THE DESCENT OF THE REVELATION; THE COMING OF JEBRÂIL [GABRIEL], AND HIS RECITING THE EVIDENT SIGNS TO THAT PRINCE AND CHIEF OF BEINGS—UPON WHOM BE THE BLESSING OF ALLAH AND PEACE!

Some historians—may Allah have mercy on them—have related that in the beginning of the forty-first year from the most propitious birth of that intercessor on the day of judg­ment Jebrâil appeared on Monday, the seventeenth of the blessed month of Ramazân, on the top of Mount Hira, and ordered his lordship to recite the Surah [chapter]: Read.* Having rubbed his heel on the ground, and thereby pro­duced a spring of water, Jebrâil taught his lordship the apostle—u. w. b.—how to perform the religious ablution and to pray. Others say that Jebrâil taught him how to wash himself and to pray on Tuesday, the second day of the mission. Some traditionalists assert that his lordship the last of prophets—u. w. b.—was sleeping in the cave of Mount Hira, when Jebrâil made his appearance in the shape of a man, and said: ‘Read.’ But his lordship answered: ‘I am not a reader.’ Then Jebrâil squeezed him so hard that he thought his death was near; but the angel again said, ‘Read,’ received the same answer, and again pressed his holy and prophetic lordship. After having repeated this proceeding thrice, Jebrâil exclaimed: ‘Read in the name of thy Lord who hath created. Who hath created man of congealed blood. Read by the most beneficent Lord who taught the use of the pen. Who teacheth man that which he knoweth not.’* One of the U’lâma says: ‘The first squeezing purified his august nature from all concupiscence, the second from all sinful desires, although the heart receives all good and evil impressions, such as the radiations of the faith and the inspirations of Satan. It is true that the blessed heart of his holy and prophetic lordship was free from all igno­minious qualities, but his purification was necessary to divest it from human failings and to prepare it for the reception of Divine revelations.

Quatrain:

For the veil he lifted From the virgin Qurân, And explained its signification, Free of all contamination.

Some chroniclers relate that when this operation took place his lordship thought that he would receive some blameworthy qualities, such as soothsaying or madness; therefore he hastened to the mountain to precipitate himself down therefrom. But when he reached the middle of it he heard a voice exclaiming: ‘O Muhammad, thou art the apostle of Allah, and I am Jebrâil!’ These words diverted his lordship from his intention, and in whatsoever direction he looked he perceived that intimate angel opposite to himself. After that awful event and immense favour he returned to his holy dwelling, where Khodaijah received him with the words: ‘O father of Qâsim, where hast thou been? for the messengers I sent were unable to find thee.’ His lordship then narrated what had taken place, and said: ‘Verily I fear I shall become a soothsayer.’ But Khodaijah rejoined: ‘Allah forbid! The Lord will bestow on thee only favours and blessings, and I hope thou wilt become the prophet of this nation.’ Then Khodaijah went to the son of her uncle, Waraqah Bin Naufil, who was one of the Christian U’lâma distinguished for his great intelligence, and she informed him of what had taken place. Waraqah replied: ‘I swear by that God in whose power my life is, that if these words of thine be true, Muhammad will be the prophet of this nation, for Jebrâil is the great Namûs* who descended to Mûsa—u. w. b.—and to I’sa—u. w. b.’ After­wards his lordship the apostle met Waraqah Bin Naufil and explained what had taken place. Waraqah swore an oath that Jebrâil was the great secretary who had brought the revelation to Mûsa, and continued: ‘Thou wilt be the prophet of this nation; but verily the people will injure, exile, and fight thee.’ Hereby the mind of his lordship was pacified, and he returned to his sacred mansion. One day he was reclining in the cave of Hira, when Jebrâil entered from the rear and struck him with his foot. Hereon the apostle—u. w. b.—sat up straight, looked in all directions, but could see no one; when he again reclined, Jebrâil touched him with his foot again, and said: ‘O Muhammad, arise!’ His lordship got up and saw a man in front of himself, whom he then followed. When they had arrived between Marvah and Safa that man fixed his feet on the ground, stretched his head up to the sky, and spread out his wings, which reached from the east to the west. His feet are said to have been yellow, his wings green, and he had a necklace of red rubies, but according to others of coral. The hair of his head was of the hue of corals, his forehead bright, his countenance luminous, his teeth bright and shining; between his two eyes the words were written, ‘There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the apostle of Allah.’* When the apostle of Allah— u. w. b.—perceived this spectacle he was frightened by the magnitude of Jebrâil’s person, and said: ‘May Allah have mercy upon thee—who art thou? Verily I have never seen such a handsome and tall man as thee!’ That individual replied: ‘I am Jebrâil, the Faithful Spirit who has descended to all prophets and inspired messengers. Read, O Muhammad.’ His sacred and prophetic lordship—u. w. b.— asked: ‘What am I to read? I have never read anything, nor do I know how to read.’ Hereon Jebrâil took from beneath his wing a piece of the silk of paradise, embroidered with pearls and gems, and threw it upon his blessed face. Then he squeezed him so that he nearly fainted, and letting go his lordship again, he said: ‘O Muhammad, read.’ His lordship the refuge of the termination [of prophecy] repeated the same answer, whereon Jebrâil again squeezed him as in the first instance. According to the most current tradition, he did so thrice, and the fourth time he said: ‘Read in the name of thy Lord who hath created, who hath created man of congealed blood.’ According to another tradition, his lordship wished to die in order to escape the calamity of further squeezing, when Jebrâil was for the third time saying, ‘Read.’ On that occasion Jebrâil struck his foot upon the ground, whereon a spring of water gushed out, and he performed the religious ablution according to the well-known custom, and then taught the prophet to do so likewise. Then Jebrâil stepped forward, the lord of apostle­ship —u. w. b.—imitated him, and they performed orisons with two prayer-flexions. From that time prayers became obligatory upon his lordship, and he occasionally performed them with two flexions, until the time when the ‘five prayers’ and the ordained periods thereof were established. After the termination of their devotions Jebrâil disappeared, and his holy and prophetic lordship returned home. He knocked at the door, which Khodaijah opened, and, embracing him, said: ‘May my father and mother be a sacrifice for thee! I perceive a light in thy countenance the like of which I have never beheld. I smell a fragrance from thee the like of which I have never inhaled. Relate to me what has happened.’ The lord of apostleship— u. w. b.—then narrated the occurrence, and she replied: ‘Allah the most glorious and high has shown thee favour.’ According to another tradition, she bade his lordship to remain in the house, and said: ‘Whenever Jebrâil appears to thee inform me of it.’ Afterwards, when Jebrâil came to his lordship, Khodaijah, having become aware of his presence, took his lordship the refuge of the apostolate— u. w. b.—upon her left knee, and asked: ‘Seest thou him?’ He replied: ‘Yes.’ Then she seated him on her right knee, repeated the question, and received the same answer. She then concealed his lordship under her robes, lifted his blessed head out from the collar-drapery, and, opening the coif round his head, asked: ‘Seest thou him?’ But he said: ‘No.’ Khodaijah then continued: ‘Glad tidings to thee, for this is a noble angel from the Lord God most high and holy.’ Thereon Khodaijah left his lordship in the house and paid a visit to Waraqah, who had a long time before abandoned the religion of the Qoraish, had become a Christian, and was well acquainted with the Enjil [Evangel]. She said to him: ‘O son of my uncle, inform me about Jebrâil.’ Waraqah replied: ‘Holy! holy! How can Jebrâil be mentioned in a city where God is not worshipped?’ Khodaijah continued: ‘Muhammad Bin A’bdullah Bin A’bd-ul-Muttalleb says: Jebrâil has descended upon me.’ Waraqah rejoined: ‘If Jebrâil descends in this country, great benefits and blessings will appear. He is the great messenger who has come down to Mûsa and to I’sa—salutation to both—and has con­veyed to them Divine revelations.’ Khodaijah said: ‘Inform me whether it is recorded in the Toratah and in the Enjil that at present a prophet will be sent, who is an orphan and poor, but whom Allah the most high and glorious will enrich, and who will be united to a woman noble in station and descent?’ Waraqah replied: ‘Yes; and the qualities of that woman are thy qualities.’ She further inquired: ‘Has that prophet any other peculiarities?’ Waraqah continued: ‘One of his peculiarities is that he will, like I’sa, walk on the surface of the water, and as a corpse conversed with I’sa, so one will speak with him likewise. A rock will salute him, and trees will bear witness to his prophetship.’

It is related that Waraqah said to Khodaijah: ‘Send Muhammad to me, that he may himself narrate his affairs in detail.’ After his prophetic lordship—u. w. b.—had paid a visit to Waraqah, and had narrated his circum­stances to him, Waraqah exclaimed thrice: ‘Glad tidings to thee, O Muhammad! Verily I bear witness that thou art the prophet whose advent I’sa—u. w. b.—has predicted when he said: “After me a prophet will be sent whose name will be Ahmed,” and that the great messenger who had come down to Mûsa has descended also upon thee.’ Hereon he kissed the crown of his head, and continued: ‘Thou wilt soon be commanded to attack, fight, and wage war against infidels. Would to God that I could be alive at that time when the people will expel thee from the country, that I might aid and succour thee!’ His lordship asked: ‘Will the people drive me out?’ Waraqah replied: ‘Yes; no mortal attained such dignity without being hated and per­secuted.’ A short time afterwards Waraqah Bin Naufil died, and therefore could not live to witness the period of the mission, but his lordship said: ‘I have seen the beazle of the ring in paradise, dressed in green robes; for he has believed in me.’ And in traditions ‘the beazle of the ring’ means Waraqah Bin Naufil.

It is related that after meeting Waraqah, Khodaijah went to the monk A’dâs, a decrepit old man, who received her with much affability, and asked for the reason of her having condescended to pay him a visit. Khodaijah replied that she desired to be informed about Jebrâil, but he prostrated himself, and exclaimed: ‘Holy! holy! What is the mention of Jebrâil in a town where God is not worshipped?’ Khodaijah reiterated her request, but he continued: ‘I swear by Allah that I shall give thee no information until thou sayest whence thou hast received this word.’ Kho­daijah promised to comply on condition of his not informing anyone of what she would tell him. This he promised, and she continued: ‘Muhammad, the son of A’bdullah, son of A’bd-ul-Muttalleb, says: “Jebrâil has descended upon me.”’ A’dâs stated: ‘Jebrâil is the great messenger who has brought revelations to Mûsa and to I’sa. If he descends in this country great blessings will redound thereon; but, O Khodaijah, by some machinations of Satan the calamity of madness has possibly befallen Muhammad! Take this book of mine to him, and tell him to study it in order to remain safe from the attacks of Satan, and if he be on the side of the Merciful One, the perusal of this book will bring him no harm.’ When Khodaijah brought the book to that prince, Jebrâil was just reciting the blessed verse, ‘By the pen, and what they write, thou [O Muhammad] through the grace of thy Lord art not distracted,’* to his lordship. Khodaijah, pleased with hearing the evident signs [i.e., verses], said to the apostle: ‘May my father and mother be a sacrifice for thee! Arise, and let us go to A’dâs.’ Accordingly both visited A’dâs, who seated his lordship the refuge of the termination [of prophecy] near himself, bared his blessed shoulders, and perceived the seal of prophecy shining between them. He immediately prostrated him­self, and then, raising his head, said: ‘Holy! holy! O Muhammad, I swear by God that thou art the prophet, whose advent Mûsa and I’sa have predicted. By Allah! should I be alive when thou wilt be inviting the people to believe, I shall fight with a sabre in front of thee.’ A’dâs continued, and asked: ‘O prophet of Allah, hast thou been com­manded to do anything?’ He replied in the negative, whereon A’dâs said: ‘Thou wilt soon be ordered to prose­lytize the people, but they will accuse thee of falsehood and expel thee from this city; angels, however, will aid thee.’

In some traditions it is related that after Jebrâil had recited the Surah ‘Read’ to his lordship, he disappeared. Then his lordship entered the house of Khodaijah, the flesh of his shoulder-blades trembled, and he exclaimed: ‘Wrap me up!’ Accordingly something was placed upon his head till his fright left him. It is said that when his holy and prophetic lordship had after the descent of the revelation returned home, he said to Khodaijah: ‘I am afraid for my life.’ And she replied: ‘Allah the Most High will not distress thee; for thou art benevolent to thy relatives and distinguished for thy veracity. Thou art the support of a family, art hospitable, and helpest people labouring under calamities and misfortunes.’ Then Kho­daijah betook herself to Waraqah, explained the matter to him, and he gave her the information recorded above.

It is said that after the [first] revelation, and the instructions concerning ablutions and prayers [had been vouchsafed to Muhammad], the revelations were interrupted for a long time. For this reason his holy and prophetic lordship—u. w. b.—became so melancholy that he intended on several occasions to throw himself down from the top of the mountain; each time, however, Jebrâil presented him­self, and said: ‘O Muhammad, thou art indeed the prophet of Allah!’ These words always pacified his august mind and comforted it, whereon he returned to his house.

There is a tradition according to which Jâber Bin A’bdullah said: ‘The apostle of Allah—u. w. b.—said: “When the revelation ceased, I was walking on the road, and heard suddenly a voice from heaven. I looked up, and beheld the angel who had descended to me in the cave of Hira. I beheld him sitting on a chair between heaven and earth. Fear and trepidation overwhelmed me; I returned to the house, and exclaimed: ‘Wrap and cover me up.’ Therefore they put something over me, and the Most High afterwards sent the revelation: ‘O thou covered one, arise and preach, and magnify thy Lord. And cleanse thy gar­ments, and fly every abomination,’” etc.’*