The master of all creation begins receiving revelation

The master of all creation begins receiving revelation

At the age of forty, the Prophet would spend much of his time in seclusion in the cave of Hiraa’ contemplating the universe and its Creator. He would spend many nights in this cave worshipping Allah The Almighty. If he ran out of provisions, he would return home to take sufficient provisions for more nights. One Monday in Ramadan, Jibreel (Gabriel), may Allah exalt his mention, suddenly came to him for the first time in the Cave of Hiraa’. This event was narrated by Al-Bukhari on the authority of ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said,
The beginning of the Divine Revelation to the Messenger of Allah was in the form of good visions which would then come true like bright daylight, and then the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him. He would spend time in seclusion in the cave of Hiraa’ where he would worship [Allah alone] continuously for many nights before returning to see his family. He would take with him enough food for the stay and then come back to [his wife] Khadeejah, may Allah be pleased with her, to take more food, until, suddenly, the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hiraa’.

The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet replied: “I do not know how to read.” The angel then caught him [forcefully] and pressed him so hard that he could not bear it. He then released him and again asked him to read, and he replied: “I do not know how to read.” Thereupon, he caught him again and pressed him a second time until he could not bear it any longer. He then released him and again asked him to read, but again he replied: “I do not know how to read [or what shall I read]?” Thereupon, he caught him for the third time and pressed him, and then released him and said, {Recite in the Name of your Lord Who created - Created man from a clinging substance. Recite, and your Lord is The Most Generous - Who taught by the pen.} [Quran 96:1-4]

Then, the Messenger of Allah left with the inspiration, and with his heart pounding fiercely. He went to Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid, may Allah be pleased with her, saying: “Cover me! Cover me!” She covered him until his fear had abated, and then he told her everything that had happened to him, and said: “I fear that something might happen to me.” Khadeejah, may Allah be pleased with her, replied, “Never! By Allah, Allah will never fail you. You keep good relations with your kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests generously and assist the deserving, calamity-afflicted people”.

Khadeejah, may Allah be pleased with her, then accompanied him to her cousin, Waraqah bin Nawfal bin Asad bin 'Abd Al- 'Uzza, who, during the pre-Islamic period had become a Christian and who would write letters in Hebrew. He would write from the Gospel in Hebrew as much as Allah The Almighty wished him to write. He was an old man and had lost his eyesight. Khadeejah, may Allah be pleased with her, said to Waraqah, “Listen to the story of your nephew, O cousin!” Waraqah asked, “O my nephew! What have you seen?”

The Messenger of Allah described what he had seen. Waraqah said, “This is the same one who keeps the secrets [the angel Gabriel] whom Allah had sent to Moosa [Moses], may Allah exalt his mention. I wish I were young and could live up to the time when your people will turn you out.” The Messenger of Allah asked: “Will they drive me out?” Waraqah replied in the affirmative, and said, “No man ever came with something similar to what you have brought except that he was treated with hostility. If I should remain alive till the day when you will be turned out, then I would support you strongly.” However, after a few days Waraqah died, and the Divine Revelation ceased for a while. [Al-Bukhari]

When reflecting over this Hadeeth, the researcher could deduct important issues that are related to the biography of the beloved Prophet including the following:

1- ‘Good visions’: In the abovementioned Hadeeth, ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, stated that the Divine Revelation started with the Messenger ‎of Allah in the form of good ‎visions‎. Sometimes, such visions are called “truthful visions”, a term which refers to beautiful and cheerful visions that delight one’s heart and soul. The wisdom behind this order in the Divine Revelation (i.e. starting with good visions) was probably to prepare the Prophet for seeing the Angel for the first time so that he would not be too frightened to receive the revelation from him. Hence, the Wisdom of Allah The Almighty entailed that he should receive the revelation first in his vision so as to be familiar with it.

As a matter of fact, a truthful vision is one part of forty-six parts of prophethood as mentioned in an honorable Hadeeth. The scholars stated that, “The period during which the Prophet started having good visions, before receiving the actual revelation, lasted for six months as stated by Al-Bayhaqi . He never received any part of the Quran while asleep. Rather, all of the Quran was revealed to the Prophet while he was wide awake”.

A good vision is an indication of glad tidings in this world as the Prophet said: “O people, nothing is left of the Mubashshiraat [glad tidings] of prophethood except the good vision that the Muslim sees or that someone else sees for him.”[Ibn Maajah]

Thus, before the descent of Jibreel, may Allah exalt his mention, to deliver the Divine Revelation to the Prophet in the cave of Hiraa’, the Prophet would have good visions that would make him wake up feeling pleased, cheerful and ready to taste the beauty of this world. All narrations of the Hadeeth that covered the story of the beginning of the revelation unanimously agree that this was in ‎the form of good ‎visions‎. He would have these visions while asleep, and then they would come perfectly true like bright daylight when he woke up. The Prophet would also remember these visions as if they were engraved in his heart and mind. The materialization of these visions was so vivid that ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, who was among the most fluent and eloquent of Arabs, likened it to the appearance of daylight compared to darkness.

2- Seclusion was endeared to him. Thus, he would spend time in seclusion in the cave of Hiraa’ where he would worship Allah alone. Before prophethood, seclusion was endeared to the Prophet so that his heart, mind and soul would be ready for what was to be revealed to him. Hence, for him, the cave of Hiraa’ was a place of worship, where he was able to isolate himself from worldly affairs and from mixing with people so that he could enlist his intellectual powers, spiritual feelings, passions and perceptions with the aim of dedicating himself to intimate discourse with the Creator of this universe.

As for the cave of Hiraa’ itself, then this encourages great contemplation. When one looks from the inside, he will see mountains that seem to be prostrating themselves before the greatness of Allah The Almighty. He will also see a clear sky and a clear-sighted person could also see Makkah.

This seclusion, which was endeared to the Prophet was a special preparation for him, so that he could purify his soul from the blemishes of human materialism. This also proves that he was Divinely nurtured and disciplined throughout his life. Before prophethood, the Prophet would worship through contemplating the magnificent realm of the heavens and the universal signs of the beautiful creation, great power and wonderful creativity of Allah The Almighty.

This has inspired some worshippers of Allah The Almighty to imitate this stage in the life of the Prophet . During a certain phase of their journey to Allah The Almighty, they would seclude themselves performing Thikr (mentioning Allah) and worshipping Allah The Almighty to enlighten their hearts and release them from negligence, desires and sins.

Additionally, I‘tikaaf (remaining in the Mosque) during Ramadan is an act of the Sunnah that is important for every Muslim whether he is a ruler, a scholar, a leader, a merchant or anything else. The importance of this Sunnah lies in its ability to purify the soul and the heart from all blemishes. It also corrects our conditions in the light of the Quran and the Sunnah, and gives us an opportunity to reckon ourselves before being reckoned. It is also possible for wise Islamic callers to give themselves a period to review their attitude, repent to Allah The Almighty, consider the reality of Da‘wah (Islamic propagation) with its points of strength and weakness, and to study reality with its good and evil details.

‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said, “He would worship [Allah alone] continuously for many days.” Shaykh Muhammad ‘Abdullaah Diraaz, may Allah preserve him, commented on this statement, saying, “The nights that the Prophet would spend in the cave of Hiraa’ were neither very many nor very few. Moderation was the custom of the Prophet before and after Prophethood - and then it became the main characteristic of Islam”.
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The master of all creation begins receiving revelation – II

When reflecting over the Hadeeth mentioned in the previous article, the researcher could deduct important issues that are related to the biography of the beloved Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. We mentioned the first two in the previous article and add the following:
1- “Until, suddenly, the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hiraa’. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, replied: “I do not know how to read.”… Thereupon, he caught him for the third time and pressed him, and then released him and said, {Recite in the Name of your Lord Who created - Created man from a clinging substance. Recite, and your Lord is The Most Generous - Who taught by the pen.} [Quran 96:1-4] These honorable and blessed verses were the first part of the Quran that was revealed to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. In these verses, it was mentioned that man was created from a clinging substance and honored when Allah The Almighty taught him what he does not know. In other words, Allah The Almighty honored man with knowledge, which is the merit that distinguished Aadam, may Allah exalt his mention, from the angels. Knowledge may be found in minds, tongues and writings. These verses marked the beginning of the prophethood of Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. This event, is described by Sayyid Qutb, may Allah have mercy upon him, in the following words, [This event] was limitlessly immense, huge and great. No matter how hard we try to comprehend it completely, there will always be many of its aspects beyond our comprehension. Indeed, it was a very remarkable event in terms of its reality, significance and effects on human life. The moment that this event took place was truly the greatest moment that has ever been witnessed on earth throughout its long history. However, what is the reality of this event that took place at that moment? This event meant that Allah The Almighty, The Magnificent, The Powerful and The Subduer, who possesses the whole universe wanted to honor and have mercy upon the type of creatures known as mankind who live in an almost invisible corner of the universe known as the earth by choosing one of them to receive His Divine Light and, thus, be the repository of His wisdom, the receiver of His words, and the representative of the fate that He wills for this creation. The beginning of the Divine Revelation lauded the pen and its importance as well as knowledge and its role in building peoples and nations. This also indicates that 12/22/2018 The master of all creation begins receiving revelation – II - Islam web - English http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/printarticle.php?id=152490&lang=E 2/5 knowledge is one of man’s foremost characteristics. This enormous event shows the status of knowledge in Islam, as the first word revealed to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was a Divine command to read and recite. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Recite in the Name of your Lord Who created} [Quran 96:1] Islam encourages seeking knowledge and distinguishes the people of knowledge from others. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Allah will raise those who have believed among you and those who were given knowledge, by degrees. And Allah is Acquainted with what you do.} [Quran 58:11] {“Are those who know equal to those who do not know?” Only they will remember [who are] people of understanding.} [Quran 39:9] Allah The Almighty is the source of beneficial knowledge, as He is the One who taught by the pen and the One who taught man what he does not know. Hence, when humanity deviates, and its knowledge no longer complies with Divine methodology, this knowledge will be a curse on it and will cause its destruction.
2- The great difficulty that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, faced in receiving the Divine Revelation and its description: Jibreel, may Allah exalt his mention, caught and pressed the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, against himself forcefully, several times, to the extent that he could not bear it any longer. Later on, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, continued suffering this difficulty when receiving the Divine Revelation throughout his life, as Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {Indeed, We will cast upon you a heavy word.} [Quran 73:5] There was great wisdom behind this difficulty, which may include showing the importance and greatness of this religion and informing the Ummah (Muslim nation) that the religion which it enjoys only reached it with difficulty and hardship. The phenomenon of the Divine Revelation is a miracle that does not follow the normal laws of nature. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, received the speech of Allah The Almighty (i.e., the Quran) via Jibreel, may Allah exalt his mention. Hence, there is no relationship between the phenomenon of revelation and inspiration or internal contemplation. Rather, the revelation sprang from outside the Prophet, sallallaahu 12/22/2018 The master of all creation begins receiving revelation – II - Islam web - English http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/printarticle.php?id=152490&lang=E 3/5 ‘alayhi wa sallam, whose task was to preserve and convey it. In addition, he interpreted and explained the Quran in his Hadeeths. The reality of the revelation represents the basis of all facts of this religion with its beliefs, laws and ethics. Hence, the orientalists and the atheists before them were (and still are) keen on raising doubts about the reality and authenticity of the revelation. They tried to explain this phenomenon in such a way that contradicts its reality as stated in the books of the authentic Sunnah and as reported by reliable historians. Some of them alleged that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, learned the Quran and the principles of Islam from Baheera the monk, while others alleged that he was suffering from epilepsy. Nonetheless, the reality is that, in the cave of Hiraa’, Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was taken by surprise when he saw Jibreel, may Allah exalt his mention, who grabbed him saying, “Read!” The purpose of this was to make the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, know that the phenomenon of revelation was not an intrapersonal issue caused by self-dialogue; rather, it was a reception of an external truth that has nothing to do with the soul. The fact that the angel caught and pressed him thrice saying, “Read!” left no doubt that this revelation did not originate from intrapersonal imagination. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was horrified by what he heard and saw, and thus, he ran back to his house shivering. This proves that he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was not longing for the mission with which he was about to be commissioned with all its burdens and the difficulty of conveying it to all of mankind. Allah The Almighty confirmed this meaning, Saying (what means): {And thus We have revealed to you an inspiration of Our command. You did not know what is the Book or [what is] faith, but We have made it a light by which We guide whom We will of Our servants. And indeed, [O Muhammad], you guide to a straight path - The path of Allah, to whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Unquestionably, to Allah do [all] matters evolve.} [Quran 42: 52-53] {And when Our verses are recited to them as clear evidences, those who do not expect the meeting with Us say, “Bring us a Quran other than this or change it.” Say, [O Muhammad], “It is not for me to change it on my own accord. I only follow what is revealed to me. Indeed I fear, if I should disobey my Lord, the punishment of a tremendous Day.” Say, “If Allah had willed, I would not have recited it to you, nor would He have made it known to you, for I had remained among you a lifetime before it. Then will you not reason?”} [Quran 10:15, 16] All skeptical opinions regarding the reality of the revelation could not stand up to the authentic Hadeeth that was narrated on the authority of ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her. From this moment and until the end of the 12/22/2018 The master of all creation begins receiving revelation – II - Islam web - English http://www.islamweb.net/emainpage/printarticle.php?id=152490&lang=E 4/5 ‘alayhi wa sallam, the revelation continued in such a way that proves its truthfulness, contrary to cynical allegations. Dr. Al-Booti summarized these indications in the following points: 1- The clear differentiation between the Quran and the Hadeeths. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would command his Companions to record parts of the Quran immediately after their revelation, while he sufficed by depositing his Hadeeths in their memories. This in no way means that the Hadeeths have not related to prophethood, but because both the wording and meaning of the Quran were revealed to him via Jibreel, may Allah exalt his mention, it was only the meaning of the Hadeeths that was revealed to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who expressed them in his own words. Thus, he was extremely cautious for fear of mixing his speech with that of Allah The Almighty that he received from Jibreel, may Allah exalt his mention. 2- Whenever the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was asked about something, he would wait, sometimes for a long period, until he received a Quranic verse stating the answer. Furthermore, the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, might have behaved in a certain manner regarding particular issues, and then the Quranic verses would come commanding him to behave differently. It was probable that some of these verses admonished the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, for certain actions and decisions of his. 3- The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was illiterate; moreover, it was impossible for any person to have known about specific historic facts such as the story of Yoosuf (Joseph), may Allah exalt his mention, and that of the mother of Moosa (Moses), may Allah exalt his mention, when she threw her son in the river and the story of Pharaoh through intrapersonal contemplation. This was part of the wisdom behind the illiteracy of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And you did not recite before it any scripture, nor did you inscribe one with your right hand. Otherwise the falsifiers would have had [cause for] doubt.} [Quran 29:48[ The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, spent forty years adhering to truthfulness with his people until he became famous for this, which necessitates his being truthful with himself. Thus, he must certainly have studied the phenomenon of revelation in such a way that eliminates any doubt regarding it. The following verse was revealed in response to his first study about revelation, Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {So if you are in doubt, [O Muhammad], about that which We have revealed to you, then ask those who have been reading the Scripture before you. The truth has certainly come to you from your Lord, so never be among the doubters.} [Quran 10:94] Hence, it was reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said after the revelation of this verse: “I shall neither doubt”.

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