“And truly, this (the Qur'ân) is a revelation from the Lord of the
'Alamîn (mankind, jinns and all that exists), Which the trustworthy Rûh
[Jibrael (Gabriel)] has brought down; upon your
heart (O Muhammad, Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã) that you may be (one) of the warners, in the plain Arabic
language.” (Ash-Shu'arâ', 26: 192-195)

Ayat quoted by trans.

 

Chapter Three

The
Messenger And Divine Revelation

“Say (O Muhammad, Õáì Çááå
Úáíå æÓáã): ‘I am only a human being like you.
It is inspired in me that your God is One God, therefore take Straight Path to
Him (with true Faith Islamic Monotheism) and obedience to Him, and seek
forgiveness of Him. And woe to those who join gods with Allah.” (Fussilat, 41:
6)

If we
are to talk about the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) and the Divine Revelation, we have to clearly know what is an
inspiration. Inspiration is informing in secrecy. Meaning, to inform a person
with something and none else perceive it except you and him. It is a revelation
in secrecy between the inspiring person and the person inspired. Allah, all
praise and glory be to Him, inspired all His Prophets, in other words, all
celestial messages were revealed through Divine Inspiration.

In
this regard, The Truth [Al-Haqq: one of the Beautiful Names of Allah], all praise
and glory be to Him, says (what means):

“Verily, We have inspired you (O Muhammad, Õáì Çááå
Úáíå æÓáã) as We inspired Nuh (Noah) and the
Prophets after him; We (also) inspired Ibrahim (Abraham), Isma’il (Ishmael),
Ishaque (Isaac), Ya‘qub (Jacob), and Al­-Asbat [the twelve sons of Ya‘qub
(Jacob)], ‘Issa (Jesus), Ayub (Job), Yunus (Jonah), Harun (Aaron), and Sulaiman
(Solomon), and to Dawood (David) We gave the Zabur (Psalms).” (An-Nisâ’, 4:
163)

And
the glorious Ayah saying (what means):

“Then We inspired Musa (Moses) (saying): ‘Strike the sea with your
stick.’ And it parted, and each separate part (of that sea water) became like
the huge, firm mass of a mountain.” (Ash-Shu‘arâ’, 26: 63)

Meaning Of Divine
Inspiration

But
was Divine Inspiration limited to prophets and messengers alone? No, Allah
inspired angels, mankind and bees, as well as inanimate objects as informs the
Noble Qur’an. Allah inspired the angels at the Battle of Badr, when Allah
wanted to give firmness to the believers and grant them victory on the first
battle fought against the chiefs of disbelief. The Most Exalted says (what
means):

“(Remember) when your Lord inspired the angels, ‘Verily, I am with
you, so keep firm those who have believed. I will cast terror into the
hearts of those who have disbelieved, so strike them over the necks, and smite
over all their fingers and toes.’” (Al-Anfâl, 8: 12)

Allah
also inspired the mother of Musa (may Allah be pleased with her) when He
commanded her to cast her son into the river. The Most Exalted says (what
means):

“And We inspired the mother of Musa (Moses), (saying): ‘Suckle him
[Musa (Moses)], but when you fear for him, then cast him into the river and
fear not, nor grieve. Verily! We shall bring him back to you, and shall make
him one of (Our) Messengers.’” (Al-Qasas, 28: 7)

At
receiving Divine Inspiration it completely masters the mind and admits no room
for human deliberation. Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, inspired the
mother of Musa, who was terrified lest Pharaoh and his soldiers should kill her
infant son. Pharaoh ordered that every son born to Banu Israel should be
killed, after the fortunetellers told him that a man from Banu Israel would put
an end to his sovereignty.

Had
human reason interfered, the mother of Musa would not have done it. How could
she throw an infant son in a box into the sea to save him from death!! What if
the tumultuous waves rolled and tossed about the box carrying the child and
overturned it. What if a strong wind or a storm raged, or rain filled the box
and it sank down. Or the sea carried it away at a distant place and he perished
of hunger and thirst.

Reason
and logic dictate that the mother of Musa should hide her son away from
people’s eyes, or move him to a remote place to hide him there, or seek a cave
in a mount or any other refuge where she may hide Musa from the eyes of
Pharaoh’s men. But casting him into the sea would seem as though saving him
from a looming death to a certain one.

But
when the Divine Command came, and the Almighty said (what means):

“Behold! We sent to Your mother, by inspiration, the message:
‘Throw (the child) into the chest, and throw (the chest) into the river: the
river will cast him up on the bank, and he will be taken up by one who is an
enemy to Me and an enemy to him.’” (Tâ­-Hâ, 20: 38-39)

      

The
mother of Musa did not think about all this, but only executed the Command
given by Divine Inspiration. But after executing it and the Inspiration had
gone away from her, she awakened; therefore she hurried to his sister asking
her to follow the box carried by the river.

When
the river carried the box to the palace of Pharaoh, the mother of Musa was
greatly distressed: instead of hiding her son away from Pharaoh’s men, she
actually handed him over to Pharaoh himself. But Almighty Allah has a Wisdom,
which shows us that by His Might and Majesty that reigns Supreme, He made the
enemy, Pharaoh, bring up and shelter the son who would end his sovereignty.

The
Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, inspires the angels, the Messengers and
whomever he wills from his servants just as He inspired the mother of Musa. He
also inspires His righteous servants, as He inspired the Disciples, who were
not prophets but faithful followers of the Prophet ‘Issa (Jesus, peace be upon
him). In this regard, Almighty Allah says (what means):

“And when I (Allah) inspired the Disciples [of Jesus] to believe in
Me and My Messenger, they said: ‘We believe. And bear witness that we are
Muslims.’” (Al-Mâ’idah, 5: 111)

Almighty
Allah also inspired the bees, as informs the glorious Ayah saying (what means):

“And your Lord inspired the bee, saying: ‘Take you habitations in
the mountains and in the trees and in what they erect.’” (An-Nahl, 16:68)

Allah,
all praise and glory be to Him, also inspired inanimate beings in the glorious
Ayah saying (what means):

“When the earth is shaken with its (final) earthquake. And when the
earth throws out its burdens, and man will say: ‘What is the matter with it?’
That Day it will declare its information (about all what happened over it of
good or evil). Because your Lord has inspired it.” (Az-Zalzalah, 99: 1-5)

It
follows that Divine Inspiration is not restricted to Prophets only, but to
whomever Allah, the Exalted and Ever-Majestic, wills to inspire.

Inspiration
is a Mercy of Allah towards His servants. Allah does not convey His Law
directly to His Messengers, because human nature cannot bear it, unless it is
an Inspiration. About Divine Inspiration, Almighty Allah says (what means):

“It is not given to any human being that Allah should speak to him
unless (it be) by Inspiration, or from behind a veil.” (Ash-Shûra, 42: 51)

When
Musa (peace be upon him) wanted to see his Lord, he said (as relates the Noble
Qur’an):

“O my Lord! Show me (Yourself).” (Al-A‘râf, 7: 143)

The
Truth, all glory be to Him, replied (saying what means):

“‘You cannot see Me, but look upon the mountain if it stands still
in its place then you shall see Me.’ So when his Lord appeared to the mountain,
He made it collapse to dust, and Musa (Moses) fell down unconscious.”
(Al-A‘râf, 7: 143)

We can
see that human nature and the nature of man’s creation from clay make him
unable to endure the Light of Allah. The request of Musa to see his Lord could
be probable, if he wanted his Lord to prepare him in a special way so that he
could see Him. Without this, it will not be possible in the life of this World.
But as to the Hereafter, Allah changes the nature of His Creation to grant them
eternal life.

The Wisdom Of
Choosing The Prophet Illiterate  

Before
divinely inspiring His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, cleared him of any suspicion that the
Revelations he would receive from Heaven pertain to any human knowledge, whether
to the civilization of previous nations or could have read them in books or
other sources.1

 

Therefore
Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, chose His Prophet (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) illiterate. To be illiterate means to remain as his mother
gave birth to him, without receiving any knowledge from humans. This illiteracy
was an honor bestowed upon the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace). Why? Because Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, Who chose
him to be the Last of the Prophets, wanted to teach him by Himself. He wanted
His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to receive heavenly
knowledge only.

Therefore,
Allah chose him to be illiterate. It is from the excellence of the preparation
that the Truth, Blessed and Exalted be He, conferred on His Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace). If the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) knew how to read or write they would have claimed that he
received knowledge from what he read, or the books of the ancients, or the
civilizations of contemporary nations. Therefore, Allah, all praise and glory
be to Him, chose him to be illiterate, with pure instinct, so that the
acquisition of knowledge is through his Almighty Lord, Alone, and all the
knowledge and teachings he possesses are from Allah, so that all people learn
well that the entire knowledge of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) came from Heaven.

But in
spite of that Divine Choice and its wisdom, disbelieving minds remained blind
to it and claimed that only a human taught him, and further claimed that the
knowledge he brought are only tales of the ancients.

Allah,
Blessed and Exlated be He, answers by reminding them of the illiteracy sign in
His Messenger, saying (what means):

“Neither did you (O Muhammad, Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã) read any book
before it (this Qur’an), nor did you write any book (whatsoever) with your
right hand. In that case, indeed, the followers of falsehood might have
doubted.”  (Al-‘Ankabût, 29: 48)

    

Thus,
Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, is informing the entire humanity that He
chose His Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) illiterate. An
answer back to the false accusations made by the advocators of falsehood and
the enemies of Faith, who spitefully alleged that the Messenger of Allah (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) forged this Qur’an. Therefore, Allah, all
praise and glory be to Him, says to His Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) in this Ayah what means: Had you known how to read or write before
Prophethood, the supporters of falsehood could have claimed that you forged
this Qur’an, but you neither can read nor write; you have never read a single
word in your whole life before the Message, nor written a single word. For
Words are conveyed to you uttered by the Voice of Heaven, as proven by the
glorious Ayah saying (what means):

“And be not in haste (O Muhammad, Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã) with the Qur’an
before its revelation is completed to you, and say: ‘My Lord! Increase me in
knowledge.’” (Tâ-­Hâ, 20: 114)

Therefore,
their dispute is sheer falsehood. It is only a stubborn resistance to faith and
a vain pretext for disbelief, but their lies recoiled upon them. Bearing on
that, Almighty Allah tells His Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) to answer back the false allegations of the followers of falsehood
saying (what means):

“Say (O Muhammad, Õáì Çááå
Úáíå æÓáã): ‘If Allah had so willed, I should
not have recited it to you nor would He have made it known to you. Verily, I
have stayed amongst you a life time before this. Have you then no sense?’”  (Yunus, 10: 16)    

 

The
Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, told His Messenger (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) to answer them saying that he stayed amongst them for
forty years, which is quite a long time, during it he never said that he was
divinely inspired or brought up words of his own. Had they thought of the long
years that the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had spent
amongst them before being divinely inspired, and that he never invented
anything, it would have sufficed as a conclusive proof for believing him. If
someone still claims that genius might appear in a servant of Allah, though
uneducated and cannot read, we wonder saying: what kind of genius may
suddenly appear at the age of forty?

Genius
usually appears at young age and does not wait for forty years to manifest
itself. If someone claimed that genius might have appeared at young age but was
suppressed by the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
till the age of forty, we answer by saying that Muhammad (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) was not certain the he would live till the age of forty,
especially that his father died before his birth and his mother died while he
was still a child, and he was brought up an orphan of both parents.

The
idea he conceived of death would be its seizure of people at young age, just as
it had seized his parents, so would it be plausible that he would suppress his
genius till the age of forty? Had his parents, who are the dearest to him,
lived till the age of sixty or forty we would have said that he might have
expected to live as long as they did, but such an early death of his parents
could not leave within his soul any trust that he would live till he attain
that age.

Therefore,
illiteracy was an honor to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) and a necessity to answer back false allegations, and an
assurance to the believers that all what the Messenger of Allah (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) had brought is a Divine Revelation. Regretfully,
these false allegations still revolve in the minds of some freethinkers for the
purpose of detested fame and repulsive arrogance that quickly dies away because
they are ways of falsehood, and falsehood is of no avail against the truth.

Allah,
all praise and glory be to Him, willed that Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) be raised an orphan, so that none would dare say that he availed
himself of his father’s authority or was backed by some power other than that
of Allah. While still a child his mother brought him before the wet nurses to
have him raised as a strong man in the desert life; but the women who came to
choose the children they would nurse looked for a child who had a living
father, to be generously paid by him. Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) was offered to all wet nurses, but as soon as they were told that he
was fatherless, they refused to take him, because each wished for the reward
the father would give them. So, the moment a wet nurse learned that he was
fatherless she withdrew, all except Halimah As-Sa‘diah (may Allah be pleased
with her), who was among the wet nurses and did not find a baby whom she could
suckle.

When
Halimah found herself the only one who did not win a child to nurse she said to
herself, “By Allah, I hate to return amongst my
companions without a baby. By Allah, I will return to that orphan and take him;
it may be that Allah will grant us blessings through him.” Halimah
added, “What made me take him is that I did not
find another child.”

Halimah
took the orphan boy and after that her house was filled with blessings. Her
cattle grew fat and strong, whereas other people’s grazing cattle found no
pasturage on the barren ground of Banu Sa‘d. The sheep that belonged to Halimah
gave milk abundantly, whereas other people’s sheep hardly gave a drop of milk,
which made people say to their shepherds, “Go to
the pastureland where the sheep of Halimah graze.”

Marvels
and miracles continued to manifest themselves. One day two men dressed in white
clothes came while the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) was playing with ‘Abdullah bin Al-Harith, the son of Halimah, the wet
nurse of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and
his brother by suckling. They took the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) and opened his stomach and chest, and then extracted from his heart
something that resembled a black clot. Then they washed his chest with
something that resembled snow. Then one of them said to his companion, “Weigh him against ten people of his nation.”
And the scale of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) outweighed.
Again he said, “Weigh him against one hundred of
his nation.” And the scale of
Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) outweighed. And again he
said, “Weigh him against one thousand of his nation.” And the scale of
Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) outweighed. Finally he said,
“By Allah, if you weighed him against his whole
nation, still his scale would outweigh.”

It is
said that the two angels purified the heart of the Messenger of Allah (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) while still a child from Satan’s share
that is in every human, so that in his heart there only remains belief in the Oneness
of Allah. Thereupon, ‘Abdullah hurried to his mother and father extremely
terrified and told them that two men dressed in white took his Quraishy brother
and opened his stomach and chest. Upon hearing that, Halimah and her husband
hurried terrified, but they found the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) standing safe and sound. After that incident Halimah
feared lest something might happen to Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace), so she decided to return him to his mother.

God’s Elect, Chosen
From The Choicest Descent

This
way Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was raised fully
prepared to receive the Message and the Divine Revelations. Allah made him a
human because the humanity of the Messenger is a necessity to convey the Divine
Law to his people. He sent him as a Messenger from amongst his own people, to
be well known amongst them by his noble manners and honesty. And he made him an
orphan so that none would claim that he used his father’s authority or high
standing. He made him illiterate so that none would claim that he received his
knowledge from human culture. And He chose him from the best, of the noblest
descent.

The
Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:

“Verily, Allah has created His creatures and chose from the
creatures the Children of Adam, and chose from the Children of Adam the Arabs,
and chose from the Arabs Mudar, and chose from Mudar the Quraish, and chose
from Banu Quraish Banu Hashim, and chose me from Hashim. So I am the chosen
from the choicest (origins) from the choicest (descent). Thus, whoever loves
the Arabs by loving me loves them and whoever hates the Arabs by hating me
hates them.”

The
Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) also said:

“Verily, Allah has selected from the Children of Ibrahim (Abraham)
Isma‘il (Ishmael), and selected from the Children of Isma‘il (Ishmael) Banu
Kinanah, and selected from Banu Kinanah the Quraish, and selected from the
Quraish Banu Hashim, and selected me from Banu Hashim.”

Here
we must stop at the statements of some orientalists who claimed that there
exists contradiction between the sanctified hadith and the glorious Ayah saying
(what means):

“And (remember) when Ibrahim (Abraham) said to his father Azar: ‘Do
you take idols as gods? Verily, I see you and your people in manifest error.’”
(Al-An‘âm, 6: 74)  

The
Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was descended from
the family of our Prophet Isma‘il (peace be upon him), the son of the Prophet
Ibrahim (peace be upon him), Khalilu Allah (i.e.,
the close dear servant to Allah). Some people think that Azar was the
father of our Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him). The answer we give is that
among the customs of the Arabs is that the son used to call his uncle: “My
father so and so” but when calling his father he only said, “Father”
and did not mention his father’s name. When Khalilu Allah, Ibrahim,
called Azar he did not just say, “Father” but he said, “My father Azar.”

The
Noble Qur’an stated the name “Azar” to clarify that he is not the father
of Ibrahim, but his uncle. The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, further
clarifies this to us through the glorious Ayah saying (what means):

“Or were you witnesses when death approached Ya‘qub (Jacob)? When
he said unto his sons, ‘What will you worship after me?’  They said: ‘We shall worship your God
and the God of your fathers, Ibrahim (Abraham), Isma‘il (Ishmael), and Ishaque
(Isaac). The One (True) God: to Him we bow (in Islam).’” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 133)

We can
clearly see from the aforesaid Ayah that Ibrahim was the grandfather, whereas
Ishaque was the father of Ya‘qub, and Isma‘il was the uncle of Ya‘qub, but the
glorious Ayah stated together Ibrahim, Isma‘il and Ishaque and described them
all as fathers. Therefore, the nephews used to call their also uncle by father;
but they differentiated between the real father and the uncle by adding the
uncle’s name when calling him, saying: “Our father so and so.”
Accordingly, Azar was the uncle of Ibrahim and there is no contradiction
between the sanctified hadith and the Glorious Qur’an.

The
forty years that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) lived before the Divine Revelation marked God’s election, for as a child
his behavior was characterized by equanimity, not fun and playing. When he was
a child the grown people were pleased to hear his wisdom. His grandfather,
‘Abdul-Mutalib, used to favor him over his children, saying, “This son of mine will be a man of great importance.”
And he loved him more than his own children, and used to say, “Truly, Muhammad is blessed.”

Of all
people he was the most chivalrous, the most armed with patience and the most
truthful. He used to tend the sheep, which was a practice of patience,
meekness, compassion and sympathy towards different natures. The work of
Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) before the Message was all
good and righteous.

Men
asked for the hand of Lady Khadijah in marriage, hopeful to marry her, but upon
hearing of Muhammad’s impressive credentials, who was popularly known as
Al-Ameen, which means the Honest, the Reliable and the Trustworthy, Khadijah,
the rich merchant, asked Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to
take some merchandise for trade to Syria, thus Allah granted her much more
profit and blessings. Soon after this trip she proposed marriage to Muhammad
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) through a relative, and Muhammad (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) accepted the proposal.

Thus,
Allah destined for him a wife full of motherly tenderness, and endowed with
wisdom and sagacity. She was the woman of the greatest honor and fortune among
her people. All this came as a preface that would help lighten the burden of
the great Divine Revelation entrusted to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace), the future Prophet.

A
prior preparation was necessary before the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) received the Divine Revelation. That preparation was
his habit of deep meditation and speculation over all aspects of creation
around him.

Therefore,
before the Message and upon the arrival of the month of Ramadan the Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to retire to the Cave of Hira’,
meditating on the universe around him and calling upon his Lord. By such
retirement he was far away from the impurities of life, and in close communion
with the Unseen Power that lies behind all aspects of existence in this
infinite universe. In his seclusion in the Cave of Hira’ he could see the
Ka‘bah. And all along the long hours he used to spend in retirement his gaze
was fixed on the Sacred House of Allah. Spiritual serenity surrounded the
Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) during his stay in
the Cave, where silence prevailed. Such serenity gave him the power needed for
what was yet to come, meeting the Divine Revelation.

The
miracle to be given to the Last of the Prophets had to be the greatest. Indeed,
the Noble Qur’an was the greatest of all miracles. The revelation of the
glorious Ayat to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had to
be entrusted to a Messenger close to Allah, who would descend upon Muhammad
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace), conveying the Noble Qur’an. Jibril
(Gabriel, peace be upon him) was the Angel entrusted by Allah, all praise and
glory be to Him, to send down the Divine Revelations upon His Messenger (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace).

    

Universal And Special
Miracles

 

öAs Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, Who has
created this infinite universe, chose Muhammad as His Messenger, He also chose
Jibril to be the honorable Angel descending with the Qur’anic Message. This is
because human nature cannot receive revelations directly from Allah. All the
Prophets of Allah were humans, and all of them could not receive the
revelations directly from Allah, because the created is not in the status of
receiving directly from the Most Generous Creator.

Allah
willed that the miracles brought by Messengers defy all the laws and natural
forces of life He established. And the miracle of Muhammad (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) is the one supreme, because every miracle supporting a
messenger was restricted to his people. A miracle perceptible by the senses;
those who saw it believed in it and those who have not seen it were informed
about it. Had not the miracles of the messengers been stated in the Glorious
Qur’an, belief in them would have been subjected to the choice of man’s reason,
either to believe in them or not. But Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, stated
them in His Glorious Qur’an and thus we surely believe in them. The miracles of
the previous Messengers were either tangible or phenomenal, seen by those who
lived at the time of their revelation. We could not now bring the staff of the
Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) and say that this was his miracle or summon
the miracles of bringing the dead to life, or healing him who was born blind,
and the leper, which the Prophet ‘Issa (Jesus, peace be upon him) came with.

The Eternal Universal
Miracle

The
Messenger of Allah Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is the Last
of the Prophets, therefore Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, made his
miracle his doctrine and law, that is the Noble Qur’an, giving us in each age a
new miracle. All the celestial messages that came before the Messenger of Allah
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) were for a limited time and place,
but Islam came to all mankind in every time and place, apart from other
tangible and phenomenal miracles that accompanied the childhood, youth and
prophethood of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). Allah, all
praise and glory be to Him, chose for the outset of this religion the first
House that was placed to mankind for worship on land. Before the mission, Allah
bestowed on Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) the power that
Yusuf (Joseph, peace be upon him) possessed in the interpretation of dreams,
for any vision he saw came true. Allah also bestowed on him innate and absolute
truthfulness that made every word he uttered truthful. Allah also endowed him
with the power to see the entire universe with faith-born intuition and not
with a dark heart that the people of his time had.

The First Revealed
Ayat

All
this came as preparations to receive the Noble Qur’an, days passed and Muhammad
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) in the Cave of Hira’ engaged in
worship and mediation until his soul transcended and he saw the light of truth.
The honorable Angel Jibril came to Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace), who was surprised by the Angel powerfully embracing him and saying to
him, “Read.” It was the meeting of light, from which the Angel was created, and
the humanity that formed the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace). That meeting caused a violent shake through the body of the Messenger
of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). When Muhammad (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace) could not bear it any more, the Angel would
release him to allow the human body to rest from the powerful meeting with the
Angel’s light. Again Jibril embraced him forcefully until he was exerted to the
utmost. He asked him to read and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace) replied with his instinctive, innate truthfulness, “I am not a reader.”

The
Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was no more able to bear
the meeting of the human body with the Angel’s light. Soon after the Messenger
of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) rested and restored his
strength, the Angel forcefully embraced him for the third time and said (what
means):

“Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that
exists).”  (Al-‘Alaq, 96: 1)

The
command to read would not be given unless the commanded person could do it. By
commanding Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to read Allah, Be
ever gloried His Majesty and Might, is giving a Command to his pure innate
nature and the sublime virtues and values it held, wherein dwelt the Purpose of
Allah. The command imparts the capability of the commanded person to execute
the command, if the Commander has prepared him to do it since eternity, which
happened. 

All
the strength of Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was exerted
to the utmost and he poured with sweat, for he could no longer bear another
meeting. The human body was overfatigued. There, Angel Jibril (peace be upon
him) departed, leaving the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) in the Cave.

This
meeting, which is the noblest in humanity, demands more than a pause for
contemplation. The question is: Why did Jibril (peace be upon him) descend and
ask the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to read,
though Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was illiterate,
unable to read or write? Surely, Allah, Who prepared Muhammad (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) illiterate, possessed full knowledge of that. Why did
the Angel say: “Read,” when the
Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did not know how to read?
The answer given by the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) “I am not a reader” was natural,
but we wonder why did Jibril (peace be upon him) command him to read?    

We
reply by saying that when Jibril said: “Read,”
it was the truth and when the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) replied: “I am not a reader”
it was also the truth. But how could that be if the Messenger of Allah (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) did not comply with the command? We say:
the Angel Jibril brought down the first Ayat of the Islamic Call upon Muhammad
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saying to him:

“Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that
exists).”  (Al-‘Alaq 96: 1)

Meaning:
O Muhammad, Allah knows that you cannot read or write but with this pure nature
of yours, you are to be taught reading by Providence, so “Read! In the Name of your Lord.” Which means
that Allah Himself is the One Who will teach you, so that you, O illiterate
Messenger, become the tutor of guidance, true knowledge and light to whole
mankind. On you, O illiterate Prophet, Allah will bestow from knowledge what
surpasses the knowledge that all mankind possess, for you retreated into the
Cave and adhered to monotheism, whereupon Allah revealed to you the destined
Light of Truth.

Those
who devote their lives to reading and writing and have attained superior
knowledge will come to you, O Prophet who can neither read nor write, to
acquire knowledge from you about this world and the Hereafter. They will be
your students, and you the teacher who was not taught by humans. The
All-Knowing, All-Wise, Almighty Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, is the
One Who taught you, taught you what the entire humanity is ignorant of.

That
was the first meeting between the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) and Jibril, wherein the Angel told him that he would convey
knowledge to all mankind.

As for
the second meeting, it was for receiving the Miraculous Qur’an over days and
time.

The
Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, says (what means):

“Say (O Muhammad Õáì Çááå
Úáíå æÓáã to mankind). ‘If the sea were ink
for (writing) the Words of my Lord, surely, the sea would be exhausted before the
Words of my Lord would be finished, even if we brought (another sea) like it
for its aid.’” (Al-Kahf, 18: 109)

This
Prophet who can neither read nor write a word would become the tutor of the
entire humanity, and these were the first meanings of the miracle given to the
Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). The Truth, all praise and
glory be to Him, says (what means):

“Similarly (to complete My Blessings on you) We have sent among you
a Messenger (Muhammad, Õáì Çááå Úáíå
æÓáã) of your own, reciting to you Our Ayat (the
Qur’an) and sanctifying you, and teaching you the Book (the Qur’an) and the
Hikmah (i.e. Sunnah, Islamic laws and Fiqh - jurisprudence), and teaching you
that which you used not to know.” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 151)

Waraqah Bin Nawfal
And His Glad Tidings To The Prophet

 

The
eyes of the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) kept roving
about the Cave, and then he hastened home to Khadijah (may Allah be pleased
with her), his noble body shivering. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) entered with his heart beating severely. Upon seeing
him Khadijah felt that something great has happened. She wanted to talk to him
but his state did not allow talk. He just said, “Cover
me! Cover me!”

Then
when awe had subsided and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) regained calmness, he said, “O Khadijah!
What has happened to me? I feared for myself.” Then he related to
Khadijah the incident of the Cave. Khadijah said, “Nay!
But receive the glad tidings! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you, for by
Allah, you keep good relations with your kith and kin, speak the truth, help
the poor and the destitute, entertain your guests generously and assist those
who are stricken with calamities.”

On the
day of the descent of Revelation Khadijah awaited the Messenger of Allah (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) for long but he was late. She sent her
servants but they returned without finding the Messenger of Allah (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace). Soon after Khadijah heard what the Messenger of
Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said she accompanied him to her
cousin, Waraqah bin Nawfal bin Asad bin ‘Abdul ‘Uzza bin Qusai. Waraqah was the
son of her paternal uncle, i.e., her father’s brother, who during the
Pre-Islamic Period became a Christian and used to write the Arabic writing and
used to write of the Gospels in Arabic as much as Allah wished him to write. He
was an old man and had lost his eyesight. Khadijah said to him, “O my cousin! Listen to your nephew.” Waraqah asked, “O my
nephew! What have you seen?” The Prophet (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) told him what he had seen.

Waraqah
said, “This is the same Namus (i.e., Gabriel, the
Angel entrusted with Divine Secrets) whom Allah had sent to Musa (Moses). I
wish I were young and could live up to the time when your people would turn you
out.” The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace) asked, “Will they turn me out?”
Waraqah replied, “Yes! Never did a man come with
something similar to what you have brought but was treated with hostility. If I
were to remain alive till your day (when you start preaching) I would support
you strongly.”

In
another narration Waraqah said, “By Him in Whose
Hand is Waraqah’s soul; you are the Prophet of this nation. And you would be
called a liar and ill-treated. I wish I would be alive at the time your people
would turn you out.”

Lailatul-Qadr: The
Night Of Decree

The
night of the Revelation of the Noble Qur’an was the first meeting between the
Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and the Angel
Jibril (Gabriel, peace be upon him). A meeting in the Cave of Hira where the
Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to spend a
long time in worship and meditation; a meeting between the Words of Allah and
the noblest among all creatures of Allah. It was on Lailatul-Qadr (The
Night of Decree) which Allah made “Better than a
thousand months” i.e., spending its night in offering prayers and
worship earns the same reward offered for devoting oneself to worship for more
than eighty-three years. Allah has greatly honored that night because it is the
night on which the Noble Qur’an started its mission on earth.
 The Noble Qur’an
says what means:

“Verily! We have sent it (this Qur’an) down in the night of Al-Qadr
(Decree). And what will make you know what the night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is?
The night of Al-Qadr (Decree) is better than a thousand months (i.e. worshipping
Allah in that night is better than worshipping Him a thousand months, i.e. 83
years and 4 months). Therein descend the angels and the Spirit [Jibril
(Gabriel)] by Allah’s Permission with all Decrees. Peace! (All that night,
there is Peace and Goodness from Allah to His believing slaves) until the
appearance of dawn.” (Al-Qadr, 97)

They
debated for long the fact that the Noble Qur’an was revealed on Lailatul-Qadr; saying
that the Noble Qur’an is the Words of Allah, and His Words are related to His
Divine Attributes, but the Words of Allah are eternal then how is it said that
the Noble Qur’an was revealed on that night? The answer is that the Words
of Allah are inscribed in Al-Lauh Al-Mahfûz (The Preserved Tablet) since
eternity. On the night of the descent of the Angel Jibril (peace be upon him),
the Noble Qur’an was brought down to the lower heaven to fulfill its mission on
earth. It came down to the lower heaven all at the same time, then Jibril
revealed it piecemeal as Allah willed, to keep firm the Messenger of Allah (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace) and convey to him the Divine Law according
to the occasions decreed by Allah for the revelation of these glorious Ayat.
The descent of the noble Revelation with the first glorious Ayah [“Read! In the Name of your Lord…(Al- ‘Alaq, 96: 1)”] heralded guidance to mankind.

Allah
has chosen Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) as a messenger to
convey His Last Message, holding the complete Divine Law for man’s journey in this
world till the Day of Resurrection. Since this Divine Message is the last
Message it must embrace all what fulfils the meanings conducive to goodness in
the movement of life, leaving no disease without a remedy. This Law did not
come to only cure diseases at the dawn of its mission on earth, but it came to
cure them till the Day of Resurrection. Therefore, the Noble Qur’an embodied a
miracle at the time of its revelation and will continue a miracle to this very
day, and offers marvels and miracles to posterity till the Last Hour.

The Land Of Justice   

The
Noble Qur’an has established the Laws that through them only will the World
have all goodness. Because Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, is the All-Knower,
and nothing on the earth or in the heavens is hidden from Him, He is the Sole
Highest Lawmaker; the only One capable to make the Laws for all times and
places. When humans pass their own laws they see certain matters but are
ignorant of many others. Therefore, manmade laws undergo continual change and
substitution. Seldom one finds a worldly matter or a passed law that does not
need modification or alteration after a while, because with the passage of time
problems appear, unnoticed by those who passed such laws.

Therefore,
manmade laws suffer endless alteration, substitution, deletion and innovation.
But when the Supreme Lawmaker creates Laws, nothing is hidden from Him because
He is the All-Knowing of everything in His Universe, the All-Knowing of
everything that will happen in it till the Day of Judgment and the All-Knowing
of the human souls He has created, therefore the Divine Laws are perfect to all
times and places, created by the All-Wise, All-Knowing, All-­Powerful God.

Allah,
all praise and glory be to Him, is the All-Wise, Who puts everything perfectly
in its place most wisely, ably and efficiently so that the entire world become
a land of justice.

When
the justice of the new Message emerged, the golden dawn of Islam started to
shine on the whole world to rule its eras and way of life.