Seerah: EP28 – Aftermath of Revelation, Khadijah & Waraqah bin Nawfal

Episode 28: Read. The Right Man For The Job: Aftermath of Revelation, Khadijah & Waraqah bin Nawfal

Welcome to Seerah Pearls, which aims to highlight some tantalising learning points from each episode of the Seerah- Life of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam).

Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) was meant for this job as a Prophet: this was no random act. Everything in his life had been leading up to the start of revelation. Iman Ahmad ibn Hanbal reports that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) was asked when he was made a Prophet: he said this happened when Adam (alayhi as-salaam) was in the state between dust/clay and before the soul was breathed into him i.e. when Allah created humans.

We sometimes talk about the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) in ‘superhero’ terms. However, he experienced pain, difficulty and adversity- he had the true human experience. Imagine the event of the first revelation: this experience must have been earth-shattering, one that could damage someone’s psyche. Allah created a system so the Prophets would be gradually acclimated to the experience. They would have a warm-up period in the form of true dreams. These would make the Prophets trust their heart. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) had true dreams for 6 months prior to revelation.

Revelation started on a Monday. When asked about fasting on Mondays, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said that was the day he was born and that was the day he received the first revelation. As for the month, the vast majority agree that it started in Ramadan. As for the specific day, opinions vary: the 14th, 17th, 21st or 27th night- Allah knows best! Ibn Ishaaq leans towards the opinion it was the 21st night, in the 40th year of the Prophet’s life. Read more http://www.qalaminstitute.org/2012/10/seerah-life-of-the-prophet-the-right-man-for-the-job-aftermath-of-revelation-khadijah-waraqah-bin-nawfal/