1] How did Allaah open the chest of His noble Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings

1]
How did Allah the exalted dissect the messenger's chest (PBUH), when
He theexalted says:
"Have We not expanded thee thy breast?"
Is it true that it was by Gabriel's hands during themessenger's life?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, honoured His Prophets and
Messengers with immense blessings, first and foremost among which, and
the highest in status, was the blessing ofProphethood, as He chose
them to be close to Him and to bestow His mercy upon them.
Allaah says (interpretationof the meaning):
"but Allaah chooses of His Messengers whom He wills"
[Aal 'Imraan 3:179]
"And also some of their fathers and their progeny and their brethren,
We chose them, and We guided them to the Straight Path"
[al-An'aam 6:87]
Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, chose His Prophet and Close
Friend Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) for more
honour and bestowed a high status upon him, as Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Had not the Grace of Allaah and His Mercy beenupon you (O Muhammad
صلى الله عليه وسلم), a party of them would certainly have made a
decision to mislead you, but (in fact) they mislead none except their
own selves, and no harm can they do to you in the least. Allaah has
sent down to you the book (the Qur'aan), and Al-Hikmah (Islamic laws,
knowledge of legal and illegal things, i.e. the Prophet's Sunnah --
legal ways), and taught you that which you knew not. And Ever Great is
the Grace of Allaah unto you (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم)"
[al-Nisa' 4:113]
As part of this Grace, Allaah opened the chest of His Noble Messenger
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and He referred
to this great blessing in a soorah of theQur'aan that will be recited
until the Day of Resurrection. It is called Soorat al-Sharh.
Allaah says (interpretationof the meaning):
"Have We not opened your breast for you ((O Muhammad?"
[al-Sharh 94:1]
The opening of the chest of the Prophet (peace andblessings of Allaah
be upon him) points to a number of important meanings:
1 - Allaah opened his heart to Islam as a religion and law, which is
the greatest thing to which the heart may be opened. This is the
interpretation of Ibn 'Abbaas, as reported by al-Bukhaari in a
mu'allaq report in his Saheeh (Kitaab al-Tafseer/Baab Soorat al-Sharh,
p. 982).
2 - Allaah opened the chest of His Prophet Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) in order to fill it (his heart) with
wisdom,knowledge and faith, as itwas interpreted by al-Hasan al-Basri.
The scholars mentioned in their commentaries on this incident of the
opening of the Prophet's chest, which happened twice during his life.
The first occurred when he was small and living among Banu Sa'd.
It was narrated from Anasibn Maalik (may Allaah be pleased with him)
that that Jibreel came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) whenhe was playing with the other boys. He took
hold of him and threw him to the ground, then he opened his chest and
tookout his heart, from which he took a clot of blood and said: "This
was the Shaytaan's share of you." Then he washed it in a vessel of
gold that was filled with Zamzam. Then he put it back together and
returned it to its place. The boys went running to his mother -
meaning his nurse - and said: Muhammad has been killed! They went to
him and his colour had changed. Anas said: I usedto see the mark of
that stitching on his chest.
Narrated by Muslim (162).
The second occurred on the night of the Isra'.
Abu Dharr used to narratethat the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The roof of my house was
opened when I was in Makkah, and Jibreel (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) came down and split open my chest, then he washed
it with Zamzam water. Then he brought a golden basin filled with
wisdom and faith and emptied it into my chest. Then he sealed it..."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (349) and Muslim (163).
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Fath
al-Baari (7/204):
Some of them denied thathis chest was opened on the night of the
Isra', and said that this only happened when he was small and living
among Banu Sa'd. But that cannotbe denied because there are many
reports about it.... All that has been narrated about his chest being
opened, his heart being taken out and otherextraordinary events must
be accepted withoutobjection or trying to interpret it other than what
it appears to mean, because Allaah si Able to do all that and none of
that is impossible. Al-Qurtubi said in al-Mufhim: No attention should
be paid to denials of the opening of his chest on the night of the
Isra', because the narrators are trustworthy and well known. End quote
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