Max Shimba Ministries: WHY DID MUHAMMAD ATTEMPT TO COMMIT SUICIDE?

Thursday, July 10, 2025

WHY DID MUHAMMAD ATTEMPT TO COMMIT SUICIDE?

By Dr. Maxwell Shimba
Shimba Theological Institute | Max Shimba Ministries Org ©2016

1. Muhammad Attempted Suicide
2. Muhammad Climbed Mountains to Throw Himself Off
3. Aisha Testifies Muhammad Was Bewitched

Dear Reader,

As we study the Holy Bible, we find that God appointed His prophets and messengers out of love and grace. However, when I examined Islamic scriptures and historical sources related to the prophet Muhammad, I encountered very disturbing reports, particularly concerning his mental state and supernatural experiences. I will now present Islamic sources directly so that Muslims cannot claim I am misrepresenting their texts.

I. MUHAMMAD ATTEMPTED SUICIDE DUE TO SPIRITUAL DISTRESS

According to Sahih al-Bukhari, after the first revelatory experience, Muhammad was deeply disturbed and attempted to commit suicide due to the suspension of revelation (wahy). He climbed to the top of mountains intending to throw himself off:

“The Prophet said: ‘Will they expel me?’ … Later, after Waraqa bin Nawfal passed away, the revelation stopped for a time, and Muhammad became so distressed that he would go to the top of mountain peaks to throw himself off. But each time he reached the summit, the Angel Jibril would appear and reassure him saying: ‘You are truly the Messenger of Allah.’ Then he would calm down and return home. But when the period of silence lengthened, he would repeat the attempt.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 9, Book of Interpretation, Hadith 6982)

Question: Where in the Torah, Psalms, or Gospel do we ever read of any biblical prophet attempting suicide as Muhammad did?

II. MUHAMMAD’S SUICIDAL TENDENCIES RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES

The narration reveals that these suicidal attempts occurred repeatedly whenever divine revelation ceased:

“The Prophet became so sorrowful due to the cessation of revelation that he repeatedly climbed mountaintops to throw himself off. But whenever he reached the peak, Jibril would appear and say, ‘Indeed, you are the true Messenger of Allah,’ which would calm him down…”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 8, Book of Invocations, p. 234)

This repeated behavior reflects profound emotional instability that is alarming, especially for someone considered a prophet of God.

III. AISHA CLAIMS MUHAMMAD WAS BEWITCHED

Even more concerning is the testimony of Aisha, Muhammad’s favorite wife, who claimed he was under a magical spell:

“Narrated Aisha: Allah’s Messenger was bewitched to the extent that he believed he had done things which he had not done. One day, he prayed to Allah, and then said: ‘O Aisha, do you know that Allah has answered me concerning what I asked Him?’”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 8, Book of Medicine, Hadith 6391)

Aisha confirms that Muhammad was deluded, thinking he had sexual relations with his wives when he had not. This aligns with another narration:

“The Prophet remained under the effect of that spell for several days, believing he had approached his wives though he had not.”
(Al-Furqan 25)

How is it possible that a prophet of Allah could be bewitched while the all-powerful Allah looked on and did nothing?

IV. MUHAMMAD DECLARED HIMSELF INSANE

Another disturbing confession from Muhammad is found in Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir by Ibn Sa’d:

“O Khadijah, I see lights and hear voices. I fear I am mad (possessed or insane).”
(Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir, translated by S. Moinul Haq, Vol. 1, p. 225)

In some translations, he is quoted as saying: “I fear I am going mad.”

Could this fear have been rooted in the traumatic experience of his first “revelation,” where he was seized and violently pressed by a being in the cave?

V. MUHAMMAD’S FIRST ENCOUNTER: TRAUMA OR REVELATION?

In The Life of Prophet Muhammad by Sheikh Abdullah Saleh Al-Farsy (pp. 16–17), we read about Muhammad’s first encounter with what he later believed to be the angel Jibril:

“One day, during the month of Ramadan (17th, on a Monday, in the 40½th year of his life), the Prophet saw a man standing before him. He said, ‘Read!’ The Prophet replied, ‘I do not know how to read.’ The man seized him, pressed him hard, and repeated: ‘Read!’ This happened three times before the man recited the verses of Surah al-Alaq (96), which Muhammad then memorized. Frightened, he returned home. Khadija thought he had a fever and covered him. After he calmed down, he told her everything. She went to her cousin Waraqa bin Nawfal, who confirmed that Muhammad had seen the same angel who appeared to Moses and Jesus.”

This traumatic experience suggests not peaceful divine inspiration, but an oppressive and fearful encounter, inconsistent with biblical revelation.

VI. ACCORDING TO ANOTHER SOURCE, MUHAMMAD WAS TEMPTED BY SATAN IN THE CAVE

According to Wives and Children of the Prophet, also by Sheikh Abdullah Saleh Al-Farsy (p. 12), it is suggested that Muhammad may have been subjected to satanic manipulation during his early experiences in the cave.

BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE ON SUICIDE

According to the Bible, suicide is never a prophetic characteristic. The act of taking one’s own life is condemned as self-murder, a violation of God's sovereign authority over life and death.

The Bible mentions four individuals who committed suicide:

Saul – 1 Samuel 31:4
Ahithophel – 2 Samuel 17:23
Zimri – 1 Kings 16:18
Judas Iscariot – Matthew 27:5

Each of these men was wicked or spiritually compromised. Suicide in Scripture is a grave sin, and those who die without salvation face eternal judgment (Revelation 21:8).

CONCLUSION

Now, to all Muslims: Show me in the Torah, the Psalms, or the Gospels, any prophet who attempted to commit suicide like Muhammad, or was bewitched, or confessed madness. Such attributes are not characteristics of God’s prophets as revealed in the Bible.

The invitation stands: Come to Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). No prophet, no angel, no vision compares to the living Son of God.

May the Lord bless you.

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