The Background of Supernatural Narratives Regarding Muhammad’s Sexual Potency Equal to 30 Men

Do you know that Muhammad’s marriages and acquisition of concubines suddenly stopped in 7 AH?

For the last three years of his life, there is no record of any new marriages or concubines—despite the fact that, before 7 AH, this practice had been frequent and rapid.

Why the sudden change?

And do you know that the narrations claiming Muhammad had the sexual potency of 30 or 40 men also only appear after 7 AH?

For example, this narration:

Ibn Sa'd, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Page 374:

Gabriel brought me a pot, I ate from it, and I was granted the sexual potency of 40 men.

Or this narration:

Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 268:

Anas ibn Malik said: We used to say that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was given the strength of thirty men.

Why did these claims emerge only after 7 AH?

The context behind these narrations suggests that doubts about Muhammad’s physical capabilities had begun to surface particularly due to the incident involving Maria al-Qibtiyya and his prolonged lack of offspring. These exaggerated claims likely served as a "counter-narrative" to dispel such doubts and reassure people that his sexual potency remained intact even in his later years.

The Rise of Doubts About Muhammad’s Virility

In ancient Arab society, masculine prestige and leadership were not judged solely by polygamy. The ability to father children was also seen as essential proof of a man’s strength and vitality. So when Muhammad, despite his many marriages, failed to have any children after Khadijah, questions naturally arose.

After Khadijah’s death, Muhammad married multiple women, yet none of them bore him children. Importantly, these wives were not infertile. Women like Umm Salama, Sawdah, Zaynab, and Umm Habiba had all had children with their previous husbands. When they failed to conceive with Muhammad, society began to question his physical capacity.

Now, it’s worth noting that infertility and sexual potency are two distinct biological issues. However, in Arab culture at the time, the two were often conflated. This social perception likely fuelled the doubts, and after 7 AH, two major events only intensified them.

The two major factors that fuelled these doubts and suspicions were:

1. The Poisoning Incident in Khaybar (7 AH)

In 7 AH, during the conquest of Khaybar, a Jewish woman presented Muhammad with poisoned meat. This incident was not just a murderous attack but also a significant challenge to his claim of prophethood.

Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 3169:

Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: When Khaybar was conquered, a (poisoned) sheep was presented to the Prophet (peace be upon him) as a gift by the Jews. ... The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked them: "If I ask you about something, will you tell me the truth?" They said, "Yes." He asked, "Did you put poison in this sheep?" They said, "Yes." He asked, "Why did you do that?" They replied, "We wanted to see if you are a liar (in your claim of prophethood), then we would be relieved, and if you are truly a prophet, this poison would not harm you."

Muhammad did not object to this religious theory of the Jews that poison would not affect a true prophet. 

However, it is clear that the poison did affect him, as seen in this narration:

Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 4428:

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: During the illness which led to his death, the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to say: "O Aisha! I still feel the pain of the food I ate in Khaybar, and at this time, I feel as if my aorta is being cut because of the poison."

The effects of the poison were not temporary but gradually increased until his death.

Note:

Logically, it should have been that anyone claiming to be a prophet must perform a miracle. That is, anyone who claims to be a prophet should be tested with poison to see if he is a true prophet or not.

Muhammad failed this test given by the Jews.

Even before this, when the Jews asked Muhammad to prove his prophethood by performing the miracle of "walking through fire unharmed," he failed that test as well. This incident is mentioned in the Quran itself and raises a significant question about Muhammad's prophethood. Read our detailed article:

• Repeated Failures in the Test of Performing Miracles

2. The Gradual Onset of Poison Effects and the Decline in Muhammad's New Marriages

Muhammad's new marriages began after the Battle of Uhud and continued rapidly until the conquest of Khaybar in 7 AH. This period included not only marriages but also concubines.

Marriages Before Khaybar:

• Hafsa (3 AH)
• Zaynab bint Khuzayma (4 AH)
• Umm Salama (4 AH)
• Zaynab bint Jahsh (5 AH)
• Juwayriya (6 AH)
• Umm Habiba (7 AH): This marriage took place when she was in Abyssinia and her husband had passed away. Some narrations place this marriage in 8 AH.
• Safiyya (7 AH): This marriage took place immediately after the conquest of Khaybar.

In addition, during this period, Muhammad established sexual relations with Rayhana bint Zayd, Jamila, and another concubine received as a gift. This era marked the peak of his physical activity.

Marriages After Khaybar:

As the effects of the poison increased, the frequency of new marriages and concubines declined. After Khaybar, only one permanent marriage is recorded:

• Maymuna (7 AH): This marriage took place during the Farewell Pilgrimage. It is considered Muhammad's last marriage.

Among concubines, only Maria al-Qibtiyya (7 AH) is mentioned.

After this, Muhammad lived for another 3 years, but the series of marriages and concubines came to an end. Given the narrations where he mentioned feeling as if his aorta was being cut due to the poison, it is logical to infer that the effects of the poison were gradually taking hold.

Maria al-Qibtiyya's Pregnancy and Muhammad's Doubts

Despite having nine wives and several concubines for many years, Muhammad had no children until 7 AH.

In 7 AH, Maria al-Qibtiyya was given to Muhammad as a concubine, and she soon became pregnant.

However, her immediate pregnancy led to speculation, and people began to suspect that she had conceived through her cousin, a Coptic slave named Mabur.

Without any judicial process, witnesses, or allowing Mabur to defend himself, Muhammad ordered Mabur's execution.

Sahih Muslim, Book of Repentance, Hadith 2522 records this incident:

A Coptic slave (named Mabur) was accused of committing adultery with the Prophet's concubine Maria al-Qibtiyya.

Upon hearing this, the Prophet said to Ali: "Go and behead him."

Ali went to the man and found him bathing in a well. Ali pulled him out and saw that his genitals were cut off (i.e., he was a eunuch).

Ali refrained from killing him and returned to the Prophet, saying: "O Messenger of Allah! He is a eunuch; he has no genitals."

Imam Hakim, in his book Al-Mustadrak alaa al-Sahihain, narrates from Aisha:

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: Maria (al-Qibtiyya) was sent to the Prophet as a gift, and she had a maternal cousin with her. Aisha said: The Prophet then visited her and she became pregnant. He then accommodated her in a separate house with her cousin. Aisha said: Then the slanderers and liars began to say: "Due to his intense desire for offspring, he has claimed someone else's child as his own."

Maria, the mother of Ibrahim, had little milk, so the Prophet bought a sheep for her to nurse Ibrahim, which caused his body to grow plump. Aisha said: One day, the Prophet brought Ibrahim to me and asked: "What do you think of him?" I said: "One who is fed sheep's milk will have a plump body." He said: "And does he resemble me?" Aisha said: The jealousy that is natural in women arose in me, so I said: "I do not see any resemblance."

Then the Prophet heard what people were saying about him (regarding Ibrahim's paternity), so he said to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): "Go and kill him."

In this incident, Muhammad violated all the principles of Islamic Sharia:

• The Coptic slave was not given any opportunity to defend himself or present his case.

• For an accusation of adultery, Islamic Sharia requires four eyewitnesses. However, in this case, there were no witnesses, only rumors.

• According to Islamic Sharia, the punishment for a slave's adultery is not execution but half the lashes of a free man. Yet, Muhammad ordered his execution.

In Islamic Sharia, making a false accusation is called "Qadhf," and its punishment is 80 lashes. When Aisha was accused in the Incident of the Slander (Ifk), Muhammad punished all the accusers with 80 lashes. But no such thing happened in the case of this Coptic Slave Mabur.

Persistent Doubts Despite Mabur's Innocence Being Proven

Surprisingly, even after it was proven that Mabur was a eunuch (making physical adultery impossible), Muhammad's doubts about Ibrahim's paternity were not entirely dispelled. This is evidenced by a narration from Ibn Kathir (Link):

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: When Maria gave birth to Ibrahim, doubts arose in the Prophet's heart about his paternity to the extent that Gabriel (peace be upon him) descended and said: "Peace be upon you, O father of Ibrahim." (i.e., Gabriel reassured him that Ibrahim was indeed his son).
Ruling: This hadith is "Hasan" (good).

This narration raises two critical questions:

1. If the Mabur incident was sufficient to dispel doubts, why was there a need for divine reassurance through Gabriel calling him "Aba Ibrahim" (Father of Ibrahim)? This indicates that Muhammad himself was deeply troubled by doubts about his physical condition (due to the poison or prolonged childlessness) in this matter.

2. This point strengthens the narrative that the doubts about Muhammad's sexual and physical potency during this period were so serious that merely proving Mabur was a eunuch was not enough. Instead, a "divine confirmation" was needed to publicly close the chapter on these doubts.

The Historical Context of the Narratives About Extraordinary Sexual Potency

Interestingly, narratives about the sexual potency of 30 or 40 men and the "heavenly pot" emerged around the same time (after 7 AH) when Muhammad's new marriages had already ceased.

Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 268:
Anas ibn Malik said: The Prophet (peace be upon him) visited all his wives in a single day and night, and there were eleven of them (nine wives and two concubines: i.e., after 7 AH). The narrator asked Anas: Did the Prophet have the strength for this? Anas replied: We used to say that the Prophet was given the strength of thirty men.

An analytical look at this narration reveals two major contradictions:

1. Historically, it is established that Muhammad had a fixed schedule for visiting his wives and strictly adhered to it. Visiting all his wives in a single night would have violated this schedule.

2. Critics view these narratives as a deliberate "counter-narrative." When doubts about physical decline or infertility (as in the case of Maria al-Qibtiyya) began to spread about a leader, it is a common human psychology among devoted circles to dispel such impressions through exaggerated tales.

Thus, after 7 AH, as new marriages stopped and the effects of the poison became evident, the emergence of these narratives at the same time suggests that they were likely crafted to defend against the doubts that were prevalent in Arab society at that time.

Conclusion

When historical criticism examines clusters of narratives, social conflicts, and doctrinal claims emerging within the same period, scholars often ask: Were these traditions crafted in response to a contemporary social or political crisis?

A comparative analysis of the evidence and historical accounts reveals that the initial doubts about Muhammad’s infertility (arising from his lack of children despite nine wives and concubines) had, by the end of his life, escalated into widespread skepticism about his virility, particularly after the incident involving Maria al-Qibtiyya.

While we cannot definitively attribute these physical concerns to a single cause, such as the poison from Khaybar or the effects of aging, the controversies surrounding Maria al-Qibtiyya’s pregnancy and the questions about Ibrahim’s paternity clearly indicate that Muhammad’s physical potency was a subject of public debate in his time.

It appears that narratives like "the strength of 40 men" and "relations with all his wives in a single night" were fabricated as counter-narratives, deliberately crafted to address social pressures and objections, and to preserve an aura of extraordinary physical dignity around his persona.