Have We not opened your breast for you (O Muhammad)?

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“Have We not opened your breast for you (O Muhammad)?” (al-Sharh 94/1)

The opening of the chest of RasulAllah (saw) points to a number of important meanings:

1 – Allah 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 Abbas (ra), as reported by Bukhari.

2 – Allah opened the chest of His Prophet Muhammad (saw) in order to fill it (his heart) with wisdom, knowledge and faith, as it was interpreted by 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 Anas ibn Malik (ra) that that Jibril (as) came to RasulAllah (saw) when he was playing with the other boys. He took hold of him and threw him to the ground, then he opened his chest and took out his heart, from which he took a clot of blood and said: “This was the shaytan’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 (ra) said: I used to see the mark of that stitching on his chest." (Muslim)

The second occurred on the night of the Isra.

Abu Dharr (ra) used to narrate that RasulAllah (saw) said: “The roof of my house was opened when I was in Makkah, and Jibril (as) 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…” (Bukhari; Muslim)

Ibn Hajar said: "Some of them denied that his chest was opened on the night of the Isra, and said that this only happened when he (saw) was small and living among Banu Sa’d. But that cannot be denied because there are many reports about it…All that has been narrated about his chest being opened, his heart being taken out and other extraordinary events must be accepted without objection or trying to interpret it other than what it appears to mean, because Allah is able to do all that and none of that is impossible. 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." (Fathu'l-Bari, 7/204)

The incident of his chest being opened is also mentioned in some reports at other times, at the age of ten, and when his mission began, but these are weak reports.

Ibn Kathir said: "Allah says “Have We not opened your breast for you (O Muhammad)?” meaning, did We not open your heart for you, i.e., We illuminated it etc. This is like the verse in which Allah says: “And whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his heart to Islam.” (al-An’am 6/125) And it was said that what is meant by the verse “Have We not opened your breast for you (O Muhammad)?”  is the opening of his chest on the night of the Isra, but there is no contradiction because the opening of his chest includes what was done on the night of the Isra as well as the metaphorical meaning of opening his heart. And Allah knows best." (Tafsir al-Qur’ani'l-Azim, 4/677)

Alusi says: "It was said that what is meant is: Did We not relieve your distress and worry by showing you the reality of things and the insignificance of this world, so that enabled you to bear hardship by mans of turning to Allah with du’a. It was narrated from the majority that what is meant is:  Did We not bestow upon him wisdom and enable him to receive that which was revealed to him after it was difficult for him?" (Ruh al-Ma’aani, 30/166)

Ibn Ashur said: "Opening his breast is a metaphor for the blessings that were bestowed upon him and enabling him to attain all levels of perfection, and informing him that Allah is pleased with him, and glad tidings of the victory that the religion would attain." (al-Tahrir wa’l-Tanwir, 1/4850)