On the authority of his father: Umm Mubashshir said to the Prophet (ﷺ) during the sickness of which he died: What do you think about your illness, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)? I do not think about the illness of my son except the poisoned sheep of which he had eaten with you at Khaybar. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: And I do not think about my illness except that. This is the time when it cut off my aorta.
Abu Dawud said: Sometime 'Abd al-Razzaq transmitted this tradition, omitting the link of the Companion, from Ma'mar, from al-Zuhri, from the Prophet (ﷺ), and sometimes he transmitted it from al-Zuhri from 'Abd al-Rahman b. Ka'b b. Malik, 'Abd al-Rahman mentioned that Ma'mar sometimes transmitted the tradition in a mursal form (omitting the link of the Companion), and they recorded it. And all this is correct with us. 'Abd al-Razzaq said: When Ibn al-Mubarak came to Ma'mar, he transmitted the traditions in a musnad form (with a perfect chain) which he transmitted as mauquf traditions (statements of the Companions and not of the Prophet).
Hadith Text & Context
On the authority of his father: Umm Mubashshir said to the Prophet (ﷺ) during the sickness of which he died: What do you think about your illness, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)? I do not think about the illness of my son except the poisoned sheep of which he had eaten with you at Khaybar. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: And I do not think about my illness except that. This is the time when it cut off my aorta.
Abu Dawud said: Sometime 'Abd al-Razzaq transmitted this tradition, omitting the link of the Companion, from Ma'mar, from al-Zuhri, from the Prophet (ﷺ), and sometimes he transmitted it from al-Zuhri from 'Abd al-Rahman b. Ka'b b. Malik, 'Abd al-Rahman mentioned that Ma'mar sometimes transmitted the tradition in a mursal form (omitting the link of the Companion), and they recorded it. And all this is correct with us. 'Abd al-Razzaq said: When Ibn al-Mubarak came to Ma'mar, he transmitted the traditions in a musnad form (with a perfect chain) which he transmitted as mauquf traditions (statements of the Companions and not of the Prophet).
Historical Background
This narration refers to the incident at Khaybar when a Jewish woman presented a poisoned sheep to the Prophet (ﷺ) in an attempt to assassinate him. Though the Prophet detected the poison and refrained from eating, one of his companions, Bishr ibn al-Bara', consumed it and died. The Prophet's statement indicates that the lingering effects of that poison manifested during his final illness years later.
Scholarly Commentary
The scholars explain that this hadith demonstrates the permissibility of attributing one's death to a specific cause, as the Prophet (ﷺ) connected his final illness to the poisoned sheep. It also shows the Prophet's human vulnerability while affirming his prophethood through his earlier detection of the poison.
Imam al-Nawawi comments that this incident contains lessons about divine decree (qadar) and how Allah allows certain harms to befall even His chosen messengers as part of His wisdom.
Chain of Transmission Analysis
Abu Dawud's meticulous documentation of the various transmission routes (both mursal and musnad) demonstrates the rigorous methodology of hadith scholars in verifying narrations. The fact that he considers all versions "correct" indicates their collective strength through multiple chains.
The variation between mursal (broken chain) and musnad (complete chain) transmissions was common among early scholars, and such documentation helps establish the authenticity through corroborating paths.