Musnad Ahmad

It is narrated from Hazrat Utbah (may Allah be pleased with him) that a man asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), "O Messenger of Allah! (peace and blessings be upon him) What happened to you in the beginning?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: My wet nurse was from Banu Sa'd bin Bakr. One day, I went out with one of her sons among the goats. We had not taken any provisions with us, so I said, "Brother, go to mother and bring some provisions." He went, and I stayed with the goats. Meanwhile, two white birds like vultures came and began to ask each other, "Is this the one?" The other replied in the affirmative. So they quickly approached me, seized me, laid me on my back, and split open my stomach. Then they took out my heart and split it, and from it they removed two black clotted pieces of blood. One said to the other, "Bring me cold water," and they washed my stomach with it. Then he asked for snow water and washed my heart with it. Then he asked for tranquility (sakinah) and scattered it into my heart. Then he said to the other, "Now sew him up," so he stitched me up and placed the seal of Prophethood. After that, one of them said to the other, "Place him on one side of the scale and a thousand men from his Ummah on the other side." Suddenly, I saw a thousand men above me, and I feared they might fall upon me. Then he said, "If he is weighed against his entire Ummah, his side will still be heavier." Then both of them left me, and I was overcome with intense fear. I went to my foster mother and informed her of what had happened to me. Upon hearing this, she became frightened, fearing that something might have affected me, and said, "I seek Allah's protection for you." Then she prepared her camel, seated me on the saddle, mounted behind me herself, and we traveled until we reached my mother. She said to my mother, "I wish to return my trust and responsibility." Then she narrated the incident that had happened to me, but my mother was not overawed by it and said, "I saw a light emanating from myself by which the palaces of Syria were illuminated."