I A Representative Text
حدثنا يحيی بن بكير
قال حدثنا الليث عن عقيل عن بن شهاب عن عروة بن الزبير عن عائشة
أم المؤمنين أنها قالت أول ما بدئ به رسول الله صلی الله عليه
وسلم من الوحي الرؤيا الصالحة في النوم فكان لا يرى رؤيا إلا
جاءت مثل فلق الصبح ثم حبب إليه الخلاء وكان يخلو بغار حراء
فيتحنث فيه وهو التعبد الليالي ذوات العدد قبل أن ينزع إلي أهله
ويتزود لذلك ثم يرجع إلی خديجة فيتزود لمثلها حتی جاءه الحق وهو
في غار حراء فجاءه الملك فقال اقرأ قال ما أنا بقارئ قال فأخذني
فغطني حتي بلغ مني الجهد ثم أرسلني فقال اقرأ قلت ما أنا بقارئ
فأخذني فغطني الثانية حتی بلغ مني الجهد ثم أرسلني فقال اقرأ
فقلت ما أنا بقارئ فأخذني فغطني الثالثة ثم أرسلني فقال
اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ. خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ
مِنْ عَلَقٍ. اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الْأَكْرَمُ. فرجع بها رسول
الله صلی الله عليه وسلم يرجف فؤاده فدخل علی خديجة بنت خويلد
رضي الله عنها فقال زملوني زملوني فزملوه حتی ذهب عنه الروع فقال
لخديجة وأخبرها الخبر لقد خشيت علی نفسي فقالت خديجة كلا والله
ما يخزيك الله أبدا إنك لتصل الرحم وتحمل الكل وتكسب المعدوم
وتقري الضيف وتعين علی نوائب الحق فانطلقت به خديجة حتی أتت به
ورقة بن نوفل بن أسد بن عبد العزى بن عم خديجة وكان امرأ تنصر في
الجاهلية وكان يكتب الكتاب العبراني فيكتب من الإنجيل بالعبرانية
ما شاء الله أن يكتب وكان شيخا كبيرا قد عمي فقالت له خديجة يا
بن عم اسمع من بن أخيك فقال له ورقة يا بن أخي ماذا ترى فأخبره
رسول الله صلی الله عليه وسلم خبر ما رأى فقال له ورقة هذا
الناموس الذي نزل الله علی موسی يا ليتني فيها جذع ليتني أكون
حيا إذ يخرجك قومك فقال رسول الله صلی الله عليه وسلم أو مخرجي
هم قال نعم لم يأت رجلٌ قط بمثل ما جئت به إلا عودي وإن يدركني
يومك أنصرك نصرا مؤزرا ثم لم ينشب ورقة أن توفي وفتر الوحي
‘Urwah reports from ‘A’ishah that she said: “The commencement
of divine revelation to God’s Messenger (sws) was in the form
of good dreams which came like daylight. Then the fondness for
seclusion was endeared to him. He would stay in seclusion in
the cave of Hira’. There, for many days, he would do tahannuth,
which means “worship.” After that, he would return to his
family. He would take with him food provisions for the stay
and then come back to [his wife] Khadijah to take more food
again. This continued till the truth descended upon him while
he was in the cave of Hira’. Thereafter, the angel came to him
and said: ‘Read.’ He replied: ‘I do not know how to read.’ The
Prophet added: ‘The angel caught hold of me and pressed me so
hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me
and again said to me: “Read.” and I replied: “I do not know
how to read.” Thereupon he caught hold of me again and pressed
me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then
released me and again said: “Read.” So, again I replied: “I do
not know how to read.” Thereupon, he caught hold of me for the
third time and pressed me, and then released me and said: “اقْرَأْ
بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ. خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ مِنْ
عَلَقٍ. اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الْأَكْرَمُ.(Read, in the name of
Your Lord, who created, created man from a clot. Read! And
Your Lord is the most bountiful. Who taught man by the pen –
taught him what he knew not.)”’ After hearing this
conversation, the messenger of God returned to his house,
trembling. He came over to Khadijah bint Khuwaylid and said:
‘Have me covered; have me covered.’ So, she had him covered.
When his fear subsided, he conversed with Khadijah and
informed her with what happened and said: ‘I fear for my
life.’ At this, Khadijah replied: ‘Certainly not! I swear by
God that He will never humiliate you. You fulfill the rights
of your kindred, carry the burden of the weak, earn for the
deprived, are hospitable to guests and help people in
calamities.’ Then Khadijah took him to Waraqah ibn Nawfal ibn
Asad ibn ‘Abd al-‘Uzza who was her paternal cousin. In the age
of jahiliyyah, Waraqah had become a Christian. He knew how to
write Hebrew. He would write from the Gospels whatever God
willed he should write. At that time, he was very old and had
gone blind. So, Khadijah said to him: ‘Listen to what your
nephew has to say.’ At this, Waraqah said: ‘O Nephew! What is
it that you saw?’ So, God’s Messenger (sws) informed him what
he saw. At this, Waraqah replied: ‘This is the same angel who
would come to Moses. Would that I had been a strong young man;
would that I remained alive till that time when your nation
will turn you out from your city.’ God’s messenger then asked:
‘Will they turn me out?’ Waraqah replied: ‘Yes. Whenever a
person has brought what you have brought, people have become
his enemies. If I remain alive till that day, I shall fully
help you.’ Then not much time elapsed before Waraqah died and
divine revelation ceased to come to him.”
II Critical Analysis
There are some questions that arise on the chain and text of
narration of this narrative. Both are presented below. First
the questions that arise on the chain are taken up because it
is essential to find whether the narrative can be correctly
ascribed to the Prophet (sws) or not.
A. Criticism on the Isnad
The following are the points of important criticism that arise
on the isnad or chain of narration of this narrative:
1. This narrative is from among the marasil of sahabah as it
is reported by ‘A’ishah (rta) (58 AH) who was not even born
(or was perhaps just a child) at the time of the incident
reported in the narrative. While pointing
to the fact that his narrative is from among the
marasil of sahabah, Badr al-Din al-‘Ayni (d. 855 AH) says that
except for the opinion of Abu Ishaq al-Isfra’ini (d. 406 AH),
the opinion of the majority is that such marasil are
acceptable.
Al-Qastalani (d. 923 AH)
is of the opinion that since in this case
in all probability ‘Ai’shah (rta) must have been informed by
the Prophet (sws) himself if the words of the narrative are
kept in mind hence though it can technically be regarded among
the marasil but in reality it is not.
In the opinion of this writer, such marasil are acceptable but
not in all cases, especially when it entails that the nature
of such narratives is that they should have been muttasil
narrations from the Prophet (sws) himself.
2. Moreover, the only person to narrate from ‘A’ishah (rta) is
‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr (d. 94 AH), her nephew and the only
person to report it from him is Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri (d. 124
AH). In other words, one of the most important events of the
Prophet’s life was reported by only one person in the first
three sections of the chain of narration. It is thus also a
gharib narrative
3. The madar of this narrative is al-Zuhri’s questionable
personality. Though Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn ‘Abdullah
ibn Shihab al-Zuhri (52-124 AH) has been regarded as an
outstanding exponent of Hadith and a thoroughly reliable
personality by the scholars of ‘ilm al-rijal; however,
evidence is found to the contrary as well. For details, see:
Appendix A.
4. If we make a list of all variants of this narrative, it can
be seen that there are seven students of al-Zuhri who report
this narrative from him:
i. ‘Uqayl ibn Khalid
(d. 142 AH)
ii. Yunus ibn Yazid
(d. 159 AH)
iii. Ma‘mar ibn Rashid
(d. 153 AH)
iv. Al-Walid ibn Muhammad
v. Salih ibn Abi al-Akhdar
vi. Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Abi ‘Utayq
(Ibn Akhi al-Zuhri)
vii. Al-Nu‘man ibn Rashid
All, these chains have some flaw or other. For details, see
Appendix B.
B. Criticism on the Text
1. The narrative describes how Muhammad (sws) was assigned as
a messenger of God. Surely, it can be regarded as one of the
most important incidents of his life. Such is its significance
that it should have been reported by Muhammad (sws) himself to
his companions. A central personality in these narratives is
the Prophet’s wife Khadijah (rta). The same question arises
about her: why did not she herself report this all-important
event of the Prophet’s life? A similar question arises about
other close companions of Muhammad (sws) like Abu Bakr (rta),
‘Umar (rta), ‘Uthman (rta) and ‘Ali (rta). Such is the
importance of this event that these companions should have
narrated it from the Prophet (sws).
On the other hand, we find a mursal narrative reporting this
incident, as already indicated.
2. The narrative mentions the word يتحنث
(yatahannath) which is explained as
التَعَبُّدُ (worship). It can be said with reasonable
certainty that in the extant material there is perhaps only
one other narrative in which this word
التَعَبُّدُ appears in this meaning in the earliest
texts of Arabic:
حدثنا عبد الله بن محمد
حدثنا هشام حدثنا معمر عن الزهري عن عروة عن حكيم بن حزام رضي
الله عنه قال يا رسول الله أرأيت أشياء كنت أتحنث بها في
الجاهلية من صدقة أو عتاقة وصلة رحم فهل فيها من أجر فقال النبي
صلب الله عليه وسلم أسلمت علي ما سلف من خير
Hakim ibn Hizam said: “O Messenger of God! What is your
opinion about things in which I used to do of tahannuth in the
times of jahiliyyah as charity, slave-emancipation and
fulfilling the rights of the kindred? So, is there any reward
in these?” At this, the Prophet (sws) said: “You have reached
Islam by adopting this good [so how can you be deprived of its
reward?]”
Even after a lot of search, I could not find this word used in
this meaning in classical Arabic. We do find Ibn al-Athir (d.
630 AH) recording the following words while referring to ‘Abd
al-Muttalib: وهو أول من تحنث بحراء فكان إذا
دخل شهر رمضان صعد حراء وأطعم المساكين جميع الشهر (he
was first person to do tahannuth at Hira’; when the month of
Ramadan arrived he would climb to Hira’ and feed the needy
throughout the month).
However, this famous historian of the seventh century has not
cited any primary source for this.
It is evident from the following excerpt how unknown this word
was in this meaning to three of the earliest philological
authorities of Arabic: Abu ‘Amr al-Shaybani (d. 206 AH), al-Farra’
(d. 207 AH) and Ibn al-A‘rabi (d. 231 AH). While the latter
expressed his total lack of knowledge about it, it clearly
seems that the former two wanted to make lexical sense out of
it after hearing it for the first time in this meaning:
وقال محمد بن الجهم
حدثنا السكوني أبو أحمد قال فسألت ابن الأعرابي عن يتحنث فقال لا
أعرفه قال وسألت أبا عمرو الشيباني وكان خيرا فقال لا أعرف يتحنث
وانما هو يتحنف من الحنيفية أي يتبع دين الحنيفية وهو دين
ابراهيم عليه السلام قال الله عز وجل مِلَّةَاِبْراهِيْمَ
حَنِيْفًا قال فسألت الفراء ما التحنث فقال أفي شعر وجدته أم في
كلام فذكرت الحديث فقال يتجنب الحنث قال الله عز وجل وَكاَنُوْا
يُصِرُّوْنَ عَلی الْحِنْثِ العَظِيْمِ أي الشرك ويقال تأثم
الرجل في المأثم واذا تجنبه فكذلك تحنث فيحتمل الوجهين قال ابن
الأنباري القول عندنا ما قال الفراء وحكی لنا أبو عمر عن أحمد بن
يحيی ثعلب أنه قال فلان يتحنث اذا تعبد بأشياء تخرجه من الحنث
قال ومنه قولهم كان يتحنث بحراء أي يتعبد ويقال فلان يتحنث أي
يحنث كثيرا ويتعمد ذلك فكأنه عنده من الأضداد
Abu Ahmad al-Sakuni said: “I asked Ibn al-A‘rabi about
يتحنث. He replied: ‘I am not aware
of it.’ I then asked Abu ‘Amr al-Shaybani about it and he was
more informed. He replied: ‘I am not aware of
يتحنث. It can only be from
يتحنف from the word
الحنيفية ie. to follow the religion
of hanifiyyah which is the religion of Abraham (sws) [in
accordance with the verse:]
مِلَّةَاِبْراهِيْمَ حَنِيْفًا.’ I then asked al-Farra’:
‘What is التحنث?’ At this, he
replied: ‘Did you find it in a couplet or in a passage of
prose?’ So, I mentioned the Hadith. At this, he replied: ‘To
refrain from الحنث. The Almighty has
said: وَكاَنُوْا يُصِرُّوْنَ عَلی الْحِنْثِ
العَظِيْمِ. Ie., it means polytheism. It is said
تأثم الرجل في المأثم when a person
restrains himself from sins. Similar is the case with
تحنث. It has both aspects [of
meaning].’ Ibn al-Anbari said: ‘What al-Farra’ has opined is
the accepted view to us. Abu ‘Amr has narrated to us from
Ahmad ibn Yahya Tha‘lab [d. 291 AH] that he said:
فلان يتحنث which means he undertook
worship rituals that led him out of sin. Of the same meaning
are their words: كان يتحنث بحراء ie
[Muhammad] worshipped in Hira’, and it is said:
فلان يتحنث ie
ويتعمد ذلك كثيرا يحنث (he would deliberately break
oaths a lot.) [So, it can be said that] it may be from the
addad [words having opposite meanings].’”
Later philologists like Ibn Sidah (d. 458 AH) and Ibn Manzur
(d. 711 AH) follow suit in trying to justify the word. They
say that it was actually يتحنف and
its ف has been changed by
ث.
Years before them, Ibn Hisham (d. 218 AH) had already stated
what these philologists had recorded:
قال ابن هشام تقول
العرب التحنث والتحنف يريدون الحنيفية فيبدلون الفاء من الثاء
كما قالوا جدف وجدث يريدون القبر قال رؤبة بن العجاج لو كان
أحجاري مع الأجداف يريد الأجداث…
وحدثني أبو عبيدة ان العرب تقول فم في موضع ثم يبدلون الفاء من
الثاء
Ibn Hisham said: “The Arabs say التحنث
and التحنف. They replace
ف with ث
as they do in جدف and
جدث implying ‘grave.’ Ru’bah ibn
al-‘Ujaj says: لو كان أحجاري مع الأجداف
(Would that my stones were with the grave) ie. He uses
the word الأجداف for
الأجداث … Abu ‘Ubaydah narrated to
me that Arabs say فم in place of
ثم replacing
الفاء with الثاء.”
It may be of interest to note that it is claimed by some that
the text of the narrative recorded by Ibn Hisham
actually has the word يَتَحَنَّفُ
though extant versions are devoid of it.
It can thus be seen that philologists have been occupied in
finding a analogical basis for the existence of the word
التحنث because it has occurred in
this Hadith in a meaning not known to them. They do not have
any parallel that they can quote for it in favour of the
meaning of worship from classical Arabic literature.
3. The narrative shows that the Prophet (sws) was struck with
immense anxiety and great consternation when Gabriel came to
him and did not know what was going on. He feared for his life
and thought that something bad had happened to him.
Some variants say that such was the extent
of his disturbance that the Prophet (sws) wanted to
throw himself down from a mountain peak and commit suicide.
Khadijah (rta) had to assure him through various examples that
God would never disgrace him.
On the other hand, the Qur’an has described in detail that
when prophethood is given to a person:
i. he is absolutely sure about the event; he does not need any
external corroboration from others.
ii. he is never overcome with any fear even though it happens
suddenly and unexpectedly.
iii. this status is never the result of any meditation or
spiritual exercise.
All this can be seen from instances in which the Qur’an refers
in detail
to the incident when Moses (sws) was given prophethood. A
comparison between the two brings out stark differences and
incongruities. The Qur’an clearly brings out the fact that
prophethood was neither given to Moses (sws) on his desire nor
any meditation or any spiritual exercise. It was purely God’s
choice. After tending to the herds of this father in law in
Madyan for many years, when Moses (sws) was going to Egypt
with his family, he was suddenly made a prophet. In the chill
of the dark night when they had lost their way in the
wilderness, he saw flames of fire from far off and thought
that he would go there to find the way and also bring back
some embers for the family to protect them from the cold. It
was then that God, suddenly, called him to prophethoood and
gave him the miracle of the staff. Also, when at that instant,
he expressed fear on seeing the staff turn into a snake, he
was immediately assured by the Almighty that he had nothing to
fear in God’s presence. He did not need to go to his wife and
family to seek assurance:
إِذْ قَالَ
مُوسَى لِأَهْلِهِ إِنِّي آنَسْتُ نَارًا سَآتِيكُم مِّنْهَا
بِخَبَرٍ أَوْ آتِيكُم بِشِهَابٍ قَبَسٍ لَّعَلَّكُمْ
تَصْطَلُونَ فَلَمَّا جَاءهَا نُودِيَ أَن بُورِكَ مَن فِي
النَّارِ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ
الْعَالَمِينَ يَا مُوسَى إِنَّهُ أَنَا اللَّهُ الْعَزِيزُ
الْحَكِيمُ وَأَلْقِ عَصَاكَ فَلَمَّا رَآهَا تَهْتَزُّ
كَأَنَّهَا جَانٌّ وَلَّى مُدْبِرًا وَلَمْ يُعَقِّبْ يَا مُوسَى
لَا تَخَفْ إِنِّي لَا يَخَافُ لَدَيَّ الْمُرْسَلُونَ
Bear in mind when Moses said to his family: “I have seen some
fire. I will bring either some news from there or some embers
of fire so that you can be warm.” So, when he came there, he
heard a voice: “Blessed is He Who is in this Fire and around
it. And exalted is God, Lord of the worlds. Moses! It is Me,
the powerful and wise God. Throw down your staff.” So when he
saw it moving as if it was a snake, he turned back and did not
even look behind. God said: “There is nothing to fear for
messengers in My presence.” (27:7-10)
If we compare these details of the first contact of Moses (sws)
with the divine with those of the first alleged contact of
Muhammad (sws) with the divine as found in the narrative under
discussion, it can clearly be seen from the former that God
makes sure that His envoys are not in any fear or in any doubt
about who has contacted them. Similarly, prophethood is never
the result of meditation or spiritual exercises. It is purely
God’s selection. On the other hand, this narrative gives a
completely opposite picture.
Furthermore, the Qur’an refers to two instances in which
Gabriel came to meet the Prophet (sws) in person to deliver
divine revelation. On both occasions, the meeting between the
two was clear and distinct – and the Prophet (sws) knew what
was happening. Gabriel was instructing him and delivering
divine revelation to him in a very profound manner. The
Prophet (sws) was not overcome by fright and panic nor was he
unsure that he was being communicated divine revelations.
Regarding the first meeting, the Qur’an states:
عَلَّمَهُ شَدِيدُ الْقُوَى. ذُو مِرَّةٍ
فَاسْتَوَى. وَهُوَ بِالْأُفُقِ الْأَعْلَى. ثُمَّ دَنَا
فَتَدَلَّى. فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَى. فَأَوْحَى
إِلَى عَبْدِهِ مَا أَوْحَى. مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَى.
He has been taught by an angel mighty in power, towering in
character and endued with wisdom. Thus, he appeared such that
he was on the higher horizon. Then he drew near and bent down
within two bows’ length or even closer [to the Prophet]. The
Almighty then revealed to His servant that which He revealed.
Whatever he saw was not his heart’s delusion. So, will you
then quarrel with him over what he is seeing? (53:5-11)
While explaining the above verses, Amin Ahsan Islahi writes:
Gabriel instructed the Prophet (sws) in a very painstaking way
and with great affection and attention taught him the divine
revelation which was revealed to him by God. The
ف in the word
فَاسْتَوَى is for description: initially, he appeared
in his original form and stood straight. The place of his
appearance was on the higher horizon of the heavens. Higher
horizon refers to the one found right on top of one’s head. If
something appears from this horizon, it will look as clear,
sharp and unambiguous as the full moon or the midday sun. On
the other hand, if something appears from the eastern,
western, northern or southern horizon it will be vague and
indistinct just like the new moon on the first day. The
purpose of this explanation is that Gabriel appeared before
the Prophet (sws) from the higher horizon, and the Prophet (sws)
was able to fully observe him with his eyes.
The word تَدَلَّي means “to bend” or
“to hang.” This describes the fact that Gabriel in order to
teach the Prophet (sws) came near him and just as an
affectionate and elderly teacher bends over his dear student
with great fondness, he too bent over the Prophet (sws). In
other words, it was not that he taught the Prophet (sws) from
a distance without caring whether he had fully heard him or
not and if he did, was able to understand it or not; on the
contrary, with full attention and focus, he delivered the
words in a manner that he be able to fully hear and understand
them.
The last verse مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ مَا رَأَى (his heart did not deny his vision,
(53:11)), is an attestation by God regarding the Prophet’s
distinct contact with the divine. It clearly dispels any
notion that this observation was his flight of fancy or a
delusion.
The above quoted verses are immediately followed by verses
which depict the second meeting:
وَلَقَدْ رَآهُ نَزْلَةً أُخْرَى. عِندَ
سِدْرَةِ الْمُنْتَهَى. عِندَهَا جَنَّةُ الْمَأْوَى. إِذْ
يَغْشَى السِّدْرَةَ مَا يَغْشَى. مَا زَاغَ الْبَصَرُ وَمَا
طَغَى.
 And
he beheld him a second time again descending near the farthest
lote-tree, close to which is the Paradise of Repose, when the
lote-tree was being covered with that which was covering it.
His sight did not falter nor lost its poise. (53:13-17)
While explaining the last of the above verses, Amin Ahsan
Islahi writes:
Just as earlier on, the words were: مَا كَذَبَ الْفُؤَادُ مَا
رَأَى (his heart did
not deny his vision, (53:11)), it is stated that at the
instance of this second observation his sight did not falter
nor lose its poise; whatever he observed was observed with
full concentration and attention.
The word زَيْغْ means “to bend or to
distort” something. The implication is that the Prophet’s
sight did not bend from its correct angle in the observation
of a divine manifestation; on the contrary, he observed
everything from a correct angle. The word
طَغَى means “to lose poise and balance.” The
implication of the word is that though so numerous were the
divine manifestations that words are unable to express them,
yet his sight did not lose control the slightest. In fact, he
deeply and fully observed everything.22
It can thus be seen from the way the Qur’an has described both
these incidents23
how sure and certain a prophet of God is when he is in touch
with the divine. It is neither a matter of fear from him nor
of any doubt.
4. A deeper look at the initial verses of Surah al-Najm
including the ones cited earlier shows that the whole incident
of Gabriel’s meeting with the Prophet (sws) has been cited by
the Qur’an as an argument in favour of his propethood. The
initial verses read:
وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَى. مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَى.
وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى. إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَى.
The stars, when they fall, bear witness that your companion is
neither lost nor has he gone astray. He does not speak out of
his fancy. It is but a revelation sent down to him. (53:1-4)
In order to undertand
the nature of this reasoning, some background is in order: it
is mentioned in Surah Mulk that the stars have been made a
bombardment for the devils, (67:5)
(رُجُومًا لِّلشَّيَاطِينِ).
In Surah Saffat, it is stated that these stars are pelted on
any jinn or evil spirit which tries to eavesdrop on divine
revelation when it is sent down to God’s messenger. This
phenomenon appears to us in the form of falling or shooting
stars. These verses read:
إِنَّا زَيَّنَّا السَّمَاء الدُّنْيَا
بِزِينَةٍ الْكَوَاكِبِ. وَحِفْظًا مِّن كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ مَّارِدٍ.
لَا يَسَّمَّعُونَ إِلَى الْمَلَإِ الْأَعْلَى وَيُقْذَفُونَ مِن
كُلِّ جَانِبٍ. دُحُورًا وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ وَاصِبٌ. إِلَّا مَنْ
خَطِفَ الْخَطْفَةَ فَأَتْبَعَهُ شِهَابٌ ثَاقِبٌ
Indeed, We have decked the lower heaven
with the adornment of stars and have fully protected it from
the incursion of all rebellious devils. And they are not able
to overhear from the High Realm and they are pushed from all
sides, to drive them away and for them is an eternal torment
except that if someone suddenly eavesdrops on something a
dazzling flame pursues him. (37:6-10)
Now, coming to the
nature of reasoning: the premise on which this witness is
presented in the opening verse of Surah al-Najm is that
Muhammad (sws) is a messenger of God. In other words, this
phenomenon of falling stars in which they are showered on
eveasdroppers bears witness that neither has God’s messenger
gone astray nor does he speak of his own fancy. What he says
in matters of religion is nothing but divine inspiration.
It may further be
noted that Muhammad (sws) is addressed by the word
صَاحِبُکُمۡ (your
companion). This word actually proffers an argument. Amin
Ahsan Islahi writes:
The word صَاحِب here is used for
Muhammad (sws) and the addressed pronoun is for the Quraysh.
They are told that he is their very close companion and not a
stranger to them. They very well know his past and present as
well as his character and conduct and his tastes and
inclinations. Have they ever seen any urge in him that could
raise the doubt in their mind that he has a proclivity for
astrology and soothsaying? If a person has such a proclivity,
it does not remain hidden from close companions for the whole
of his life. However, it is very strange that what they have
never witnessed in him for such a long time, they now blame
him for once he has expressed his claim to be a prophet of
God. The fact of the matter is that his whole life and his
words bear witness to the fact that he has never been
besmeared by any error that is the result of forgetfulness,
base desires, intentional or unintentional planning.
Now, if these verses present an argument in favour of the
prophethood of Muhammad (sws), then, as argued by Javed Ahmad
Ghamidi,
the subsequent verses of Surah Najm (5-11), already cited
earlier, in fact portray the first meeting of Gabriel with
Muhammad (sws) or to be precise they present the first
instance of divine revelation being received by him. Otherwise
it would have to be believed that the meeting in the narrative
under discussion took place earlier and there would have been
some time in which Muhammad (sws) remained in a state of
uncertainty and doubt. This is against what these verses of
Surah Najm say: they say that Muhammad (sws) was fully poised
and sure upon receiving divine revelation. Never for a moment
was he alarmed or in any doubt about what was going on. In
other words, the nature of contact between an angel and a
messenger is very explicit, definite and unambiguous. On other
hand, the narrative under discussion gives an opposite picture
and also shows that Muhammad (sws) hardly an idea that he was
meeting Gabriel.
5. Most variants
of the narrative mention that the first five verses of Surah
al-‘Alaq were revealed at this instance. Now, it can be seen
that all the verses of Surah al-‘Alaq are so closely knit that
the first five verses cannot be separated from the rest. The
tone of this surah is so harsh and stern that it cannot be
regarded as the first revelation. The Quraysh are severely
rebuked for their attitude. However, if it is accepted that
only the first five verses were revealed first, then though
this objection may not arise but the sixth verse is so closely
knit with the previous ones that it cannot be regarded as the
beginning of a new episode of revelation. It begins with the
particle: كَلاَّ (kalla) which means
“certainly not.” It is very unlikely that a set of verses that
begin with this word be revealed since this word requires
something pre-posed to it, which it negates. In other words, a
sentence which begins with “certainly not,” is extremely
unlikely to form the beginning of a new revelation.
Moreover, a narrative says that the first revelation was that
of Surah Muddaththir and not these initial verses of Surah
‘Alaq:
حدثنا إسحاق بن منصورٍ
حدثنا عبد الصمد حدثنا حرب حدثنا يحيي قال سألت أبا سلمة أي
القرآن أنزل أول فقال يا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ فقلت أنبئت أنه
اِقۡرَاۡ بِاسۡمِ رَبِّکَ الَّذِیۡ خَلَقَ فقال أبو سلمة سألت
جابر بن عبد الله أي القرآن أنزل أول فقال يا أَيُّهَا
الْمُدَّثِّرُ فقلت أنبئت أنه اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ فقال لا
أخبرك إلا بما قال رسول الله صلی الله عليه وسلم قال رسول
الله صلی الله عليه وسلم جاورت في حراء فلما قضيت جواري هبطت
فاستبطنت الوادي فنوديت فنظرت أمامي وخلفي وعن يميني وعن شمالي
فإذا هو جالس علی عرش بين السماء والأرض فأتيت خديجة فقلت دثروني
وصبوا علي ماء باردا وأنزل علي يا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ قُمْ
فَأَنْذِرْ وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ
Yahya ibn Abi Kathir said: “I asked Abu Salamah: ‘Which part
of the Qur’an was revealed the foremost?’ He replied: ‘يا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّر.’
At this, I replied: ‘I have been informed that it was: “اقْرَأْ
بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الذي خَلَقَ.” Abu Salamah then said:
‘I asked Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah: “Which part of the Qur’an was
revealed the foremost?” He replied: “يا
أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّر.” At this, I said: “I have been
informed that it was: “اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ
رَبِّكَ الذي خَلَقَ.” Jabir then said: “Should I not
inform you what God’s Messenger said? He said: ‘I went to stay
at Hira’. When I ended my stay, I came down and reached the
valley. I was then called upon. So, I looked in front of me
and behind me and to my right and to my left when suddenly he
was sitting on a throne between the heavens and the earth. I
then came to Khadijah and asked her: “Have me covered and pour
cold water on me because it has been revealed to me:
يا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ قُمْ فَأَنْذِرْ
وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّر.”’”
6. The narrative says that Gabriel asked the Prophet (sws) to
read (إِقْرَأ). In the absence of
any written thing
being brought, this can only mean that he asked the Prophet (sws)
to repeat the words he was about to utter. Now, if this is so,
then why did the Prophet reply that he cannot read? After all,
he was capable of repeating words recited to him.
7. If verses of the Qur’an were revealed at this instance, why
did not the Prophet (sws) report them to Khadijah (rta)? He
only mentioned his extreme fear and anxiety.
Was not reporting the content of the divine revelation of any
significance to him? Should it not have found mention by the
Prophet (sws)?
8. What was the need to go to Waraqah ibn Nawfal?
If the verses of the Qur’an were revealed, was this not sign
enough for Prophet (sws) that he had started to receive divine
revelations?
Does a prophet of God need the help of a human being to be
identified as an envoy of God? Examples of divine revelation
to prophets of God show that they are absolutely sure about
the source of their divine contact and are fully aware that
they are in touch with God. (See point 3 above)
9. Perhaps the most appropriate place for the Prophet (sws) to
remain in seclusion and devotion was the House of God. Why did
he choose to go to a far off place leaving aside the most
accessible and plausible place for the purpose he had in mind?
10. It may be noted that some mursal narratives reported by
Ibn Ishaq’s students
state that the whole incident of the first revelation took
place in a dream of the Prophet (sws) and hence contradict
this narrative in which the incident of the first revelation
took place in real life.
III Conclusion
It is evident from this analysis that the questions which
arise on the text and chain of narration of this report do not
leave it with much credibility.
It may also be noted that the earliest source
Ibn Ishaq (d. 151 AH)) in this regard
only mentions the nature of the
Prophet’s (sws) dreams, and his inclination towards seclusion.
There is no mention of any tahannuth. The text is also
devoid of other details that are found in al-Bukhari. Here is
the text:
نا أحمد نا يونس عن ابن
اسحاق قال حدثني محمد ابن مسلم بن شهاب الزهري عن عروة عن عائشة
أنها قالت أول ما ابتديء به رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم من
النبوة حين أراد الله عز وجل كرامته ورحمة العباد به ألا يرى
شيئا الا جاءت كفلق الصبح فمكث علي ذلك ما شاء الله عز وجل أن
يمكث وحبب الله عز وجل اليه الخلوة فلم يكن شيء أحب اليه من أن
يخلو وحده
‘Urwah reports from ‘A’ishah that she said: “The commencement
of prophethood of God’s messenger when the Almighty intended
to bless His servants and show mercy on them was that his
dreams would be like daylight. He continued receiving these as
long as the Almighty wanted. Then God endeared to him the
fondness for seclusion. Nothing became dearer to him than to
remain alone in seclusion.”
If this much was the actual content of this report, then
perhaps no objection can be raised against it.
IV Appendices
A: The Questionable Personality of Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri:
Here are some details regarding the questionable personality
of Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri:
Al-Ka‘bi records:
Al-Karabisi says that al-Zuhri has reported from Salim and
‘Ubaydullah ibn ‘Abdullah what no one has ever reported. When
Yahya ibn Ma‘in was asked about al-Zuhri, he replied: laysa bi
shay’. Yahya is also reported to have said that the narratives
of Yahya ibn Abi Kathir are better than those of al-Zuhri.
Al-Dhahabi records:
Shu‘bah said that Yahya ibn Abi Kathir is better than al-Zuhri
as far as Hadith is concerned; Ahmad ibn Hanbal said that if
there was a difference in the narrations between al-Zuhri and
Yahya, the latter was to be preferred.
The slackness in al-Zuhri’s transmission is evident from what
one of his students ‘Ubaydullah ibn ‘Umar once said about him:
أخبرنا أنس بن عياض عن
عبيد الله بن عمر قال رأيت ابن شهاب يؤتي بالكتاب من كتبه فيقال
له يا أبا بكر هذا كتابك وحديثك نرويه عنك فيقول نعم ما قرأه ولا
قريء عليه
“I saw Ibn Shihab when one of his books was brought to him. So
he was asked: ‘O Abu Bakr! This is your book and contains
narratives recorded by you; can we narrate it on your
authority.’ He replied: ‘Yes,’ while neither did he read it
nor was it read out to him.”
In another variant, this sloppy nature of transmission is
mentioned thus:
أخبرنا أبو محمد بن
الأكفاني أنبأنا أبو الحسن بن أبي الحديد أنبأنا جدي أنبأنا عبد
الغافر بن سلامة بن أزهر الحمصي أنبأنا أبو سعيد الأشج فيما كتب
إلينا أنبأنا أبو ضمرة أنس بن عياض ثنا عبيد الله بن عمر قال
أتيت الزهري بكتاب مدرج فقلت أروي هذا عنك قال نعم
‘Ubaydullah ibn ‘Umar said: “I brought a folded book to al-Zuhri
and said to him: ‘Can I narrate this from you.’ He replied:
‘Yes.’”
Another student of al-Zuhri, Ma‘mar ibn Rashid records his
carelessness in the following way:
أخبرنا عبد الله بن
يحيي بن عبد الجبار السكري قال أنا إسماعيل بن محمد الصفار قال
ثنا أحمد بن منصور الرمادي قال ثنا عبد الرزاق قال أنا معمر قال
رأيت رجلا من بني أمية يقال له إبراهيم بن الوليد جاء الی الزهري
بكتاب فعرضه عليه ثم قال أحدث بهذا عنك يا أبا بكر قال إي لعمري
فمن يحدثكموه غيري
Ma‘mar said: “I saw a person from the Umayyad clan called
Ibrahim ibn al-Walid; he came over to al-Zuhri with a book and
presented it to him and then said: ‘Should I narrate it from
you O Abu Bakr!’ He replied: ‘I swear who else but myself
could have narrated it to you.’”
At another instance, Ma‘mar records a similar indifference of
his teacher:
أخبرنا أبو القاسم
إسماعيل بن أحمد أنبأنا محمد بن هبة الله أنبأنا محمد بن الحسين
أنبأنا عبد الله بن جعفر ثنا يعقوب ثنا العباس بن عبد العظيم
حدثنا عبد الرزاق قال قال معمر كان الزهري في أصحابه مثل الحكم
بن عتيبة في أصحابه ينقل حديث بعضهم إلی بعض
Ma‘mar said: “Al-Zuhri would be the same in the matters of his
companions as al-Hakam ibn ‘Utaybah would be regarding his
companions: both would attribute the narrative of one teacher
to another.”
Right after the above narrative, it is stated:
أخبرنا أبو محمد بن
طاووس أنبأنا أبو الغنائم بن أبي عثمان أنبأنا أبو عمر بن مهدي
أنبأنا محمد بن أحمد بن يعقوب ثنا جدي حدثني أحمد بن حنبل سمع
عبد الرزاق قال قال معمر كان الزهري في أصحابه مثل الحكم في
أصحابه يروي عن عروة وسالم الشيء كذلك
Ma‘mar said: “Al-Zuhri in the matters of his companions would
be the same as al-Hakam ibn ‘Utaybah would be regarding his
companions. He would report from ‘Urwah and Salim narratives
in a similar way.
This is a very important piece of information since in the
narrative under discussion, al-Zuhri is allegedly reporting
from ‘Urwah. In the light of this information, we do not even
know if al-Zuhri is actually reporting this narrative from
‘Urwah or not.
Another significant fact to note in the context of ‘Urwah
reporting this narrative is the statement of his son Hisham
ibn ‘Urwah regarding al-Zuhri’s reports from ‘Urwah. Al-Raba‘i
(d. 329 AH) records:
حدثنا محمد بن روح،
قال: سمعت الأصمعي يقول: سمعت ابن أبي الزناد يحدث عن هشام بن
عروة قال: ما حدث ابن شهاب عن أبي بحديث فيه طول إلا زاد فيه
ونقص.
Hisham ibn ‘Urwah said: “Whatever detailed reports Ibn Shihab
narrated from my father he either added to them or shortened
them.”
This sheds light on al-Zuhri’s tendency to carve out
narratives in the manner he wanted to present them. Thus, who
knows what he has added or subtracted in the narrative under
discussion.
One of the charges against al-Zuhri was his questionable links
with the ruling Umayyads in his times. Makhul (112 AH), a
contemporary authority of his times, is reported to have said:
أي رجل هو لولا أنه أفسد نفسه بصحبة الملوك
What a person he could have been had he not corrupted himself
by the company of rulers.
It is recorded by Ibn al-Junayd (d. 270 AH):
سمعت يحيي بن معين
يقول: «منصور عن إبراهيم عن الأسود عن عائشة، أحب إلي من هشام بن
عروة عن أبيه عن عائشة» ، قيل له: فالزهري عن عروة عن عائشة؟
قال: «هما سواء، ومنصور أحب إلي، لأن الزهري كان سلطانيا
“I heard Yahya ibn Ma‘in say: ‘Mansur reporting from Ibrahim
from al-Aswad from ‘A’ishah is preferred by me over Hisham ibn
‘Urwah reporting from his father who reports from ‘A’ishah.’
It was said to him: ‘Then what about al-Zuhri reporting from
‘Urwah from ‘A’ishah?’ He replied: ‘Both of them are equal.
Mansur’s report is preferred by me because al-Zuhri belonged
to the ruling party.’”
Here again the words “what about al-Zuhri reporting from
‘Urwah from ‘A’ishah,” should be noted since the narrative
under discussion has precisely this chain of narration.
Here is how ‘Amr ibn ‘Ubayd (d. 144 AH) condemned him with
regard to his links with the ruling party:
أخبرنا أبو البركات
الأنماطي أنبأنا ثابت بن بندار أنبأنا محمد بن علي بن يعقوب
القاضي أنبأنا محمد بن أحمد البابسيري ثنا الأحوص بن المفضل بن
غسان ثنا أبي قال وحدثني محمد بن عبد الله الغلابي عن عمر بن
رديح قال كنت مع ابن شهاب الزهري نمشي فرآني عمرو بن عبيد فلقيني
بعد فقال ما لك ولمنديل الأمراء يعني ابن شهاب
‘Umar ibn Radih said: “I was with Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri. We were
walking when ‘Amr ibn ‘Ubayd saw me. So when he later met me,
he said: ‘What is your relation with the napkin of the rulers
ie., Ibn Shihab?’”
When Abu Hazim Salamah ibn Dinar (d. 133/135/ 140/144 AH)
counseled the caliph Sulayman ibn ‘Abd al-Malik (99 AH) that
the best rulers are ones who love scholars and the worst of
scholars are ones who love rulers, it is reported that he
replied: والذي لا إله إلا هو ولأزهدن في
الزهري من بعد اليوم (I swear by the Being besides who
there is no god that I shall definitely forsake al-Zuhri from
this day).
Abu Hazim also wrote a detailed letter to al-Zuhri in which he
chided him by saying: جعلوك قطبا تدور رحي
باطلهم وجسرا يعبرون بك إلي بلائهم وسلما إلي ضلالتهم وداعيا إلي
غيهم سالكا سبيلهم يدخلون بك الشك علي العلماء ويقتادون بك قلوب
الجهال إليهم (These rulers will make you the axle which
will rotate the wheel of their evil and will make you a
bridge through which they will take you to their falsehood
and make you a ladder that will lead to their misguidance and
make you someone who calls towards their rebelliousness and
someone who treads their path through which they will enter
doubt among scholars and through you make the hearts of the
ignorant follow them.)
It is evident from the following narrative that al-Zuhri was
rebuked by Imam Malik (d. 179 AH) for using his knowledge to
acquire worldly benefits:
أبو أسامة، عن جرير بن
حازم ، عن الزبير بن سعيد الهاشمي ، عن نافع بن مالك ، أبي سهل
عن مالك بن أنس، قال: دخلت علي الزهري أنا ورهط معي، فسألناه
الحديث فكأنه لم يبسط إلينا. وجاءه حصي لبني مروان، ومعه كتاب
فسأله عنه فحدثه قال: فقلت له: يا أبا بكر أتاك نفر من إخوانك
فسألوك الحديث فلم تبسط إليهم، وجاءك هذا فانبسطت إليه وحدثته
لمكانه من أصحابه ، ألا أحدثك حديثا بلغني عن رسول الله - صلي
الله عليه وسلم فقال: ما هو قلت: بلغني أن رسول الله - صلي الله
عليه وسلم - قال: من طلب شيئا من هذا العلم الذي يراد به وجه
الله ليصيب به عرضا من الدنيا دخل النار فقال: ما سمعت هذا. قال:
قلت أو كل حديث رسول الله - صلي الله عليه وسلم - سمعت قال: لا.
قلت: فنصفه . قال: لعلي قلت: فهذا في النصف الذي لم تسمع.
Malik ibn Anas stated: “I came to al-Zuhri with a group of
people. We asked him to narrate Hadith to us but it seemed
that he was not willing to do so. Then a eunuch of the Banu
Marwan came to him with a book and he asked al-Zuhri to
narrate to him. So he did so.” I said to him: “O Abu Bakr! A
group of your brothers came to you and asked you to narrate
Hadith to them but you were not willing to do so. This person
came to you and you narrated to him and narrated to him
because of his status among his associates. Should I not
relate to you a Hadith which has reached me from God’s
Messenger (sws)?” At this, he replied: ‘What is it?’ I said to
al-Zuhri: ‘Has it not reached you that God’s Messenger said
that he who sought this knowledge through which the pleasure
of God is sought to gain some worldly benefit will enter
Hell.’ At this, al-Zuhri said: ‘No, this has not reached me
from God’s Messenger.’ I said to him: ‘Have you heard all the
narratives of God’s Messenger?’ He replied: ‘No.’ I said:
‘Half?’ He replied: ‘Perhaps.’ I said: ‘Well this was in the
other half that you have not heard.’”
It may also be pointed out that various authorities of ‘ilm
al-rijal say that Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri is guilty of the
following:
i. Tadlis
ii. Irsal
iii. Idraj
As far as tadlis is concerned, it is recorded:
وصفه الشافعي و الدار
قطني و غير واحد بالتدليس
Imam al-Shaf‘i, al-Daraqutni and others have attributed tadlis
to Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri.
The following words of Abu Hatim recorded by al-Ka‘bi show
that Abu Hatim also regarded him to be guilty of tadlis:
قال أبو حاتم الرازى:
الزهرى أحب إلي من الأعمش، وكلاهما يحتج بحديثه فيما لم يدلسا
Abu Hatim al-Razi said: “Al-Zuhri is preferred by me over al-A‘mash
and the narratives of both can be adduced from in what both of
them are not guilty of tadlis.”
Nafi‘ (d. 117 AH) records this weakness on the part of al-Zuhri
in the following words:
وكان نافع يقول: إن
الزهري سمع أحاديث ابن عمر مني فلقي سالما فقال: هذه أحاديث
أبيك؟ قال: نعم، فرواها عن سالم وتركني.
Nafi‘ used to say: “Indeed, al-Zuhri heard from me the
narratives of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar. So, when he met Salim [ibn
‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar], he said to him: ‘Are these narratives
from your father?’ He said: ‘Yes.’ Thereafter, he narrated
them from him and stopped narrating from me.”
As far as al-Zuhri’s irsal is concerned, Imam Abu Da’ud cites
the following information:
حديثه الفان و مائتان،
النصف منها مسند
He has reported twenty two hundred Ahadith. Out of them, only
half are musnad [the rest are mursal].
Ibn Hajar records:
كان يحي بن سعيد لا يرى
إرسال الزهري و قتادة شيئا ويقول هو بمنزلة الريح
Yahya ibn Sa‘id al-Qattan is of the opinion that the irsal of
Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri and al-Qatadah is baseless and said: “It
is like a wind.”
Al-Dhahabi has reported the following words of Yahya ibn Sa‘id
al-Qattan from Abu Qudamah al-Sarakhsi:
مرسل الزهري شر من مرسل
غيره لأنه حافظ وكلما قدر أن يسمی سمي وإنما يترك من لا يستجيز
أن يسميه
The mursal of Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri is the worst of all since he
is a hafiz. Whenever he wants, he discloses the name of a
narrator, and whenever he wants, he conceals his name.
To this information can also be added the following comment of
Imam al-Shafi‘i:
إرسال الزهري ليس بشيء
لأنا نجده يروي عن سليمان بن أرقم
The irsal of Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri has no value because we have
found him narrating from [a person as unreliable as] Sulayman
ibn Arqam.
It may noted that Ibn Hajar
while referring to various authorities has alluded to twelve
people from whom al-Zuhri would do irsal. They are:
i. ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Azhar (d. 63 AH)
ii. ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Ka‘b ibn Malik
iii. Aban ibn ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan (d. 105 AH)
iv. Mas‘ud ibn al-Hakam ibn al-Rabi‘
v. Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Salimi
vi. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar al-Khattab (d. 73 AH)
vii. ‘Abdullah ibn Ja‘far al-Tayyar (d. 80 AH)
viii. ‘Ubadah ibn al-Samit (d. 34 AH)
ix. Rafi‘ ibn Khudayj (d. 74 AH)
x. Umm ‘Abdullah al-Dawsiyyah
xi. Abu Hurayrah (d. 59 AH)
xii. Abu Ruhm Ahzab ibn Usayd
According to Yahya ibn Ma‘in,
al-Zuhri has also not heard from ‘Umar ibn Sa‘d (d. 65 AH).
Abu Hatim
has specified that al-Zuhri has not heard from Miswar ibn
Makhramah (d. 64 AH) and ‘Asim ibn ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (d. 70
AH).
A very clear instance of al-Zuhri’s irsal is also found in
some variants of the narrative under discussion. They mention
at the end that a delay in revelation grieved the Prophet so
much that he wanted to kill himself and would climb the
mountains to commit suicide by throwing himself down:
وفتر الوحي فترة حتی
حزن النبي صلی الله عليه وسلم فيما بلغنا حزنا غدا منه مرارا كي
يتردى من رؤوس شواهق الجبال فكلما أوفی بذروة جبل لكي يلقي منه
نفسه تبدى له جبريل فقال يا محمد إنك رسول الله حقا فيسكن لذلك
جأشه وتقر نفسه فيرجع فإذا طالت عليه فترة الوحي غدا لمثل ذلك
فإذا أوفی بذروة جبل تبدى له جبريل فقال له مثل ذلك
According to what has reached us: “A lot of delay occurred in
revelation which ultimately grieved God’s Prophet a lot. He
repeatedly went to throw himself down from mountain peaks.
Every time he climbed towards the peak of a mountain in order
to throw himself down from it, Gabriel appeared before him and
said: ‘O Muhammad! You surely are God’s Messenger.’ At this,
he calmed downed and felt comforted. Gabriel would then go
away. When again in future there would be a delay in
revelation, he would again go towards a mountain peak to throw
down himself. As soon as he would climb the peak of the
mountain, Gabriel would appear to him and repeat what he said
earlier.”
Moreover, the
following narrative makes it very clear that this addition is
from al-Zuhri:
حدثنا محمد بن
عبدالأعلی قال حدثنا ابن ثور عن معمر عن الزهري قال فتر الوحي عن
رسول الله فترة فحزن حزنا شديدا جعل يغدو إلی رؤوس شواهق الجبال
ليتردى منها فكلما أوفی بذروة جبل تبدى له جبرئيل فيقول إنك نبي
الله فيسكن لذلك جأشه وترجع إليه نفسه فكان النبي يحدث عن ذلك
قال فبينما أنا أمشي يوما إذ رأيت الملك الذي كان يأتيني بحراء
علی كرسي بين السماء والأرض فجئثت منه رعبا فرجعت إلی خديجة فقلت
زملوني فزملناه أي دثرناه فأنزل الله عز وجل يَاَ أَيُّهَا
المُدَّثِّر قُمْ فَأَنْذِرْ وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّر وَثَيَابَكَ
فَطَهِّرْ قال الزهري فكان أول شيء أنزل عليه اِقْرَأ بِاسْمِ
رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ حتی بلغ مَا لَم يَعْلَمْ
Al-Zuhri said: “When divine revelation did not come to God’s
Messenger (sws) for a while, he became very sad. He would go
to the peaks of mountains so that he could throw down himself
from there. So whenever he reached the mountain peak, Gabriel
would appear to him and say: ‘You are God’s Prophet.’ This
would assure him and he would return to normal. Once, while
narrating this incident, the Prophet said: ‘I suddenly saw the
angel who came to me in the Hira cave. He was sitting on a
chair between the sky and the earth. At this, I halted because
of fear and returned to Khadijah. So, I said to her: “Have me
covered.” So she had me covered with a sheet. At this, God
revealed the words: يَاَ أَيُّهَا
المُدَّثِّر قُمْ فَأَنْذِرْ وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّر وَثَيَابَكَ
فَطَهِّرْ.’” al-Zuhri said: “The first thing that was
revealed to him was اِقْرَأ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ
الَّذِي خَلَقَ till مَا لَم يَعْلَم.”
This has already been noted by many scholars as an anomaly and
is from the balaghat of al-Zuhri.
All such balaghat by him are regarded to be worthless by
authorities since they are all mursal. Earlier citations
testify to this.
As for the idraj of Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri it is recorded in al-Mu‘tasar
min al-mukhtasar:
كان يخلط كلامه بالحديث و لذالك قال موسی بن
عقبة: افصل كلام النبي صلي الله عليه وسلم من كلامك
Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri used to mix his own words with the Hadith
and that is why Musa ibn ‘Uqbah said: “Separate the words of
the Prophet from yours.”
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali records:
فإن الزهري كان كثيرا يروي الحديث، ثم يدرج
فيه أشياء، بعضها مراسيل، وبعضها من رأيه وكلامه
For Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri would narrate Ahadith and on most
occasions would insert sentences from his own self. Some of
these would be mursal and some of them would be his own
opinions and words.
Rabi‘ah [ibn Abi ‘abd al-Rahman] would say to Ibn Shihab:
ان حالتی ليس تشبه حالك، انا اقول برأى من
شاء اخذه و أنت تحدث عن النبی صلی الله عليه وسلم، فتحفظ، لا
ينبغی لأحد ان يعلم ان عنده شیء من العلم يضيع نفسه.
“My situation is totally different from you. I state my own
opinion. One is free to accept it [or reject it] and you say
it on the authority of the Prophet (sws) and so you must be
careful, and it is not befitting for a person who is
knowledgeable to waste himself [like this].”
Al-Sakhawi (d. 902 AH) records:
كان الزهري يفسر الأحاديث كثيرا وربما أسقط
أداة التفسير ، فكان بعض أقرانه دائمأيقول له: افصل كلامك من
كلام النبي صلي الله عليه وسلم
Al-Zuhri used to explain various Ahadith a lot and many a time
he would not mention the particle of explanation [from which
would be known whether the words were from the Prophet or from
al-Zuhri.] So, some of his contemporaries would always ask
him: “Separate your words from those of the Prophet.”
In the narrative under discussion, an instance of idraj can
easily be detected. The word التحنث
is explained asالتعبد (worship).
As recorded by Ibn Hajar, in the opinion of al-Tibi (d. 743
AH), this is done by al-Zuhri.
It is specified by Ibn Hajar that al-Tibi has not cited any
reason for this inference. However, to this writer it seems
very likely that al-Zuhri is the author of this insertion.
This information cited about Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri places a
question mark over his overall reliability. Moreover, the
following letter written by the celebrated authority Imam
Layth ibn Sa‘d (d. 175 AH) to Imam Malik (d. 179 AH) casts
further doubts on him:
وكان يكون من ابن شهاب اختلاف كثير إذا
لقيناه ، و إذا كاتبه بعضنا فربما كتب فی الشئ الواحد علی فضل
رأيه وعلمه بثلاثة أنواع ينقض بعضها بعضا، ولا يشعر بالذى مضی من
رأيه فی ذلك الأمر، فهو الذى يدعونی إلی ترك ما أنكرت تركی إياه.
And whenever we met Ibn Shihab, there would arise a difference
of opinion. And when any one of us would ask him in writing
about some issue, he, in spite of being so learned, would give
three very different answers, each of which would negate the
other and he would not even be aware of what he had already
said. So, it is because of this that I have left him –
something which you did not like.
It is also recorded about him:
ربما احتج له في الحديث
جماعة فحدث به مرة عنهم ومرة عن أحدهم بقدر نشاطه حين تحديثه
وربما أدخل حديث بعضهم في بعض كما صنع في حديث الإفك وغيره وربما
كسل فأرسل وربما انشرح فوصل فلذا اختلف أصحابه عليه اختلافا
كثيرا
Sometimes, a group of people would present a Hadith to him to
corroborate something. So, at times, he would narrate from the
whole group and sometimes from one person of that group. This
would be according to the way he felt during the narration.
Sometimes, he would insert the Hadith narrated by one into
that narrated by someone else as he has done so in the Hadith
of ifk besides others. When he would feel lazy, he would
narrate mursal Ahadith, and when he would be feeling fresh, he
would narrate muttasil ones. It is because of this that his
companions differ a lot about him.
In conclusion, the above cited jarh on al-Zuhri makes him an
extremely suspect narrator.
Appendix B: Critical Evaluation of the Chains of Narration
Here is a detailed evaluation of all the chains of narration
of the seven students who report this narrative from from Ibn
Shihab al-Zuhri:
1. ‘Uqayl ibn Khalid
The following illustration depicts the sub-variants of ‘Uqayl
ibn Khalid’s variants:
Yahya ibn Sa‘id regards ‘Uqayl ibn Khalid to be weak.
Ahmad ibn Hanbal says that though Layth ibn Sa‘d is
trustworthy yet he is not very careful in matters of hearing
from his teachers (thiqatun wa lakinna fi akhdhihi suhulah).
Ibn ‘Asakir and al-Suyuti mention that there are some
discrepancies in what he narrates from al-Zuhri (fi hadithihi
‘an al-Zuhri ba‘d al-idtarab).
In the above sub-variants, it can be seen that he narrates
from al-Zuhri through ‘Uqayl ibn Khalid.
Though many authorities regard Yahya ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Bukayr
to be trustworthy, Abu Hatim and al-Nasa’i have a different
opinion about him. The former says: yuktabu hadithuhu wa la
yuhtajju bihi and the latter says: da‘if at one place and
laysa bi thiqah at another.
2. Yunus ibn Yazid
The following illustration depicts the sub-variants of Yunus
ibn Yazid’s variants:
Although most authorities regard Yunus ibn Yazid to be
trustworthy, we find the following information about him as
well:
قال أبو زرعة الدمشقي سمعت أبا عبد الله احمد
بن حنبل يقول في حديث يونس عن الزهري منكرات وقال الميموني سئل
أحمد من أثبت في الزهري قال معمر قيل فيونس قال روى أحاديث
منكرة وقال بن سعد …
وليس بحجة ربما جاء بالشيء المنكر
Abu Zur‘ah al-Dimashqi said: “I heard Ahmad ibn Hanbal say
that the narratives of Yunus from Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri contain
munkarat.” And Maymuni said: “Ahmad was asked about the most
trustworthy student of Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri; he replied that it
is Ma‘mar; when someone asked about Yunus, he said that he
narrates munkar narratives.” Ibn Sa‘d said: “ … he is laysa bi
hujjah and would at times narrate what is munkar.”
نا عبد الرحمن نا محمد
بن عوف الحمصي قال قال احمد بن حنبل قال وكيع رأيت يونس الأيلي
وكان سيء الحفظ قال احمد سمع منه وكيع ثلاثة أحاديث نا عبد
الرحمن نا أبی قال سمعت مقاتل بن محمد قال سمعت وكيعا يقول لقيت
يونس بن يزيد الأيلي وذاكرته بأحاديث الزهرى المعروفة وجهدت ان
يقيم لي حديثا فما أقامه
‘Abd al-Rahman reported from Muhammad ibn ‘Awf who reported
from Ahmad ibn Hanbal that Waki‘ said: “I have seen Yunus al-Ayli
and he had a bad memory.” Ahmad said: “Waki‘ has heard three
narratives from Yunus.” ‘Abd al-Rahman narrated from his
father [Abu Hatim al-Razi] who said: “I heard Muqatil ibn
Muhammad say: ‘I heard Waqi‘ saying: “I met Yunus ibn Yazid
al-Ayli and discussed with him well known narratives of Ibn
Shihab al-Zuhri and I tried that he should at least report one
narrative correctly to me but he was not able to.”’”
قال أبو بكر الأثرم
أنكر أبو عبد الله علی يونس وقال كان يجيء عن سعيد بأشياء ليس من
حديث سعيد وضعف أمر يونس وقال لم يكن يعرف الحديث وكان يكتب أرى
أول الكتاب فينقطع الكلام فيكون أوله عن سعيد وبعضة عن الزهري
فيشتبه عليه قال أبو عبد الله ويونس يروي أحاديث من رأي الزهري
يجعلها عن سعيد قال أبو عبد الله يونس كثير الخطأ عن الزهري
وعقيل أقل خطأ منه وقال أبو زرعة الدمشقي سمعت أبا عبد الله أحمد
بن حنبل يقول في حديث يونس بن يزيد منكرات عن الزهري
Abu Bakr al-Athram said: “Abu ‘Abdullah Ahmad ibn Hanbal
objected to Yunus and said: ‘He wrongly attributes things to
Sa‘id ibn Musayyab.’ And Ahmad ibn Hanbal did not regard him
as reliable and said: ‘He does not know hadith and he would
write the first part of the book from Sa‘id and then end the
discourse and write other parts from al-Zuhri and later would
not be able to tell between which is which.’ And Ahmad ibn
Hanbal [further said]: ‘Yunus would report narratives which
would contain the view of Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri and would
attribute this view to Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab and said that
Yunus makes many errors in what he narrates from Ibn Shihab
al-Zuhri and ‘Uqayl would make lesser errors than him.’”
And Abu Zur‘ah al-Dimashqi said: “I heard Abu ‘Abdullah Ahmad
ibn Hanbal say: ‘Yunus’s narratives from Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri
have munkarat in them.’”
3. Ma‘mar ibn Rashid
The following illustration depicts the sub-variants of Ma‘mar
ibn Rashid’s variants:
_____________
Al-Ka‘bi records that in the opinion of Sulayman ibn Harb most
of Ma‘mar’s narratives have errors (inna ma‘maran ‘ammatu
hadithihi khata’). He also records that Abu Nu‘aym had
forsaken him and has said that he would make many errors (kana
kathir al-khata’).
Al-Dhahabi records that ‘Abd al-Razzaq heard Ibn al-Mubarak
say that he only writes the narratives of Ma‘mar if he has
heard them from someone else as well. At this, when ‘Abd al-Razzaq
asked Ibn al-Mubarak of the reason, he replied that he has
recognized the good people after comparing them with the bad
ones.
Three of Ma‘mar’s students report these narratives from him:
a. ‘Abd al-Razzaq ibn Hammam
b. ‘Abdullah ibn Mu‘adh al-San‘ani
c. Muhammad ibn ‘Umar al-Waqidi
Regarding ‘Abd al-Razzaq ibn Hammam, ‘Uqayli records that
Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah said that he feared that ‘Abd al-Razzaq
would be among those who wasted all his efforts in this world;
al-‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Azim al-Anbari swore by God that ‘Abd
al-Razzaq was a big liar and that Muhammad ibn ‘Umar al-Waqidi
was more truthful than him.
Al-Dhahabi records:
according to al-Nasa’i narratives reported from him have
manakir; in the opinion of al-Bukhari, what is narrated from
‘Abd al-Razzaq’s book is more correct; Ibn ‘Adi says that
narratives which he reports regarding fada’il are not
corroborated by anyone
Al-Daraqutni says that though he is reliable yet he makes
errors in the case of Ma‘mar in narratives not found in his
book.
Abu Hatim says: yuktabu hadithuhu wa la yuhtajju bihi.
Al-Bardha‘i records that he saw Abu Zur‘ah was not happy with
his matter and ascribed a very grave thing to him (ra’aytu Aba
Zur‘ah la yahmidu amrahu wa yansubuhu ila amrin ghalizin).
About ‘Abdullah ibn Mu‘adh al-San‘ani, ‘Uqayli records:
‘Abd al-Razzaq would regard him to be liar (yukadhdhibuhu);
‘Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal says that he heard his father
Ahmad ibn Hanbal say that he saw ‘Abdullah ibn Mu‘adh in
Makkah but did not write anything from him. It may be noted
that other authorities have regarded him to be trustworthy.
Following is the jarh on Muhammad ibn ‘Umar al-Waqidi.
Al-Bukhari
opines that he is sakatu ‘anhu and that Ahmad and Ibn Numayr
have abandoned him (tarakahu). At another place, al-Bukhari
regards him to be matruk al-hadith. Al-Nasa’i
also regards him to be matruk al-hadith. Ibn Hibban
records that Ahmad has declared him to be a liar and that
Yahya ibn Ma‘in regards him to be laysa bi shay’ and that ‘Ali
ibn al-Madini says that he would forge narratives (yada‘u al-hadith).
Al-Dhahabi
records that in the opinion of al-Daraqutni fihi al-du‘f and
that Ibn ‘Adi says that his narratives are not safe. Al-Mizzi
records that in the opinion of Muslim he is matruk al-hadith
and Abu Ahmad al-Hakim regards him to be dhahib al-hadith.
Ishaq ibn Rahawayh
also regards him to a forger of hadith (‘indi min man yada‘u
al-hadith). Ibn Hajar
says that he is matruk.
4. Al-Walid ibn Muhammad al-Muqari
The following illustration depicts the variant of al-Walid ibn
Muhammad:
Al-Walid ibn Muhammad is suspect. Al-Dhahabi writes:
According to Abu Hatim he is da‘if al-hadith; Ibn al-Madini
says: la yuktabu hadithuhu; Ibn Khuzaymah writes: la yuhtajju
bihi. Yahya ibn Ma‘in regards him to be a liar; in the opinion
of al-Nasa’i he is matruk al-hadith.
Ibn Hajar also regards him to be matruk.
About Suwayd ibn Sa‘id, al-Mizzi
records the following jarh:
Ya‘qub ibn Shaybah says that he is saduq mudtarib al-hifz
particularly when he had become blind. According to al-Bukhari,
Salih Muhammad al-Baghdadi and Abu Ahmad al-Hakim when he
became blind he would narrate Hadith which were not his. In
the opinion of al-Nasa’i, he is laysa bi thiqah wa la ma’mun.
Yahya ibn Ma‘in says that he is halal al-dam. Ibn Hibban has
recorded him in his Al-Majruhin and said: ya’ti ‘an thiqat fi
al-mu‘dalat; yukhti fi al-athar wa yuqallibu al-akhbar and
also said that it is essential to abstain from his narratives.
Ibn al-Jawzi
has recorded him in his Al-Ḍu‘afa’ and stated that Yahya ibn
Ma‘in regarded him to be a great liar (khadhdhab) and
unreliable (saqit). He also said that if he had a horse and a
spear he would have attacked him. He also records that
according to Ahmad he is matruk al-hadith.
5. Salih ibn Abi al-Akhdar
The following illustration depicts the sub-variants of Salih
ibn Abi al-Akhdar’s variants:
Following is some of the jarh recorded by al-Mizzi
on Salih ibn Abi al-Akhdar:
Yahya ibn Ma‘in says that he is laysa bi al-qawi and da‘if. In
the opinion of al-‘Ijli: yuktabu hadithuhu wa laysa bi al-qawi.
According to Ibrahim ibn Ya‘qub al-Juzjani he is blameworthy
in his Ahadith. Abu Zur‘ah says that he is da‘if al-hadith and
that he had two books from al-Zuhri: one of them was ‘ard and
the other was munawalah; he mixed up both and could not tell
which was which. Abu Hatim regards him to be layyin al-hadith.
According to al-Bukhari, he is da‘if, layyin and is nothing in
what he narrates from al-Zuhri. According to al-Tirmidhi, he
is da‘if and that Yahya ibn Sa‘id al-Qattan also regarded him
to be so. Al-Nasa’i also calls him da‘if.
6. Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Abi ‘Utayq (Ibn Akhi al-Zuhri)
The following illustration depicts the sub-variant of Muhammad
ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Abi ‘Utayq’s variants:
The jarh on Muhammad ibn ‘Umar al-Waqidi has been presented
earlier.
7. Al-Nu‘man ibn Rashid
The following illustration depicts the variant of al-Nu‘man
ibn Rashid:
Following is some of the jarh recorded by al-Mizzi
on al-Nu‘man ibn Rashid.
Yahya ibn Sa‘id al-Qattan regards him to be very weak. Ahmad
ibn Hanbal regards him to be mudtarib al-hadith and that he
has narrated manakir ahadith. Yahya ibn Ma‘in says that he is
da‘if; laysa bi shay’; according to al-Bukhari there is great
discrepancy in his narratives though he is primarily saduq.
Abu Da‘ud says that he is da‘if. Al-Nasa’i says that he is
da‘if, kathir al-ghalat, ahadithuhu maqlubah.
Ibn al-Junayd asked Yahya ibn Ma‘in if al-Nu‘man ibn Rashid
was weak (da‘if) only in reporting from al-Zuhri. His reply
was that he is weak in reporting from everyone.
It can thus be seen that none of the seven chains of narration
that emanate from Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri are free of flaws.
Appendix C: Mursal Variants
i. ‘Ubayd ibn ‘Umayr (d. 73 AH)
حدثنا ابن حميد قال
حدثنا سلمة عن محمد بن إسحاق قال حدثني وهب بن كيسان ر مولى آل
الزبير قال سمعت عبدالله بن الزبير وهو يقول لعبيد بن عمير بن
قتادة الليثي حدثنا يا عبيد كيف كان بدء ما ابتدئ به رسول الله
من النبوة حين جاء جبريل عليه السلام فقال عبيد وأنا حاضر يحدث
عبدالله بن الزبير ومن عنده من الناس كان رسول الله يجاور في
حراء من كل سنة شهرا وكان ذلك مما تحنث به قريش في الجاهلية
والتحنث التبرر وقال أبو طالب وراق ليرقى في حراء ونازل فكان
رسول الله يجاور ذلك الشهر من كل سنة يطعم من جاءه من المساكين
فإذا قضي رسول الله جواره من شهره ذلك كان أول ما يبدأ به إذا
انصرف من جواره الكعبة قبل أن يدخل بيته فيطوف بها سبعا أو ما
شاء الله من ذلك ثم يرجع إلي بيته حتي إذا كان الشهر الذي أراد
الله عز وجل فيه ما أراد من كرامته من السنة التي بعثه فيها وذلك
في شهر رمضان خرج رسول الله إلي حراء كما كان يخرج لجواره معه
أهله حتي إذا كانت الليلة التي أكرمه الله فيها برسالته ورحم
العباد بها جاءه جبريل بأمر الله فقال رسول الله فجاءني وأنا
نائم بنمط من ديباج فيه كتاب فقال اقرأ فقلت ما اقرأ فغتني حتي
ظننت أنه الموت ثم ارسلني فقال اقرأ فقلت ماذا أقرأ وما أقول ذلك
إلا افتداء منه أن يعود إلي بمثل ما صنع بي قال اِقْرَأ بِاسْمِ
رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ إلي قوله عَلَّمَ الإْنْسَانَ مَا لَم
يَعْلَمْ قال فقرأته قال ثم انتهي ثم انصرف عني وهببت من نومي
وكأنما كتب في قلبي كتابا قال ولم يكن من خلق الله أحد أبغض إلي
من شاعر أو مجنون كنت لا أطيق أن أنظر إليهما قال قلت إن الأبعد
يعني نفسه لشاعر أو مجنون لا تحدث بها عني قريش أبدا لأعمدن إلى
حالق من الجبل فلأطرحن نفسي منه فلأقتلنها فلأستريحن قال فخرجت
أريد ذلك حتى إذا كنت في وسط من الجبل سمعت صوتا من السماء يقول
يا محمد أنت رسول الله وأنا جبريل قال فرفعت رأسي إلى السماء
فإذا جبرئيل في صورة رجل صاف قدميه في أفق السماء يقول يا محمد
أنت رسول الله وأنا جبرئيل قال فوقفت أنظر إليه وشغلني ذلك عما
أردت فما أتقدم وما أتأخر وجعلت أصرف وجهي عنه في آفاق السماء
فلا أنظر في ناحية منها إلا رأيته كذلك فما زلت واقفا ما أتقدم
أمامي ولا أرجع ورائي حتي بعثت خديجة رسلها في طلبي حتي بلغوا
مكة ورجعوا إليها وأنا واقف في مكاني ثم انصرف عني وانصرفت راجعا
إلي أهلي حتي أتيت خديجة فجلست إلي فخذها مضيفا فقالت يا أبا
القاسم أين كنت فوالله لقد بعثت رسلي في طلبك حتي بلغوا مكة
ورجعوا إلي قال قلت لها إن الأبعد لشاعر أو مجنون فقالت أعيذك
بالله من ذلك يا أبا القاسم ما كان الله ليصنع ذلك بك مع ما أعلم
منك من صدق حديثك وعظم أمانتك وحسن خلقك وصلة رحمك وما ذاك يا بن
عم لعلك رأيت شيئا قال فقلت لها نعم ثم حدثتها بالذي رأيت فقالت
أبشر يا بن عم واثبت فوالذي نفس خديجة بيده إني لأرجو أن تكون
نبي هذه الأمة ثم قامت فجمعت عليها ثيابها ثم انطلقت إلي ورقة بن
نوفل بن أسد وهو ابن عمها وكان ورقة قد تنصر وقرأ الكتب وسمع من
أهل التوراة والإنجيل فأخبرته بما أخبرها به رسول الله أنه رأى
وسمع فقال ورقة قدوس قدوس والذي نفس ورقة بيده لئن كنت صدقتني يا
خديجة لقد جاءه الناموس الأكبر يعني بالناموس جبرئيل عليه السلام
الذي كان يأتي موسي وإنه لنبي هذه الأمة فقولي له فليثبت فرجعت
خديجة إلي رسول الله فأخبرته بقول ورقة فسهل ذلك عليه بعض ما هو
فيه من الهم فلما قضي رسول الله جواره وانصرف صنع كما كان يصنع
وبدأ بالكعبة فطاف بها فلقيه ورقة بن نوفل وهو يطوف بالبيت فقال
يابن أخي أخبرني بما رأيت أو سمعت فأخبره رسول الله فقال له ورقة
والذي نفسي بيده إنك لنبي هذه الأمة ولقد جاءك الناموس الأكبر
الذي جاء إلي موسي ولتكذبنه ولتؤذينه ولتخرجنه ولتقاتلنه ولئن
أنا أدركت ذلك لأنصرن الله نصرا يعلمه ثم أدني رأسه فقبل يافوخه
ثم انصرف رسول الله إلي منزله وقد زاده ذلك من قول ورقة ثباتا
وخفف عنه بعض ما كان فيه من الهم
Wahb ibn Kaysan who is a liberated slave of Al Zubayr said: “I
heard ‘Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr saying to ‘Ubayd ibn ‘Umayr:
‘Narrate to us how first Gabriel brought revelation to God’s
Messenger.’ ‘Ubayd narrated to ‘Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr and
those who were there in the gathering while I was present:
‘Every year God’s Messenger spent one month in the cave of
Hira’ and this would be from among the tahannuth the Quraysh
would do in the times of jahiliyyah. The word al-tahannuth
means al-tabarrur. Abu Talib said: By he who ascends Hira’ and
descends. In the month in which God’s Messenger would stay in
the Hira’ cave he would feed all the needy who would come to
him. When God’s Messenger completed his stay of one month, the
first thing he did on his return before he went to his house
was to circumambulate the Ka‘bah seven times or what God
willed from these and then return to his house. This continued
until the month of the year in which the Almighty decided to
bless him with prophethood. That was the month of Ramadan.
God’s Messenger went to the cave of Hira’ the way he used to.
His family was also with him. When the night arrived in which
God chose to bless him with messengerhood and have mercy on
his people through it, Gabriel came with God’s directive. So
God’s Messenger said: “Then he came to me while I was asleep
with a cloth of silk on which there was a writing and said:
‘Read.’ I said: ‘I cannot read.’ So he pressed me until I
thought that I would die. Then he released me and I said:
‘What should I read and this too I said just to save myself
from him pressing me again.’ He said: ‘اِقْرَأ
بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ till
عَلَّمَ الإْنْسَانَ مَا لَم يَعْلَمْ.’ I read it out.
Gabriel stopped at this and left. Then I woke up from my
sleep. It was as if a [piece of] writing had been etched on my
heart. The people I hated the most among those created by God
were poets or lunatics. I did not even have the strength to
look at them. I said [to myself:] ‘I am definitely a poet or a
lunatic. I would not like that the Quraysh ever speak of me in
this capacity. I should go to the peak of a mountain and throw
down myself from it and kill myself and [thus] relieve
myself.’ So, I set about to fulfill my intention until when I
reached the middle of the mountain I heard a voice from the
sky saying: ‘O Muhammad! You are God’s messenger and I am
Gabriel.’ So, I raised my head towards the sky and I saw
Gabriel in the form of a man. Both his feet were spread in the
horizon of the sky. He was saying: ‘O Muhammad! You are God’s
messenger and I am Gabriel.’ I then stopped while looking at
him. This spectacle absorbed me and distracted me from my
intention. So, I neither took a step forward nor backward. I
began turning my face away from him in the expanse of the sky.
But to whichever place I turned it, I saw him. I remained
standing where I was neither stepping forward nor backward
until the time when Khadijah sent her messengers to find me
until they reached Makkah and came back to her while I was
stationed at my place. Then Gabriel went away from me and I
returned to my family and came over to Khadijah and sat close
to her touching her thighs. She said: ‘O Abu al-Qasim! Where
were you? By God! I sent my messengers to find you until they
reached Makkah and returned to me.’ I said to her: ‘I am
definitely a poet or a lunatic.’ She said: ‘May God protect
you from this O Abu al-Qasim! God will not do this to you when
He fully knows your truthfulness, trustworthiness, kindness
and dealings with the kindred. What has happened my cousin?
Maybe you have seen something.’ I said to her: ‘Yes.’ Then I
narrated to her what I saw. She replied: ‘Glad tidings to you
O cousin and rest assured. By the being in whose hand is
Khadijah’s life I am hopeful that you will be the prophet of
this ummah.’” Then she stood up and put on her outside apparel
and went over to Waraqah ibn Nawfal ibn Asad who was the son
of her uncle. Waraqah had become a Christian and had read
their religious books and had been instructed by the
recipients of the Torah and the Gospel. So she told him of the
news she was informed of by God’s messenger in terms of what
he saw and heard. At this, Waraqah said: “Quddus [holy]!
Quddus [holy]! By the being in whose hands is Waraqah’s life!
If you are telling the truth to me, O Khadijah, the great
Namus ie. Gabriel has visited him the one who would visit
Moses and that he is the prophet of this nation. Tell him to
rest assured.” Khadijah then returned to God’s messenger and
informed him what Waraqah had said to her. This lessened some
of the grief he was inflicted with.
When
God’s messenger completed his secluded stay and returned he
did what he used to do: he circumambulated the House of God;
he saw Waraqah ibn Nawfal was also circumambulating it. He
said: “O son of my brother! Inform me what you saw and heard.”
At this, God’s messenger informed him. So, Waraqah said to
him: “By the being in whose hands is my life! You surely are
the prophet of this nation. Indeed, the great Namus has come
to you who came to Moses [as well in the past]. Your nation
will definitely reject you, harass you, turn you out and try
to kill you. If I am alive at that time I will surely help you
for the sake of God – such help which He knows.” Then he drew
closer towards him the head of God’s Messenger’s and kissed
his forehead. God’s Messenger then returned to his house and
Waraqah’s conversations increased his assurance and reduced
some of the grief that had inflicted him.’”
ii. ‘Abd al-Malik ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Abi Sufyan ibn al-‘Ula ibn
Jariyah (d. )
نا أحمد نا يونس عن ابن
اسحاق قال حدثني عبد الملك بن عبد الله بن أبي سفيان بن العلاء
بن جارية الثقفي وكان واعية عن بعض أهل العلم أن رسول الله صلي
الله عليه وسلم حين أراد الله عز وجل كرامته وابتدأه بالنبوة
وكان لا يمر بحجر ولا شجر الا سلم عليه وسمع منه فيلتفت رسول
الله صلي الله عليه وسلم خلفه وعن يمينه وعن شماله فلا يرى الا
الشجر وما حوله من الحجارة وهي تحييه بتحية النبوة السلام عليك
يا رسول الله فكان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يخرج الي حراء
في كل عام شهرا من السنة ينسك فيه وكان من نسك في الجاهلية من
قريش يطعم من جاء من المساكين حتي اذا انصرف من مجاورته وقضاه لم
يدخل بيته حتي يطوف بالكعبة حتي اذا كان الشهر الآخر الذي أراد
الله عز وجل به ما أراد من كرامته من السنة التي بعثه فيها وذلك
شهر رمضان فخرج رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم كما كان يخرج
لجواره وخرج معه بأهله حتي اذا كانت الليلة التي أكرمه الله عز
وجل فيها برسالته ورحم العباد به جاءه جبريل بأمر الله تعالي
فقال رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم لجاءني وأنا نائم فقال أقرأ
فقلت وما أقرأ فغتني حتي ظننت أنه الموت ثم كشطه عني فقال أقرأ
فقلت وما أقرأ فعاد لي بمثل ذلك ثم قال أقرأ فقلت وما أقرأ وما
أقولها الا تنجيا أن يعود لي بمثل الذي صنع بي فقال اقْرَأْ
بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ
اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الْأَكْرَمُ الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ
عَلَّمَ الْإِنسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ ثم انتهي فانصرف عني
وهببت من نومي وكأنما صور في قلبي كتاب ولم يكن في خلق الله عز
وجل أحد ابغض الي من شاعر أو مجنون كنت لا أطيق أنظر اليهما فقلت
أن الأبعد يعني نفسه صلي الله عليه وسلم لشاعر أو مجنون ثم قلت
لا تحدث قريش عني بهذا أبدا لأعمدن الي حالق من الجبل فلأطرحن
نفسي منه فلأقتلنها فلأستريحن فخرجت لا أريد غير ذلك فبينا أنا
عامد لذلك سمعت مناديا ينادي من السماء يقول يا محمد أنت رسول
الله وأنا جبريل فرفعت رأسي الي السماء أنظر فاذا جبريل في صورة
رجل صاف قدميه في أفق السماء يقول يا محمد أنت رسول الله وأنا
جبريل فوقفت أنظر اليه وشغلني عن ذلك وعما أريد فوقفت ما أقدر
علي أن أتقدم ولا أتأخر ولا أصرف وجهي في ناحية من السماء الا
رأيته فيها فما زلت واقفا ما أتقدم ولا أتأخر حتي بعثت خديجة
رسلها في طلبي حتي بلغوا مكة ورجعوا فلم أزل كذلك حتي كاد النهار
يتحول ثم انصرف عني وانصرفت راجعا الي أهلي حتي أتيت خديجة فجلست
الي فخذها مضيفا اليها فقالت يا أبا القاسم أين كنت فوالله لقد
بعثت رسلي في طلبك حتي بلغوا مكة ورجعوا فقلت لها ان الأبعد
لشاعر أو مجنون فقالت أعيذك بالله يا أبا القاسم من ذلك ما كان
الله عز وجل ليفعل بك ذلك مع ما أعلم من صدق حديثك وعظم أمانتك
وحسن خلقك وصلة رحمك وما ذاك يا بن عم لعلك رأيت شيئا أو سمعته
فأخبرتها الخبر فقالت أبشر يا بن عم وأثبت له فوالذي تحلف به اني
لأرجو أن تكون نبي هذه الأمة ثم قامت فجمعت ثيابها عليها ثم
انطلقت الى ورقة بن نوفل وهو ابن عمها وكان قد قرأ الكتب وكان قد
تنصر وسمع من التواره والانجيل فأخبرته الخبر وقصت عليه ما قص
عليها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه رأى وسمع فقال ورقة
قدوس قدوس والذي نفس ورقة بيده لئن كنت صدقتني يا خديجة انه لنبي
هذه الأمة وانه ليأتيه الناموس الأكبر الذي كان يأتي موسى عليه
السلام فقولي له فليثبت ورجعت الى رسول الله صلى الله عليه
وسلم فأخبرته ما قال لها ورقة فسهل ذلك عليه بعض ما هو فيه من
الهم بما جاءه فلما قضى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم جواره
صنع كما كان يصنع بدأ بالكعبة فطاف بها فلقيه ورقة وهو يطوف
بالكعبة فقال يا ابن أخ أخبرني بالذي رأيت وسمعت فقص عليه رسول
الله صلى الله عليه وسلم خبره فقالت ورقة والذي نفس ورقة بيده
انه ليأتيك الناموس الأكبر الذي كان يأتي موسى عليه السلام وانك
لنبي هذه الأمة ولتوذين ولتكذبن ولتقاتلن ولتنصرن ولئن أنا أدركت
ذلك لأنصرنك نصرا يعلمه الله ثم أدنى اليه رأسه فقبل يافوخه ثم
انصرف رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم الى منزله وقد زاده الله
عز وجل من قول ورقة ثباتا وخفف عنه بعض ما كان فيه من الهم
Ibn Ishaq stated: “ ‘Abd al-Malik ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Abi Sufyan
ibn al-‘Ula ibn Jariyah who had a retentive memory related to
me from a certain person endowed with knowledge that when the
Almighty decided to bless God’s Messenger with His grace and
bestow prophethood upon him whenever he passed by a stone or a
tree, the latter would greet him and he would hear this from
them. So, God’s Messenger would turn back and look to his
right and his left but would not see anything except the trees
and stones surrounding him. They would address him with the
greeting of prophethood: ‘Peace be to you O God’s Messenger!’
He would go to the cave of Hira every year for a month and
worship there. Those among the Quraysh who worshipped in this
manner in the jahiliyyah period fed the needy who would come
to them. After God’s Messenger would return from his stay and
end his seclusion he would not enter his house until he had
circumambulated the Ka‘bah. Finally when the month arrived in
which the Almighty decided to bless him with His grace in the
year he was assigned prophethood and that was in the month of
Ramadan, God’s Messenger departed the way he would depart
[every year] for his stay and his family also went with him.
When the night fell in which God bestowed his grace on him by
commissioning him as a messenger and wanted to show mercy to
His people, Gabriel came to him with God Almighty’s directive.
God’s Messenger said: ‘He came to me while I was sleeping and
said: “Read.” I replied: “What should I read?” He then pressed
me and I thought that I would die, then he released me and
said: “Read.” I replied: “What should I read?” He again did
the same thing to me and then said: “Read.” I replied: “What
should I read?” I only said this to rescue myself for him lest
he should do the same to me again. He said: “اقْرَأْ
بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ
اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الْأَكْرَمُ الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ
عَلَّمَ الْإِنسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ .” He then
stopped and went away from me. I woke up from my sleep and it
was as if a writing had been etched on my heart. The people I
hated the most among those created by God were poets or
lunatics. I did not even have the strength to look at them. I
said [to myself:] “I am definitely a poet or a lunatic.” Then
I said: “The Quraysh must never speak of me in this capacity.
I shall definitely go to the peak of a mountain and throw down
myself from it and kill myself and [thus] relieve myself.” So,
I set about to fulfill my intention. When I was undertaking
this climb to fulfill my intention, I heard a caller calling
from the sky: “O Muhammad! You are God’s messenger and I am
Gabriel.” So, I raised my head towards the sky and I saw
Gabriel in the form of a man. Both his feet were spread in the
horizon of the sky. He was saying: “O Muhammad! You are God’s
messenger and I am Gabriel.” I then stopped while looking at
him. This spectacle absorbed me and distracted me from my
intention. I was neither able to take a step forward nor
backward. Wherever I turned my face to in the sky, I saw him.
I remained standing where I was neither stepping forward nor
backward until Khadijah sent her messengers to find me until
they reached Makkah and came back [to her] while I was
stationed at my place until the day was about to end. Then
Gabriel went away from me and I returned to my family and came
over to Khadijah and sat close to her touching her thighs. She
said: “O Abu al-Qasim! Where were you? By God! I sent my
messengers to find you until they reached Makkah and then
returned.” I said to her: “I am definitely a poet or a
lunatic.” She said: “May God protect you from this O Abu al-Qasim!
God will not do this to you when he fully knows your
truthfulness, trustworthiness, kindness and dealings with the
kindred. What has happened, my cousin? Maybe you have seen or
heard something.” So I narrated to her the story. She replied:
“Glad tidings to you O cousin and rest assured. By the being
by whom I swear, I am hopeful that you will be the prophet of
this ummah.”’ Then she stood up and put on her outside apparel
and went over to Waraqah ibn Nawfal who was the son of her
uncle. Waraqah had read religious scriptures and become a
Christian and had heard the content of the Torah and the
Gospel. So she narrated to him what she was informed of by
God’s messenger (sws) in terms of what he saw and heard. At
this, Waraqah said: ‘Quddus [holy]! Quddus [holy]! By the
being in whose hands is Waraqah’s life, if you are telling the
truth to me O Khadijah, he is the prophet of this nation and
the great Namus visited him the one who would visit Moses.
Tell him to rest assured.’ Khadijah then returned to God’s
messenger (sws) and informed him of what Waraqah had said to
her. This lessened some of the grief he was inflicted with.
When
God’s messenger completed his secluded stay he did what he
used to do: he circumambulated the House of God; he saw
Waraqah ibn Nawfal while he was also circumambulating it. He
said: ‘O son of my brother inform me what you saw and heard.’
At this, God’s messenger (sws) informed him. So, Waraqah said
to him: ‘By the being in whose hand is my life! Indeed the
great Namus has come to you who came to Moses [as well in the
past] and you surely are the prophet of this nation. Your
nation will definitely harass you, reject you and [some will]
try to kill you and [some will] come to your help. If I am
alive at that time I will surely come to your aid with a help
which God knows.’ Then he drew closer towards the head of
God’s Messenger’s and kissed his forehead. God’s Messenger (sws)
then returned to his house and Waraqah’s conversations
increased his assurance and reduced some of the grief that had
inflicted him.”
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