it with the water of Zamzam in a golden basin and then it was joined together and restored to it place. The boys came running to his mother, i. e. his nurse, and said: Verily Muhammad has been murdered. They all rushed toward him (and found him all right) His color was changed, Anas said. I myself saw the marks of needle on his breast
Lessons
- Allah prepares those He chooses long before their mission begins.
Lessons are editorial reflections drawn from the event and its sources.
Pause for a moment
Which moment of your own life does this remind you of? Sit with it for a minute, then send salawat on the one who lived it ﷺ.
Send salawat ﷺBibliography
- Sahih Muslim (Anas ibn Malik) · primary source
- Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah (further reading)
- Ibn Kathir, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah (further reading)
- Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri, Ar-Raheeq al-Makhtum (further reading)