بسم الله الرحمـن
الرحيم
والصلاة والسلام
على من لا نبي بعده
والعاقبة للمتقين
The Holy
Spirit or روح القدس (RūH-al-Qudus) is someone or something
that figures prominently in the Abrahamic religions. It function is to be the
means through which a human being, prophet or otherwise, becomes inspired by
God. There is some significant difference of opinion regarding the reality of
the Holy Spirit. Some consider it as an impersonal force, and an attribute of God.
This view is found among Jews and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The trinitarian
Christians regard the Holy Spirit as the third person of the triune
Godhead, who is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. Many
Muslims believe that the Holy Spirit is none other than Angel Gabriel, the
Angel of Revelation and Prophecy. However, I argue that the latter view
expressed by many Muslims is not very well established in the sacred Texts of
Islam. Nowhere in the Holy Qur’an or Hadith is the Holy Spirit explicitly
identified with the Angel Gabriel. I will discuss the reality of the Holy
Spirit in a future entry ان شاء الله
In this entry,
I shall discuss the fact that the Holy Spirit is not exclusive to Prophets, but
that non-Prophets too can experience its gifts and inspired through it.
In the Qur’an
al-Karim, the Holy Spirit is mentioned most in relation to the Messiah son of
Mary (peace be upon him). Allah Most High says repeatedly that He supported or
strengthened the Messiah with the Holy Spirit (Sura 2: 87; 2: 253; 5: 110).
However, Allah also says that it is the Holy Spirit which has brought down the
Qur’an or Revelation to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (Sura 16: 102), hence the Holy
Spirit is certainly not restricted to the Messiah. But as for the function of
the Holy Spirit to أيّد ‘support’ or ‘strengthen’, some may be under the
mistaken impression that this activity of the Holy Spirit has only been
mentioned in relation to the Messiah. They have overlooked the Verse of the Qur’an,
wherein Allah speaks of the Believers, particularly the Sahaba:
أُولَـٰئِكَ كَتَبَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ
الْإِيمَانَ وَأَيَّدَهُم بِرُوحٍ مِّنْهُ
For such He
has written Faith in their hearts and strengthened them with a Spirit from Himself
(Sura 58:
22)
Undoubtedly,
this is the Holy Spirit which Allah has sent down to strengthen this certain
elevated class of Believers. In an authentic Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
specifically prayed for his illustrious companion Hassan b. ThabitRA
to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit:
يَا حَسَّانُ أَجِبْ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ
، اللَّهُمَّ أَيِّدْهُ بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ
“O Hassan!
Reply on behalf of Allah’s Apostle. O Allah! Support him with the Holy Spirit”
(Bukhari
& Muslim)
In another Ayah
of the Qur’an, Allah says:
يُنَزِّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ بِالرُّوحِ
مِنْ أَمْرِهِ عَلَىٰ مَن يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ أَنْ أَنذِرُوا أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَـٰهَ
إِلَّا أَنَا فَاتَّقُونِ
He sends
down the Angels with the Spirit from His command upon whom He wills from among
His servants - to warn them that “there is no god except Me, so fear Me”
(Sura 16: 2)
Many
exegetes claim that على من يشاء من عباده refers only to the Prophets and
Apostles, but that is based on the fallacious presumption that the Angels and
the Spirit only descend with inspiration upon a Prophet and never upon a
non-Prophet. Rather, Allah is clearly saying that He sends down the Angels with
the Spirit upon whomsoever He wishes from among His servants, Prophet or
non-Prophet. This is reinforced by the fact that this Verse is speaking of the
inspiration to warn mankind that there is none worthy of worship except Allah,
and that Allah alone should be feared with Taqwa. In other words, this
is not the inspiration or revelation of Tashri’ (legislation) which is
exclusive to law-bearing Prophets and Apostles, but rather, the inspiration of Indhar
(warning) and enjoining of Tawhid (monotheism), the worship of Allah
alone. This type of inspiration is not exclusive to Prophets and can come down
to any servant of Allah with whom He is pleased to communicate with, and we
come to know from this Verse that such communication or inspiration is by way
of Angels coming down with the Holy Spirit.
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*Note: In explanation of "whom He wishes from among His servants", a narration from Qatada: ينزل الملائكة بالرحمة والوحي على من يشاء من عباده، يعني: من كان أهلاً لذلك "He sends down the Angels with Mercy and with the Revelation upon whom He wishes from among His servants, that is, whoever is worthy or eligible for that" (Tafsir al-Samarqandi) implying that this is not exclusive to Prophets, but whoever from among Allah's servants who is worthy of receiving it. Likewise, the Sufi Abdul Razzaq al-Kashani states in his commentary: "He sends down the angels with the Spirit, that is to say, the knowledge with which He revives hearts, meaning [by that knowledge], the QurÌān, from, the world of, His command, wherein it was inscribed, to whomever He will of His servants, those singled out for extra solicitude from Him
ReplyDelete*Note: Another Verse states: رَفِيعُ الدَّرَجَاتِ ذُو الْعَرْشِ يُلْقِي الرُّوحَ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ عَلَىٰ مَن يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ لِيُنذِرَ يَوْمَ التَّلَاقِ "[He is] the Exalted above [all] degrees, Owner of the Throne; He places the inspiration of His command upon whom He wills of His servants to warn of the Day of Meeting." (Sura 40:15)
ReplyDeleteIt is reported that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was asked about someone going to sleep in a state of major ritual impurity (the Junub) and he answered:
ReplyDeleteمَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ يَرْقُدَ وَهُوَ جُنُبٌ حَتَّى يَتَوَضَّأَ، وَيُحْسِنَ وُضُوءَهُ، وَإِنِّي أَخْشَى أَنْ يُتَوَفَّى، فَلَا يَحْضُرُهُ جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ
I do not like that one sleeps while he is junub (having major ritual impurity) until he performs wudu (ablution), and performs his wudu well, for I fear that if he is taken in death that Gabriel, peace be upon him, will not be present with him (Mu'jam al-Kabir; v.25, pp.36-37, #65)