Analysis of the Christian Missionaries’ Claim
Christian missionaries rely on a narration in Sahih al-Bukhari to claim that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ attempted suicide during a pause in revelation. Let us examine this narration to determine how well-founded this claim is.
Text of the Hadith
contains a lengthy narration. The part relevant to our topic is this:
“فَتَرَ الْوَحْيُ فَتْرَةً حَتَّى حَزِنَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ … كَيْ يَتَرَدَّى مِنْ رُءُوسِ شَوَاهِقِ الْجِبَالِ، فَكُلَّمَا أَوْفَى بِذِرْوَةِ جَبَلٍ لِكَيْ يُلْقِيَ مِنْهُ نَفْسَهُ تَبَدَّى لَهُ جِبْرِيلُ فَقَالَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ إِنَّكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ حَقًّا، فَيَسْكُنُ لِذَلِكَ جَأْشُهُ وَتَقِرُّ نَفْسُهُ، فَيَرْجِعُ۔”
Revelation paused for a period, until the Prophet ﷺ became grieved… He thought of throwing himself from the peaks of mountains. So whenever he reached the summit of a mountain in order to throw himself down from it, Jibril (peace be upon him) would appear before him and say: “O Muhammad! Indeed you are truly the Messenger of Allah.” Upon this his heart would be at rest and his state would settle, and then he would return.
Analysis of the Wording
The key point here is the phrase “فِيمَا بَلَغَنَا” (“it has reached us”). This phrase indicates that the statement is not directly reported from any of the narrators in the chain, but is from the reports (balaghat) of al-Zuhri, (may Allah have mercy on him), which are not connected (mursal/munqati’).
The Explanation of Ibn Hajar
Hafiz Ibn Hajar, (may Allah have mercy on him), says:
“إِنَّ الْقَائِل فِيمَا بَلَغَنَا هُوَ الزُّهْرِيّ … وَلَيْسَ مَوْصُولًا”
That is, this sentence is among the reports of Imam al-Zuhri, which are not connected, and therefore it cannot be declared definitively authentic.
The Position of the Muhaddithun
➊ Even the reports of a major narrator such as Imam al-Zuhri, (may Allah have mercy on him), are regarded by the muhaddithun as uncertain unless they are connected narrations.
➋ The phrase “فِيمَا بَلَغَنَا” itself shows that this is a “heard-tell report” and carries no strength in its chain.
The View of Orientalists
A well-known orientalist, Alfred Guillaume, also bears witness to this:
“Fi ma balaghani” and similar words are a sign that the statement is uncertain.”
This shows that even non-Muslim researchers acknowledge that phrases of this kind are doubtful.
Comparison with Other Narrations
This same event is mentioned in other hadith collections such as:
➊
➋
➌
➍
➎
However, in none of these is there any mention of the words of a suicide attempt.
Summary
➊ The narration in Sahih al-Bukhari is authentic, but the words about a “suicide attempt” are disconnected and doubtful.
➋ Islamic muhaddithun and even orientalists have declared phrases such as “فِيمَا بَلَغَنَا” to be uncertain.
➌ In other narrations, there is no mention of a suicide attempt in this event.
Conclusion
It is established that there is no authentic proof for the claim of a suicide attempt by the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. It is merely a disconnected narration which Christian missionaries have spread without verification. Islamic muhaddithun have analysed the wording of every narration with great care, which strengthens the standard of hadith.
