The splitting of the chest occurred four times in the mubaarak life of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam).

The first occurred during his childhood when he was in the care of Hazrat Halimah (radhiyallahu ‘anha). He was four years old at the time. He was on the grazing-field when two angels, Hazrat Jibraa’eel (‘alaihis salaam) and Hazrat Mikaa’eel (alaihis salaam), appeared as men in white garments carrying a golden tray laden with ice. They cut open his chest and removed his pure heart. They then split open his pure heart and removed one or two lumps of congealed blood and said, “This is shaytaan’s portion.” They placed his heart in the tray and washed it with ice water, after which they returned it to its original location, stitched his chest and applied a seal between his shoulder blades.

The splitting of the chest left Hazrat Halimah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) worried that some calamity may befall Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). Hence, she took him to his mother, Hazrat Aaminah, in Makkah Mukarramah, and informed her of what had transpired. Upon hearing what happened to the child, Hazrat Aaminah was in no way alarmed. She then mentioned the noor, the divine barakaat (blessings) and good that she had experienced during pregnancy and at the time of birth, after which she said, “The status and condition of this son of mine will be very great. Shaytaan will have no access to him. Do not worry as no calamity will befall him.”

Hazrat Halimah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) then returned home and Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) began living with his mother. When Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was six years old, his mother decided to journey to Madinah Munawwarah and took him along with her. Hazrat Umme Ayman (radhiyallahu ‘anha) also accompanied them on this trip. She stayed at her parents’ home for a month and thereafter returned with Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) to Makkah Mukarramah. While returning to Makkah Mukarramah, she passed away at a place called Abwaa and was buried there as well.

(Extracted from Seeratul Mustafa 1/73-85)

Abu ‘Uthmaan (rahimahullah) narrates that Hazrat Sa’d (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) said:

The following verse of the Qur’aan Majeed was revealed in my regard:

وَ وَصَّیۡنَا الۡاِنۡسَانَ بِوَالِدَیۡہِ حُسۡنًا ؕ وَ اِنۡ جَاہَدٰکَ لِتُشۡرِکَ بِیۡ مَا لَیۡسَ لَکَ بِہٖ عِلۡمٌ فَلَا تُطِعۡہُمَا ؕ

We have enjoined upon man kindness to parents. And if they (your disbelieving parents) force you to join partners with Me (in My worship) that of which you do not have knowledge, then do not obey them.

I was very obedient to my mother. When I accepted Islam, she said, “O Sa’d! What is this religion that you have innovated? You will either leave this religion, or I will neither speak to you, nor eat nor drink until I die. You will then bear the blame of my death as people will call you ‘the one who killed his mother’.” I replied, “O my mother! Do not do this! I will not leave this religion of mine for anything!”

My mother then remained for one day and night (and according to some narrations, three days and nights) without eating or drinking until she became extremely weak. When I saw her in this condition, I said to her, “O my mother! By Allah! Know that if you had a hundred lives and you lost them all, one by one, I would not leave my religion. If you wish, then eat. Otherwise, do not eat.” When the mother of Hazrat Sa’d (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) saw his determination and devotion to Islam, she realized that he would never renounce Islam and she thus began to eat.

(Siyar A’laam min Nubalaa vol.3 pg. 69, Saheeh Muslim #1748)

Faatimah (rahimahallah), the daughter of Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah), narrates the following:

A fire once broke out in the home of my brother, Saalih. He had married just recently, and so his wife’s family had brought gifts to his home worth approximately four thousand Dinaars (gold coins). When the fire broke out, it destroyed all these gifts. When the fire was burning, Saalih said, “I am not grieved by anything that was burned, except for the garment of my father, Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah). My father would perform salaah in this garment, and I thus kept it so that I may derive blessings from it and also perform salaah in it.” After the fire was extinguished, they entered the home and found the garment of Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) on a bed. The fire had consumed everything around the garment, but the garment itself was intact and unburned.

Ibnul Jowzi (rahimahullah) narrates a similar incident from the Head Qadhi, ‘Ali bin Husain Al-Zainabi. He mentioned that a fire once broke out in their home and destroyed everything, except for a kitaab which contained a few pages on which Imaam Ahmed (rahimahullah) had personally written.

(Siyar A’laam min Nubalaa vol. 11 pg. 230)

Imaam Shaafi‘ee (rahimahullah) narrates:

I was an orphan in the care of my mother, and my mother did not have anything which she could give to my Ustaad. However, my Ustaad was happy that when he would leave the class, I would see to the students in his absence. After I completed memorizing the Qur’aan Majeed, I entered the Musjid and began to sit with the ‘Ulamaa, memorizing the Ahaadith of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and various masaa’il of Deen. Our home, in Makkah Mukarramah, was situated in the valley of the Mountain of Khaif. I would find bones that were clean and clear and on which I was able to write Ahaadith and masaa’il of Deen (as I could not afford paper to write on). We had an old jar in our home. Whenever I had written on the entire surface of the bone and there was no other space left to write, I would place it in the jar.

(Hilyatul Awliyaa vol. 9 pg. 82)