It was a custom among the nobles of Makkah that mothers did not suckle their own children. Instead, children were normally sent outside the city and were entrusted to Bedouin wet nurses. The obvious benefits of this were that infants would remain vigorously healthy and grow strong as a result of the pure and unpolluted rural environment. Moreover, they would learn to speak excellent precise Arabic.
Initially the young Muḥammadsa was suckled by his mother and later Thuwaibah also nourished him with her milk. Thuwaibah was a slave-girl who belonged to Abū Lahab, the paternal uncle of Muḥammadsa. Abū Lahab freed her at the birth of his orphan nephew as an expression of his gratitude. It was this very Thuwaibah who suckled Ḥaḍrat Ḥamzahra as well. Hence, Ḥamzahra, who was the uncle of Muḥammadsa, also became his foster brother through the relationship of milk. Prophet Muḥammadsa never forgot this relationship. All her life, the Prophetsa would always assist Thuwaibah and even after her death, he inquired whether she had any relatives. It was found that she had no remaining relatives.
After Thuwaibah, the fosterage of Muḥammadsa was permanently entrusted to Ḥalīmahra who was a noble lady belonging to the people of Hawāzin, from the tribe of Banī Sa‘d. Along with other women, she came to Makkah as a wet nurse in search of a child. She was not content in taking an orphan child along with her because her desire was to find a child with a living father, wherefrom the expectation of reward and veneration would be much higher. Therefore, in the beginning she was rather reluctant in taking the young Muḥammadsa along with her, however, when no other child could be found and all her companions had already found their respective children, she preferred to take Muḥammadsa instead of returning empty handed. Nonetheless, Ḥalīmahra realized very soon that the child she had brought with her was one of great fortune. She relates that:
“Prior to the arrival of Muḥammadsa we suffered times of hardship and poverty, but immediately after the arrival of the child this poverty was miraculously transformed into prosperity and we began to see blessings in all of our matters.”
Besides Muḥammadsa, another child who was also suckled by Ḥalīmahra was ‘Abdullāh and he had an older sister whose name was Shīma. Shīma held Muḥammadsa very dear to herself.
After two years, when the appointed time of fosterage was complete, Ḥalīmahra brought the young Muḥammadsa to Makkah, as was the custom. She had developed such a deep love for the child that it was her heartfelt desire to take him back with her again if his mother so permitted. Therefore, Ḥalīmahra requested with great persistence, “Let the child stay with me for some more time, I shall take care of him in every regard.” Initially, Āminahra rejected the idea but eventually gave in due to the forceful persistence of Ḥalīmahra, and also keeping in mind that the climate outside Makkah was far more beneficial than that therein. In those days, the climate of Makkah was much worse than usual, therefore, Āminahra hesitantly agreed and Ḥalīmahra happily returned home with Muḥammadsa. Subsequently Muḥammadsa remained with Ḥalīmahra until he was approximately four years of age and grew up playing with the young children of the tribe Banū Sa‘d. The language of this tribe was very pure and eloquent in particular; thus, the young Muḥammadsa also learned this particular dialect.
Ḥalīmahra kept Muḥammadsa very dear to herself and all the people of this tribe looked upon the boy with special love and affection. However, when Muḥammadsa turned four, an incident occurred which frightened Ḥalīmahra. Therefore, Ḥalīmahra brought Muḥammadsa back to Makkah and handed him over to his mother. This incident is recorded that on one occasion, Muḥammadsa and his foster brother were playing together and no adult was present nearby. Suddenly, two men in white cloaks were seen and they took the young Muḥammadsa, lay him on the ground, and made an incision into his chest. Upon witnessing this sight, ‘Abdullāh bin Ḥārith, the foster brother of Muḥammadsa hurriedly ran to his mother and father and informed them that, “My brother of the Quraish has been seized by two men who are cutting open his chest.” Upon hearing this news, Ḥārithra and Ḥalīmahra ran to the place of the incident. They saw no men standing there but noticed that Muḥammadsa was standing, in a state of great fear and as a result, the colour of his face had changed significantly. Ḥalīmahra moved forward and took the child into her arms and asked, “My dear son what has happened?” Muḥammadsa narrated the entire incident and said, “They were searching for something in my chest, which they eventually found and threw out”.1 Then Ḥalīmahra and Ḥārithra took Muḥammadsa into their pavilion and Ḥārithra said to Ḥalīmahra, “I am afraid that something has happened to this child2, it is only appropriate that you immediately take him to Makkah and deliver him to his mother.” Therefore, Ḥalīmahra brought Muḥammadsa back to to Makkah and gave the child to his mother Āminahra. Āminahra inquired as to the early return, upon which Ḥalīmahra narrated the entire story and expressed her fear that perhaps the child had been possessed by an evil spirit or demon. Āminahra 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.”3
This incident is also supported by a narration in Saḥīḥ Muslim in full elaboration, where Anas bin Mālikra relates:
At one occasion the Holy Prophetsa was playing with some children. Angel Gabrielas came to him and laid the Holy Prophetsa 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 Gabrielas said, “This was the filth of weakness which has now been separated from you.” After this, Gabrielas cleansed the heart of the Holy Prophetsa with pure water and placed it back into his chest and once again it was joined together. When the children saw Gabrielas laying the Holy Prophetsa on the ground making an incision into his chest, they were greatly frightened and ran to the wet nurse of the Prophetsa and said that “Someone has murdered Muḥammadsa.” When these people reached the Holy Prophetsa the Angel had vanished and the Prophetsa was standing alone in a state of fear.4
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 Kashf5 or a divinely inspirational sight. Therefore, in the case of Shaqq-e-Ṣadr,6 the absence of physical signs, in that Ḥalīmahra saw no tangible elements at the scene, proves that this was a spiritual experience whose circle of inclusion was extended to the other children as well, who were present at the time. Moreover, it is clarified in the occurrence itself that the purpose of this incident was for an Angel incarnate of God to make an incision into the chest of the young Muḥammadsa in a world of divine inspiration, and thereby fully removed the taint of weakness from within him. It is evident from authentic Aḥādīth that during the night of the Mi‘rāj7 the Holy Prophetsa experienced an occurrence almost identical to the one mentioned above. An angel took the heart of the Holy Prophetsa out and cleansed it with the pure water of Zamzam and then restored it to its original place.8
At this point, it would not be inappropriate to mention that Sir William Muir has mentioned this occurrence and remarked in malice that God forbid Muḥammadsa underwent an epileptic fit. It is impossible for us to halt someone’s tongue, nonetheless, by making such an objection, Mr. Muir has most definitely resorted to prejudice of the lowest degree. Firstly, it is a well established fact that one who suffers from epilepsy possesses a weak physical and mental structure. As far as Muḥammadsa is concerned, Muir himself admits that Muḥammadsa was an individual who possessed excellent physical and mental faculties. Aside from this, the narration in itself, and the basis upon which this objection is made, refutes the allegation. It is clearly mentioned in the narration that this sight was witnessed by the foster brother of the young Muḥammadsa, who ran to his parents and informed them that his brother of the Quraish had been laid down by two men in white cloaks and they were slitting open his chest. Is there also a form of epilepsy in which other witnesses can testify to such a sight? Can a person who undergoes an epileptic fit have the ability to think, reflect and recall the fact that someone has laid him on the ground but moreover, that the people around him also see such a vision? Words of this nature are such as none other than a prejudiced man can dare bring to his tongue.
In any case, when Muḥammadsa was four years of age, Ḥalīmahra brought the child back and entrusted him to his mother. The four years of service offered by Ḥalīmahra were not of inconsequentiality. As far as the Holy Prophetsa was concerned, he would never forget even the smallest of services. Therefore, the Holy Prophetsa remembered the sincere service of Ḥalīmahra all his life and dealt with her in kindness of the greatest calibre. At one instance when the country underwent a famine and Ḥalīmahra came to Makkah, the Holy Prophetsa gave her forty goats and one camel. During the prophethood of the Holy Prophetsa, Ḥalīmahra once came to visit; as soon as the Holy Prophetsa saw her, he immediately stood up fervently repeating the words, “My mother! My mother!”, and took off the mantle he had upon himself and spread it out before her, so that she could sit upon it. Then, during the Battle of Ḥunain when one thousand prisoners of war were captured from the tribe of the Hawāzin, the Prophetsa released them all for the sake of this very relationship and took not a penny from them as ransom for their freedom.9 Moreover, the Holy Prophetsa bestowed abundant wealth upon one of his foster sisters who also happened to be a prisoner of war at that time. There is a disagreement regarding the acceptance of Islām by Ḥalīmahra and her husband Ḥārithra. However, the prevalent notion is that both Ḥalīmahra and Ḥārithra became Muslims and thus, died as Muslims. The foster brother of Muḥammadsa, ‘Abdullāh and his sister Shīma, also died as Muslims.
1 Cease not to forget that Ḥalīmahra and Ḥārithra found no blood spilled at the place of this event neither did they find any other physical elements hinting towards the Shaqq-e-Ṣadr, nor could they find anything extracted from the heart of Muḥammadsa and thrown out. (Author)
2 In other words the child has been possessed by an evil spirit or demon. (Author)
3 As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Malik bin Hishām, p. 133, Bābu Wilādati Rasūlillāhsa wa Riḍā‘atihī, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001)
4 Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitābul-Īmān, Bābul-Isrā’i bi Rasūlillāhisa ilas-Samāwāti wa Farḍiṣ-Ṣalāh, Ḥadīth No. 413
5 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)
6 Incision of the Chest (Publishers)
7 The Night of Ascension (Publishers)
8 Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, Kitābu Faḍā’iliṣ-Ṣaḥābah, Bābu Mā Jā’a fil-Mi‘rāj, Ḥadīth No. 3887
9 Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Part 1, Dhikru Man Arḍa‘a Rasūlallāh wa Tasmiyyati Ikhwatihī wa Akhawātihi minar-Raḍā‘ah, p. 54, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)