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1,001 Sayings and Deeds of the Prophet
Death of the Prophet
Omen
Narrated Aisha:
Once Fatima came walking and her gait resembled the gait of the Prophet. The Prophet said, "Welcome, O my daughter!" Then he made her sit on his right or on his left side, and then he told her a secret and she started weeping.
I asked her, "Why are you weeping?"
He again told her a secret and she started laughing.
I said, "I never saw happiness so near to sadness as I saw today."
I asked her what the Prophet had told her.
She said, "I would never disclose the secret of Allah's Apostle."
When the Prophet died, I asked her about it.
She replied. "The Prophet said. 'Every year Gabriel used to revise the Qur'an with me once only, but this year he has done so twice. I think this portends my death, and you will be the first of my family to follow me.'
So I started weeping.
Then he said. 'Don't you like to be the mistress of all the ladies of Paradise or the mistress of all the lady believers?'
So I laughed for that."
Bukhari 56.819
It was the Prophet who decided it was time to die, to leave this world for the next.
Narrated Aisha (the wife of the Prophet):
When Allah's Apostle was in good health, he used to say, "No prophet's soul is ever captured unless he is shown his place in Paradise and given the option (to die or survive)." So when the death of the Prophet approached and his head was on my thigh, he became unconscious for a while and then he came to his senses and fixed his eyes on the ceiling and said, "O Allah (with) the highest companions."
I said, "Hence he is not going to choose us." And I came to know that it was the application of the narration which he (the Prophet) used to narrate to us.
And that was the last statement of the Prophet (before his death) i.e., "O Allah! With the highest companions."
Bukhari 76.516
4:69 Those who obey Allah and the Messenger will be in the company of those whom God favoured of the Prophets, the saints, the martyrs and the righteous people. What excellent companions they are!
God’s Messenger spent his last days on earth in the house of his favourite wife and confidant, Aisha.
Narrated Aisha:
When the ailment of the Prophet became aggravated and his disease became severe, he asked his wives to permit him to be nursed (treated) in my house. So they gave him the permission.
Then the Prophet came (to my house) with the support of two men, and his legs were dragging on the ground, between 'Abbas, and another man.
Ubaid-Ullah (the sub narrator) said, "I informed 'Abdullah bin Abbas of what Aisha said. Ibn Abbas said: 'Do you know who was the other man?' I replied in the negative. Ibn Abbas said, 'He was Ali (bin Abi Talib)."
Aisha further said, "When the Prophet came to my house and his sickness became aggravated he ordered us to pour seven skins full of water on him, so that he might give some advice to the people. So he was seated in a Mikhdab (brass tub) belonging to Hafsa, the wife of the Prophet. Then, all of us started pouring water on him from the water skins till he beckoned to us to stop and that we have done (what he wanted us to do). After that he went out to the people."
Bukhari 4:197
The Prophet disliked taking medicine.
Narrated Aisha:
We poured medicine in one side of the Prophet's mouth during his illness and he started pointing to us, meaning to say, "Don't pour medicine in my mouth."
We said, "(He says so) because a patient dislikes medicines."
When he improved and felt a little better, he said, "Didn't I forbid you to pour medicine in my mouth?"
We said, "(We thought it was because of) the dislike, patients have for medicines."
He said, "Let everyone present in the house be given medicine by pouring it in his mouth while I am looking at him, except Abbas as he has not witnessed you (doing the same to me)."
Bukhari 59.735
During his last days the Prophet asked Abu Bakr, who would succeed him as leader of the believers, to lead his flock in prayer:
Narrated Al-Aswad:
"We were with Aisha discussing the regularity of offering the prayer and dignifying it. She said, 'When Allah's Apostle fell sick with the fatal illness and when the time of prayer became due and Adhan was pronounced, he said, 'Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer.'
He was told that Abu Bakr was a soft-hearted man and would not be able to lead the prayer in his place.
The Prophet gave the same order again but he was given the same reply.
He gave the order for the third time and said, 'You (women) are the companions of Joseph. Tell Abu Bakr to lead the prayer.' So Abu Bakr came out to lead the prayer.
In the meantime the condition of the Prophet improved a bit and he came out with the help of two men one on each side.
As if I was observing his legs dragging on the ground owing to the disease. Abu Bakr wanted to retreat but the Prophet beckoned him to remain at his place and the Prophet was brought till he sat beside Abu Bakr.'"
Al-A'mash was asked, "Was the Prophet praying and Abu Bakr following him, and were the people following Abu Bakr in that prayer?"
Al-A'mash replied in the affirmative with a nod of his head. Abu Muawiya said, "The Prophet was sitting on the left side of Abu Bakr who was praying while standing."
Bukhari 11.633
As his condition deteriorated the Prophet could only watch the believers at prayer.
Narrated Anas:
The Prophet did not come out for three days. The people stood for the prayer and Abu Bakr went ahead to lead the prayer. (In the meantime) the Prophet caught hold of the curtain and lifted it.
When the face of the Prophet appeared we had never seen a scene more pleasing than the face of the Prophet as it appeared then.
The Prophet beckoned to Abu Bakr to lead the people in the prayer and then let the curtain fall. We did not see him (again) till he died.
Bukhari 11.649
The last two chapters of the Koran, 113 and 114, are known as the Muawidhatan (also spelled Mu'awwidhatayn) the Verses of Refuge. When he feared his time had come, God’s Messenger repeated over and over these two short surahs.
Narrated Aisha:
Whenever Allah's Apostle became ill, he used to recite the Muawidhatan and blow his breath over himself (after their recitation) and rubbed his hands over his body. So when he was afflicted with his fatal illness. I started reciting the Muawidhatan and blowing my breath over him as he used to blow and made the hand of the Prophet pass over his body.
Bukhari 59.723
Surah 113, in particular, as a choice for a last appeal to a higher power before the darkness closes in is revealing in that there is an admission that Allah is the source of all evil, and one of Allah’s evil, from which the Prophet seeks His protection, are witches.
THE DAYBREAK
113 Al-Falaq
In the Name of Allah,
the Compassionate, the Merciful
1. Say: “I seek refuge with the Lord of the Daybreak,
2. “From the evil of what He has created,
3. “And the evil of the darkness when it gathers,
4. “And the evil of those who blow into knotted reeds (witches or sorceresses),
5. “And from the evil of the envious when he envies.”
The Prophet's last orders:
Narrated Said bin Jubair:
That he heard Ibn Abbas saying, "Thursday! And you know not what Thursday is?"
After that Ibn Abbas wept till the stones on the ground were soaked with his tears. On that I asked Ibn Abbas, "What is (about) Thursday?"
He said, "When the condition (i.e. health) of Allah's Apostle deteriorated, he said, 'Bring me a bone of scapula, so that I may write something for you after which you will never go astray.'
The people differed in their opinions although it was improper to differ in front of a prophet,
They said, 'What is wrong with him? Do you think he is delirious? Ask him (to understand).'
The Prophet replied, 'Leave me as I am in a better state than what you are asking me to do.'
Then the Prophet ordered them to do three things saying, 'Turn out all the pagans from the Arabian Peninsula, show respect to all foreign delegates by giving them gifts as I used to do.'"
The sub-narrator added, "The third order was something beneficial which either Ibn Abbas did not mention or he mentioned but I forgot."
Bukhari 53.393
A bad attempt at cheering up a dying man:
Narrated Aisha:
When the Prophet became ill, some of his wives talked about a church which they had seen in Ethiopia and it was called Mariya.
Um Salma and Um Habiba had been to Ethiopia, and both of them narrated its (the Church's) beauty and the pictures it contained.
The Prophet raised his head and said, "Those are the people who, whenever a pious man dies amongst them, make a place of worship at his grave and then they make those pictures in it. Those are the worst creatures in the Sight of Allah."
Bukhari 23.425
The diet of those who attended God’s Messenger during his last days consisted of dates and water.
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The family of Muhammad did not eat their fill for three successive days till he died.
Bukhari 65.287
Narrated Aisha:
The Prophet died when we had satisfied our hunger with the two black things, i.e. dates and water.
Bukhari 65.295
The Prophet's last meal:
Narrated Qatada:
We were in the company of Anas whose baker was with him. Anas said, The Prophet did not eat thin bread, or a roasted sheep till he met Allah (died).
Bukhari 65.297
Before he died the Prophet wanted to write down his last instructions but bickering among those around him prevented him from doing so.
Narrated Ubaidullah bin Abdullah:
Ibn Abbas said, "When Allah's Apostle was on his deathbed and there were some men in the house, he said, 'Come near, I will write for you something after which you will not go astray.'
Some of them (i.e. his companions) said, 'Allah's Apostle is seriously ill and you have the (Holy) Quran. Allah's Book is sufficient for us.'
So the people in the house differed and started disputing. Some of them said, 'Give him writing material so that he may write for you something after which you will not go astray.' while the others said the other way round.
So when their talk and differences increased, Allah's Apostle said, 'Get up.'"
Ibn Abbas used to say, "No doubt, it was very unfortunate (a great disaster) that Allah's Apostle was prevented from writing for them that writing because of their differences and noise."
Bukhari 59.717
Perhaps he wanted to make out a will which the Koran had made mandatory for adult males. The fact that God’s Messenger ignored this Divine Ordinance surprised some people.
Narrated Talha bin Musarrif:
I asked Abdullah bin Abu Aufa "Did the Prophet make a will?"
He replied, "No,"
I asked him, "How is it then that the making of a will has been enjoined on people, (or that they are ordered to make a will)?"
He replied, "The Prophet bequeathed Allah's Book (i.e. quran)."
Bukhari 51.3
What the Prophet was wearing when he passed away:
Narrated Abu Burda:
Aisha brought out to us a Kisa and an Izar and said, "The Prophet died while wearing these two." (Kisa, a square black piece of woolen cloth. Izar, a sheet cloth garment covering the lower half of the body).
Bukhari 72.707
The passing of God's Messenger:
Narrated Aisha:
It was one of the favors of Allah towards me that Allah's Apostle expired in my house on the day of my turn while he was leaning against my chest and Allah made my saliva mix with his saliva at his death.
Abdur-Rahman entered upon me with a Siwak in his hand and I was supporting (the back of) Allah's Apostle (against my chest). I saw the Prophet looking at it (i.e. Siwak) and I knew that he loved the Siwak, so I said ( to him ), "Shall I take it for you?"
He nodded in agreement. So I took it and it was too stiff for him to use, so I said, "Shall I soften it for you?"
He nodded his approval. So I softened it and he cleaned his teeth with it.
In front of him there was a jug or a tin containing water. He started dipping his hand in the water and rubbing his face with it, he said, "None has the right to be worshipped except Allah. Death has its agonies."
He then lifted his hands (towards the sky) and started saying, "With the highest companion," till he expired and his hand dropped down.
Bukhari 59.730
The Prophet's last words are curious considering his role on Judgement Day which would appear to negate the need to ask for forgiveness.
Narrated Anas:
The Prophet said, "On the Day of Resurrection the Believers will assemble and say, 'Let us ask somebody to intercede for us with our Lord.'
So they will go to Adam and say, 'You are the father of all the people, and Allah created you with His Own Hands, and ordered the angels to prostrate to you, and taught you the names of all things; so please intercede for us with your Lord, so that He may relieve us from this place of ours.'
Adam will say, 'I am not fit for this (i.e. intercession for you).' Then Adam will remember his sin and feel ashamed thereof. He will say, 'Go to Noah, for he was the first Apostle, Allah sent to the inhabitants of the earth.'
They will go to him and Noah will say, 'I am not fit for this undertaking.' He will remember his appeal to his Lord to do what he had no knowledge of, then he will feel ashamed thereof and will say, 'Go to the Khalil-r-Rahman (Abraham).'
They will go to him and he will say, 'I am not fit for this undertaking. Go to Moses, the slave to whom Allah spoke (directly) and gave him the Torah.'
So they will go to him and he will say, 'I am not fit for this undertaking.' and he will mention (his) killing a person who was not a killer, and so he will feel ashamed thereof before his Lord, and he will say, 'Go to Jesus, Allah's Slave, His Apostle and Allah's Word and a Spirit coming from Him.'
Jesus will say, 'I am not fit for this undertaking, go to Muhammad the Slave of Allah whose past and future sins were forgiven by Allah.'
So they will come to me and I will proceed till I will ask my Lord's Permission and I will be given permission.
When I see my Lord, I will fall down in Prostration and He will let me remain in that state as long as He wishes and then I will be addressed. '(Muhammad!) Raise your head. Ask, and your request will be granted; say, and your saying will be listened to; intercede, and your intercession will be accepted.'
I will raise my head and praise Allah with a saying (invocation) He will teach me, and then I will intercede. He will fix a limit for me (to intercede for) whom I will admit into Paradise.
Then I will come back again to Allah, and when I see my Lord, the same thing will happen to me. And then I will intercede and Allah will fix a limit for me to intercede whom I will let into Paradise, then I will come back for the third time; and then I will come back for the fourth time, and will say, 'None remains in Hell but those whom the Quran has imprisoned (in Hell) and who have been destined to an eternal stay in Hell.'"
Bukhari 60.3
The Prophet died a rich man. He was a Gandhi only to the extent that he spent a large part of his wealth in Allah’s Cause i.e. waging war on unbelievers. As God’s Messenger he was not only entitled to 20 percent of what was taken by force from Allah’s purported enemies, but 100 percent of what he absconded with without a fight, and that included the valuable Jewish farms of Khaibar and the property of the Banu Nadir Jews of Medina who he forced into exile.
Narrated 'Umar:
The properties of Bani An-Nadir which Allah had transferred to His Apostle as Fai Booty were not gained by the Muslims with their horses and camels. The properties therefore, belonged especially to Allah's Apostle who used to give his family their yearly expenditure and spend what remained thereof on arms and horses to be used in Allah's Cause.
Bukhari 52.153
The Fai booty at any one time was not insignificant, as the following hadith about plunder obtained from the Hawazin (today a scattered Arab tribe), will attest, and caused resentment when the Prophet distributed some of his exclusive booty to guarantee the loyalty of recent converts.
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
When Allah favored His Apostle with the properties of Hawazin tribe as Fai (booty obtained without a fight), he started giving to some Quraish men even up to one-hundred camels each, whereupon some Ansari men said about Allah's Apostle, "May Allah forgive His Apostle! He is giving to (men of) Quraish and leaves us, in spite of the fact that our swords are still dropping blood (of the infidels)"
When Allah's Apostle was informed of what they had said, he called the Ansar (men from Medina who joined the Prophet's crusade against the unbelievers) and gathered them in a leather tent and did not call anybody else along, with them.
When they gathered, Allah's Apostle came to them and said, "What is the statement which, I have been informed, and that which you have said?"
The learned ones among them replied, "O Allah's Apostle! The wise ones amongst us did not say anything, but the youngsters amongst us said, 'May Allah forgive His Apostle; he gives the Quarish and leaves the Ansar, in spite of the fact that our swords are still dribbling (wet) with the blood of the infidels.'"
Allah's Apostle replied, I give to such people as are still close to the period of Infidelity (i.e. they have recently embraced Islam and Faith is still weak in their hearts). Won't you be pleased to see people go with fortune, while you return with Allah's Apostle to your houses? By Allah, what you will return with, is better than what they are returning with."
The Ansar replied, "Yes, O Allah's Apostle, we are satisfied."
Then the Prophet said to them." You will find after me, others being preferred to you. Then be patient till you meet Allah and meet His Apostle at Al-Kauthar (i.e. a fount in Paradise)."
(Anas added:) But we did not remain patient.
Bukhari 53.375
His wealth, which he did not flaunt, and the fact that at the time of his death, Jews were pariahs whom a Muslim could kill at the slightest provocation (Tabari [838–923] in his Muslim history writes that the Prophet after he exiled the Banu Qaynuqa Jewish tribe from Medina announced that “Whoever of the Jews falls into your hands, kill him”) means it is highly unlikely the Prophet’s armour was still mortgaged to a Jew.
Narrated Aisha:
Allah's Apostle died while his (iron) armor was mortgaged to a Jew for thirty Sas of barley.
Bukhari 52.165
The alleged mortgage may have more to do with justifying the Prophet’s dying curse.
Narrated Aisha and Ibn Abbas:
On his death-bed Allah's Apostle put a sheet over his-face and when he felt hot, he would remove it from his face. When in that state (of putting and removing the sheet) he said, "May Allah's Curse be on the Jews and the Christians for they build places of worship at the graves of their prophets."
(By that) he intended to warn (the Muslim) from what they (i.e. Jews and Christians) had done.
Bukhari 56.660
Narrated Aisha:
I heard the Prophet and listened to him before his death while he was lying supported on his back, and he was saying, "O Allah! Forgive me, and bestow Your Mercy on me, and let me meet the (highest) companions (of the Hereafter)."
Bukhari 59.715
The last silent action of God’s Messenger:
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
Once Allah's Apostle rode a horse and fell down and the right side (of his body) was injured. He offered one of the prayers while sitting and we also prayed behind him sitting.
When he completed the prayer, he said, "The Imam is to be followed. Pray standing if he prays standing and bow when he bows; rise when he rises; and if he says, 'Sami a-l-lahu-liman hamida", say then, 'Rabbana wa Lakal-hamd' and pray standing if he prays standing and pray sitting (all of you) if he prays sitting."
Humaid said: The saying of the Prophet "Pray sitting, if he (Imam) prays sitting" was said in his former illness (during his early life) but the Prophet prayed sitting afterwards (in the last illness) and the people were praying standing behind him and the Prophet did not order them to sit. We should follow the latest actions of the Prophet.
Bukhari 11.657
What may have been the cause of the Prophet's fatal affliction:
Narrated Anas bin Malik:
Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) fell down from a horse and his right side was either injured or scratched, so we went to inquire about his health.
The time for the prayer became due and he offered the prayer while sitting and we prayed while standing.
He said, "The Imam is to be followed; so if he says Takbir, you should also say Takbir, and if he bows you should also bow; and when he lifts his head you should also do the same and if he says: Sami'a-l-lahu Liman Hamidah (Allah hears whoever sends his praises to Him) you should say: Rabbana walakal-Hamd (O our Lord! All the praises are for You.").
Bukhari 20.215
Narrated Ibn Abbas:
Once the Prophet ascended the pulpit and it was the last gathering in which he took part. He was covering his shoulder with a big cloak and binding his head with an oily bandage.
He glorified and praised Allah and said, "O people! Come to me."
So the people came and gathered around him and he then said, "Amma ba'du." "From now onward the Ansar (i.e. Helpers, mainly Medinan Muslims) Muhammad will decrease and other people will increase. So anybody who becomes a ruler of the followers of Muhammad and has the power to harm or benefit people then he should accept the good from the benevolent amongst them (Ansar) and overlook the faults of their wrong-doers."
Bukhari 13.49
The Prophet's death shroud:
Narrated Aisha:
When Allah's Apostle died, he was covered with a Hibra Burd (green square decorated garment).
Bukhari 72.705
The Prophet's death and Aisha:
Narrated Aisha:
The Prophet died while he was between my chest and chin, so I never dislike the death agony for anyone after the Prophet.
Bukhari 59.726
And chatter ensued:
Narrated Ibn 'Umar:
During the lifetime of the Prophet we used to avoid chatting leisurely and freely with our wives lest some Divine inspiration might be revealed concerning us. But when the Prophet had died, we started chatting leisurely and freely (with them).
Bukhari 62.115
Age of the Prophet when he died, and why it is important.
Narrated 'Aisha:
The Prophet died when he was sixty three years old.
Bukhari B 56.736
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, "Allah will not accept the excuse of any person whose instant of death is delayed till he is sixty years of age."
Bukhari 76.428
Why unbelievers fear their impending death:
Narrated Ubada bin As-Samit:
The Prophet said, "Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah (too) loves to meet him and whoever hates to meet Allah, Allah (too) hates to meet him".
Aisha, or some of the wives of the Prophet said, "But we dislike death."
He said: "It is not like this, but it is meant that when the time of the death of a believer approaches, he receives the good news of Allah's pleasure with him and His blessings upon him, and so at that time nothing is dearer to him than what is in front of him. He therefore loves the meeting with Allah, and Allah (too) loves the meeting with him.
But when the time of the death of a disbeliever approaches, he receives the evil news of Allah's torment and His Requital, whereupon nothing is more hateful to him than what is before him. Therefore, he hates the meeting with Allah, and Allah too, hates the meeting with him."
Bukhari 76.514
The last Prophet!
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, "The Israelis used to be ruled and guided by prophets: Whenever a prophet died, another would take over his place. There will be no prophet after me, but there will be Caliphs who will increase in number."
The people asked, "O Allah's Apostle! What do you order us (to do)?"
He said, "Obey the one who will be given the pledge of allegiance first. Fulfil their (i.e. the Caliphs) rights, for Allah will ask them about (any shortcoming) in ruling those Allah has put under their guardianship."
Bukhari 56.661
One possible reason why Ali lost the caliphate upon the death of his father-in-law.
Narrated Abdullah bin Abbas:
Ali bin Abu Talib came out of the house of Allah's Apostle during his fatal illness. The people asked, "O Abu Hasan (i.e. Ali)! How is the health of Allah's Apostle this morning?"
Ali replied, "He has recovered with the Grace of Allah."
Abbas bin 'Abdul Muttalib held him by the hand and said to him, "In three days you, by Allah, will be ruled (by somebody else), And by Allah, I feel that Allah's Apostle will die from this ailment of his, for I know how the faces of the offspring of Abdul Muttalib look at the time of their death. So let us go to Allah's Apostle and ask him who will take over the Caliphate. If it is given to us we will know as to it, and if it is given to somebody else, we will inform him so that he may tell the new ruler to take care of us."
Ali said, "By Allah, if we asked Allah's Apostle for it (i.e. the Caliphate) and he denied it us, the people will never give it to us after that. And by Allah, I will not ask Allah's Apostle for it."
Bukhari 59.728
Aisha was no friend of Ali and vice versa. She undoubtedly feared that if Ali was appointed caliph she would be stoned for adultery. Ali hinted at this punishment to the Prophet when she was accused of cheating on her husband (see The Necklace). This could explain her reaction to claims that her husband had named Ali as his successor.
Narrated Al-Aswad:
It was mentioned in the presence of Aisha that the Prophet had appointed Ali as successor by will. Thereupon she said, "Who said so? I saw the Prophet, while I was supporting him against my chest. He asked for a tray, and then fell on one side and expired, and I did not feel it. So how (do the people say) he appointed Ali as his successor?"
Bukhari 59.736
Kind words for the next leader of the believers:
Narrated Ibn Abbas:
Allah's Apostle in his fatal illness came out with a piece of cloth tied round his head and sat on the pulpit. After thanking and praising Allah he said, "There is no one who had done more favor to me with life and property than Abu Bakr bin Abi Quhafa. If I were to take a Khalil (friend), I would certainly have taken Abu-Bakr but the Islamic brotherhood is superior. Close all the small doors in this mosque except that of Abu Bakr."
Bukhari 8.456
Official Cause of Death
The cause of the Prophet's death offered earlier challenges the official version of what incident led to the demise of God's ultimate spokesperson.
As you should now be aware, the Prophet Muhammad life's template borrowed heavily from that of the prophets of the Torah and Jesus of the Gospels. In the Gospels, the penultimate Messenger of Allah returned home early, but not before suffering a gruesome death on the cross, because of the Jews.
For the arbiters of Islamic dogma, it may have seemed only logical that their Savior's passing, like that of Jesus, had been expedited by a Jew, and a female to boot. Definitely better than the man who flew bareback on a winged horse to Paradise, to have a confab with God (see section Prayers - Negotiating the Prayers), dying from wounds sustained from falling off an ordinary horse.
In the official version, the Prophet's fate was sealed at Khaibar (also spelled Khaybar), a Jewish settlement God's Messenger attacked without provocation or warning (see chapter Khaibar) after Allah postponed the assault on Mecca.
Most of the leadership of the Jews of Khaibar, and the male members of their immediate and extended family were beheaded; one leader who went by the name of Kinana was almost tortured to death in the hope he would reveal the existence of any buried treasures before he too was put to death.
A Jewish women by the name of Zaynab may have been his daughter in the account by respected Islamic scholar Ibn Sa'd [784-845] of the attempt on the Prophet's life after the taking of Khaibar.
Zaynab put poison in a carcass of lamb (some say it was goat) she was asked to cook for God's Messenger and his henchmen after the slaughter of all the killable males (those showing any growth of public hair) of her household, including her husband. She was brought before the Prophet to answer for her cooking.
The apostle of Allah sent for Zaynab and said to her, "What induced you to do what you have done?"
She replied, "You have done to my people what you have done. You have killed my father, my uncle and my husband, so I said to myself, 'If you are a prophet, the foreleg will inform you'; and others have said, 'If you are a king we will get rid of you.'"
The leg did inform the Prophet that it had been poisoned, but not before he had taken a bite (remember, Abu Dawud does use quotation marks).
Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:
Ibn Shihab said: Jabir ibn Abdullah used to say that a jewess (sic) from the inhabitants of Khaybar poisoned a roasted sheep and presented it to the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) who took its foreleg and ate from it. A group of his companions also ate with him.
The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) then said: Take your hands away (from the food).
The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) then sent someone to the jewess and he called her. He said to her: Have you poisoned this sheep?
The jewess replied: Who has informed you?
He said: This foreleg which I have in my hand has informed me.
She said: Yes.
He said: What did you intend by it?
She said: I thought if you were a prophet, it would not harm you; if you were not a prophet, we should rid ourselves of him (i.e. the Prophet).
The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) then forgave her, and did not punish her. But some of his companions who ate it, died.
The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) had himself cupped on his shoulder on account of that which he had eaten from the sheep. Abu Hind cupped him with the horn and knife. He was a client of Banu Bayadah from the Ansar (Medinan helpers).
Abu Dawud 39.4495
In other hadiths, including the following, the Prophet had Zaynab killed; and it may not so much have been the leg of lamb spilling the beans that alerted God's Messenger that the food was poisoned, but one of his dining companion falling over dead.
Narrated Abu Salamah:
A jewess presented a roasted sheep to the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) at Khaybar. He then mentioned the rest of the tradition like that of Jabir (No. 4495).
He said: Then Bashir ibn al-Bara' ibn Ma'rur al-Ansari died.
He sent someone to call on the jewess, and said to her (when she came): What motivated you to do the work you have done?
He then mentioned the rest of the tradition similar to the one mentioned by Jabir (No. 4495).
The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) then ordered regarding her and she was killed. But he (Abu Salamah) did not mention the matter of cupping.
Abu Dawud 39.4496
The believers often refer to God's Messenger as the Prophet of Mercy. The hadiths would belie that appellation.
Narrated Ali ibn AbuTalib:
A jewess used to abuse the Prophet (peace be upon him) and disparage him. A man strangled her till she died. The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) declared that no recompense was payable for her blood.
Abu Dawud 38.4349
What does the Prophet ingesting a minute amount of poison, not enough to have the desired effect or causing any visible discomfort at the time, have to do with his death four years later? It all has to do with something Aisha said her husband uttered before he died.
Narrated Aisha:
The Prophet in his ailment in which he died, used to say, "O Aisha! I still feel the pain caused by the food I ate at Khaibar, and at this time, I feel as if my aorta is being cut from that poison."
Bukhari 59.713
It is not clear in the following whether he said these exact words after he ordered Zaynab to be killed.
Narrated Abu Salamah:
Muhammad ibn Amr said on the authority of Abu Salamah, and he did not mention the name of Abu Hurayrah: The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) used to accept presents but not alms (sadaqah i.e. charity).
This version adds: So a jewess presented him at Khaybar with a roasted sheep which she had poisoned.
The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) ate of it and the people also ate. He then said: Take away your hands (from the food), for it has informed me that it is poisoned.
Bishr ibn al-Bara' ibn Ma'rur al-Ansari died. So he (the Prophet) sent for the jewess (and said to her): What motivated you to do the work you have done?
She said: If you were a prophet, it would not harm you; but if you were a king, I should rid the people of you. The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) then ordered regarding her and she was killed.
He then said about the pain of which he died: I continued to feel pain from the morsel which I had eaten at Khaybar. This is the time when it has cut off my aorta.
Abu Dawud 39.4498
No matter. From credible accounts of a Jewish woman attempting to poison God's Messenger, Islamic scholars, and I use the word advisably here, have reached the implausible conclusion that it was this attempt on their Prophet's life which caused his death four years later.
The Church, by blaming the Jews for the death of Jesus made it easier for those who perpetrated the holocaust to go about their business with a clear conscience. The Christian churches have learned their lessons, and the Romans of antiquity are now correctly identified as those who caused the death of the Christians' Jewish Messiah.
Islam should do the same and admit, based on more credible hadith evidence, that their Messiah's death was an accident and not a Jew's fault. It might even prevent another holocaust.
If you are a religious person you may want to spare a prayer for Zaynab if she is the Jewess the Prophet mentioned is being tortured in her grave.
Narrated Aisha:
Once Allah's Apostle passed by (the grave of) a jewess whose relatives were weeping over her. He said, "They are weeping over her and she is being tortured in her grave."
Bukhari 23.376
The torture, according to God's Messenger, will not end until Judgement Day when those being tortured in there grave (see chapter Life in the Grave) will be dumped into the Fire of Hell to burn for an eternity.