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Muhammad at Mecca

Then Umar said to the gathering, "By God, I was by one of the

idols of the Jahiliyyah with a number of men of Quraysh. An Arab

had sacrificed a calf to it, and we were waiting for it to be divided

up in order to receive a share, when I heard coming from the belly

of the calf a voice which was more penetrating than any voice I

have ever heard — this was a month or a year before Islam — saying:

O people of Dharih

A matter which has ended in success

A man shouting

Saying, "There is no deity but God."

Ibn Humayd — 'All b. Mujahid — Ibn Ishaq — al-Zuhri — 'Abdallah

b. KaT) the mawla of 'Uthman b. 'Affan: a similar account.

Al-Harith — Muhammad b. Sa'd — Muhammad b. Umar —

Muhammad b. 'Abdallah — al-Zuhri — Muhammad b. Jubayr b.

Mut'im — his father: We were sitting by an idol at Buwanah a

month before the Messenger of God commenced his mission, having

slaughtered camels. Suddenly we heard a voice calling from

the belly of one: 92

Listen to the wonder;

There will be no more eavesdropping to overhear inspiration;

We throw down shooting stars

For a prophet in Mecca;

His name is Ahmad, 93

His place of emigration is Yathrib.

We held back and marvelled; then the Messenger of God appeared (that is, he began his mission).

Proofs of Prophethood

Ahmad b. Sinan al-Qattan al-Wasitl — Abu Mu'awiyah — A 'mash —

Abu Zibyan— Ibn 'Abbas: A man of the Banu 'Amir came to the

Prophet and said, "Show me the seal which is between your shoul-

ders, and if you lie under any enchantment I will cure you, for I

am the best enchanter of the Arabs," "Do you wish me to show

you a sign?" asked the Prophet. "Yes," said the man, "summon

92. Reading juzur instead of jazur with Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat, 1:105.12-17.

93. See n. 88.

The Beginning of the Prophetic Mission

67

that cluster of dates." So the Prophet looked at a cluster of dates

hanging from a date palm and summoned it, and began to snap his

fingers until it stood before him. Then the man said, "Tell it to go

back," and it went back. The 'Amiri said, "O Banu 'Amir, I have

never seen a greater magician than I have seen today."

Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari): The stories of the proof of his prophethood

are too numerous to be counted. We shall devote a book to this

subject, if God wills.

The Manner in Which the Qur'an Was First Revealed

We now return to an account of the condition of the Prophet

of God at the time when God began to ennoble him by sending

Gabriel to him bearing the revelation.

Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari): We have mentioned previously some of

the stories related to the first occasion on which Gabriel brought

our Prophet Muhammad the revelation from God and how old

the Prophet was at that time. We shall now describe the manner

in which Gabriel began to come to him and to appear to him (1147]

bringing the revelation of his Lord.

Ahmad b. TJthman, known as Abu al-Jawza — Wahb b. Jarir— his

father— al-Nu'man b. Rashid— al-Zuhri— TJrwah— 'A'ishah: The

first form in which the revelation came to the Messenger of God

was true vision; this used to come to him like the break of dawn. 94

After that, he grew to love solitude and used to remain in a cave

on Hira' engaged in acts of devotion 95 for a number of days before

returning to his family. Then he would return to his family and

supply himself with provisions for a similar number of days. This

continued until the Truth came to him unexpectedly, 96 and said.

'Muhammad, you are the Messenger of God.' " (Describing what

94. This probably refers to the two visions described in the Qur'an (53:1-18).

These are now interpreted by Muslims as visions of Gabriel, but the use of the

word 'abd (slave) in verse 10 implies that Muhammad originally took it to be a

vision of God, and this is allowed by some of the older commentators. See Ibn

Hisham, Sir ah, 151.

95. There has been much discussion over the precise meaning of the word

yatahannathu (verbal noun, tahannuth), although it is clearly some form of devotional practice; further references in Watt, Muhammad at Mecca, 44.

96. In this usage, the Truth ( al-haqq ) is God, and the apparent declaration of

Muhammad's messengership by God supports the view that he originally took the

visions to be of God.

68

Muhammad at Mecca

happened next,) the Messenger of God said, "I had been standing,

but fell to my knees,- and crawled away, my shoulders trembling.

I went to Khadijah and said, 'Wrap me up! Wrap me up!' 97 When

the terror had left me, he came to me and said, 'Muhammad, you

are the Messenger of God.' "

He (Muhammad) said: I had been thinking of hurling myself

down from a mountain crag, but he appeared to me, as I was think-

ing about this, and said, "Muhammad, I am Gabriel and you are

the Messenger of God." Then he said, "Recite!" I said, "What shall

I recite?" 98 He took me and pressed me three times tightly until I

was nearly stifled and was utterly exhausted; then he said: 99 "Recite

in the name of your Lord who created," and I recited it. Then I

went to Khadijah and said, "I have been in fear for my life." When I

told her what had happened, she said, "Rejoice, for God will never

put you to shame, for you treat your kinsfolk well, tell the truth,

deliver what is entrusted to you, endure fatigue, offer hospitality

to the guest, and aid people in misfortune."

Then she took me to Waraqah b. Nawfal b. Asad 100 and said to

[1148] him "Listen to your brother's son." He questioned me and I told

him what had happened. He said, "This is the Namus 101 which

was sent down to Moses, son of Imran. Would that I were a young

97. The word zammiluni is masculine plural, and so not addressed to Khadijah

alone. The same root is found in Qur'an 73:1, "O enwrapped one" [muzzammil).

Somewhat similar is the word in 74:1 muddaththii (wrapped in a dithar or cloak),

and this was held by some scholars to the first surah to be revealed. Covering

with a cloak is said to have been regarded as a form of protection from the danger

involved in the near approach of the divine.

98. The words ma aqra'u can mean both "what shall I recite?" and "I do not

(cannot) recite," and it is sometimes difficult to decide which meaning is to be

preferred. The translations given are thus in a sense conjectural. Muslim scholars

debated the question, and some modified the phrase to madha aqra’u, which can

only have the first meaning, others to ma and bi-qarin, which can only have the

second. Since qara'a can also mean "read," Muhammad's inability to read was part

of later apologetic.

99. 96:1.

100. Waraqah was Khadijah 's cousin, their fathers being brothers. He was

counted as a hanif (see n. 87), and is sometimes said to have become a Christian

(Ibn Hisham, Shah, 143,1151 below); he had certainly studied the Bible. There are

other versions of this story in which he does not actually meet Muhammad. The

words "brother's son" may indicate that, as husband of Khadijah, Muhammad was

reckoned as son of her father.

1 01. The word namus, which seems to represent the Greek nomos (law), is not

found in the Qur'an. It presumably refers to the five books of Moses (in Arabic

usually Tawrat); but see n. 114 below.

The Beginning of the Prophetic Mission 69

man now, and would that I could be alive when your people drive

you out!" I said, "Will they drive me out?" "Yes," he said. "No

man has ever brought the message which you have brought without

being met with enmity. If I live to see that day, I shall come

firmly to your aid."

The first parts of the Qur'an to be revealed to me after Iqra’

were:

Nun. By the pen, and that which they write. You are not,

through your Lord's favor to you, a madman. Yours will be a

reward unfailing, and you are of a great nature. You shall see

and they shall see. 102

and:

O you enveloped in your cloak, arise and warn! 103

and:

By the forenoon, and by the night when it is still. 104

Yunus b. 'Abd al-Ala — Ibn Wahb — Yunus — Ibn Shihab —

TJrwah — 'A'ishah: A similar account, but omitting the last part

from the words "The first parts of the Qur'an.. . . "

Muhammad b. f Abd al-Malik b. Abl al-Shawarib — 'Abd al-

Wahid b. Ziyad — Sulayman al-Shaybani — f Abd Allah b. Shaddad:

Gabriel came to Muhammad and said, "O Muhammad, recite!"

He said, "I cannot recite." Gabriel was violent towards him 105 and

then said again, "O Muhammad, recite!" He said, "I cannot recite,"

and Gabriel again was violent towards him . A third time

he said, "O Muhammad, recite!" He said, "What shall I recite?" 106

and he said:

Recite in the name of your Lord who creates! He creates

man from a clot of blood. Recite: And your Lord is the Most

102. 68:1-5. This is unlikely to be early, since it implies that Muhammad has

been charged with being majnun, mad or possessed by jinn.

103. 74:1-2.

104. 93:1-2. This surah contains encouragement to Muhammad, apparently after

a period of depression, possibly the time when Gabriel did not come to him.

105. The word ghammahu (he afflicted or grieved him) replaces ghattani of the

previous account (he pressed tightly until I was nearly stifled).

106. Muhammad uses the same words on all three occasions, but the meaning

seems to have changed with the third; see n. 98.

70 Muhammad at Mecca

Bountiful, He who teaches by the pen, teaches man what he

knew not. 107

Then he went to Khadijah and said, "Khadijah, I think that I

have gone mad." "No, by God," she said. "Your Lord would never

do that to you. You have never committed a wicked act." Khadijah

[1149] went to Waraqah b. Nawfal and told him what had happened. He

said, "If what you say is true, your husband is a prophet. He will

meet adversity from his people. If I live long enough, I shall believe

in him."

After this, Gabriel did not come to him for a while, and Khadijah

said to him, "I think that your Lord must have come to hate you."

Then God revealed to him:

By the forenoon, and by the night when it is still, your Lord

has not forsaken you, nor does he hate you. 108

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq 10 — Wahb b.

Kaysan the mawld of the family of al-Zubayr: I heard 'Abdallah

b. al-Zubayr saying to 'Ubayd b. 'Umayr b. Qatadah al-Laythi,

"Relate to us, 'Ubayd, what the beginning of the Messenger of

God's prophetic mission was like when Gabriel came to him." I

was present as 'Ubayd related the following account to 'Abdallah

b. al-Zubayr and those with him. He said, "The Messenger of

God used to spend one month in every year in religious retreat

on Hira." This was part of the practice of tahannuth in which

Quraysh used to engage during the Jahiliyyah. Tahannuth means

self- justification. 110 (Mentioning this practice) Abu Talib said, "By

those ascending Hira' and those descending."

The Messenger of God used to spend this month in every year in

religious retreat, feeding the poor who came to him. When he had

completed his month of retreat the first thing which he would do

on leaving, even before going home, was to circumambulate the

KaTiah seven times, or however many times God willed; then he

would go home.

When the month came in which God willed to ennoble him, in

107. 96:1-5.

108. 93:1-3.

109. Ibn Hisham, Shah, 151-54; this omits some sentences kept by Tabari.

no. For tahannuth see n. 95,- the word translated "self- justification" is tabarrur,

which has a wide range of meanings. hi. The phrase ma aqia’u seems here to have been given the meaning "I cannot read," since writing is mentioned. The verb qara'a can mean "read" as well as "recite."

The Beginning of the Prophetic Mission 71

the year in which God made him his Messenger, this being the

month of Ramadan, the Messenger of God went out as usual to

Hira' accompanied by his family. When the night came on which [1150]

God ennobled him by making him his Messenger and thereby

showed mercy to his servants, Gabriel brought him the command

of God. The Messenger of God said, "Gabriel came to me as I was

sleeping with a brocade cloth in which was writing. He said, "Recite!"

and I said, "I cannot recite." 111 He pressed me tight and almost

stifled me, until I thought that I should die. Then he let me

go, and said, "Recite!" I said, "What shall I recite?" only saying

that in order to free myself from him, fearing that he might repeat

what he had done to me. He said:

Recite in the name of your Lord who creates! He creates

man from a clot of blood. Recite: And your Lord is the Most

Bountiful, He who teaches by the pen, teaches man what he

knew not.

I recited it, and then he desisted and departed. I woke up, and it

was as though these words had been written on my heart. There

was no one of God's creation more hateful to me than a poet or

a madman,- 1 could not bear to look at either of them. I said to

myself, "Your humble servant (meaning himself) is either a poet

or a madman, but Quraysh shall never say this of me . 112 1 shall

take myself to a mountain crag, hurl myself down from it, kill

myself, and find relief in that way."

I went out intending to do that, but when I was halfway up the

mountain I heard a voice from heaven saying, "O Muhammad,

you are the Messenger of God, and I am Gabriel." I raised my head

to heaven, and there was Gabriel in the form of a man with his

feet set on the horizon, saying, "O Muhammad, you are the Messenger

of God and I am Gabriel." I stood looking at him and this

distracted me from what I had intended, and I could go neither

forward nor back. I turned my face away from him to all points of

1 1 2. It seems unlikely that it occurred spontaneously to Muhammad that he was

a poet or madman. This is almost certainly a criticism made of him by opponents

after he began his public preaching. Later scholars have doubtless introduced the

point here in order to explain how Muhammad came to contemplate suicide.

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Muhammad at Mecca

the horizon, but wherever I looked I saw him in exactly the same

form. I remained standing there, neither going forward nor turning

back, until Khadijah sent her messengers to look for me. They

went as far as Mecca and came back to her, while I was standing

in the same place. At last Gabriel left me and I went back to

my family. When I came to Khadijah, I sat down with my thigh

next to hers, and she said to me, "Abu al-Qasim, 113 where have

you been? I sent messengers to look for you all the way to Mecca

and back." I said to her, "I am either a poet or a madman," but

she answered, "May God save you from that, Abu al-Qasim! God

would not do that to you, considering what I know of your truthfulness,

your great trustworthiness, your good character, and your

good treatment of your kinsfolk. It is not that, cousin. Perhaps

you did see something." "Yes," I said, and then told her what I

had seen. "Rejoice, cousin, and stand firm," she said. "By Him is

whose hand is Khadljah's soul, I hope that you may be the prophet

of this community." Then she rose up, gathered her garments

around her, and went to Waraqah b. Nawfal b. Asad, who was her

paternal cousin. He had become a Christian, read the Scriptures,

and learned from the people of the Torah and the Gospel. She told

him what the Messenger of God had told her that he had seen

and heard. Waraqah said, "Holy, Holy! By Him in whose hand is

the soul of Waraqah, if what you say is true, Khadijah, there has

come to him the greatest Namus — meaning by Namus, Gabriel —

he who came to Moses 114 (That means that) Muhammad is the

prophet of this community. Tell him to stand firm."

Khadijah went back to the Messenger of God and told him what

Waraqah had said, and this relieved his anxiety somewhat. When

he had completed his retreat he went back to Mecca and, as was

his usual practice, went first to the Kabbah and circumambulated

it. Waraqah b. Nawfal met him as he was doing this and said, "Son

of my brother, tell me what you saw or heard." The Messenger of

(1152] God did so, and Waraqah said to him, "By Him in whose hand is

my soul, you are the prophet of this community, and there has

come to you the greatest Namus, he who came to Moses. They

113. This is Muhammad's patronymic or kunyah (see n. 22) and a familiar way

to address him.

114. This interpretation of Namus differs from that adopted in the translation

on p. 1148, which is justified by the use of the verb "sent down" there.

The Beginning of the Prophetic Mission

73

will call you a liar, molest you, drive you out, and fight you. If I

live to see that, I will come to God's assistance in a way which he

knows." Then he brought his head close and kissed the top of his

head. The Messenger of God went home with his resolve strengthened

by what Waraqah had said and with some of his anxiety relieved.

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq — Ismail b. Abi

Hakim the mawla of the family of al-Zubayr: He was told that

Khadijah said to the Messenger of God, to keep him steadfast in

the prophethood with which God had ennobled him, "Cousin, can

you tell me when this companion of yours who visits you comes? "

He replied, "Yes," and she said, "Tell me then, when he comes."

Gabriel came to him as before, and the Messenger of God said to

Khadijah, "Khadijah, here is Gabriel who has come to me." She

said, "Yes? Come and sit by my left thigh, cousin." He came and

sat by her, and she said, "Can you see him?" He replied, "Yes,"

and she said, "Move around and sit by my right thigh." He did

so, and she said, "Can you see him?" He replied, "Yes," and she

said, "Move around and sit in my lap." He did so, and she said,

"Can you see him?" He replied, "Yes." Then she was grieved, and

flung off her veil while the Messenger of God was sitting in her

lap. Then she said, "Can you see him?" and he replied, "No." At

that she said, "Cousin, be steadfast and rejoice. By God, this being

is an angel and no devil." 115

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq: I related this tradition

( hadith ) to 'Abdallah b. al-Hasan, and he said, "I heard my

mother Fatimah bt. al-Husayn relating this Hadith on the authoity

of Khadijah, except that I heard her saying that Khadijah put

the Messenger of God inside her shift next to her body, and that

thereupon Gabriel departed. Then she said, 'This being is an angel

and no devil.' "

Ibn al-Muthanna — 'Uthman b. TJmar b. Faris — 'AH b. al-

Mubarak — Yahya, that is, Ibn Abi Kathir: I asked Abu Salamah

which part of the Qur'an had been revealed first, and he replied:

"O you enveloped in your cloak, arise and warn!" 116

1 15. The thought is that an angel respects a woman's modesty, whereas a devil

or demon would not.

116. 74:1.

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Muhammad at Mecca

I said, "They say that it was

Recite in the name of your Lord", 117

but Abu Salamah replied, "I asked Jabir b. 'Abdallah which part

of the Qur'an had been revealed first, and he said, "O you enveloped

in your cloak." I said, "What about 'Recite in the name

of your Lord?' " but he answered, "What I am telling you is what

the Prophet told me. He said, "I was in retreat on Hira', and when

I had completed my retreat I came down the mountain and went

into the bottom of the wadi. Then I heard a voice calling me,* I

looked right and left, behind me and in front of me, but could

not see anything. Then I looked up, and there he was sitting

on a throne between heaven and earth, and I was afraid of him

[fa-khashitu minhu). Ibn al-Muthanna: These were 'Uthman b.

'Umar's words, but the correct version is "I was terror-stricken by

him." [fa-ju’ithtu minhu ) Then I went to Khadljah and said, "Envelop me!"

So they enveloped me in a cloak and poured water over

me, and then "O you enveloped in your cloak, arise and warn!"

was revealed to me.

Abu Kurayb — Wakl' — 'All b. al-Mubarak—Yahya b. Abi Kathlr:

I asked Abu Salamah which part of the Qur'an had been revealed

first, and he said, "It was 'O you enveloped in your cloak.' " I said,

"They say that it was 'Recite in the name of your Lord who created,'

" but he said, "I asked Jabir b. 'Abdallah, and he said 'I am

only telling you what the Messenger of God told me. He said, "I

was in retreat on Hira', and when I had completed my retreat I

came down the mountain and heard a voice. I looked left and right

and saw nothing, and behind me and saw nothing. Then I raised

my head and saw something, and went to Khadljah and said, 'Envelop

me, and pour water on me.' So they enveloped me in a cloak

and poured water on me, and then 'O you enveloped in your cloak'

was revealed to me."

Hisham b. Muhammad: Gabriel came to the Messenger of God

for the first time on Saturday night and Sunday night. 118 On Monday

he brought him the commission as Messenger of God, and

taught him the ritual ablution, the prayer ritual, and the passage

117. 96:1.

1 18. The Arab day begins at sunset, so that by Western reckoning this would be

the nights of Friday and Saturday.

The Beginning of the Prophetic Mission

75

"Recite in the name of your Lord who created." On the Monday

on which he received the revelation, the Messenger of God was

forty years old.

Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Habib al-Tusi — Abu Daud al-

TayalisI— Ja'far b. 'Abdallah b. TJthman al-Qurashi— TJmar b.

'Urwah b. al-Zubayr — TJrwah b. al-Zubayr — Abu Dharr al-

Ghifari: I said, "O Messenger of God, how did you first know

with absolute certainty that you were a prophet?" "Abu Dharr,"

he replied, "two angels came to me while I was somewhere in

the Valley of Mecca. One of them came down to earth, while

the other remained between heaven and earth. One of them said

to the other, 'Is this he?' and the other replied, 'It is he.' 'Weigh

him against a man,' he said, so I was weighed against a man and

outweighed him. 'Weigh him against ten,' he said, so he weighed

me against ten and I outweighed them. Then he said, 'Weigh him

against a hundred,' so he weighed me against a hundred and I outweighed

them. Then he said, 'Weigh him against a thousand.' So

he weighed me against a thousand and I outweighed them. People

began to be scattered over me from the pan of the balance, and

one angel said to the other, 'If you were to weigh him against the

whole of his community he would outweigh them.'

"Then one said to the other, 'Open his breast.' He opened my

breast, and then he said, 'Take out his heart' or 'open his heart.' He [1155]

opened my heart, and took out from it the pollution of Satan and

the clot of blood, and threw them away. Then one said to the other,

'Wash his breast as you would a receptacle — or, wash his heart as

you would a covering.' Then he summoned the sakinah , 119 which

looked like the face of a white cat, and it was placed in my heart.

Then one of them said to the other, 'Sew up his breast.' So they

sewed up my breast and placed the seal between my shoulders.

No sooner had they done this than they turned away from me.

While this was happening I was watching it as though I were a

bystander. " 1M

1 1 9. The word sakinah occurs six times in the Qur'an. In five instances it

is usually taken to mean a "peace of reassurance" sent down by God upon

Muhammad or the believers; but in the other instance (2:48) it is a material object

contained in the sacred ark of the Israelites. Because of the uncertainty about

its meaning, the word lent itself to various interpretations, of which there is an

example here. It corresponds to the Hebrew shekhinah; see El 1 s.v. Sakina.

120. Ibn Ishaq (Ibn Hisham Siiah, 105-6) describes events similar to the above,

76

Muhammad at Mecca

Muhammad b. 'Abd al-A'la— Ibn Thawr — Ma'mar — al-Zuhri:

The inspiration ceased to come to the Messenger of God for a

while, and he was deeply grieved. He began to go to the tops of

mountain crags, in order to fling himself from them; but every

time he reached the summit of a mountain, Gabriel appeared to

him and said to him, "You are the Prophet of God." Thereupon

his anxiety would subside and he would come back to himself.

The Prophet used to relate this story as follows: "I was walking

one day when I saw the angel who used to come to me at Hira'

on a throne between heaven and earth. I was terror-stricken by

him, and I went back to Khadijah and said, "Wrap me up!" So we

wrapped him up ( zammalnahu ), that is, enveloped him in a cloak

( daththamahu ), and God revealed:

O you enveloped in your cloak, arise and warn! Your Lord

magnify, your raiment purify. 121

Al-Zuhri: The first thing to be revealed to him was "Recite in

the name of your Lord who creates ..." as far as the words "what

he knew not."

Yunus b. 'Abd al-A'la — Ibn Wahb — Yunus — Ibn Shihab — Abu

Salamah b. 'Abd al-Rahman— Jabir b. 'Abdallah al-Ansari: The

Messenger of God said, relating the story of the interruption or gap

[1156] in the revelation, "As I was walking, I heard a voice from heaven.

I looked up, and suddenly saw the angel who came to me at Hira'

seated on a throne between heaven and earth. I was terror-stricken

and went (to Khadijah) and said "Wrap me up! Wrap me up" They

enveloped me in my cloak, and God revealed, "O you enveloped

in your cloak, arise and warn ..." as far as "and pollution shun."

After that, the revelation came in regular succession.

Khadijah the First to Believe in the Messenger of God

Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari): God commanded his Prophet to rise up and

to warn his people that God would punish them for their ingratitude

to their Lord and for their worship of false gods and idols to

the exclusion of Him who created them and gave them their daily

bread. He was also to tell them of his Lord's bounty to himself,

but during Muhammad's childhood; see also 1157 below.

121. 74:1-4; there is an awkward change of person in the previous sentence.

The Beginning of the Prophetic Mission

77

with the words: "Of the bounty of your Lord let your discourse

be." According to Ibn Ishaq, this refers to his prophethood. 122

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Ibn Ishaq: The words "Of the bounty

of your Lord let your discourse be" mean "Of God's bounty and

generosity in bestowing Prophethood upon you, Let your discourse

be," that is, "proclaim it and summon people to it." Thereupon

the Messenger of God began to proclaim God's bounty to

himself and to (God's) servants in conferring prophethood upon

him He did this in private to those of his family who trusted in

him. It is related that of God's creatures the first to hold him truthful,

to believe in him, and to follow him was his wife Khadijah.

Al-Harith — Ibn Sa'd— al-Waqidi: Our fellow scholars are agreed

that the first of the people of the Qiblah to respond to the Messenger

of God was Khadijah bt. Khuwaylid.

The Fkst Rituals of Islam Are Prescribed

Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari): The first of the duties of Islam to be pre-

scribed for Muhammad by God, after that of confessing God's oneness,

disavowing graven images and idols, and repudiating false

gods, is said to have been that of ritual prayer or worship (salat ). 113

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq — certain scholars:

124 When ritual prayer was prescribed for the Messenger of God,

Gabriel came to him while he was in the upper part of Mecca, (1157]

and dug his heel into the side of the wadi, whereupon a spring

gushed out. While the Messenger of God watched him, Gabriel

then performed the ritual ablution in order to show him how to

purify himself for prayer. Then the Messenger of God performed

the ritual ablution as he had seen Gabriel do. Next, Gabriel rose up

and led him in prayer, and the Prophet followed his actions. Then

Gabriel departed, and the Messenger of God went to Khadijah and

performed the ablution for her in order to show her how to purify

122. Ibn Hisham, Sizah, 158; the verse is 93:11.

123. The word salat is commonly translated "prayer," although "worship"

would be more appropriate, since there is virtually no petition or intercession.

The salat consists of a series of acts accompanied by expressions of praise or adoration. The climax is touching the ground with the forehead in acknowledgement

of God's majesty. Each Muslim is now required to accomplish the salat five times

a day, though originally the number of times was probably not fixed.

124. Ibn Hisham, Sizah, 158.

78

Muhammad at Mecca

herself for prayer, as Gabriel had shown him. She performed the

ablution as he had done, and then he led her in prayer as Gabriel

had led him, and she followed his actions.

The Prophet Ascends to the Seventh Heaven 125

Ibn Humayd — Harun b. al-Mughirah and Hakkam b. Salm —

'Anbasah — Abu Hashim al-Wasiti — Maymun b. Siyah — Anas b.

Malik: At the time when the Prophet became a prophet, he used to

sleep around the KaTiah as did the Quraysh. On one occasion two

angels, Gabriel and Michael, came to him and said, “Which of the

Quraysh were we ordered to come to?" Then they said, "We were

ordered to come to their chief," and went away. After this they

came from the Qiblah and there were three of them. They came

upon him as he slept, turned him on his back, and opened his

breast. Then they brought water from Zamzam and washed away

the doubt, or polytheism, or pre-Islamic beliefs, or error, which

was in his breast. Then they brought a golden basin full of faith

and wisdom, and his breast and belly were filled with faith and

wisdom.

Then he was taken up to the earthly heaven. Gabriel asked for

[1158] admittance, and they said, “Who is it?" "Gabriel," he said. “Who

is with you?" they said. “Muhammad," he answered. “Has his

mission commenced?" they asked. “Yes," he said. “Welcome,"

they said, and called down God's blessings on him. When he went

in, he saw before him a huge and handsome man. “Who is this,

Gabriel?" he asked. "This is your father, Adam," he replied. Then

they took him to the second heaven. Gabriel asked for admission,

and they said the same as before. Indeed, the same questions

were asked and the same answers given in all the heavens.

When Muhammad went in to the second heaven he saw before

him two men. "Who are these, Gabriel?" he asked. "John and Isa,

the two maternal cousins," he replied. Then he was taken

to the third heaven, and when he went in he saw before him a

man. "Who is this, Gabriel?" he asked. He replied, "Your brother

Joseph who was given preeminence in beauty over other men as

is the full moon over the stars at night." Then he was taken to

125. Ibid. 263-71, with slightly different material.

The Beginning of the Prophetic Mission

79

the fourth heaven, and he saw before him a man and said, “Who

is this, Gabriel ?" "This is Idris," he said, 126 and recited:

And we raised him to high station

Then he was taken to the fifth heaven, and he saw before him

a man and said, "Who is this, Gabriel?" “This is Aaron," he said.

Then he was taken to the sixth heaven, and he saw before him a

man and said, "Who is this, Gabriel?" "This is Moses," he said.

Then he was taken to the seventh heaven, and he saw before him

a man and said, "Who is this, Gabriel?" “This is your father Abraham," he said.

Then he took him to Paradise, and there before him was a river

whiter than milk and sweeter than honey, with pearly domes

on either side of it. “What is this, Gabriel?" he asked. Gabriel

replied, “This is al-Kawthar, which your Lord has given to you,

and these are your dwellings." Then Gabriel took a handful of its

earth and lo! it was fragrant musk. Then he went out to the Sidrat

al-Muntaha, 127 which was a lote tree bearing fruits the largest of

which were like earthenware jars and the smallest like eggs. Then

his Lord drew nigh,

"Till he was distant two bows' length or nearer." Because of [1159]

the nearness of its Lord the lote tree became covered by the like

of such jewels as pearls, rubies, chrysolites, and colored pearls.

God made revelation to his servant, caused him to understand and

know, and prescribed for him fifty prayers (daily).

Then he went back past Moses, who said to him, "What did he

impose your community?" "Fifty prayers," he said. "Go back to

your Lord," said Moses, “and ask him to lighten the burden for

your community, for your community is the weakest in strength

and the shortest-lived." Then he told Muhammad what he himself

had suffered at the hands of the Children of Israel. The Mes-

senger of God went back, and God reduced the number by ten.

126. See n. 55. The verse is 19:57.

127. The "lote tree of the utmost boundary" is spoken of in the description of

Muhammad's second vision in Surah 53:14. The following phrase about being "distant two bows' length or nearer" is from verse 9 describing the first vision. Though

many Muslim scholars associate the second vision with Muhammad's "night journey" or ascent to heaven, this is improbable since the main verse referring to

the "night journey" (17:1) was revealed about the middle of the Meccan period,

whereas the passage 53:13-18 almost certainly refers to a very early experience.

8o

Muhammad at Mecca

Then he passed Moses again, who said, "Go back to your Lord

and ask him to lighten the burden further." This continued until

he had gone back five times. Once more Moses said, "Go back to

your Lord and ask him to lighten the burden," but the Messenger

of God said, "I am not going back, although I do not wish to disobey

you," for it had been put into his heart that he should not go

back. God said, "My speech is not to be changed, and my decision

and precept is not to be reversed, but he (Muhammad) lightened

the burden of prayer on my community to a tenth of what it was

at first." 128

Anas; I never encountered any scent, not even the scent of a

bride, more fragrant than the skin of the Messenger of God. I

pressed my skin to his and smelt it.

The First Male to Believe in the Messenger of God

', All b. Abl Talib

Abu Ja'far (al-Tabari): There is a difference of opinion among

the early scholars as to who after his wife Khadijah bt. Khuwaylid

first followed the Messenger of God, believed in him, held true the

message which he brought from God, and prayed with him. Some

say that the first male to believe in the Messenger of God, pray

with him, and hold the truth of the message which he brought

from God was 'Ali b. Abi Talib.

Among those who take this view, whose reports we have heard,

are the following:

[1160] Ibn Humayd — Ibrahim b. al-Mukhtar— ShuTiah — Abu Balj —

'Amr b. Maymun — Ibn 'Abbas: The first to perform the prayer was

'Ali.

Zakariyya b. Yahya al-Darir — 'Abd al-Hamid b. Bahr — Sharlk b.

'Abdallah b. Muhammad b. 'Aqil— Jabir: The Prophet was commissioned

as prophet on Monday, and 'All performed the prayer

on Tuesday.

Ibn al-Muthanna — Muhammad b. Ja'far — ShuTiah — 'Amr b.

Murrah— Abu Hamzah— Zayd b. Arqam: The first to accept

128. Literally, this runs: "he lightened the prayer for my community to a tenth."

The translation adopted assumes that these words are a continuation of the speech

of God, and seems to make best sense of "my"; but there are other possibilities.

The Beginning of the Prophetic Mission 81

Islam with the Messenger of God was 'All b. Abi Talib. I mentioned

this to al-Nakha'i, and he denied it, saying, “Abu Bakr was the

first to accept Islam."

Abu Kurayb — Waki' — Shuloah — 'Amr b. Murrah — Abu Hamzah

the mawla of the Ansar — Zayd b. Arqam: The first to accept Islam

with the Messenger of God was 'All b. Abi Talib.

Abu Kurayb — TJbayd b. Sa'id — ShuTah — 'Amr b. Murrah — Abu

Hamzah, a man of the Ansar— Zayd b. Arqam: The first to perform

the prayer with the Messenger of God was 'All.

Ahmad b. al-Hasan al-Tirmidhl— TJbaydallah b. Musa— al-

'Ala' — al-Minhal b. 'Amr— 'Abbad b. 'Abdallah: I heard 'All saying,

 “I am the servant of God and the brother of his Messenger,

and I am the most righteous one ( al-siddiq al-akbai). 129 No one

other than I can say this but a liar and an inventor of falsehoods. I

performed the prayer with the Messenger of God seven years before

other men.

Muhammad b. TJbayd al-Muharibi — Sa'id b. Khuthaym — Asad

b. 'Abdah al-Balji — Yahya b. 'Afif— 'Afif: During the Jahiliyyah I

came to Mecca and stayed with al- 'Abbas b. 'Abd al-Muttalib. [1161]

When the sun came up and rose into the sky, while I was looking

at the KaTiah a young man came up and gazed at the sky.

Then he turned to face the KaTiah and stood facing it. Soon afterwards

a youth came and stood on his right, and soon after that a

woman came and stood behind them. The young man bowed, and

the youth and woman bowed; then the young man stood erect,

followed by the youth and the woman, and then the young man

prostrated himself, and they did so with him. I said, “'Abbas, this

is a weighty matter." “It is a weighty matter indeed," he said.

"Do you know who this is?" “No", I said. “This is Muhammad

b. 'Abdallah b. 'Abd al-Muttalib, my brother's son," he said. "Do

you know who this is with him?" "No," I said. “This is 'All b.

Abi Talib b. 'Abd al-Muttalib, my brother's son," he said. “Do

you know who this woman is who is behind them?" “No," I said.

“This is Khadijah bt. Khuwaylid, my nephew's wife," he said “My

nephew has told me that his Lord, 130 the Lord of Heaven, has commanded

them to do what you see them doing. God's oath, I do not

129. This is an implicit claim that 'All is superior to Abu Bakr, since " the righteous

one" lfll-siddiq)isa kindof by-name regularly given to Abu Bakr by Sunnites.

130. Following the variant iabbahu instead of the rabbaka of the printed text.

82 Muhammad at Mecca

know anyone on the face of the earth but these three who follow

this religion."

Abu Kurayb — Yunus b. Bukayr — Muhammad b. Ishaq — Yahya

b. Abi al-Ash'ath al-Kindi, a Kufan scholar — Ismail b. Iyas b.

'Aflf — his father — his grandfather : 131 1 was a merchant, and I came

during the pilgrimage and stayed with al -'Abbas. While we were

[1162] with him, a man came out to pray and stood facing the KaT>ah.

Then a woman came out and stood praying with him, followed

by a youth who stood praying with him. I said, "'Abbas, what is

this religion? I do not know what this religion is." He answered,

"This is Muhammad b. 'Abdallah, who claims that God has sent

him as His Messenger with this (religion), and that the treasures

of Chusroes and Caesar will be given to him by conquest. This

woman is his wife Khadijah bt. Khuwaylid, who has believed in

him, and this youth is his cousin 'All b. Abi Talib, who has believed in him."

'Aflf: Would that I had believed in him that day, so that I had

been the third.

Ibn Humayd — Salamah b. al-Fadl and 'All b. Mujahid: (then)

Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq — Yahya b. Abi al-Ash'ath (Abu

Ja'far (al-Tabari): elsewhere in my book the name is given as Yahya

b. al-Ash'ath) — Ismail b. Iyas b. 'Aflf al-Kindi ('Aflf was the maternal

halfbrother of al-Ash'ath b. Qays al-Kindi, and the son of his

paternal uncle) — his father — his grandfather, 'Aflf: Al- 'Abbas b.

'Abd al-Muttalib was a friend of mine. He used to go to the Yemen

to buy perfume and sell it during the pilgrimage season. While I

was staying with al-'Abbas b. 'Abd al-Muttalib at Mina there came

to him a man in the prime of life who performed the ritual ablution

thoroughly and then stood praying. Then a woman came out,

performed the ablution, and stood praying. Then a youth just past

the age of puberty came out, performed the ablution, and stood

by his side praying. I said, "Whatever is this, 'Abbas" He replied,

"This is my brother's son Muhammad b. 'Abdallah b. 'Abd al-

Muttalib, who claims that God has sent him as a messenger; this

is my brother's son 'All b. Abi Talib who has followed him in his

[1163J religion, and this is Muhammad's wife Khadijah bt. Khuwaylid

who has followed him in his religion." After 'Aflf had become a

1 31. This and the following paragraph are omitted by Ibn Hisham. See Guil-

laume, p.113.

The Beginning of the Prophetic Mission 83

Muslim and Islam had become firmly rooted in his heart, he used

to say, "Would that I had been a fourth."

Ibn Humayd — Isa b. Sawadah b. al-Ja'd — Muhammad b. al-

Munkadir, Rabfah b. Abi 'Abd al-Rahman, Abu Hazim al-Madani

and al-Kalbl: 'All was the first to accept Islam. According to al-

Kalbi, he accepted Islam at the age of nine.

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Ibn Ishaq: 132 The first male to believe

in the Messenger of God, to pray with him, and to accept the truth

of the message he brought from God was 'All b. Abi Talib, who at

that time was ten years old.

One of the favors which God bestowed on 'All b. Abi Talib was

that the Messenger of God was his guardian before Islam.

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq — 'Abdallah b.

Abi Najih — Mujahid b. Jabr Abu al-Hajjaj: A mark of God's favor

to 'All b. Abi Talib and his beneficence and benevolence towards

him was the following. When Quraysh were afflicted by a

severe drought, the Messenger of God, seeing that Abu Talib had

many dependents, said to his uncle al- 'Abbas, who was one of the

richest of the Banu Hashim, "'Abbas, your brother Abu Talib has

many dependents, and you see how people are suffering from this

drought. Come with me and let us lighten the burden of his dependents.

I will take one of his sons and you take one, and we will

look after them for him." Al- 'Abbas agreed, and they went to Abu

Talib and said, "We wish to lighten the burden of your dependents

until the hardship from which the people are suffering lifts."

Abu Talib said to them, "As long as you leave me 'Aqll, do as

you wish." The Messenger of God took 'All and made him a member

of his household, and al- 'Abbas did likewise with Ja'far. 'All

b. Abi Talib continued to live with the Messenger of God until

the latter became a prophet, and then followed him, believed in

him, and accepted the truth of his message. Ja'far remained with

al- 'Abbas until he (Ja'far) professed Islam and became financially

independent of him.

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq: Some scholars

mention that when the time for prayer came, the Messenger of

God would go out to the ravines of Mecca, accompanied by 'All b.

Abi Talib, in order to conceal himself from his uncle Abu Talib,

[1164]

132. Ibn Hisham, Shah, 158-60.

84

Muhammad at Mecca

his other uncles, and the rest of his clan. They would pray together

there, and then as evening fell, would return. They continued in

this fashion as long as God willed that they should. One day, however,

Abu Talib came across them as they were praying and said

to the Messenger of God, “Nephew, what is this religion which

I see you following?" He replied, “Uncle, this is the religion of

God, of His angels, of His messengers and of our forefather Abraham,

" or words to that effect; “God has sent me as Messenger to

His servants with this religion, and you, my uncle, are the most

deserving person to whom I could give sincere advice and whom I

could summon to right guidance, and you are the most deserving

person to answer my call and assist me in this matter," or words

to this effect. Abu Talib replied, “Nephew, I cannot leave my religion

and the religion of my forefathers and their practices, but,

by God, as long as I live nothing unpleasant shall befall you."

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq: They allege that

he said to 'All b. Abi Talib, “My son, what is this religion which

[1165] I see you practicing?" He replied, "Father, I believe in God and

His Messenger. I accept the truth of the message which he has

brought, and I pray to God with him." They also allege that Abu

Talib said “He calls you to nothing but good, so adhere to him."

Al-Harith — Ibn Sa'd — Muhammad b. 'Umar — Ibrahim b. Nafi'

— Ibn Abi Najih — Mujahid: 'Ali became a Muslim when he was

ten years old.

Al-Harith — Ibn Sa'd — al-Waqidi: Our fellow scholars are agreed

that 'Ali accepted Islam a year after the Messenger of God began

his prophetic mission, and that he remained in Mecca for twelve

years.

Abu Bakr

Others say that Abu Bakr was the first male to accept Islam.

Those who say this:

Sahl b. Musa al-Razi — 'Abd al-Rahman b. Maghra, — Mujalid —

al-ShaTn: I said to Ibn 'Abbas, "Who was the first to accept Islam?"

He answered, "Have you not heard the lines of Hassan b. Thabit, 133

If you call to mind trustworthy men to grieve for them,

mention your brother Abu Bakr and his deeds.

133. Diwan, ed. Arafat, 1:125.

The Beginning of the Prophetic Mission

85

The best of men, the most pious and the most just

after the Prophet, and the most faithful in fulfilling

what he undertook.

The second, the follower, may his tomb be praised,

and the first of men to believe in the prophets.

Sa'Id b. 'Anbasah al-Razi — al-Haytham b. "Adi — Mujalid — al-

ShaTn— Ibn "Abbas: A similar account.

Ibn Humayd — Yahya b. Wadih — al-Haytham b. "Adi — Mujalid —

al-ShaTbl — Ibn 'Abbas: A similar account.

Bahr b. Nasr al-Khawlanl — "Abdallah b. Wahb — Mu'awiyah b.

Salih— Abu Yahya and Damrah b. Habib and Abu Talhah — Abu

Umanah al-Bahill — 'Amr b. "Abasah: I came to the Messenger of

God when he was staying at "Ukaz 134 and said, "O Messenger of

God, who has followed you in this religion?" He replied, "Two

men have followed me in it, a free man and a slave; Abu Bakr and

Bilal." Then I accepted Islam and reckoned myself at that time to

be one quarter of those who believe in Islam.

Ibn "Abd al-Rahlm al-Barql — 'Amr b. Abl Salamah — Sadaqah —

Nasr b. 'Alqamah — his brother— Ibn 'A'idh — Jubayr b. Nufayr:

Both Abu Dharr and Ibn 'Abasah used to say, "I reckoned myself

to be a quarter of those who believed in Islam, for no one had

accepted Islam before me but the Prophet, Abu Bakr and Bilal."

Neither knew when the other accepted Islam.

Ibn Humayd — Jarir — Mughlrah — Ibrahim: The first to accept Is-

lam was Abu Bakr.

Abu Kurayb — Wakl" — Shu "bah — 'Amr b. Murrah — Ibrahim al-

Nakha'I: Abu Bakr was the first to accept Islam.

Others say that a number of people accepted Islam before Abu

Bakr.

Those who say this: Ibn Humayd — Kinanah b. Jabalah —

Ibrahim b. Tahman — al-Hajjaj b. al-Hajjaj — Qatadah — Salim b.

Abl al-Ja'd — Muhammad b. Sa'd: I said to my father, "Was Abu

Bakr the first of them to accept Islam?" He answered, "No, more

than fifty people accepted Islam before him, but he was the best

Muslim among us."

[1166J

[1167]

134. Site of an annual fair, lying between Nakhlah and al-Ta'if.

86

Muhammad at Mecca

Zayd b. Harithah

Others say that the first man to believe and follow the Prophet

was Zayd b. Harithah, his mawla.

Those who say this:

Al-Harith — Muhammad b. Sa'd — al-Waqidl — Ibn Abi Dhi'b: I

asked al-Zuhri who was the first person to accept Islam. He

replied, "The first woman was Khadijah and the first man was

Zayd b. Harithah."

Al-Harith — Muhammad b. Sa'd — Muhammad b. 'Umar — Mus'ab b.

Thabit — Abu al-Aswad — Sulayman b. Yasar: The first to ac-

cept Islam was Zayd b. Harithah.

Al-Harith — Muhammad b. Sa'd — Muhammad (that is Ibn

'Umar)— Rabi'ah b. 'Uthman— 'Imran b. Abi Anas: A similar report.

'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Abdallah b. 'Abd al-Hakam — 'Abd al-Malik

b. Maslamah — Ibn Lahi'ah — Abu al-Aswad — 'Urwah: The first to

accept Islam was Zayd b. Harithah.

Ibn Ishaq’s account 135

Ibn Ishaq's account, as transmitted by Ibn Humayd— Salamah,

is as follows: Then Zayd b. Harithah, the mawla of the Messenger

of God, accepted Islam. He was the first male to accept Islam and

to pray after 'All b. Abi Talib. Then Abu Bakr b. Abi Quhafah al-

Siddiq accepted Islam. When he did so, he proclaimed this openly

and summoned others to God and to his Messenger. He was well-

liked among his tribe, popular and easy to get on with. He was also

the most expert of Quraysh on the genealogy of the tribe and the

best informed of them about their good and bad qualities. He was a

merchant, upright and well-known, and, for various purposes, the

men of his tribe used to come to him and associate with him because

of his knowledge, his commercial skill, and the excellence

135. The passage from al-Waqidl has not been located. That from Ibn Ishaq is Ibn

Hisham, Sirah, 160. Zayd b. Harithah had been captured in war as a boy and sold as

a slave to Khadijah. When Muhammad freed him, he would become his "client"

[mawla). Usually, however, he is called Muhammad's "adoptive son," and is even

said to have been named Zayd b. Muhammad. This "adoption" was presumably

not like that practiced in the West, but some kind of social usage about which we

are not fully informed, perhaps due to the fact that Zayd chose to remain with

Muhammad and Khadijah. This question became important when Muhammad

married Zaynab bt. Jahsh after Zayd had divorced her; see Watt, Muhammad at

Medina, 282, 329-31.

The Beginning of the Prophetic Mission

87

of his company. He began to summon to Islam trustworthy members

of his tribe who came and joined in his social gatherings. I

have heard that TJthman b. 'Affan, 'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Awf, Sa'd

b. Abl Waqqas and Talhah b. TJbaydallah accepted Islam at his

hands. When they responded to his summons, he took them to

the Messenger of God, where they accepted Islam and joined in

the prayer. These eight men were the first group to accept Islam,

to pray, to accept the truth of his message, and to believe in the

revelation which he brought from God. After that, people entered

Islam in unbroken succession, both men and women, until Islam

became a general topic of conversation in Mecca and everyone

talked of it.

Al-Waqidl’s account

Al-Waqidi's account, as transmitted by al-Harith — Ibn Sa'd, is

as follows: Our fellow scholars are agreed that the first of the

people of the Qiblah to respond to the Messenger of God's call

was Khadijah bt. Khuwaylid. After this, there is a difference of

opinion among us as to which of three men, Abu Bakr, 'All, and

Zayd b. Harithah, was the first to accept Islam. Khalid b. Sa'id

b. al-'As accepted Islam with them and made a fifth. According

to some Abu Dharr accepted Islam fourth or fifth, while 'Amr b.

'Abasah al-Sulaml accepted Islam fourth or fifth according to others.

There is a difference of opinion among us as to which of these

men accepted Islam first and there are many accounts concerning

this. There are disagreements about the first three and about

those whose names we have given after them.

Al-Harith — Ibn Sa'd — Muhammad b. TJmar — Mus'ab b. Thabit —

Abu al-Aswad Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. Nawfal: Al-

Zubayr became a Muslim after Abu Bakr and he was the fourth or

fifth.

Ibn Ishaq: Khalid b. Sa'id b. al-'As and his wife Humaynah bt,

Khalaf b. As 'ad b. 'Amir b. Bayadah of Khuza'ah became Muslims

after a large number of people other than those whom I have mentioned

by name as being early converts to Islam. 136

136. Ibn Hisham, Shah, 164. It is not clear why Tabari has selected these two

names from a list of early Muslims given by Ibn Ishaq.

*

Events of the Life of the Messenger of God

(Continued)

The Messenger of God Begins to Preach Openly

Three years after the commencement of his mission , 137 God commanded

His Prophet to proclaim the divine message which he had

received, to declare it publicly to the people, and to summon them

to it. God said to him:

So proclaim that which you are commanded, and withdraw

from the polytheists . 138

In the previous three years of his mission, until he was commanded

to summon people openly to God, he had kept his preaching

secret and hidden. Then God revealed:

And warn your tribe of near kindred, and lower your wing

(in kindness) to those believers who follow you. And if they

(your kinsfolk) disobey you, say: "I am innocent of what they

do ." 139

When the Messenger of God's Companions, prayed they went

to the ravines and concealed themselves from their fellow tribesmen.

Once while Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas and a number of the Messen-

ger of God's Companions were in one of the ravines of Mecca, a

group of polytheists suddenly appeared before them as they were

praying, expressed their disapproval and reproached the believers

for what they were doing. Finally, they came to blows, and Sa'd b.

137. Ibid., 166.

138- 15:94

139. 26:214-16.

Events of the Life of the Messenger of God

89

Abi Waqqas struck one of the polytheists with a camel's jawbone [117°]

and split his head open. This was the first blood shed in the time

of Islam.

Abu Kurayb and Abu al-Sa'ib — Abu Mu'awiyah — al-A'mash —

’ Amr b. Murrah — Sa'id b. Jubayr — Ibn 'Abbas: One day the Messenger

of God mounted al-Safa and called out, “Beware this morning!

" Quraysh gathered around him and said, “What is the matter?"

Then he said, “If I were to tell you that the enemy would

come upon you this morning or this evening, would you believe

me?" “Certainly," they replied. He said, “I am a warner to you in

the face of a terrible doom." Then Abu Lahab said, "May you perish!

Did you call us together for this?" Then God revealed: “The

power of Abu Lahab will perish and he will perish" . . . reciting to

the end of the surah . 140

Abu Kurayb — Abu Usamah — al-A'mash — 'Amr b. Murrah —

Sa'id b. Jubayr— Ibn 'Abbas: When God revealed the verse, "and

warn your tribe of near kindred," the Messenger of God went

out, mounted al-Safa, and called out, "Beware this morning!"

Some said, "Who is that calling out?" and others said, "It is

Muhammad." Then he said, “Banu so-and-so, Banu 'Abd al-

Muttalib, Banu 'Abd Manaf!" They gathered round him, and he

said, “If I were to tell you that horsemen were coming out at the

foot of that mountain, would you believe me?" They replied, “We

have never known you to tell a lie." Then he said, "I am 'a warner

to you in the face of a terrible doom.' " Abu Lahab said, “May you

perish! Did you only bring us together for this?" Then the following

surah was revealed: "The power of Abu Lahab will perish, and

he will perish ..." reciting to the end of the surah.

Ibn Humayd — Salamah— Muhammad b. Ishaq — 'Abd al- [1171]

Ghaffar b. al-Qasim — al-Minhal b. 'Amr — 'Abdallah b. al-Harith

b. Nawfal b. al-Harith b. 'Abd al-Muttalib — 'Abdallah b. 'Abbas —

'All b. Abi Talib: 141 When the verse "and warn your tribe of near

kindred" was revealed to the Messenger of God, he called me and

said to me, “'All, God has commanded me to warn my tribe of near

140. Abu Lahab was the uncle of Muhammad who succeeded Abu Talib as chief

of the clan of Hashim, and then refused to continue to let Muhammad have the

protection of the clan. It was probably at that time that Surah 111 was revealed and

not on the occasion described here. The verses quoted are 34:46 and 111:1-5.

141. This section is omitted by Ibn Hisham.

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Muhammad at Mecca

kindred. I was troubled by this, for I knew that when I broached

the matter to them they would respond in a way which I would not

like. I kept silent until Gabriel came to me and said, "Muhammad,

if you do not do what you are commanded, your Lord will punish

you. So prepare a measure of wheat for us, add a leg of mutton

to it, fill a large bowl of milk for us, and then assemble the Banu

'Abd al-Muttalib for me so that I may speak to them and tell them

what I have been commanded to tell them."

I did what he had told me to do and then called them to him. At

that time they numbered forty men, more or less, including his

uncles Abu Talib, Hamzah, al-'Abbas, and Abu Lahab. When they

had gathered together, he called on me to bring the food which I

had prepared. I brought it, and when I put it down the Messenger

of God took a piece of meat, broke it with his teeth, and threw it

towards the dish. Then he said, "Take, in the name of God." They

ate until they could eat no more, and yet the food was as it had

been, except for where their hands had been. I swear by God, in

[1172J whose hand 'All's soul rests, that a single man could have eaten

the amount of food which I put before all of them. Then he said,

"Give them something to drink," so I brought them that bowl and

they drank from it until they had drunk their fill, and I swear by

God that one man could have drunk that amount. 142

When the Messenger of God wanted to speak to them, Abu Lahab

forestalled him and said, "Your host has long since bewitched

you." Then they dispersed without the Messenger of God speaking

to them. On the following day he said to me, 'All, this man

forestalled me by saying what you heard him saying, so that the

people dispersed before I could speak to them. Prepare the same

food for us as you did yesterday, and assemble them here."

I did this, assembled them, and brought the food to them when

he called me. He did as he had done the previous day, and they

ate until they could eat no more. Then he said, "Bring the bowl,"

and they drank until they could drink no more. Then he spoke to

them, saying, "Banu 'Abd al-Muttalib, I know of no young man

among the Arabs who has brought his people something better

than what I have brought to you. I bring you the best of this world

142. This is an example of the miracles invented for Muhammad by later Muslim

scholars in order to refute the Christian argument that he could not be a prophet

because he had performed no miracles.

Events of the Life of the Messenger of God

9i

and the next, for God has commanded me to summon you to

him. Which of you will aid me in this matter, so that he will be

my brother, my agent (wasi) and my successor (khalifah)

among you?"

They all held back, and although I was the youngest and the

most bleary-eyed, 143 pot-bellied, and spindly-legged of them, I said,

"I will be your helper, Prophet of God." He put his hand on the

back of my neck and said, "This is my brother, my agent, and my

successor among you, so listen to him and obey him." They rose

up laughing and saying to Abu Talib, "He has commanded you to [n 73]

listen to your son and to obey him!"

Zakariyya' b. Yahya al-Darir— -'Affan b. Muslim — Abu 'Awanah

— TJthman b. al-Mughirah — Abu Sadiq — Rabi'ah b. Najid: A man

said to 'All, "Commander of the Faithful, how did you become

the heir of your cousin to the exclusion of your paternal uncle? " 144

'All said, "Ahem" three times until everybody craned their necks

and pricked up their ears, and then said, "The Messenger of God

assembled (or: invited) the whole of the Banu 'Abd al-Muttalib,

including his own closest relatives, to eat a year-old lamb and to

drink some milk. 145 He also prepared a quantity of wheat 146 for

them, and they ate until they were full, while the food remained

as it was, as though it had not been touched. Then he called for

a drinking cup and they drank until they could drink no more,

while the drink remained as though it had not been touched and

they had not drunk.

"Then he said, 'Banu 'Abd al-Muttalib, I have been sent to all

men in general and to you in particular. Now that you have seen

what you have seen, which of you will swear an oath of allegiance

to me to become my brother, my companion and my inheritor?'

Not one of them rose up, so I stood before him, although I was the

youngest there. He said. 'Sit down.' He repeated the words he had

spoken three times, while I would rise up and would say to me,

'Sit down.' On the third occasion, he struck his hand on mine. In

143. The word aimas is literally "with eyes encrusted with matter."

144. This presumably refers to al-'Abbas, the ancestor of the 'Abbasid dynasty.

145. Literally, "to drink a farq ” which was a liquid measure used especially in

al-Madinah.

146. Literally "a mudd of wheat," but it is impossible to say even approximately

how much this was.

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Muhammad at Mecca

this way I became the heir of my cousin to the exclusion of my

uncle."