Was the heart of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) dirty?

Why did Gabriel (Jibril) pierce the Prophet’s chest and cleanse his heart before Miraj (Ascension)? Was there some kind of evil in the Prophet’s heart that needed to be cleansed before he ascended to the presence of God?

Dear Brother / Sister,

The incident of shaqq as-sadr (splitting of the chest), whose exact nature we do not know, occurred twice. In a way, this incident was a preparation for the Prophet (pbuh) to carry the lofty and heavy burden of prophethood and to be the recipient of an unprecedented miracle like Miraj.

We can also say that it served to make the human aspect of the Prophet (pbuh) comply with his spiritual aspect.

That is to say, when the Prophet (pbuh) was near the Kaaba on the Night of Miraj, his chest was split open by the angels and washed with Zamzam water and filled with knowledge and wisdom so that he would be ready for the miracle of Miraj. By divine wisdom, the Prophet (pbuh), who would embark on the journey of Miraj, was prepared for this wonderful journey physically as well as spiritually.

There may be a subtlety like this in the washing of the heart: Making the physical heart resistant and suitable for the realms of the hereafter so that it will not be damaged in that rapid journey of Isra and Miraj. Just as astronauts take certain precautions and wear special clothes when they go into space so too may the angels have made the body of the Prophet (pbuh) immune to those realms.

On the other hand, the heart, which is the center of biological life, is associated with both the mental and emotional life of the person in religious terminology. The incident of the splitting of the Prophet’s chest was an operation performed by Gabriel in order to eliminate the Prophet’s human desires and equip him with superior qualities.

The narrations stating that the splitting of the chest took place while the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was in the company of his wet nurse and before his ascension to heaven are accepted as valid in terms of hadith criticism. (1)

The narrations regarding the issue point to both the physical and spiritual dimensions of the splitting of the chest.

According to Shah Waliyyullah ad-Dihlawi, who argues that this incident occurred in a state between the visible realm and the realm of similitude, shaqq as-sadr means “splitting the chest open and filling it with belief, the angelic lights becoming prevalent, the human feelings becoming weakened, and the heart structure being made ready to accept the revelations from the sacred world.” (2)

Some tafsir scholars state that the verse in the chapter of al-Inshirah, “Have We not expanded thee thy breast?” (3) refers to the incident of shaqq as-sadr.

Elmalılı Muhammad Hamdi states that the material shaqq as-sadr is disputed among scholars, whereas there is unanimity on the spiritual shaqq as-sadr that filled the heart of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) with belief, wisdom and truth. (4)

Ibn Ashur reports that most of the tafsir scholars interpret the sharh as-sadr in the first verse of the chapter of al-Inshirah as knowledge, wisdom and the light of prophethood (5)

References:
1) Musnad, III, 121; Muslim, Iman, 261, 265; Musnad, IV, 184-185; Darimi, Muqaddima, 3; Ibn Ishaq, pp. 27-28; Musnad, V, 139; Musnad, IV, 208; V, 143; Bukhari, Salah, 1, Bad’ul-Khalq, 6; Anbiya, 5; Tawhid 37; Muslim, Iman, 263, 264; Tirmidhi, Tafsir, 94.
2) Hujjatullah al-Baligha, II, 557, 561.
3) al-Inshirah, 94/1.
4) Hak Dini, VIII, 5914-5916.
5) at-Tahrir wat-Tanvir, XXX, 360-361.

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