Muhammad’s Urine and the Claim of Protection from Hellfire: A Critical Examination

By Dr. Maxwell Shimba, Shimba Theological Institute

Introduction

One of the most striking and controversial narrations attributed to Prophet Muhammad is the claim that drinking his urine grants protection from hellfire. This report, found in Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti’s al-Khasāʾiṣ al-Kubrā (vol. 2, p. 253), references an incident in which a slave girl allegedly consumed the Prophet’s urine, to which he replied: “Surely she has protected herself from the hellfire with a great wall.” The narration is attributed to reliable transmitters, including al-Tabarani and al-Bayhaqi, through the testimony of Ḥukaymah bint Umaymah.

This claim raises profound theological, ethical, and rational questions. Can bodily excretions, such as urine, possess salvific power? Is this consistent with the message of God in the Abrahamic tradition? Does such a statement support the credibility of Muhammad as a prophet of God?

Critical Theological Assessment

From a biblical and theological standpoint, the notion that urine could protect one from divine judgment is entirely alien. The God of the Bible associates salvation with holiness, righteousness, and faith in His Word—not with the consumption of human waste. Scripture explicitly teaches that nothing unclean or impure can bring salvation:

• “But nothing unclean will ever enter it [the New Jerusalem], nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Revelation 21:27, ESV).

• “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.” (John 6:63).

By contrast, this hadith not only contradicts divine holiness but also diminishes the dignity of God’s supposed prophet by attributing spiritual efficacy to bodily waste.

Historical Context of Al-Suyuti’s Report

Al-Suyuti (d. 1505 CE) was a renowned jurist and hadith compiler, known for gathering reports that exalted Muhammad’s person. His al-Khasāʾiṣ al-Kubrā is a collection of “special virtues” of the Prophet, often uncritically compiling extraordinary claims, many of which exaggerate his supernatural attributes. While some scholars within Islam argue that these reports should not be taken literally, their presence in authoritative texts reveals the tendency within Islamic tradition to elevate Muhammad beyond human limitations.

However, from an academic perspective, such narrations undermine, rather than strengthen, the credibility of Muhammad as a prophet. If salvation is reduced to the drinking of urine, then the entire moral and spiritual framework of revelation collapses into absurdity.

A False Claim of Prophethood

The claim that Muhammad’s urine could save from hellfire cannot come from the true God, the Creator of heaven and earth. The biblical prophets never associated salvation with bodily waste. Instead, they consistently proclaimed repentance, holiness, and faith in God as the way to eternal life. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, declared:

• “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6).

If Muhammad taught or endorsed a doctrine wherein urine could grant eternal protection, then such a teaching reveals a false prophet who substituted human absurdities for divine truth.

Conclusion

The hadith reported by al-Suyuti in al-Khasāʾiṣ al-Kubrā (2:253) must be rejected as an invention inconsistent with divine revelation. It contradicts the holiness of God, the biblical witness, and rational morality. Far from proving Muhammad’s elevated status, it exposes the problematic nature of his prophetic claims. The true way of salvation is not found in bodily excretions but in Jesus Christ, who alone is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

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References

• Al-Suyuti, Jalal al-Din. al-Khasāʾiṣ al-Kubrā. Vol. 2. Cairo: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿArabiyya, n.d.

• Al-Tabarani, Sulayman ibn Ahmad. al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr. Beirut: Dar Ihya al-Turath al-ʿArabi, n.d.

• Al-Bayhaqi, Ahmad ibn Husayn. Shuʿab al-Imān. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1990.

• The Holy Bible, English Standard Version.

• Ibn Ishaq. Sirat Rasul Allah. Trans. A. Guillaume. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1955.

• Schacht, Joseph. An Introduction to Islamic Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1964.

• Watt, W. Montgomery. Muhammad at Mecca. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1953.

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