Muhammad's first revelation

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This is a sub-article to Muhammad before Medina

Muhammad's first revelation is the event where Muhammad met an angel. This resulted in Muhammad proclaiming himself to be a Prophet of God.

1 History
2 Views
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Introduction

Muhammad, believed by Orthodox Muslims to be the final prophet, lived in Mecca in the Arabian peninsula. In Mecca, many people had diverted from monotheism and worshipped numerous idols which they placed in the Kaaba. As a form of refuge, he would often spend time alone for contemplation and meditation in the cave of Hira, on peak known as Jabal al-Nour. According to Islamic sources, it was here that Muhammad received his first revelation. The actual date is uncertain, but was generally calculated to be around Monday 27 Month of Ramadan, ie August 10, 610 CE. The date is known to Muslims as Laylat al-Qadr.

[edit] Mohammad's first revelation word by word in the Bible

Muslims believe Mohammad's first revelation of the first two verses of Chapter 96 of the Quran is prophecised word by word in Bible, mainly unnoticed or ignored by the Christians. This caused a lot of controversy in the West since mainly Christians, of course, do not admit Mohammad's revelation was of divine origin. These are the verses of the Bible that are claimed to prophecise the revelation:

"11 And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: 12 And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned." Isaiah Chapter 29, verses 11 and 12

[edit] Event

In the mentioned date, Muhammad met an angel named Gabriel who gave him a message from God. The first message was to become the beginning of a chapter in the Qur'an, the chapter (sura) Iqra.

According to tradition – notably, a hadith of Aishah – Gabriel came and told him "Iqra!". The word "Iqra" does not have an exact English translation, but it is typically translated as a command to 'read' or 'recite' (as in traditional cultures, reading silently to oneself was unheard of, so "to read" assumed the connotation to say something aloud). Muhammad replied "I am not a reader" (which is usually taken to mean that Muhammad, living in a nearly pre-recorded culture, was illiterate). Gabriel continually commanded "Iqra!", and somehow "pressed" Muhammad physically, although the hadith literature does not explain exactly what this means. Muhammad gave the same answer a number of times, until finally, he is told:

Read (Iqra') in the name of your Lord Who created,
He created man from a clot.
Read and your Lord is Most Honorable,
Who taught with the pen,
Taught man that he knew not.

^[1]

After this, the angel disappeared, and Muhammad, shaken and trembling, returned home to his wife Khadija, and told her "Cover me, cover me... What has happened to me?" and told her what had happened, adding "I fear for my life". She comforted him, assuring him that God would never debase him, because of his good works, and sought the advice of her aged and blind Christian cousin Waraqah ibn Nawfal. Upon hearing the sura, Waraqah thought it similar to the namus which was sent to Moses. Some Muslims regard this as a specific fulfillment of Isaiah 29:11-18.[1]

[edit] Views

A few commentators disagree with this account, claiming that the first revelation was the beginning of surat al-Muddaththir or surat al-Fatiha, but theirs is a minority position.

[edit] Muslim view

Muslims view this as one of the most important events in history, leading to other people adopting Islam.

[edit] Christian view

Some Christians believe Muhammad was deceived by an angel, and cite Paulus in the Bible warning against listening to angels.

[edit] Non-Muslim view

Some non-Muslim are known to speculate regarding Muhammads health as an explanation of the event.

[edit] Reply to criticism

Muslims view this incident as no more extraordinary than the sea-splitting of Moses or the healings of Jesus. The narrative also supports the view that Muhammad never entertained any hope in being a prophet, as he feared for his life. Angels according to Islam are agents of God, and as such, they can but do his commands. Later success of his mission, notwithstanding the opposition of his own people and the great powers of the time, is also cited to prove the divine support to his mission. The word translated clot above (علقة) has also been used in attempts to prove the divine inspiration of the Quran 1 2.