# How did Muhammad die? > Muslim sources say Muhammad died in Medina in 632, at sixty-three, and that in his last illness he still felt the poison from a sheep he had eaten at Khaybar. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/islam/how-did-muhammad-die - Religions: Islam - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: islam, muhammad - Updated: 2026-10-09 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) Muslim sources say Muhammad died in Medina in 632, aged sixty-three, and that in the illness of which he died he still felt the poison from food he had eaten at Khaybar. Watt’s Britannica biography dates that death to 8 June 632. ## Key points - [Sahih al-Bukhari 3536](https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3536) and [4466](https://sunnah.com/bukhari:4466) say he died at sixty-three. - [Sahih al-Bukhari 2617](https://sunnah.com/bukhari:2617) says a Jewish woman brought a poisoned sheep, that he ate from it, and that he said not to kill her. - [Sahih al-Bukhari 4428](https://sunnah.com/bukhari:4428) records Aisha: in the final illness he said he still felt the food from Khaybar, as if his aorta were being cut from that poison. - [Qur’an 3:144](https://quran.com/3/144) says he was a messenger who could die or be killed. - [Qur’an 69:44–46](https://quran.com/69/44) says that if he had invented sayings about God, God would have cut the aorta. - Christians confess a Jesus who died and whom Thomas calls Lord and God in [John 20:28](/bible/john/20/28). [The resurrection of Jesus](/christianity/resurrection-of-jesus) ## The age and the day [Sahih al-Bukhari 3536](https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3536) (Muhammad Muhsin Khan) says: > Narrated `Aisha: The Prophet (ﷺ) died when he was sixty three years old. [Sahih al-Bukhari 4466](https://sunnah.com/bukhari:4466) (Muhammad Muhsin Khan) says: > Narrated `Aisha: Allah 's Apostle died when he was sixty-three years of age. Britannica dates the death to 8 June 632 in Medina. [Who was Muhammad?](/islam/who-was-muhammad) ## The poison at Khaybar [Sahih al-Bukhari 2617](https://sunnah.com/bukhari:2617) (Muhammad Muhsin Khan) says: > Narrated Anas bin Malik: A Jewess brought a poisoned (cooked) sheep for the Prophet (ﷺ) who ate from it. She was brought to the Prophet and he was asked, "Shall we kill her?" He said, "No." I continued to see the effect of the poison on the palate of the mouth of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) . [Sahih al-Bukhari 4428](https://sunnah.com/bukhari:4428) (Muhammad Muhsin Khan) says: > Narrated `Aisha: The Prophet (ﷺ) in his ailment in which he died, used to say, "O `Aisha! I still feel the pain caused by the food I ate at Khaibar, and at this time, I feel as if my aorta is being cut from that poison." ## What the Qur’an says about his death [Qur’an 3:144](https://quran.com/3/144) (Saheeh International) says: > Muḥammad is not but a messenger. [Other] messengers have passed on before him. So if he was to die or be killed, would you turn back on your heels [to unbelief]? And he who turns back on his heels will never harm Allāh at all; but Allāh will reward the grateful. [Qur’an 69:44](https://quran.com/69/44) through [69:46](https://quran.com/69/46) (Saheeh International) say: > And if he [i.e., Muḥammad] had made up about Us some [false] sayings, > We would have seized him by the right hand; > Then We would have cut from him the aorta. The hadith uses that same word, aorta, for the pain he said he still felt. The Qur’an uses it for a judgment if he had invented revelation. The two sentences are not the same claim. ## If you're talking with a Shia Muslim The age and the poisoned sheep are in Sahih al-Bukhari, a Sunni collection. [Which Muslims accept which hadith?](/islam/which-muslims-accept-which-hadith) [Qur’an 3:144](https://quran.com/3/144) is the shared book: Muhammad was a messenger, and a messenger can die or be killed. The date 8 June 632 is the date in Britannica’s biography, which both readers can check. ## The Christian claim Christians bury their dead and confess that Jesus did not stay dead. [John 20:28](/bible/john/20/28) (King James Version): > And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God. [The resurrection of Jesus](/christianity/resurrection-of-jesus) is that claim. [What do Christians believe about Muhammad?](/islam/what-do-christians-believe-about-muhammad) ## Frequently asked questions ### Did Muhammad say he would die? [Qur’an 3:144](https://quran.com/3/144) raises his death or his being killed as a real possibility. [Qur’an 46:9](https://quran.com/46/9) has him say he does not know what will be done with him. ### Who succeeded him? Sunni Muslims count Abu Bakr as the first caliph. Shia Muslims hold that leadership belonged to Ali. [What is the difference between Sunni and Shia Islam?](/islam/sunni-vs-shia) [What is a caliphate?](/islam/what-is-a-caliphate) ## Passages quoted on this page ### Qur’an 69:44-47 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/69/44-47) > [44] And if he [i.e., Muḥammad] had made up about Us some [false] sayings, [45] We would have seized him by the right hand; [46] Then We would have cut from him the aorta. [47] And there is no one of you who could prevent [Us] from him. ### Qur’an 46:9 Saheeh International. [Open on quran.com](https://quran.com/46/9) > Say, "I am not something original among the messengers, nor do I know what will be done with me or with you. I only follow that which is revealed to me, and I am not but a clear warner." ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [Sahih al-Bukhari, 4428](https://sunnah.com/bukhari:4428) (English translation by Muhammad Muhsin Khan.) 2. [Sahih al-Bukhari, 2617](https://sunnah.com/bukhari:2617) (English translation by Muhammad Muhsin Khan.) 3. [Sahih al-Bukhari, 3536](https://sunnah.com/bukhari:3536) (English translation by Muhammad Muhsin Khan.) 4. [Sahih al-Bukhari, 4466](https://sunnah.com/bukhari:4466) (English translation by Muhammad Muhsin Khan.) 5. [Qur’an, 3:144; 69:44; 69:45; 69:46](https://quran.com/3/144) (Saheeh International, as published on Quran.com. The link is the first passage, 3:144.) 6. [Encyclopaedia Britannica, Muhammad, Biography](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Muhammad) (W. Montgomery Watt. Death on 8 June 632 in Medina.) 7. [Gospel of John, 20:28](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/20/28). King James Version ## See also - [How many wives did Muhammad have?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/muhammads-wives) — The Qur’an permits Muhammad more wives than the four it allows other men. Muslim historians name Khadijah first, and Sunni hadith name Aisha among those who followed. - [How Old Was Aisha When She Married Muhammad?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/how-old-was-aisha) — In Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, Aisha says she was married at six and that the marriage was consummated at nine. Those reports also say she remained with him nine years, until his death at sixty-three. - [Is Muhammad the Paraclete or Ahmad?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/is-muhammad-the-paraclete) — Some Muslims hear Muhammad in Jesus' promise of the Comforter, and in the name Ahmad in Qur'an 61:6. John 14–16 says who that person is. - [Is Muhammad the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/is-muhammad-the-prophet-of-deuteronomy-18) — Qur'an 7:157 says the unlettered prophet is written in the Torah and the Gospel. Deuteronomy 18 is the passage most often offered. - [What are hadith and sira?](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/what-are-hadith-and-sira) — A hadith is a report of what Muhammad said or did. The sira is the biographical tradition of his life. Sunni and Shia Muslims do not treat the same hadith books as their canon. ## History [View history on GitHub](https://github.com/Apologetics-Wiki/apologetics-wiki/commits/main/src/content/articles/how-did-muhammad-die.md)