Early Life and Character
- Hazrat Muhammad Rasool-Allah Khatam-an-Nabijeen was born in Makkah and grew up there.
- As a young man, he was modest, thoughtful, and very kind-hearted.
- He had a reputation for being very honest and truthful.
- He was so trustworthy that even his enemies gave him their valuables for safekeeping.
- He cared for the sick and the poor and was kind to children.
The State of Society and His Concern
- As he grew up, he was not happy with what he saw around him.
- The Arabs of those days were ignorant, quarrelsome, immoral, and deceitful.
- They had hundreds of stone idols inside the Ka’aba.
- They had forgotten all about the teachings of their forefather, Hazrat Ibrahim.
- They treated their women and their slaves very cruelly.
- Women were bought and sold like cattle.
- Girls were buried alive at birth by their own fathers.
- Slaves were tortured and sometimes beaten to death.
- These things disturbed him a lot, and he was unhappy to see the state of his people.
- He would spend hours in deep thought and concern, trying to think of ways to improve their condition.
Meditation and the First Revelation
- Hira was a cave in a mountain just outside Makkah.
- He used to go there even as a youth and started spending more time there in meditation and prayers as he grew older.
- Often, he would take some food and water with him to last for a few days.
- Slowly, changes began to take place; sometimes he would have dreams that came true.
- One day in Ramazan, when he was forty years old, an angel appeared before him while he was praying in the cave.
- It was the angel Hazrat Jibraeel.
- The angel told him to read.
- He replied, “I do not know how to read.”
- Hazrat Jibraeel asked him to read three times, and each time he said he could not.
- Then the angel embraced him closely and asked him to repeat these lines:
- “Read, in the Name of your Lord, Who created man from a clot of blood. Read, your Lord is Most Generous, Who taught man by the pen, what he did not know.” (Surah Al-Alaq 96:1-5)
- Then Hazrat Jibraeel told him that Allah had chosen him to be His Messenger.
- They went outside the cave, performed wuzu (ablution), and prayed together.
Reaction and Support
- This whole experience left him shivering and cold.
- When he reached home, he asked his wife, Bibi Khadijah, to cover him with a blanket.
- He told her all that had happened in the Cave of Hira.
- Hazrat Khadijah comforted him and said:
- ‘Allah will never desert you.’
- ‘You look after your relatives, you are kind to the needy and the poor, you are hospitable to strangers and guests.’
- ‘Surely, Allah will never let you down.’
- She supported her husband and at once accepted the faith of Islam.
Confirmation and the Second Revelation
- Hazrat Khadijah took him to her cousin, Warqa-bin-Naufil.
- Warqa was a very pious Christian and a very learned scholar who knew the Injeel and Taurait well.
- He was old and almost blind.
- When he heard about the experience at Hira, he said, ‘Surely this is the same angel who brought the messages of Allah to Rasool Moosa.’
- For some time, there was no Wahi (revelation) after the first one.
- Then came the second Wahi, which was:
- “O you, who is wrapped (in a mantle), arise and warn, and proclaim the greatness of your Lord; and keep your garments pure, and avoid filth and do not favour (others) expecting to get more; and be patient and steadfast for the sake of your Lord.” (Surah Al-Muddathir 74:1-7)
- Now, Hazrat Muhammad Rasool-Allah Khatam-an-Nabigeen was given the great responsibility of risalat (prophethood) and of spreading the message of Islam.
Questions & Answers
a. What did Hazrat Muhammad Rasool-Allah not like about his people?
He did not like that his people were ignorant, behaved badly, and were liars. They worshipped idols, treated women and slaves cruelly, and had forgotten the teachings of Hazrat Ibrahim.
b. Why did he go to the cave of Hira?
He went to the cave of Hira to spend time in deep thought, meditation, and prayers. He was disturbed by the state of his people and went there to think of ways to improve their condition.
c. Relate the incident of the cave of Hira.
When he was 40 years old in Ramazan, the angel Hazrat Jibraeel appeared to him in the cave. The angel told him to read. He replied that he did not know how to read. After asking him three times, the angel embraced him and told him to recite the first verses of the Qur’an (Surah Al-Alaq 96:1-5). Then, Hazrat Jibraeel told him that Allah had chosen him as His Messenger.
d. How did Hazrat Khadija comfort Hazrat Muhammad Rasool-Allah?
She covered him with a blanket when he was shivering. She comforted him by saying Allah would never desert him because he was kind to relatives, helped the poor, and was hospitable. She supported him and immediately accepted Islam.
e. Why did Hazrat Khadija take Hazrat Muhammad Rasool-Allah to her cousin?
She took him to her cousin, Warqa-bin-Naufil, because he was a very pious and learned Christian scholar who knew the Injeel and Taurait. She wanted his opinion on the incident.
f. What did he tell the Hazrat Muhammad Rasool-Allah?
Warqa-bin-Naufil told him, “Surely this is the same angel who brought the messages of Allah to Rasool Moosa.”
g. Give the translation of the first Wahi.
“Read, in the Name of your Lord, Who created man from a clot of blood. Read, your Lord is Most Generous, Who taught man by the pen, what he did not know.”
Fill in the Blanks.
a. Hazrat Jibraeel appeared before Hazrat Muhammad Rasool-Allah Khatam-an-Nabigeen and asked him to read.
b. Allah had chosen Hazrat Muhammad Rasool-Allah Khatam-an-Nabigeen to be his messenger.
c. The first person to believe him was Hazrat Khadija.
d. The name of Hazrat Khadija’s cousin was Warqa-bin-Naufil.