The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 133
IV - Early Life 133 Āminah ra responded, “That is not at all possible. My son is of great grandeur. When I was expecting this child, I saw that a light emitted from within me and spread to far-off lands in every direction. ” 1 This incident is also supported by a narration in Saḥīḥ Muslim in full elaboration, where Anas bin Mālik ra relates: At one occasion the Holy Prophet sa was playing with some children. Angel Gabriel as came to him and laid the Holy Prophet sa on the ground, thereafter he made an incision into his chest. Then he took the heart out of his chest and extracted something from its core and threw it away. At the same time Gabriel as said, “ This was the filth of weakness which has now been separated from you. ” After this, Gabriel as cleansed the heart of the Holy Prophet sa with pure water and placed it back into his chest and once again it was joined together. When the children saw Gabriel as laying the Holy Prophet sa on the ground making an incision into his chest, they were greatly frightened and ran to the wet nurse of the Prophet sa and said that “ Someone has murdered Muḥammad sa. ” When these people reached the Holy Prophet sa the Angel had vanished and the Prophet sa was standing alone in a state of fear. 2 By the affirmation of Saḥīḥ Muslim, the narration of Ibni Hishām is further strengthened, such as without any powerful argumentation, we cannot disregard it as weak. Nonetheless, it is obvious that this was a Kashf 3 or a divinely inspirational sight. Therefore, in the case of Shaqq-e-Ṣadr, 4 the absence of physical signs, in that Ḥalīmah ra saw no tangible elements at the scene, proves that this was a spiritual experience whose circle of inclusion was 1 As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Malik bin Hishām, p. 133, Bābu Wilādati Rasūlillāh sa wa Riḍā‘atihī, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) 2 Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitābul-Īmān, Bābul-Isrā’i bi Rasūlillāhi sa ilas-Samāwāti wa Farḍiṣ-Ṣalāh, Ḥadīth No. 413 3 Some readers may be unaware of the term Kashf , hence for their knowledge it is mentioned that just as at night one witnesses various sightings or visions in one’s sleep, one perceives them to be reality although in actuality it is nothing more than a dream. Similarly, in some cases, visions of this nature are also shown by God to his noble servants in a state of complete wakefulness. In other words a particular state overtakes man while he is awake and as a result he becomes separated from his physical senses (or in some cases whilst still connected to his physical senses) witnesses a peculiar vision. The vision or sight seen in this state of mind is referred to as Kashf. In certain instances during a Kashf the sphere of this vision extends to more than one person and thus others also become influenced by this special sight. Therefore, in addition to the one who directly experiences this divine inspirational sight, other individuals can also partake in the same experience. (Author) 4 Incision of the Chest (Publishers)