Answer
(Fatwa: 217/D=47/File-D=1434)
(1) The event of shaqq-e-sadr (heart opening) was the miracle of the holy Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). It happened four times in the life of the holy Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم):
(a) In his childhood, when he was under the nourishment of Hadhrat Halima Sadiya (رضى الله عنها) and that time the holy Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was four years old.
(b) It happened second time at the age of 10.
(c) At the time when he was assigned prophethood.
(d) In Me’raj (celestial ascension). Seerah al-Mustafa, vol. 1, p. 73
(2) It is learnt by the passage of al-Muntazim, Sirah al-Habibiya and al-Mawahib al-Laduniya that the chest of the holy Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was opened in length as it is written there:
“شق ما بين مفرق صدرى إلى منتهى عانتي”
It is learnt that it was opened from chest up to navel. This much detail is available in the books of Hadith and Seerah. But it must be noted that the event of shaqq-e-sadr was the miracle of the holy Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). It was not only a heart surgery. Also it is learnt by the books of Seerah that the angels took out his intestines as well. In short, it shall be null and void to equate today’s heart surgery to the event of shaqq-e-Sadr.
(3) This tradition is narrated in الطب النبوى للاصفهانى و شعب الايمان للبيهقي but not as Hadith Marfu rather as the saying of Hadhrat Ali (صلى الله عليه وسلم):
عن علي قال: اللحم من اللحم، فمن لم يأكل اللحم أربعين يوماً ساء خلقه .
It means that human body grows as a result of eating meat and a person who spends forty days without eating meat his morals turn bad. It is probable that he said it as per his experience. It is also possible that he might have heard it from the holy Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم), we could not find it anywhere. As far as the hadith which you mentioned is concerned (the person who does not eat meat for forty days shall perish) we could not find any hadith of this meaning after much research. Hence you must send complete Arabic text of hadith with reference then we can reply. As far as the tradition of Hadhrat Ali (رضى الله عنه) is concerned its summary is that a man should eat meat at least once or twice within forty days and must not remain without eating meat for more than forty days. It is not against your research “eating meat for forty consecutive days will harden the heart”. But what is the base of your research, hadith, experience, or the sayings of Muslim doctors?
Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) knows Best
Darul Ifta,
Darul Uloom Deoband