The Sealed Nectar | Part 12 | Muhammad's Birth and Forty Years Prior to Prophethood | Part 2 | Childhood (b)
Excerpts from "The Sealed Nectar"
The tradition is clear on the point that Halima's return journey and her subsequent life, as long as the Prophet stayed with her, was encircled with halo of good fortune. The donkey that she rode when she came to Makkah was lean and almost lame; it recovered speed much to the amazement of Halima's fellow travellers. By the time they reached the encampments of the Bani Sa'd clan in the country, they found the scales of fortune turned in their favour. The barren land sprouted luxuriant grass and the animals went out to pasture and came back to them satisfied and full of milk. Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam stayed with Halima for two years until he was weaned as Halima said:
"We then took him back to his mother earnestly requesting her to have him stay with us so that we may benefit from the good fortune and blessings he brought us. We persisted in our request, expressing our anxiety over the child catching a certain infection peculiar to Makkah. At last, we were granted our wish and the prophet stayed with us until we returned with him."
The prophet stayed with them until he was about 4 or 5 years old. Then as related by Anas in Sahih Muslim, Gabriel came down, opened his chest and took out the heart, he then extracted a bloodclot out of it and said: "That was the part of Satan in thee." And when he washed it with the water of Zamzam in a gold basin. After that the heart was joined together and restored to its place. The boys and playmates went running to his mother, i.e., his nurse, and said: "Verily Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam has been murdered." They all rushed towards him and found him to be alright and that only his face was pale and Anas said, "I have seen the mark that was left on his chest."