How Mohammed Died proved he was a False Prophet

This is an excerpt from the new book, I’m Not a Muslim Because I Read the Quran. Available for purchase here.

An intriguing passage is found in the Quran, specifically in chapter 69, verses 44-46, which asserts: “And if he had forged some words against us, then we would surely have taken him by the right hand. Then we would have cut the jugular vein of him.”¹⁾The Generous Quran (trans. Usama Dakdok) Usama Dakdok Publishing (Venice, FL: 2009), p. 331 In Dakdok’s translation, the term “jugular vein” is utilized, while comparing with other versions, we find alternatives like “life-vein,” “life-artery,” “artery of his heart,” and “aorta.” The passage revolves around Allah’s declaration that if Mohammed were to fabricate a prophecy, Allah would promptly strike him dead by severing a significant artery, whether situated in the neck (jugular) or the heart (aorta).

Interestingly, upon comparing this narrative with historical accounts documented in the Hadith regarding Mohammed’s death, a notable coincidence emerges. Mohammed was poisoned while consuming sheep prepared for him by a Jewish woman, as recorded in Abu Dawud Book 34, Number 4498:

So a Jewess presented him at Khaybar with a roasted sheep which she had poisoned. The Apostle of Allah (PBUH) 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 (PBUH) 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.²⁾Abu Dawud Book 34, Number 4498; accessed at https://hadithcollection.com. Note the parenthesis “(PBUH)” which follows each reference to Mohammed as the apostle of Allah means “Peace Be Upon Him.”

This account suggests that the Jewish woman sought revenge upon Mohammed, who had recently attacked her city and killed her family. She claims to have fed him poison to test whether he was truly a prophet,³⁾Also see Abu Dawud Book 34, Number 4495. The challenge posed by the Jewish woman, involving poison and a prophet’s survival, appears to draw inspiration from the biblical account of Elisha the prophet. In that narrative (2 Kings 4:38-41), Elisha ate from a pot containing poisoned gourds and subsequently healed all who had partaken. This motif aligns with Christian scriptures, particularly Mark 16:17-18 and Acts 28:1-6, which also depict instances of divine protection against harmful substances. and many people partook in the meal. Mohammed’s companion Bishr died shortly after, while Mohammed endured lingering pain for several days. The description of the pain aligns with the notion of having his aorta cut off.

The same account is reiterated elsewhere, with Umm Mubashshir addressing the Mohammed during the sickness that led to his death:

Umm Mubashshir said to the Prophet (PBUH) during the sickness of which he died: What do you think about your illness, Apostle of Allah (PBUH)? I do not think about the illness of my son except the poisoned sheep of which he had eaten with you at Khaybar. The Prophet (PBUH) said: And I do not think about my illness except that. This is the time when it cut off my aorta.⁴⁾Abu Dawud Book 34, Number 4499; accessed at https://hadithcollection.com.

This repeated emphasis underscores the association of Mohammed’s death with the severing of his aorta, a detail consistently highlighted in the historical accounts. Further insights into the circumstances surrounding Mohammed’s death, specifically the account of his poisoning by a Jewish woman, can be explored in authoritative Islamic sources. Notable references include Sahih Bukhari Volume 3, Book 47, Number 786; Sahih Muslim Book 26, Number 5430 and 5431; Abu Dawud Book 34, Numbers 4493, 4494, 4496, and 4500. These accounts offer additional perspectives and details on the events leading to Mohammed’s demise. Interested readers can access these sources for a more comprehensive understanding at https://hadithcollection.com.

Mohammed did not die suddenly but died a slow agonizing death. His wife Aisha records his comments, “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.’”⁵⁾Sahih Bukhari Volume 5, Book 59, Number 713; accessed at https://hadithcollection.com.

Remarkably, the Hadith describes the death of Mohammed as precisely the type of death that Allah had warned him of if he were a false prophet forging prophecies. This historical evidence from accepted authoritative Islamic sources would suggest that Mohammed was a false prophet. Furthermore, an intriguing aspect from these recorded accounts is how the Quran depicts Allah as having saved Jesus from the Jews who sought to kill Him (Surah 4:157-158), yet Allah allowed Mohammed to succumb to death at the hands of a Jewish woman. In antiquity, dying at the hands of a woman was regarded as a matter of shame (Judges 4:9, 21; 9:53; 2 Samuel 11:21). In the context of Islam, this shame would be particularly intensified by the fact that it was a Jewish woman who played a role. The irony becomes apparent as Mohammed, after a life marked by the slaughter of the chosen people of the God of the Bible, met his end in what was considered a disgraceful manner.