Imagine that you are the city coroner. A case is brought before you, and it is no ordinary case. The file is marked at the very top with a bold label: Top Priority.

First, because the individual in question is of the highest profile. We are dealing with none other than the Prophet of Islam—a religion that today counts nearly two billion adherents. This alone makes the case of unparalleled importance.

Second, the file reeks with signs of foul play. There is chatter, whisperings, and suspicion of murder. The claim is clear: the greatest man to have ever lived did not die a natural death.

Would not any coroner, when presented with such a case, at the very least launch an investigation? Surely so. Especially considering that this was not the first attempt on his life. The Messenger of Allah had been the target of numerous assassination attempts.

Take the night of the Hijrah, when he was preparing to leave the holy city of Mecca, the city of his birth. They tried to assassinate him then, and he was only saved by the courage of Imam ʿAlī, who put himself in harm’s way, ready to sacrifice his life for the sake of the Messenger if it came to that. That was only one attempt. There were many others along the way.

Later, I will highlight one specific attempt to demonstrate the gravity of these alleged crimes. But for now, it is sufficient to note that if this was indeed an assassination, it would not have been the first.

Third, consider the matter of motive. Any serious investigator begins there. And in this case, the motives were many and great.

The very first thing a coroner—or any investigator—asks is: Was there a motive? In this case, the answer is undeniable: of course there was.

We are dealing with people who lived to fight and fought to live. For centuries, tribes had gone to war for the most trivial of reasons—battles lasting decades over a goat or a bride. They buried their own daughters alive. These were not people typically known for mercy. Now imagine what motive they had when faced with the God’s Messenger: the man who upended their traditions, dismantled their idols, challenged their authority, and restructured their entire social order.

The individuals involved in the alleged plot, the high profile of the victim, and the volatile context of the time, all come together to produce the perfect storm and make this case riddled with suggestions of foul play, and even murder.

The Victim — A Life Under Threat

The Holy Prophet departed this world at the age of sixty-three. On the surface, this may not appear unusually young. Yet when we consider that he enjoyed good health, remarkable physical strength, and a lifestyle defined by moderation and balance, the question arises: why would a man of such vitality pass away at that age?

The answer begins to reveal itself when we recall that the Messenger of Allah was not simply a spiritual guide but also the single greatest threat to the entrenched powers of his time — indeed every era. From the earliest days of his mission until his final years in Medina, he lived under the shadow of death. His life was marked by repeated plots, ambushes, and assassination attempts — no less than ten well-documented efforts to end his mission prematurely. Each plot was foiled, often by divine intervention, yet together they form a chilling pattern that points to the immense hostility he faced.

What follows is a concise outline of these failed attempts, each one a window into the dangerous world in which the Prophet of Islam carried out his divine mandate.

1) Before the Hijrah: ʿUmar comes charging with his Sword

ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb set out one evening with his sword, bent on killing the Holy Prophet. Riding towards a house near al-Ṣafā where the Prophet and his followers were said to be gathered, he was stopped by Nuʿaym ibn ʿAbd Allāh, who asked where he was headed. When ʿUmar replied, furious and determined, Nuʿaym urged him to first settle a nearer matter — his own household.

Nuʿaym revealed that ʿUmar’s sister, Fāṭimah, and her husband, Saʿīd ibn Zayd, had embraced the new faith. Enraged, ʿUmar burst into their home. Khabbāb ibn al-Aratt was reading from a scroll of Sūrat Ṭā Hā; Fāṭimah hid it, but ʿUmar had already heard the recitation. In the confrontation that followed he struck Saʿīd, and when his sister intervened he struck her as well — drawing blood.⁷

2) Year 1: The Night of the Prophet’s Migration

The chiefs of Quraysh met in Dār al-Nadwa and agreed on a single, brutal strategy: each clan would send a man to stab the Prophet at once, so Banū Hāshim could not avenge him against one tribe. God warned His Messenger through Jibrāʾīl. The Prophet called ʿAlī and told him to take his place in the bed that night. ʿAlī asked if that would save the Prophet’s life; the Prophet answered, “Yes.” He prostrated in thanks, wrapped himself in the Prophet’s mantle, and lay down with a sword at his side. When the assassins surrounded the house, the Prophet slipped out toward the Cave of Thawr. Before he left he cast handfuls of dust over their heads and recited the opening of Sūrat Yā Sīn:

يس وَالْقُرْآنِ الْحَكِيمِ... فَأَغْشَيْنَاهُمْ فَهُمْ لاَ يُبْصِرُونَ

“Yā Sīn. By the Wise Qurʾān… We cast a covering over them, so they could not see.”⁸

This drew a veil over their sight.

The assassins burst in and began to stone the figure on the bed, convinced they had struck the Prophet. When ʿAlī rose and revealed himself, they realized they had missed the Prophet.⁹

3) Year 1: On the Road from the Cave to Madinah

When Quraysh learned the Prophet had slipped away, they put a price on his head — a hundred camels, equivalent to hundreds of thousands of dollars in today's economy — and Suraqah ibn Mālik set off in hot pursuit. As Suraqah closed in, the Prophet raised his hand in prayer: “O Allah, protect me from Suraqah.” At once the earth seemed to swallow the pursuer’s horse; its legs sank in the sand and the rider was rooted in terror. Begging for mercy, Suraqah swore an oath that he meant no harm and asked the Prophet to pray his mount free.

The prayer worked, the horse was released, yet when Suraqah pressed on a second and third time the same fate befell him — each time the beast stuck fast until, finally broken and awed, he surrendered, offering goods and protection. The Prophet refused payment but let him go. When Suraqah returned to Mecca and was asked about his hunt, he lied to his people, reporting he had found nothing.¹⁰

After Badr, in the raw aftermath of defeat, ʿUmayr ibn Wahb sat brooding in Mecca with Ṣafwān ibn Umayya — his son held captive in Madinah — and vowed that, but for his debts and children, he would have gone to kill the Prophet of Islam.

Ṣafwān promised to settle his obligations; ʿUmayr took a poisoned sword and rode for Madinah. Captured on arrival, he was brought before the Prophet, who asked his purpose. ʿUmayr lied that he had come to ransom his son. The Prophet then unmasked the private conversation ʿUmayr had had with Ṣafwān in Mecca, words no one in Madinah could have known. Confronted with that knowledge, ʿUmayr broke: “By God, none could have told you this except God Himself. I bear witness there is no god but Allah and you are His Messenger.” His son was freed, ʿUmayr embraced Islam, and — sent back to Mecca to call others — he became the instrument of many further conversions.¹¹

4) Year 3: The Expedition of Dhāt al-Amr

News came that Duʿthūr ibn al-Hārith of Banū Muḥārib had mustered men from his clan and from Banū Thaʿlaba to raid the Muslims. The Prophet moved quickly, gathering some 450 men and marching into Ṣafar in the third year after the Hijrah to confront the threat. When the Muslim force arrived, the enemy melted into the mountains, and the Prophet encamped on their ground. While his clothes dried after rain, he lay down beneath a tree, his sword slung on a low branch above him — an ordinary, unguarded moment that an enemy might have expected to exploit. Duʿthūr crept forward and, sword raised, stood over him and taunted, “Who will protect you from me today, O Muḥammad?” The Messenger answered simply and without fear: “Allah.”

Something in that single, serene word broke Duʿthūr’s resolve. Awe seized him, his hand shook, and the sword slipped from his grasp into the earth. The Prophet lifted the blade and asked in turn, “And who will protect you from me?” Struck by the scene — by the calm of the man before him and by a sense that a power beyond human struggle had intervened — Duʿthūr stammered his confession: “Your mercy, O Mohammad.

The Prophet spared him, returned the sword, and let him go. Before he left, he declared, “I bear witness there is no god but Allah, and you are the Messenger of Allah.”

When Duʿthūr rejoined his people he told of a tall white figure who had pushed him back and knocked him to the ground; convinced he had faced an angel, he vowed never again to gather against the Prophet.¹²

5) Year 4: The Conspiracy of Banū al-Naḍīr

In the fourth year, the Prophet visited Banū al-Naḍīr, a Jewish tribe of Madinah, seeking assistance to pay blood money for two men. They welcomed him, but secretly plotted his death. Their leader, Kaʿb ibn al-Ashraf, suggested that one of them climb a rooftop and drop a large stone on the Prophet’s head while he sat against the wall.¹³

Jibrāʾīl immediately informed the Prophet of the plot. He rose calmly, excused himself, and left for Madinah. Later he sent word through Muḥammad ibn Maslama:

“Allah has informed me of your treachery. Leave our city, or prepare for war.”

Banū al-Naḍīr initially agreed to depart, but hypocrites like ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ubayy urged them to resist. This standoff eventually escalated into the Battle of Banū al-Naḍīr, ending in their expulsion.¹⁴

6) Year 7: The Poisoned Lamb at Khaybar

After the Muslim victory at Khaybar, Zaynab bint al-Hārith, sister of the slain warrior Marḥab, sought revenge. She asked her people which part of the lamb the Prophet favored. They replied: the shoulder. She roasted a lamb, lacing the shoulders with deadly poison.¹⁵

When presented as a gift, the Prophet and his companions sat to eat. Suddenly he said:

“Stop eating — this meat tells me it is poisoned.”

One companion, Bishr ibn al-Barāʾ, had already eaten and died shortly afterward. The Prophet ordered cupping (ḥijāmah) to extract blood, and some companions did the same to reduce the poison’s effect.

When Zaynab was brought before him, he asked:

“Did you poison this lamb?” She replied audaciously:

“Yes. You killed my father, my uncle, and my husband. I thought: if you are a Prophet, you will know; if you are only a king, we will be rid of you.”

The Prophet forgave her, though some narrations suggest she was later executed when Bishr died.¹⁶

According to Sunni sources, however, the Prophet never fully recovered from that poison. Years later, on his deathbed, he said:

”مَا زِلْتُ أَجِدُ أَلَمَ الطَّعَامِ بِخَيْبَرَ فَهَذَا أَوَانُ انْقِطَاعِ أَبْهَرِي“

“I still feel the pain of what I ate at Khaybar, and now is the time for my aorta to be cut.”¹⁷

Note: This particular incident will prove to be critical point and will be discussed later in the book.

7) Year 8: The Battle of Ḥunayn

During the Battle of Ḥunayn, some Quraysh nobles harbored deep hatred. Among them was Shaybah ibn ʿUthmān, whose father had fallen at Uḥud. He vowed to take revenge.

He later admitted:

“None was more hateful to me than Muḥammad. At Ḥunayn, I thought: this is my chance. When the Muslims scattered, I came from behind with my sword raised to strike him. But suddenly, something overwhelmed my heart and I could not move. The Prophet turned, called me forward, placed his hand on my chest, and said: ‘Come close, O Shaybah.’ At that moment, I loved him more than anything and fought by his side.”¹⁸

His companion Ṣafwān ibn Umayya also plotted with him, but eventually refrained.¹⁹

8) Year 8: The Conspiracy at al-ʿAqaba

On the return from the Tabuk expedition, a group of twelve to fifteen hypocrites conspired to kill the Prophet. Their plan was to ambush him at a steep mountain pass (ʿAqaba), spook his camel, and throw him into the narrow gorge.²⁰

Jibrāʾīl warned him. The Prophet ordered most of his army to take the valley path, keeping only ʿAmmār ibn Yāsir and Ḥudhayfah ibn al-Yamān with him.

As the conspirators advanced in the dark, Ḥudhayfah struck their camels, scattering them. The Prophet then revealed their names privately to Ḥudhayfah, who kept the secret.²¹

9) Year 9: The Plot of Āmir and Arbad

In the ‘Year of Delegations,’ Āmir ibn al-Ṭufayl and his ally Arbad ibn Qays came to the Prophet in Madinah under pretense of diplomacy. Āmir requested a private meeting, hoping to distract the Prophet while Arbad struck him with a sword.²²

But at that moment, Arbad froze. He later complained, “Every time I tried to strike him, you came between me and him!”

Foiled, they left. On the way home, ʿĀmir was struck by a plague-like swelling in his neck and died in agony. Arbad was soon killed by a lightning strike.²³

10) Year 10: The Post-Ghadīr Conspiracy

Shia sources record that after the Prophet’s declaration at Ghadīr Khumm, the very same group of hypocrites (those in Aqabah) plotted to kill him. They positioned themselves on both sides of a steep pass at Harshā, intending to assassinate him at night.²⁴

Jibrāʾīl warned him. The Prophet confronted them by name, and they fled into the crowd, later swearing innocence.

The Qur’an addressed them as such:

«يَحْلِفُونَ بِاللّهِ مَا قَالُوا وَلَقَدْ قَالُوا كَلِمَةَ الْكُفْرِ وَكَفَرُوا بَعْدَ إِسْلاَمِهِمْ وَهَمُّوا بِمَا لَمْ يَنَالُوا»

“They swear they said nothing, yet they uttered the word of disbelief, disbelieved after Islam, and plotted what they could not achieve.²⁵”²⁶

Timeline of the Final Plot

The underlying planning for a major conspiracy against the Prophet and Islam was in motion in the early days of Islam. It included an accursed agreement among six members of the tribe of Quraysh, signed with their blood inside the Kaaba to assassinate the Prophet and remove power from his household.²⁷

We will describe in detail some of the main stages of the assassination, which are summarized below:

Battle of Tabuk (year 8 AH):

-The Battle of Tabuk is identified as the first phase of the active implementation of the conspiracy against the Prophet, aimed at seizing power.

-An intelligence report circulated in Medina, alleging Byzantine forces were gathering in Tabuk to invade the city.

-The Prophet called for a general mobilization, but many groups within the army began to desert. Their plan was to return to Medina, overthrow the weak governor, and take control after the Prophet had departed.

-The Prophet foiled this plot by replacing the weak governor in Medina with ʿAlī ibn Abi Talib, instructing him to stay behind. This was the only campaign ʿAlī did not participate in, with the Prophet stating, "You are to me as Aaron was to Moses"²⁸.

-Upon realizing they were exposed, the plotters joined the army that went to Tabuk. However, they found no Byzantine army there.

Return from Tabuk (Assassination Attempt):

-After their initial plan to seize Medina was foiled, the plotters shifted their focus to assassinating the Prophet.

-The first orchestrated assassination attempt on the Prophet occurred during the return from Tabuk, where at least twelve individuals tried to push him off a high pass (al-Aqabah).

Year 10 AH (approx. 80 Days Before Death):

-Farewell Pilgrimage (Hajjat al-Wada'): The Prophet returned from his last pilgrimage. On the way back, he stopped at Ghadir Khumm for three days and appointed Imam Ali as his heir and successor. In the same sermon, delivered to tens of thousands of Muslims, he stated that his death was near.²⁹

Approx. One Month Before the Prophet’s Death:

-The Prophet commands that all Muslims rally to join the army of Usama ibn Zayd and leave for Syria to fight the advancing Roman army. When some companions asked to stay behind, citing the Prophet’s health condition, he famously declared “May God’s curse be upon those who stay behind”³⁰.

-In defiance of the Prophet’s clear instructions, some companions remained on the outskirts of Medina, only to return upon receiving news of the Prophet’s impending death. They cited the Prophet’s grave health, ignoring his pleas for everyone to leave.³¹

Approx. One Week Before the Prophet’s Death:

-The poison is administered in the form of medicine³², causing the Prophet’s health to deteriorate severely.

Thursday Calamity (Four Days Before the Prophet's Death)³³:

-While gravely ill on his deathbed, the Prophet requested a pen and paper to write a will that would prevent the Muslim community from ever going astray.

-However, a party of companions explicitly opposed this, stating that the Prophet was "delirious" and "the Book of God is sufficient for us".

-This event is highlighted as the moment authority effectively left the Prophet's hands, during his own lifetime. It is suggested that the opposing party virtually took control in the four days between this Thursday and the Prophet's death on Monday.

-During this critical period, ʿAlī and other family members were engaged in nursing the Prophet and, later, in his burial preparations.

Black Monday:

-The Holy Prophet closed his eyes for the last time and departed this world

Tuesday:

-The Coup d’État takes place at Saqifah.³⁴ Abu Bakr assumes the position of the Prophet’s successor after wildly chaotic and morbidly violent encounters with other tribal leaders, each vying for the coveted office.

Wednesday:

- The Prophet is buried at night and without the participation of the Coup leaders.³⁵

Thursday:

-With the new self-proclaimed Caliph now in power, an era of violent repression begins, starting with anyone who challenged his authority, including prominent companions like Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubādah and Mālik ibn Nuwaira, but primarily the arch foes of his leadership; the Prophet’s own family.

Muslim Consensus

We mentioned that the Messenger of Allah was the target of numerous assassination attempts. Before I return to those, let us establish one basic, universally acknowledged fact: The Holy Prophet was murdered!

Now, you might say: Mainstream belief among many Muslims today is that the Prophet died a natural death. But that is not true. The evidence is so clear that the majority of senior scholars of both Sunni and Shia traditions agree—those who have examined their own sources, their own hadith collections, and their own history books. Among them, there is consensus: the Prophet did not die of natural causes. He was poisoned.

The average believer may never have read the classical sources. They may sincerely believe the Prophet simply fell ill and passed away. But the scholars, those who have referred to works such as Bukhari and Muslim in their Ṣahīh, Ahmad in his Musnad, Ibn Sa‘d, Ibn Hisham, al-Tabari, and other canonical hadith collections, know better.

Both Sunni and Shia agree that the Prophet was poisoned. The difference is not over whether the Prophet was poisoned. The difference is over who poisoned him.

Among the companions of the Prophet, ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd was a learned jurist, Qur’an reciter, and veteran of Badr. Described by al-Dhahabī as “the scholar of the ummah, the exegete of the Qur’an, and one of the earliest believers” his testimony carried immense weight in the formative generations of Islam.

In Musnad Aḥmad³⁶, Ibn Masʿūd makes a shocking statement. He said:

لأن أحلف تسعا أن رسول الله قتل قتلا، أحب إلي من أن أحلف واحدة أنه لم يقتل، وذلك بأن الله جعله نبيا، واتخذه شهيدا

“By Allah, I would swear nine times that the Messenger of Allah was killed, rather than swear once that he was not — for indeed, Allah made him a Prophet and then took him as a martyr.”³⁷

This statement is extraordinary not only in content but in tone. Ibn Masʿūd does not merely suggest the possibility of foul play — he insists upon it, swearing multiple oaths to underline his conviction that the Prophet did not die a purely natural death. His wording reflects both certainty and caution: he knew the gravity of what he was asserting and the potential unease it might cause among those who wished to avoid controversy.

If the Prophet’s passing had been simply due to the poisoning incident at Khaybar — the act of a Jewish woman long since known to the companions — there would have been no reason for Ibn Masʿūd to speak with such hesitation. The Khaybar episode was no secret, and the woman responsible had already been identified. There would have been nothing dangerous or divisive in recalling it.

Yet Ibn Masʿūd’s tone carries an air of apprehension, as though he was aware that acknowledging the Prophet’s murder had implications others were reluctant to face. His emphasis — “I would swear nine times that he was killed” — hints that what he was affirming was known to some but suppressed by others. It suggests that the truth of the Prophet’s death was veiled by mystery and silence among the companions.

For early Muslims like Ibn Masʿūd, such matters were living memory rather than theology subject to speculation and debate. He and others saw the Prophet’s suffering at the end of his life was part of his divine mission, a crescendo of trials, and a testimony that he was not only a messenger (nabī) but also a martyr (shahīd).

In light of this testimony, Ibn Masʿūd’s words echo as both a warning and a revelation — a reminder that the Prophet’s life and death were inseparable in their meaning. He lived for truth and justice, and he died as a martyr under the same human treachery that overshadowed his life.

To deny that reality, Ibn Masʿūd implies, would only conceal one of its most profound truths: that even the Messenger of God was not spared the schemes of those who opposed him, and that his martyrdom was the seal of his prophethood.

It can also be inferred from Ibn Masʿūd’s own words that any discussion surrounding the Prophet’s death had already become taboo. The very fact that he resorted to such an emphatic oath indicates that transmitting these statements would unsettle certain individuals and provoke serious reprisals.

Why else would he feel compelled to bind his testimony with language that is simultaneously forceful and vague, unless he anticipated that some people would be shaken by what he was about to reveal?

The Qur’anic Prediction

Let us begin with a crucial piece of evidence in this case: the Qur’an itself foretold that the Prophet would be murdered!

In Surah Aal ‘Imran, God declares:

وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ ٱلرُّسُلُ ۚ أَفَإِين مَّاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ ٱنقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَعْقَـٰبِكُمْ ۚ وَمَن يَنقَلِبْ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَيْهِ فَلَن يَضُرَّ ٱللَّهَ شَيْـًٔا ۗ وَسَيَجْزِى ٱللَّهُ ٱلشَّـٰكِرِينَ

“Muḥammad is but a Messenger. Messengers have passed away before him. So if he dies, or is killed, will you then turn back on your heels? And whoever turns back will not harm Allah in the least, but Allah will reward those who are grateful.”³⁸

At first glance, most translations render the verse as: “If he dies or is killed…” But this raises a problem. Why would God phrase it as though there was uncertainty? Does Allah not know whether His Messenger will die a natural death or be killed? Is Allah unsure of the outcome? Impossible.

This is why the translation “or” is erroneous in this context. The Arabic word ‘aw أَوْ’ can indeed mean “or,” but it also carries another meaning: بل “rather” or “indeed”, used for emphasis.

Thus, the correct reading is: “If he dies—indeed, he is killed—will you then turn back on your heels”

This verse is not presenting two possibilities. It is declaring one reality: that the Prophet would be slain.

The Imams of the Ahlulbayt explained this themselves. When asked about the meaning of this verse, they stated clearly: “The Holy Messenger of Allah was slain. He was poisoned to death. He never died a natural death.”³⁹

The Qur’an, then, predicted his assassination long before it happened.

And this meaning of -أوaw (“or/indeed”) is not unique, as there is a Qur’anic precedent for that very usage. In Surah al-Saffat, Allah says about Prophet Yunus:

وَأَرْسَلْنَـٰهُ إِلَىٰ مِائَةِ أَلْفٍ أَوْ يَزِيدُونَ

“We sent him to a hundred thousand people—or more.”⁴⁰

Surely Allah knows exactly how many people there were. Here, aw is not expressing doubt, but emphasis: “indeed, more than a hundred thousand.”

Thus, the Qur’an itself confirms: the Prophet would be murdered.

Equally chilling is the Qur’an’s own forecast of what would unfold after the Prophet’s death. It doesn’t speak in vague warnings but in stark, unmistakable terms: 

“Will you then turn back on your heels”⁴¹

This language goes beyond minor doubt or hesitation. It is the charge of betrayal, of high treason against God and His Messenger. Apostasy of the worst kind.

What the verse reveals is unnerving: the moment the Prophet departs, a faction within his very community would shed their disguise, unmask their hypocrisy, and seize the chance to turn against everything he built. This betrayal did occur during the battle of Uhud, despite the Prophet being alive. So God foretold that such a betrayal would happen again when was actually gone.

Also observe the contradiction that arises from the popular interpretation. In the very same passage, God foretells a future event—the apostasy of a group of believers—demonstrating perfect knowledge of what is yet to come. And yet, according to that interpretation, God somehow does not know how His own Prophet will depart this world!

Such an implication is not only logically incoherent; it borders on the absurd and verges into the sacrilegious, for it portrays the All-Knowing as unaware of the most consequential moment in the life of His final Messenger.

All of this points toward one possible conclusion: the Prophet’s murder was foreshadowed in divine revelation itself, and the evidence we are about to showcase reveal the Qur’an’s prophecy to have been fulfilled with astonishing precision.