Shaqq al-Ṣadr

Shaqq al-Ṣadr refers to the miraculous splitting and purification of the chest of Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ by the angels, an event reported in authentic ḥadīth literature and regarded as one of the extraordinary signs associated with his Prophethood. According to the well-known narration transmitted by Anas ibn Mālik in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, the Angel Jibrīl came to the Prophet ﷺ during his childhood while he was among the Banū Saʿd tribe, opened his chest, removed his heart, extracted a portion described as the share of Satan, and then purified it with Zamzam water before restoring it to its place. This event symbolized the spiritual purification, protection, and divine preparation of the Prophet ﷺ for his future mission.

Islamic scholars understood Shaqq al-Ṣadr as both a physical miracle and a spiritual sign of the Prophet’s ﷺ unique status. Many classical sīrah works, including those of Ibn Hishām, al-Ṭabarī, and al-Mubārakpūrī, narrate the event in connection with the Prophet’s childhood under the care of Ḥalīmah al-Saʿdiyyah. Some narrations also associate a second occurrence of the splitting of the chest with the Night Journey and Ascension (al-Isrāʾ wa al-Miʿrāj), during which the Prophet ﷺ was spiritually prepared for his ascent through the heavens. Muslim theologians generally viewed these incidents as manifestations of divine protection (ʿiṣmah) and purification granted specifically to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

Through the lens of Islamic spirituality and sīrah studies, Shaqq al-Ṣadr illustrates the divine care bestowed upon Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ from his earliest years. The event reinforced the belief that the Prophet ﷺ was safeguarded from spiritual corruption and uniquely prepared to carry the burden of revelation and guidance for humanity. Consequently, the account occupies an important place in devotional literature, Prophetic biography, and discussions concerning the miracles (muʿjizāt) and noble qualities of the Prophet ﷺ

## References

1 Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, trans. Syed Muḥammad Ibrāhīm and Ḥabīb al-Raḥmān Ṣiddīqī (Karachi: Nafīs Academy, 1990), 2:62. 2 Ṣafī al-Raḥmān Mubārakpūrī, al-Raḥīq al-Makhtūm (Urdu) (Lahore: Maktabah al-Salafiyyah, 1995), 86. 3 Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq ibn Yasār and Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Hishām, Sīrat Ibn Hishām, Urdu trans. Syed Yāsīn ʿAlī Ḥusnī Niẓāmī (Lahore: Idārah Islāmiyāt, 1994), 1:111.4 Abū ʿUbayd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Saʿd al-Baṣrī, Ṭabaqāt Ibn Saʿd, trans. ʿAbdullāh al-ʿAmadī (Karachi: Dār al-Ishāʿat, 2003), 1:129.