Episode 5: IN THE CAVE OF HIRA
Often Muhammed
peace be and blessings upon him preferred the solitude of Cave Hira where he
remained for as many days as the provision with him required, spending his
nights in vigils and prayers, in the manner he thought reminiscent of the way of
Ibrahim (peace be and upon him).
It was the 17th Ramadan/ 6th August, 610 AD of the year
following the fortieth year of the Prophet peace be and blessings upon him.
Muhammed peace be and blessings upon him was wide‐awake and fully conscious when
the Angel Gabriel came to him and said: “Read”. Muhammed peace be and blessings
upon him answered truthfully, “I cannot read.” The Prophet peace be and
blessings upon him related that the Angel took and pressed him until he was
distressed, after which he released him and said again, “Read.” The Prophet
peace be and blessings upon him replied for the second time, “I cannot read.”
The Angel again pressed him tightly until he felt squeezed and then letting him
go, said, “Read.” When the Prophet peace be and blessings upon him replied once
again, “I cannot read,” he took him and pressed tightly a third time in the same
manner. He then let the Prophet peace be and blessings upon him go and said:
Read (O Muhammed) in the name of Your Lord who createth, Createth man from a
clot. Read: and Your Lord is the Most Bounteous, Who teacheth by the pen,
Teacheth man that which he knew not. [Qurʹaan 96:1‐5]
BACK HOME
Upset and frightened by the strange experience which had
never occurred to him earlier or having not heard of the same prior incident,
the Messenger of God peace be and blessings upon him came back with verses, his
heart trembling, and went to Khadijah and said: “Wrap me up, wrap me up!ʺ for he
still felt horrified. Khadijah asked the reason for the Prophetʹs peace be and
blessings upon him restlessness and the latter told her what had happened.
Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her) was intelligent and prudent and had
heard a great deal about the messengers of God, Prophethood and angels from her
cousin Waraqa Ibn Naufal (who had embraced Christianity and familiarized the
Torah and Gospels). She was herself dissatisfied with the pagan cult of the
Makkahns like several other enlightened ones who had broken away from the idol
worship. Khadijah was the wife of the Prophet peace be and blessings upon him.
She had spent many years with him as the closest companion and knew him like she
knew herself. By that alliance, Khadijah became the most reliable and credible
testament of the nobility of her husband’s character. Worthiness of his moral
fiber had convinced her that succor of the Lord would in any case stand by such
a man. She knew in her heart of hearts that the good grace of God could never
allow one so high‐minded, truth‐loving, trustworthy and upright man such as her
husband, to be possessed by a jinn or a devil. And so she assured him with
domineering self‐confidence: “By no means; I swear to God that He would never
embarrass you. Because you consolidate and salvage relationships, you speak the
truth, you bear peoples’ burdens, you help the destitute, you entertain guests
and you relieved the pain and grief suffered for the sake of truth.” (Mishkat
al‐Masabih, Vol. IV, p. 1253)
PREDICTION OF WARAQA IBN NAWFAL
Khadijah had tried to comfort and encourage her husband on
account of what she thought was correct or on the basis of her own knowledge and
understanding. But the matter was serious, crucial and imperative. She had no
peace of mind until she had consulted someone knowledgeable of the revealed
religions, their history and scriptures, as well as the biography of the earlier
Prophetʹs of God (peace be upon him). Khadijah wished to know for sure what had
befallen her husband. Khadijah knew that Waraqa Ibn Naufal was the man who could
clarify the matter. She took the Prophet peace be and blessings upon him to
Waraqa and when the Prophet peace be and blessings upon him told him what he had
seen and heard, Waraqa cried out, “Verily by Him in whose hand is Waraqa’s soul,
Lo, You art the Prophet of this people. There hath come unto thee the greatest
Namus, (Archangel Gabriel) who came unto Moses at his time. A day will come when
You wilt be called a liar, Your people wilt maltreat thee, cast thee out and
fight against thee.”
The Prophet peace be and blessings upon him was surprised to
hear Waraqa’s premonitions for his fellow citizens had always received him with
courtesy and esteem. They addressed him as the trustworthy and honest. Holding
his breath in amazement, he demanded from Waraqa, “What! Will they expel me?”
“Yes”, (replied) Waraqa, “For no man has ever brought anything like what You
hast brought without being opposed and fought by his people, which hath always
been so. If I live to see that day, I shall stand by thee.” The Prophet peace be
and blessings upon him waited, day after day, but no revelation came for a long
time. Then, it began again, so the revelation of the Qur’an started to manifest
itself little by little and then in quick succession and was completed
throughout the entire period of twenty‐three years.
Please wait...