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).