Muhammad Poisoned

 

Based on Islamic historical sources, the woman who poisoned the food offered to Prophet Muhammad was 

Zaynab bint al-Harith. She was a Jewish woman from the oasis of Khaybar, not one of the Prophet's wives. 

Key Details of the Incident:

• When and Why: Following the conquest of Khaybar (7 AH), Zaynab sought revenge because her family and husband had been killed in the conflict. She poisoned a roasted sheep, specifically asking which part of the animal the Prophet preferred (she was told the shoulder).
• The Outcome: The Prophet took a bite, but did not swallow it, reportedly saying the mutton informed him it was poisoned. A companion with him, Bishr ibn al-Bara', swallowed a bite and died.
• Regarding the Poisoning: Zaynab confessed and told the Prophet she wanted to see if he was a king (in which case she would kill him) or a prophet (in which case God would inform him).
• Did he know? According to the narrations, he was informed after tasting the food by the food itself. While he did not die immediately, Islamic accounts say he continued to feel the effects of the poison, and when he was in his final illness four years later, he mentioned feeling the pain from that poisoned meal, leading many to believe he died as a martyr.
• Was she punished? Some reports suggest he initially spared her, but others state she was executed later after the companion Bishr died. 

It is important to differentiate her from Safiyya bint Huyayy, who was a Jewish woman who married the Prophet Muhammad, but she did not poison him. Zaynab bint al-Harith was a resident of Khaybar. 

The woman who poisoned the Prophet Muhammad was a Jewish woman named 

Zaynab bint al-Harith, but she was not his wife. Muhammad did have a Jewish wife, Safiyya bint Huyayy, and a Jewish concubine, Rayhana, but neither of them was the one who prepared the poisoned meal. 

The Poisoning Incident

• The Perpetrator: Zaynab bint al-Harith, the wife of Salaam ibn Mishkam, one of the Jewish leaders, was the person responsible. She sought revenge because the Muslim forces had killed her father, husband, and uncle in the Battle of Khaybar.
• The Method: After the conquest of the Jewish city of Khaybar in 628 CE (7 AH), Zaynab offered Muhammad and his companions a roasted sheep as a gift. She had specifically asked what part of the sheep he liked best (the foreleg) and put a large amount of poison in that portion.
• The Immediate Aftermath: Muhammad took a bite of the meat but spat it out, as, according to Islamic tradition, the meat itself informed him that it was poisoned. A companion named Bishr ibn al-Bara', who ate a mouthful, became sick and eventually died from the poison.
• The Prophet's Death: Muhammad survived the immediate effects, but he continued to feel pain and attribute his final, fatal illness four years later to the poison he had eaten at Khaybar. He reportedly told his wife Aisha on his deathbed, "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".
• Zaynab's Fate: Historical accounts differ on Zaynab's fate. Some reports state that Muhammad forgave her because no one was hurt at that exact moment, while others indicate she was later executed as punishment when Bishr died from the effects of the poison.