بِسۡمِ
اللّٰہِ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الرَّحِیۡمِ
والصلاة
والسلام على نبيه الكريم
Over
five years ago I published an article on this blog commenting on the
two Ayats:
یٰۤاَیُّہَا
الۡمُزَّمِّلُ
O
you wrapped up in your mantle
(Surah
73:1)
یٰۤاَیُّہَا
الۡمُدَّثِّرُ
O
you wrapped up in your garment
(Surah
74:1)
I
explained that they indicate that the most holy Prophet Muhammad
(sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) would cover himself and envelop himself
in his mantle or in a garment when he was in a state of prophesying,
receiving divine revelation. This fact is made clear in certain
narrations. Sayyidatuna Khawlah (radi Allahu anha), who was the
servant of the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) working domestic
duties in his home, narrates:
أَنَّ
جِرْوًا دَخَلَ الْبَيْتَ وَدَخَلَ
تَحْتَ السَّرِيرِ وَمَاتَ فَمَكَثَ
نَبِيُّ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ
وَسَلَّمَ أَيَّامًا لَا يَنْزِلُ
عَلَيْهِ الْوَحْيُ فَقَالَ يَا
خَوْلَةُ مَا حَدَثَ فِي بَيْتِ رَسُولِ
اللهِ جِبْرِيلُ لَا يَأْتِينِي فَهَلْ
حَدَثَ فِي بَيْتِ رَسُولِ اللهِ حَدَثٌ
فَقُلْتُ وَاللهِ مَا أَتَى عَلَيْنَا
يَوْمٌ خَيْرٌ مِنْ يَوْمِنَا فَأَخَذَ
بُرْدَهُ فَلَبِسَهُ وَخَرَجَ فَقُلْتُ
لَوْ هَيَّأْتُ الْبَيْتَ وكَنَسْتَهُ
فَأَهْوَيْتُ بِالْمِكْنَسَةِ تَحْتَ
السَّرِيرِ فَإِذَا شَيْءٌ ثَقِيلٌ
فَلَمْ أَزَلْ حَتَّى أَخْرَجْتُهُ
فَإِذَا بِجِرْوٍ مَيِّتٍ فَأَخَذْتُهُ
بِيَدِي فَأَلْقَيْتُهُ خَلْفَ الدَّارِ
فَجَاءَ نَبِيُّ اللهِ تَرْعَدُ لَحْيَيْهِ
وَكَانَ إِذَا أَتَاهُ الْوَحْيُ
أَخَذَتْهُ الرِّعْدَةُ فَقَالَ يَا
خَوْلَةُ دَثِّريني فَأَنْزَلَ اللهُ
وَالضُّحَى وَاللَّيْلِ إِذَا سَجَى مَا
وَدَّعَكَ رَبُّكَ وَمَا قَلَى
Once
a puppy entered the house and went under the (Prophet’s) bed where
it died. For a number of days the revelation ceased upon the Prophet
(sall Allahu alaihi wasallam), so he said to her: “O Khawlah, what
has happened in the house of the Apostle of God? Gabriel is not
coming to me. So something has happened in the house of the Apostle
of God.” She said: “By Allah, no day better than our day has come
upon us.” So he took his cloak, wore it and left. She said: “Let
me prepare the house and sweep it. I took a broom to sweep under the
bed and saw something heavy. So I did not stop until I removed it and
it was a dead puppy. So I took it with my hand and threw it behind
the house. The Prophet of God came, his beard shaking, and when
the Revelation came to him he was seized with trembling.”
He said: “O Khawlah, cover
me
(with a garment)” and Allah sent down “By the brightness of the
forenoon. And by the night when it becomes still. Your Lord has not
forsaken you nor is He displeased” (Mu’jam al-Kabir; v.24, p.249,
#636)
Another
Hadith confirms that the Angels do not enter a house containing a dog
or a picture. It is mentioned that once the Angel Gabriel promised to
come to the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) but was delayed,
causing the Prophet to become anxious. When the Prophet exited the
house he met Gabriel and complained to him (about the delay). Gabriel
said to him:
إِنَّا
لاَ نَدْخُلُ بَيْتًا فِيهِ صُورَةٌ
وَلاَ كَلْبٌ
“We
do not enter a house wherein is an image or a dog”
(Sahih
al-Bukhari)
The
narration of sayyidatuna Khawlah (radi Allahu anha) also mentions
that the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) would also be
overtaken by trembling or shaking when he received divine revelation:
إِذَا
أَتَاهُ الْوَحْيُ أَخَذَتْهُ الرِّعْدَةُ
Some
Christian polemicists, like Sam Shamoun, have objected to the
phenomenon of trembling and shaking experienced by our Prophet (sall
Allahu alaihi wasallam) when receiving the divine Revelation. But
according to the Book of Job, Job (Ayyub), peace be upon him,
experienced a revelation and vision and mentions that it caused him
to tremble and shake:
פַּ֣חַד
קְ֭רָאַנִי וּרְעָדָ֑ה וְרֹ֖ב עַצְמֹותַ֣י
הִפְחִֽיד
Fear
and trembling came upon me, causing all my bones to quake with fright
(Job,
chapter 4, verse 14)
Similarly,
it is mentioned in the Torah that when the Lord manifested His glory
upon Mount Sinai, everyone present in the camp trembled, and in fact
the mountain itself began to tremble (Exodus, chapter 19, verses 16 &
18; Exodus, chapter 20, verse 18)
Allah
Most High says:
لَوۡ
اَنۡزَلۡنَا ہٰذَا الۡقُرۡاٰنَ عَلٰی
جَبَلٍ لَّرَاَیۡتَہٗ خَاشِعًا
مُّتَصَدِّعًا مِّنۡ خَشۡیَۃِ اللّٰہِ
If
We had sent down this Quran on a mountain you would certainly have
seen it humbled and rent asunder for fear of Allah
(Surah
59, Ayah 21)
Therefore,
when the Quran and the Revelation would descend upon the pure heart
of the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) it becomes clear to us
why he would be overtaken by trembling. According to the Psalms: “So
tremble,
and sin no more” (Psalm 4), “Bow down to the Lord majestic in
holiness; tremble
in His presence,
all the earth!” (Psalm 96) “The Lord, enthroned on cherubim, is
king, peoples
tremble,
the earth quakes” (Psalm 99) “Tremble,
O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob” (Psalm 114) “My
flesh trembles in fear of You”
(Psalm 119, v.120)
The
main religious sect of Jews call themselves Haredim, meaning “the
trembling ones”.
According
to the Christian New Testament, when the Lord spoke to Moses, saying
“I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”
“Moses
trembled with fear
and did not dare to look” (Acts of the Apostles; ch.7, v.32) Paul
says: “Do not be arrogant, but
tremble”
(Romans, ch.11, v.20)
Returning
to the main topic of this article, it is mentioned in the narration
of sayyidatuna Khawlah (radi Allahu anha), as has already preceded,
that the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) told her to bring
something to cover him with at the instance he was receiving divine
Revelation. This is also well known that the Prophet (sall Allahu
alaihi wasallam) told sayyidatuna umm al-Mu’minin Khadijah (radi
Allahu anha) to likewise cover him after the Angel Gabriel manifested
himself to him for the first time in the Cave of Hira.
It
is narrated that when the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) was
in al-Ji’ranah, a man came to him to ask him for a judgment
concerning his Umrah:
وَأُنْزِلَ
عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم
الْوَحْىُ فَسُتِرَ بِثَوْبٍ
The
Revelation came down upon the Prophet, sall Allahu alaihi wasallam,
and he was concealed in a garment.
A man named Umayyah (radi Allahu anhu), who is the narrator, was
present and was curious. He wanted to see the state of the Prophet
(sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) whilst he was receiving the Revelation.
Sayyidina Umar al-Faruq (radi Allahu anhu) then lifted a corner of
the cloth with which the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) had
covered himself for Umayyah to peak inside and witness what was
happening. He says:
فَنَظَرْتُ
إِلَيْهِ لَهُ غَطِيطٌ كَغَطِيطِ الْبَكْرِ
“So
I looked toward him and he was (lightly) snoring, like the snoring of
a young camel” (Sahih Muslim)
The
narration and observation of the narrator indicates that while in a
state of receiving the Wahi, the Prophet, sall Allahu alaihi
wasallam, was in a sort of unconscious state.
In
another version of this Hadith it is mentioned:
فَسَكَتَ
عَنْهُ فَلَمْ يَرْجِعْ إِلَيْهِ وَكَانَ
عُمَرُ يَسْتُرُهُ إِذَا أُنْزِلَ
عَلَيْهِ الْوَحْىُ يُظِلُّهُ
That
when the man asked his question to the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi
wasallam), he remained silent for a while, not replying at first.
This meant he was first waiting and actually receiving the Revelation
so that he could answer the question. Sayyidina Umar al-Faruq (radi
Allahu anhu), being aware of this, would conceal the Prophet (sall
Allahu alaihi wasallam), and this was his regular practice when the
Prophet would be receiving the divine Revelation. He would cover the
Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) with a garment in such a way as
to shade him (Sahih Muslim).
Another
practice of the Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) when he would
receive the Revelation was to lower his head:
كَانَ
النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذَا
أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ الْوَحْىُ نَكَسَ
رَأْسَهُ وَنَكَسَ أَصْحَابُهُ رُءُوسَهُمْ
فَلَمَّا أُتْلِيَ عَنْهُ رَفَعَ رَأْسَهُ
The
Prophet sall Allahu alaihi wasallam, when the Revelation would
descend upon him, would lower his head, and his Companions would
lower their heads, then when it was over he would raise his head
(Sahih Muslim)
This
Hadith is significant in that it demonstrates the meticulousness of
the Sahabah (radi Allahu anhum) in emulating the Prophet (sall Allahu
alaihi wasallam) in his every action. It also indicates that although
the divine Revelation was descending only upon the Prophet (sall
Allahu alaihi wasallam), because they were Believers and in his
proximity during that state they could also sense the spiritual
presence of the Sakinah and the Angel. They would also lower their
head for the same reason the Prophet did so, out of veneration for
the experience and what was occurring to the Prophet in the world of
the unseen, perhaps out of eagerness that they too should experience
something of which their Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) would
experience. The saints and mystics of this Ummah also have a tendency
of keeping their heads lowered out of humility, and also for the fact
that they experience Ilham and Kashf, or are in a state eagerly
awaiting inspirations and visions. Sayyidina Umar al-Faruq (radi
Allahu anhu), who is the Muhaddath of this Ummah, meaning the one who
frequently experienced divine inspiration despite not being a
Prophet, was apparently someone who was often in the company of the
Prophet (sall Allahu alaihi wasallam) when he would receive divine
Revelation as has already preceded. He would perform certain tasks at
that time, with or without prompting from the Prophet, such as
covering him with a garment. He (radi Allahu anhu) was therefore an
authority on the reality of divine Revelation to the Prophet (sall
Allahu alaihi wasallam) as he, to an extent, would take partake in
that experience, and therefore was blessed with the rank of being a
Muhaddath. He (radi Allahu anhu) narrates:
كَانَ
النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذَا
نَزَلَ عَلَيْهِ الْوَحْىُ سُمِعَ عِنْدَ
وَجْهِهِ كَدَوِيِّ النَّحْلِ
When
the Revelation would descend upon the Prophet, sall Allahu alaihi
wasallam, a sound like that of honeybees could be heard near his face
(Jami’ at-Tirmidhi)
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