Narrated 'Aisha:
(the mother of the faithful
believers) The commencement of the Divine Inspiration to
Allah's Apostle was in the form of good dreams which came
true like bright day light, and then the love of seclusion
was bestowed upon him. He used to go in seclusion in the
cave of Hira where he used to worship (Allah alone)
continuously for many days before his desire to see his
family. He used to take with him the journey food for the
stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his
food like-wise again till suddenly the Truth descended
upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came
to him and asked him to read. The Prophet replied, "I do
not know how to read.
The Prophet added, "The angel
caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could
not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked
me to read and I replied, 'I do not know how to read.'
Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time
till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and
again asked me to read but again I replied, 'I do not know
how to read (or what shall I read)?' Thereupon he caught
me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me
and said, 'Read in the name of your Lord, who has created
(all that exists) has created man from a clot. Read! And
your Lord is the Most Generous." (96.1, 96.2, 96.3) Then
Allah's Apostle returned with the Inspiration and with his
heart beating severely. Then he went to Khadija bint
Khuwailid and said, "Cover me! Cover me!" They covered him
till his fear was over and after that he told her
everything that had happened and said, "I fear that
something may happen to me." Khadija replied, "Never! By
Allah, Allah will never disgrace 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 ones."
Khadija then accompanied him to
her cousin Waraqa bin Naufal bin Asad bin 'Abdul 'Uzza,
who, during the PreIslamic Period became a Christian and
used to write the writing with Hebrew letters. He would
write from the Gospel in Hebrew as much as Allah wished
him to write. He was an old man and had lost his eyesight.
Khadija said to Waraqa, "Listen to the story of your
nephew, O my cousin!" Waraqa asked, "O my nephew! What
have you seen?" Allah's Apostle described whatever he had
seen. Waraqa said, "This is the same one who keeps the
secrets (angel Gabriel) whom Allah had sent to Moses. I
wish I were young and could live up to the time when your
people would turn you out." Allah's Apostle asked, "Will
they drive me out?" Waraqa replied in the affirmative and
said, "Anyone (man) who came with something similar to
what you have brought was treated with hostility; and if I
should remain alive till the day when you will be turned
out then I would support you strongly." But after a few
days Waraqa died and the Divine Inspiration was also
paused for a while.
Narrated Jabir bin 'Abdullah Al-Ansari
while talking about the period of pause in revelation
reporting the speech of the Prophet "While I was walking,
all of a sudden I heard a voice from the sky. I looked up
and saw the same angel who had visited me at the cave of
Hira' sitting on a chair between the sky and the earth. I
got afraid of him and came back home and said, 'Wrap me
(in blankets).' And then Allah revealed the following Holy
Verses (of Quran):
'O you (i.e. Muhammad)! wrapped
up in garments!' Arise and warn (the people against
Allah's Punishment),... up to 'and desert the idols.'
(74.1-5) After this the revelation started coming
strongly, frequently and regularly."
Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas:
Abu Sufyan bin Harb informed me
that Heraclius had sent a messenger to him while he had
been accompanying a caravan from Quraish. They were
merchants doing business in Sham (Syria, Palestine,
Lebanon and Jordan), at the time when Allah's Apostle had
truce with Abu Sufyan and Quraish infidels. So Abu Sufyan
and his companions went to Heraclius at Ilya (Jerusalem).
Heraclius called them in the court and he had all the
senior Roman dignitaries around him. He called for his
translator who, translating Heraclius's question said to
them, "Who amongst you is closely related to that man who
claims to be a Prophet?" Abu Sufyan replied, "I am the
nearest relative to him (amongst the group)."
Heraclius said, "Bring him (Abu
Sufyan) close to me and make his companions stand behind
him." Abu Sufyan added, Heraclius told his translator to
tell my companions that he wanted to put some questions to
me regarding that man (The Prophet) and that if I told a
lie they (my companions) should contradict me." Abu Sufyan
added, "By Allah! Had I not been afraid of my companions
labeling me a liar, I would not have spoken the truth
about the Prophet. The first question he asked me about
him was:
'What is his family status
amongst you?'
I replied, 'He belongs to a good
(noble) family amongst us.'
Heraclius further asked, 'Has
anybody amongst you ever claimed the same (i.e. to be a
Prophet) before him?'
I replied, 'No.'
He said, 'Was anybody amongst his
ancestors a king?'
I replied, 'No.'
Heraclius asked, 'Do the nobles
or the poor follow him?'
I replied, 'It is the poor who
follow him.'
He said, 'Are his followers
increasing decreasing (day by day)?'
I replied, 'They are increasing.'
He then asked, 'Does anybody
amongst those who embrace his religion become displeased
and renounce the religion afterwards?'
I replied, 'No.'
Heraclius said, 'Have you ever
accused him of telling lies before his claim (to be a
Prophet)?'
I replied, 'No. '
Heraclius said, 'Does he break
his promises?'
I replied, 'No. We are at truce
with him but we do not know what he will do in it.' I
could not find opportunity to say anything against him
except that.
Heraclius asked, 'Have you ever
had a war with him?'
I replied, 'Yes.'
Then he said, 'What was the
outcome of the battles?'
I replied, 'Sometimes he was
victorious and sometimes we.'
Heraclius said, 'What does he
order you to do?'
I said, 'He tells us to worship
Allah and Allah alone and not to worship anything along
with Him, and to renounce all that our ancestors had said.
He orders us to pray, to speak the truth, to be chaste and
to keep good relations with our Kith and kin.'
Heraclius asked the translator to
convey to me the following, I asked you about his family
and your reply was that he belonged to a very noble
family. In fact all the Apostles come from noble families
amongst their respective peoples. I questioned you whether
anybody else amongst you claimed such a thing, your reply
was in the negative. If the answer had been in the
affirmative, I would have thought that this man was
following the previous man's statement. Then I asked you
whether anyone of his ancestors was a king. Your reply was
in the negative, and if it had been in the affirmative, I
would have thought that this man wanted to take back his
ancestral kingdom.
I further asked whether he was
ever accused of telling lies before he said what he said,
and your reply was in the negative. So I wondered how a
person who does not tell a lie about others could ever
tell a lie about Allah. I, then asked you whether the rich
people followed him or the poor. You replied that it was
the poor who followed him. And in fact all the Apostle
have been followed by this very class of people. Then I
asked you whether his followers were increasing or
decreasing. You replied that they were increasing, and in
fact this is the way of true faith, till it is complete in
all respects. I further asked you whether there was
anybody, who, after embracing his religion, became
displeased and discarded his religion. Your reply was in
the negative, and in fact this is (the sign of) true
faith, when its delight enters the hearts and mixes with
them completely. I asked you whether he had ever betrayed.
You replied in the negative and likewise the Apostles
never betray. Then I asked you what he ordered you to do.
You replied that he ordered you to worship Allah and Allah
alone and not to worship any thing along with Him and
forbade you to worship idols and ordered you to pray, to
speak the truth and to be chaste. If what you have said is
true, he will very soon occupy this place underneath my
feet and I knew it (from the scriptures) that he was going
to appear but I did not know that he would be from you,
and if I could reach him definitely, I would go
immediately to meet him and if I were with him, I would
certainly wash his feet.' Heraclius then asked for the
letter addressed by Allah's Apostle
which was delivered by Dihya to
the Governor of Busra, who forwarded it to Heraclius to
read. The contents of the letter were as follows: "In the
name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful (This letter
is) from Muhammad the slave of Allah and His Apostle to
Heraclius the ruler of Byzantine. Peace be upon him, who
follows the right path. Furthermore I invite you to Islam,
and if you become a Muslim you will be safe, and Allah
will double your reward, and if you reject this invitation
of Islam you will be committing a sin by misguiding your
Arisiyin (peasants). (And I recite to you Allah's
Statement:)
'O people of the scripture! Come
to a word common to you and us that we worship none but
Allah and that we associate nothing in worship with Him,
and that none of us shall take others as Lords beside
Allah. Then, if they turn away, say: Bear witness that we
are Muslims (those who have surrendered to Allah).'
(3:64).
Abu Sufyan then added, "When
Heraclius had finished his speech and had read the letter,
there was a great hue and cry in the Royal Court. So we
were turned out of the court. I told my companions that
the question of Ibn-Abi-Kabsha) (the Prophet Muhammad) has
become so prominent that even the King of Bani Al-Asfar
(Byzantine) is afraid of him. Then I started to become
sure that he (the Prophet) would be the conqueror in the
near future till I embraced Islam (i.e. Allah guided me to
it)."
The sub narrator adds, "Ibn An-Natur
was the Governor of llya' (Jerusalem) and Heraclius was
the head of the Christians of Sham. Ibn An-Natur narrates
that once while Heraclius was visiting ilya' (Jerusalem),
he got up in the morning with a sad mood. Some of his
priests asked him why he was in that mood? Heraclius was a
foreteller and an astrologer. He replied, 'At night when I
looked at the stars, I saw that the leader of those who
practice circumcision had appeared (become the conqueror).
Who are they who practice circumcision?' The people
replied, 'Except the Jews nobody practices circumcision,
so you should not be afraid of them (Jews).
'Just Issue orders to kill every
Jew present in the country.'
While they were discussing it, a
messenger sent by the king of Ghassan to convey the news
of Allah's Apostle to Heraclius was brought in. Having
heard the news, he (Heraclius) ordered the people to go
and see whether the messenger of Ghassan was circumcised.
The people, after seeing him, told Heraclius that he was
circumcised. Heraclius then asked him about the Arabs. The
messenger replied, 'Arabs also practice circumcision.'
(After hearing that) Heraclius
remarked that sovereignty of the 'Arabs had appeared.
Heraclius then wrote a letter to his friend in Rome who
was as good as Heraclius in knowledge. Heraclius then left
for Homs. (a town in Syrian and stayed there till he
received the reply of his letter from his friend who
agreed with him in his opinion about the emergence of the
Prophet and the fact that he was a Prophet. On that
Heraclius invited all the heads of the Byzantines to
assemble in his palace at Homs. When they assembled, he
ordered that all the doors of his palace be closed. Then
he came out and said, 'O Byzantines! If success is your
desire and if you seek right guidance and want your empire
to remain then give a pledge of allegiance to this Prophet
(i.e. embrace Islam).'
(On hearing the views of
Heraclius) the people ran towards the gates of the palace
like onagers but found the doors closed. Heraclius
realized their hatred towards Islam and when he lost the
hope of their embracing Islam, he ordered that they should
be brought back in audience.
(When they returned) he said,
'What already said was just to test the strength of your
conviction and I have seen it.' The people prostrated
before him and became pleased with him, and this was the
end of Heraclius's story (in connection with his faith).
