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The Miraculous Opening of the Chest
Among the special honors that Allah granted to His final Messenger ﷺ in his early childhood is the extraordinary event known as the Opening of the Chest, or in Arabic, Shaqq as Sadr. This event took place when the Prophet ﷺ was a young child living in the desert under the care of his nursing mother, Halimah as Sa‘diyyah. It was a clear sign of his special status, a purification for the great mission that awaited him, and a moment that left a deep impression on those who witnessed its effects.
The most detailed reports describe that this incident occurred while he ﷺ was playing among other children from the tribe of Banu Sa‘d. It was not a dream or a mere feeling in the heart. The companions who narrated it emphasized that it was a real, physical event, yet also a miracle beyond the normal laws of nature, which Allah subjected to His will for His Messenger ﷺ.
The Core Hadith Narration
The primary narration of Shaqq as Sadr comes from Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه. He relayed what he heard directly from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and from those who cared for him. Imām Muslim records this narration in his Sahih:
عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَتَاهُ جِبْرِيلُ وَهُوَ يَلْعَبُ مَعَ الْغِلْمَانِ، فَأَخَذَهُ فَصَرَعَهُ، فَشَقَّ عَنْ قَلْبِهِ، فَاسْتَخْرَجَ الْقَلْبَ، فَاسْتَخْرَجَ مِنْهُ عَلَقَةً، فَقَالَ: هَذَا حَظُّ الشَّيْطَانِ مِنْكَ. ثُمَّ غَسَلَهُ فِي طَسْتٍ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ بِمَاءِ زَمْزَمَ، ثُمَّ لَأَمَهُ، ثُمَّ أَعَادَهُ فِي مَكَانِهِ.
قَالَ أَنَسٌ: وَقَدْ كُنْتُ أَرَى أَثَرَ ذَلِكَ الْمِخْيَطِ فِي صَدْرِهِ ﷺ.
Anas ibn Malik reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was visited by Jibril while he was playing with the boys. Jibril took hold of him, laid him down, then split open his chest, took out the heart, and removed from it a clot, and said, “This is the portion of Satan in you.” Then he washed it in a basin made of gold with Zamzam water, then he joined it together and returned it to its place.
Anas said, “I used to see the trace of that stitching on his chest ﷺ.”
[Sahih Muslim]
From this report, the core elements of the incident become clear. The Prophet ﷺ was taken by Jibril عليه السلام while playing, his chest was physically opened, his heart was removed, a particular part was taken out, and his heart was washed with Zamzam water in a golden vessel, then returned and his chest restored, leaving a visible mark that remained throughout his life.
The Opening of the Chest was a real, physical miracle performed by Angel Jibril عليه السلام upon the Prophet ﷺ by the permission of Allah, and it involved the literal opening of the chest, the removal and washing of the heart, and the removal of the “portion of Satan” from it.
The Reaction of the Children and Halimah’s Fear
Although the central miracle happened between Jibril عليه السلام and the young Prophet ﷺ, other children were present when it began. They saw something they could not fully understand and ran in fear to inform Halimah and her family. In some narrations, as recorded by Imām Ahmad and others, it is mentioned that they cried out:
إِنَّ مُحَمَّدًا قَدْ قُتِلَ
“Muhammad has been killed!”
These children had seen Jibril عليه السلام seize the boy, lay him down, and open his chest. They did not see the invisible aspects of the purification, but the sight of the opening itself terrified them. They rushed back to Halimah and her husband, breathless and alarmed, telling them that something terrible had happened to the child entrusted to their care.
Halimah and her husband immediately ran to him. They found the young Muhammad ﷺ pale in color but alive and conscious. The narrations mention that his face had changed due to the awe and effect of what he had experienced. He informed them of what had taken place, and this left Halimah deeply worried and amazed.
Halimah later recounted this event years afterward, when she met the Prophet ﷺ as an adult and recognized the truth of his prophethood. The memory of Shaqq as Sadr remained in her heart as a sign that this child was not like other children.
Purification of the Heart from the Portion of Shaytan
One of the most striking phrases in the hadith is the statement of Jibril عليه السلام when he removed a small part from the heart of the Prophet ﷺ:
هَذَا حَظُّ الشَّيْطَانِ مِنْكَ
“This is the portion of Satan in you.”
This does not mean that the Prophet ﷺ ever followed Shaytan or that Shaytan had power over him. On the contrary, this phrase indicates the perfection of his protection and purity. Every human being is created with a soul that has the capacity to incline to good or to evil, to light or to darkness. In the case of the Prophet ﷺ, Allah removed even the potential foothold or portion that Shaytan could claim.
The event of Shaqq as Sadr was therefore a visible and miraculous sign of what Allah says about the purification and elevation of the soul. While the verse was revealed later, the meaning is consistent with this early miracle:
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا. وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّاهَا
“He has certainly succeeded who purifies it, and he has certainly failed who corrupts it.”
[Quran 91:9–10]
In the case of the Prophet ﷺ, Allah Himself chose to purify his heart in a unique and complete way. The removal of the “portion of Shaytan” signifies that his inner self was prepared for complete obedience, sincerity, and nearness to Allah, free from the domination of evil inclinations.
The Opening of the Chest did not indicate any previous sin in the Prophet ﷺ, but showed that Allah removed even the slightest potential foothold of Satan from his heart, preparing him for a life of perfect obedience and protection from misguidance.
Washing the Heart with Zamzam Water
The hadith mentions that the heart of the Prophet ﷺ was washed in a golden vessel filled with Zamzam water:
ثُمَّ غَسَلَهُ فِي طَسْتٍ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ بِمَاءِ زَمْزَمَ
“Then he washed it in a basin made of gold with Zamzam water.”
Zamzam is the blessed water that sprang forth by the command of Allah for Ismail عليه السلام and his mother Hajar in Makkah. It is directly linked to the legacy of Ibrahim and Ismail عليهما السلام, and to the sacred history of the Ka‘bah. The use of Zamzam here connects the inner purification of the Prophet ﷺ with the sacred place that would become the focal point of his mission.
The golden vessel indicates honor and excellence, and the washing is a symbol and reality of purity. Allah chose the purest of waters to wash the purest of hearts, just as He chose the best of angels to perform this task.
This act was not simply symbolic. Anas رضي الله عنه explicitly said that he could see the physical trace of the stitching where the chest had been opened and then closed. The event was real and left a visible sign on the blessed body of the Prophet ﷺ.
The Visible Mark on His Blessed Chest
Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه, who served the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah for ten years, testified:
وَقَدْ كُنْتُ أَرَى أَثَرَ ذَلِكَ الْمِخْيَطِ فِي صَدْرِهِ ﷺ
“And I used to see the trace of that stitching on his chest ﷺ.”
[Sahih Muslim]
This statement shows that the miracle of Shaqq as Sadr was not only narrated through stories but also confirmed by physical evidence on his body. The Prophet ﷺ carried the visible sign of this miraculous operation as a testimony to what had taken place in his childhood and to later similar purifications related to major events in his life.
For those who saw the mark, it served as a reminder that his heart had undergone a special preparation and purification unlike any other human being. His inner purity was not merely spiritual, but Allah manifested it through the physical form as well.
The Emotional Impact on Halimah and Her Family
After this incident, Halimah and her husband became fearful for the safety of the child. Some narrations mention that they began to worry that something might happen to him under their care, and they did not fully understand the nature of what had occurred. They had already witnessed blessings in their household associated with him, such as increase in provisions and barakah, but this unusual event filled them with concern.
They soon decided to return him to his mother, Aminah, in Makkah earlier than they had originally intended. They cited excuses related to fears of illness in the desert, yet in their hearts they were deeply affected by what they had witnessed. This decision to return him to his mother marked the end of his extended stay in the desert and the beginning of the next phase of his early childhood in Makkah.
While the outward reason they gave was protection from possible harm, Allah was in fact guiding the sequence of events, moving His Messenger ﷺ from one stage of care and upbringing to another, each with its own wisdom.
Connection to the Surah of “Alam Nashrah”
Although the Opening of the Chest occurred in childhood, its meaning echoes later in the revelation. Allah revealed a short chapter that many Muslims recite frequently in their prayers:
أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ. وَوَضَعْنَا عَنكَ وِزْرَكَ. الَّذِي أَنقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ. وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ
“Have We not expanded for you your chest? And removed from you your burden, which had weighed upon your back, and raised high for you your mention?”
[Quran 94:1–4]
The scholars mention that “expanding the chest” includes spiritual openness, tranquility, and the ability to receive revelation. Some also see in it an allusion to the physical event of Shaqq as Sadr that took place as a preparation for prophethood and then again in relation to later major events.
In any case, there is a clear harmony between the physical opening of the chest and the spiritual expansion of the heart. Both point to the special care Allah gave His Messenger ﷺ, making his inner being wide, pure, and strong enough to bear the weight of revelation and the hardship of his mission.
Times at Which Shaqq as Sadr Occurred
The incident described during his stay with Halimah as Sa‘diyyah is the first and earliest known occurrence of the Opening of the Chest. Reports also mention later openings connected to significant points in his life, such as during or before the Night Journey and Ascension. Those later events belong to their own context and will be addressed at their proper place in the course.
What is unique about the childhood Shaqq as Sadr is that it came before prophethood, at a time when he ﷺ was not yet known as a Messenger among people, but he was already under the special nurturing of Allah. It shows that his preparation began long before the first revelation, shaping him from his earliest years for the role of guiding all humanity.
The Opening of the Chest in childhood is understood as part of a series of divinely arranged preparations, each linked to a key stage of the Prophet’s ﷺ life, with this first one occurring while he was still a young boy living among Banu Sa‘d.
Nourishing Faith in the Unseen
For a beginner studying the Seerah, Shaqq as Sadr serves as a clear example of belief in the unseen and in the miracles that Allah grants to His prophets. The event cannot be explained by ordinary means. It involved an angel, a physical opening of the chest without harm, the removal and washing of the heart, and then the restoration of the body without any medical tools or pain in the normal sense.
Allah tells us in the Quran about the nature of true believers:
الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ
“Those who believe in the unseen.”
[Quran 2:3]
Shaqq as Sadr is one of the unseen matters that have reached us through multiple authentic narrations. Early Muslims, including major scholars of hadith and creed, accepted it as a real miracle, not as an allegory or symbol only. For a student of Seerah, accepting and reflecting on this event strengthens confidence in the truthfulness of the Prophet ﷺ and in Allah’s care for him.
At the same time, the event is not a random display of power. It carries clear meanings related to purity, protection from Satan, preparation for revelation, and the unique status of the Prophet ﷺ. As we study his life, this early miracle shines as one of the first visible signs that this child was destined to be the final Messenger of Allah.