Did Prophet Muhammad ﷺ Die Due to Poison?
Description: Prophet Muhammad ﷺ did not die because of poison. The hadith about the poisoned food given by a Jewish woman comes from a plot mentioned in their Torah, where prophets were tested: if they were false, they would die. When the woman poisoned the food, Allah protected the Prophet, and he survived, proving his authenticity as a true messenger. This event remains a lasting evidence, especially against the claims of the Jews, who themselves used the Torah to argue his falsehood. The Prophet lived until he completed delivering Allah’s message. During his final illness, he experienced pain, but it was not from the poison; it was the natural timing decreed by Allah. He was given the choice to live longer, but he accepted Allah’s destined time for his departure, demonstrating submission to God’s will.
📖Deuteronomy 18:20
But the Prophet who presumes to speak a word in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.” This highlights the seriousness of speaking falsely in God’s name.
- This verse commanded that anyone claiming to be a prophet, if the Children of Israel had doubts, should be tested and, if found false, put to death. That is exactly what they tried to do. But the Prophet did not die, which proves he was the true prophet.
📖Sahih al-Bukhari 3169 Narrated Abu Huraira:
When Khaibar was conquered, a roasted poisoned sheep was presented to the Prophet (ﷺ) as a gift (by the Jews). The Prophet (ﷺ) ordered, “Let all the Jews who have been here, be assembled before me.” The Jews were collected and the Prophet (ﷺ) said (to them), “I am going to ask you a question. Will you tell the truth?” They said, “Yes.” The Prophet (ﷺ) asked, “Who is your father?” They replied, “So-and-so.” He said, “You have told a lie; your father is so-and-so.” They said, “You are right.” He said, “Will you now tell me the truth, if I ask you about something?” They replied, “Yes, O Abu Al-Qasim; and if we should tell a lie, you can realize our lie as you have done regarding our father.” On that he asked, “Who are the people of the (Hell) Fire?” They said, “We shall remain in the (Hell) Fire for a short period, and after that you will replace us.” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “You may be cursed and humiliated in it! By Allah, we shall never replace you in it.” Then he asked, “Will you now tell me the truth if I ask you a question?” They said, “Yes, O Abu Al-Qasim.” He asked, “Have you poisoned this sheep?” They said, “Yes.” He asked, “What made you do so?” They said, “We wanted to know if you were a liar in which case we would get rid of you, and if you are a prophet then the poison would not harm you.
Since the Prophet ﷺ ate the meat and survived, it demonstrated that he was protected by God. This survival is considered divine evidence that he was indeed a true prophet, because a false claimant would not have been saved.
In short:
- The Jews’ intention: test if he was a true prophet.
- Their action: poisoned the food.
- Result: the Prophet survived.
- Conclusion: God protected His messenger, confirming his prophethood.
This aligns with the Quranic principle of divine protection for prophets:
📖Quran 5:67
O Messenger, announce that which has been sent down to you from your Lord. And if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people. Indeed, Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.
The whole message here is that the poisoning was a test, and they failed, because the Prophet did not die from it. He only died after he had completed Allah’s message. He did feel pain from the effects of the poison, but that happened later, after his mission was complete. His death occurred only when Allah had destined it, because he had fulfilled the message and completed his mission.
📖Sahih al-Bukhari 4428
Narrated Aisha: The Prophet ﷺ, during his final illness, said, *“O Aisha! I still feel the pain caused by the food I ate at Khaybar, and at this time, I feel as if my aorta is being cut from that poison.”
- Christians often misuse this hadith by connecting it to the Qur’an, where Allah says that if the Prophet ﷺ invented something in God’s name, “We would cut off his aorta” (Qur’an 69:44-46). But the hadith does not mean that his aorta was actually cut. He ﷺ said “I feel as if”, expressing the pain and intensity he was experiencing – not describing an actual physical cut, If his aorta had truly been cut, he would not have been able to speak at all. It is like someone saying, “I feel as if my hand has lost all its power” – it describes the sensation, not the literal reality.
Therefore, the hadith shows the Prophet ﷺ felt the lingering effects of the poison, but his actual death happened only by Allah’s decree, after he had completed the divine mission, even after saying these words, the Prophet ﷺ was still guiding his companions. He told `Aisha to instruct Abu Bakr to lead the prayer. This shows he was speaking clearly, giving commands, and managing affairs.
📖Sahih al-Bukhari 678 Narrated Abu Musa:
The Prophet ﷺ became sick, and when his illness worsened, he said, “Tell Abu Bakr to lead the prayer.” `Aisha replied, “He is a soft-hearted man and would not be able to lead the prayer in your place.” The Prophet repeated, “Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer.” She repeated the same reply, but he said, “Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer. You are the companions of Joseph.” So the message was conveyed to Abu Bakr, and he led the people in prayer during the lifetime of the Prophet.
- Therefore, the hadith about “feeling as if the aorta is cut” refers only to the sensation of pain, not an actual rupture. His death did not occur because of the poison, but only when Allah decreed it – after he had completed his mission. And this happened many years later. The first hadith shows that the Jews tried to test him to prove he was a false prophet, but they failed, because he did not die from the poison. Instead, he lived on until the message of Islam was complete.
📖Quran 39:30-31
You ˹O Prophet˺ will certainly die, and they will die too. Then on the Day of Judgment you will ˹all settle your˺ dispute before your Lord.
- This verse shows that the Prophet ﷺ, though protected by Allah from all attempts to harm him, is still human and will die, just like everyone else. The attempts to poison him – intended to prove him a false prophet – failed, and his survival became living proof of his true prophethood.
Having completed his mission and delivered Allah’s message fully, the Prophet eventually passed away by Allah’s decree. Now, he is in Heaven, where he continues to witness and declare the consequences of people’s actions, such as neglecting the Quran, as mentioned in Quran 25:27-30. His life, survival, and eventual death together serve as evidence of his authenticity as Allah’s Messenger.