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...[8:12] 7) Theii chapter, and is the meaning of the word ‘waiy’ when used in the context of Islamic spiration to the prophets. This category is the subject of discussion of this sciences. The primary verse that discusses the types and categories of wahy is Allaah’s state- ment: 58 Leis Gayyal yale 24 OLemctptieean hs «lt is not possible for any human being that Allaah should speak to him unless it be by Inspiration, or from behind a veil, or (that) He sends a Mes- senger to reveal what He wills by His Permission, Verily, He is the Most High, Most Wise» [42:51] ‘These categories shall be the topic of discussion of the next section. ut. The Procedure of Wahy Waky can‘occur in two ways: without an intermediary, and with an intermediary. A. WITHOUT AN INTERMEDIARY In this case, Allaah reveals His message directly to His servant. This ean occur in two forms: 1) By way of dreams. This is the first type of inspiration that the Prophet (2%) received. ‘Aalishah re-Inspiration -al-Wahy 65 ports, “The commencement of the divine inspiration upon the Prophet (38) was in the form of good dreams; he never used to dream about anything except that it came oi true like the rising of the sun.”'" In other words, before the Prophet (8) received his mi ion of prophethood, he (#%) would see dreams of events which would eventually come true, just like the sun rises every morning. The dreams of all the prophets are an inspiration from Allaah. In these dreams, the prophets are either shown some event of the future, or given commandments by Allaah. This is proven by the dream in which Ibraaheem saw himself sacrificing his son Ismaa’eel. Ibraaheem understood that this dream was a command from Allaah, directing him to sacrifice his son. ISU 56K tesa adage OP Sepa oERU a AS «And when he (Ismaa’eel) was old enough to walk with him, he said, O my son! I have seen in a dream that | am slaughtering you, so what do you think?” (Ismaa’eel) said, ‘O my father, do what you have been commanded! Verily, you will find me, {37:102| inshaa Allaah, from amongst the patient’ Ibraaheem understood that this was a command from Allaah, as did Ismaa’eel, even though it was in the form of a dream. Another example of this is the Treaty of Hudaybiyah. The Prophet (#8) had been shown a vision in which the Muslims were performing the rites of ‘Umrah, and the Companions set out with the Prophet (#4) from Madeenah to Makkah hoping to perform the ‘Umrah, The pagans of Makkah, however, did not allow the Muslims to enter Makkah, and a treaty was enacted between the Muslims and the pagans, later to be known as the Treaty of Hudaybiyah. One of the conditions of the treaty was that, in the following year, the Muslims would return and complete the rites of’ Umrah. As the Muslims returned sad-heartened to Madeenah, Allaah revealed, . eaten iit pepe og SiC Al Me 5iBS OIA IST AE ee AERTS STL Onkt5S vse cAale aeale Si asleleolelodl be a eee sey «Indeed, of a surety shall Allaah fulfil the dream which He showed His Messenger; you shall enter the Masid al-Heraam, if Allaah wills, secure, with your heads shaved or trimmed (after performing the rites of pilgrim- age), fearing none» [48:27] 114 Reported by al-Bukhaaree66 An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur'aan The following year, the Muslims performed the ‘Umrah as per the terms of the reement. The dream that the Prophet (#2) had seen ev ntually came true. The Prophet (8) never received any Qur'aan in this manner," but he did “Nothing is left of prophethood except ‘mubashiraat’ (glad tidings).” When he was asked what this was, he replied, “A true dream.”"" In other words, the only type of inspiration thatis left after the death of the Prophet (#8) is in the form of truc dreams toa believer. In another narration, he G22) said, “A true and pious dream is one out of forty-six parts of prophethood.”"” 2) Direct speech from Allaah. ‘This is the second way in which Allaah communicates to the prophets directly, This is the meaning of the verse, Ge GoI Cs MRS A 3ks «lt is not possible for any human being that Allaah should speak to him unless it be... from behind a veil...» [42:51] Allaah speaks directly to the prophet, but the prophet does not see him, An example of this was when Allaah spoke to Moosaa on Mount Toor,: GISIEDS hg les DA AK cok aye plas «And when Moosaa came at the time and place appointed by Us, and his Lord spoke to him, (Moosaa) said, ‘O My Lord! Allow me to look at you!” (Allaah) said, "You will not see Me...» [7143] This method of wahy occurred once with the Prophet (3), when he went on his journey of al-Israa wa al-Mi’raaj.""* The Prophet (3%) did not see Allaah, since there was a veil of light between them. Aboo Dharr asked the Prophet (328), your Lord (on the journey of al-Israa)?” The Prophet (#8) replied, could T see Him?”""” ‘Did you see Light — how meaning that there was a veil of Light that was between the 115. Although some researchers claim that the Prophet (#8) did receive some Qur'aan in this manner, the evidence that they use is not explicit. The particular narration is on the authority of Anas ibn Maalik, who stated that once the Prophet (385) was sitting amongst them, when he dozed off: He then raised his head and They asked him, “What makes you smile, O Messenger of Allaah (38)?” He replied, “A soorah has just been revealed to me...” (Reported by M smile lim). This is not explicit evidence since the narration does not mention that the revelation occurred during the Prophet's (8) sleep. I is possible that the inspiration could have occurred before the Prophet (38) dozed off. It is also possible that the Prophet (3) was not actually asleep, but the Companions presumed him to be so. Therefore evidenc {Lis not possible to use this narration ay inst other stronger and clearer proofs to the contra 116. Reported by al-Bukhaaree. 117 Reported by al-Daarimee from al-Nawwaas iba Sama'aan. Some commentators have explained the fraction as being the time that the Prophet (3) received true dreams before his prophethood (six months) over the total time of his prophethood (23 years); hence one out of forty-six, and Allaah know best. 118 The journey which occurred during the late Ma in stage of the Prophet (3), in which he (325) was. taken from Makkah to Jerusalem, and then to the Heavens. . 119. Reported by Muslim,Inspiration - a/-Wahy 67 Prophet (3%) and Allaah. In fact, seeing Allaah before the Day of Judgement is not possible for any human.' Some scholars claim that the last two verses of Soorah al-Baqarah were revealed in this manner (ice. ary, during the night of al-Israa wa al-Mi'raaj). However, there is no authentic, ex- plicit proof for this opinion, therefore, it cannot be accepted. , the Prophet (#8) received them from Allaah, without an intermedi- B. WITH AN INTERMEDIARY This is the primary and most common method of inspiration. This method of wahy is when Allaah sends an angel to inspire His Messenger. This is the meaning of the phrase, e5 LB Ye Mondt anes 4 OD Reet shee 545 lv is not possible for any human being that Allaah should speak to him unless... He sends a messenger, so He inspires him with what He wills...» 42:5] This messenger was sometimes seen by the Prophet (34%) and sometimes hidden. The messenger whom Allaah chose to communicate with His prophets was the An- gel Jibreel, Allaah says, (ete, MLAB SAGE Lied eK «Whoever is an enemy to Jibreel (let him perish), for indeed he has brought this (Qur'aan) down to your heart, by Allaah’s permission» [2:97] In another verse, ‘And truly this (the Qur'aan) is a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds; which the Trustworthy Spirit (Jibreel) brought down; Upon your heart (O 92-194] Muhammad) that you may be among the warners» [26: When the Prophet (3) saw Jibreel for the first time, his wife Khadeejah took him to her uncle, Waraqah ibn awfal, who had converted to Christianity, and was knowl edgeable of the Torah and Injeel. After the Prophet (%) informed him of what he had 120 For the proofs of this, see Shark ‘Ageedah ut-Tahawiyyah, p. 196-7.68 An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur'aan seen, Waraqah told him, “This (angel) is the same one, the Naamoos (Keeper of Se- crets), whom Allaah sent to Moosaa!”"?! When discussing this concept of wahy, itis essential to discuss two types of inspira- rstly, how Allaah inspires Jibreel with the Qur'aan, and, secondly, how Jibreel inspired the prophets, and specifically the Prophet Muhammad (#4). The Revelation of the Qur'aan to the Angels In the last chapter, the Qur'aan as the kadaam of Allaah was discussed, and the fact that Allaah spoke the Qur'aan in a manner that is befitting Him, not similar or com- parable to the speech of humans, was proven. It was also discussed that the kalaam of Allaah can be heard, contrary to the beliefs of some of the innovated sects. Therefore, the belief of the AAl as-Sunnah wa al-Jamaa‘ah is that Jibreel heard the Qur'aan di- rectly from Allaah, as the falaam of Allaah. ‘The Prophet (3) said, “Whenever Allaah desires to inspire a matter (to His serv- ants), He speaks with the inspiration, and (because of this) the heavens themselves shal - out of fear of Allaah. When the people of the Heaven (i.c., the angels) hear c they fall down in a swoon and prostrate to Him. The first one to raise his head is Jibreel, and Allaah speaks to him with the inspiration that He wishes. Then Jibreel s by the angels; whenever he goes by any heaven, the angels of that heaven ask him, ‘What did our Lord say, O Jibreel?” He answers, ‘He has Spoken the Truth, and He is the Most High, the Most Great." This hadeeth is explicit in that “...Allaah speaks to him with the inspiration.” Apart from the proofs from the Qur'aan and Sunnah that were quoted above (in the section concerning the kalaam of Allaah), there exist narrations from such schol- ars as Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee (d. 204 A.H.), Imaam Maalik (d. 179 A.H.), and al- Bukhaaree (d. 256 A.H.) concerning this point." Imaam Ahmad (d. 241 A.H.) also very explicit on this point, for he said, “Jibreel heard the Qur'aan from Allaah, and the Prophet (2%) heard the Qur'aan from Jibreel, and the Companions of the Prophet (#%) heard the Qur'aan from the Prophet (#8). Therefore, the Qur'aan is uncreated.”"* Imaam al-Bayhaqee (d. 458 A.HL), said in explaining the verse, see OG geih «Verily, We have revealed it in the Night of Decree» [97:1) 121 Reported in al-Bukh 122. Reported by al-Bukl the verse, “Unt n fear is removed from their (the angel's) hearts, they say, ‘What did your Lord say?” “They answer, “The truth, and He is the Most High, the Most Great™ [34:23]. 123 ef, Bulaihi, pps. 139-147, where he quotes over a dozen scholars on this one issue. 24 Reported by al-Khallaal, # 1779 are. aree, Ibn Khuzaym: Tabaraani, and others. This hadeeth is in reference toInspiration -al-Wahy 69 This v« itand understand it, and revealed with him what he heard, and so the angel © means ~ and Allaah knows best ~‘We made our angels hear descended with the revelation from a higher place (the skies) to a lower one (the earth). However, some scholars claimed that Jibreel took the Qur'aan from the Lawh al- Mahfoodh (The Protected Tablet).' Those who follow this opinion use the verses in the Qur'aan that allude to the Lauh al-Mahfoodh (which will be discussed in the next chapter). These evidences, however, do not explicitly mention that Jibreel took the Qur'aan from the Lawh al-Mahfoodh. Other scholars, primary those of the Ash'arees, claimed that Jibree! was inspired the meaning of the Qur'aan, but the wording is cither from Jibreel or Muhammad (#8). This opinion is rejected outright, for its ad- herents deny what Allaah has affirmed for Himself, namely that the Qur'aan is His kalaam that He Spoke ina manner and way that befits Him. To say that the wording of the Qur'aan is from Jibreel or Muhammad () denies the whole concept of the kalaam of Allaah, and of the miraculous nature of the Qur'aan, In fact, this type of inspiration is for the Sunnah of the Prophet (#8) only, and not for the Qur'aan, as shall be explained shortly. The Revelation of the Our'aan to the Prophet (38) from Jibreel After Jibreel heard the Qur'aan from Allaah, he communicated this to the Prophet (@&). This occurred in one of two ways. 1) The revelation came to the Prophet (#) in a very severe manner, like the ring- ing ofa bell. This was the hardest for the Prophet (2), and it is reported that he used to break into a sweat, even on very cold nights, when he was being inspired. After this state passed, the Prophet (#8) remembered what was inspired to him. As the Qur'aan says, «Verily We shalll send down to you a heavy speech» [73:5] 2) Jibreel took on the form of a man and came to the Prophet (28). This type of inspiration was easier for the Prophet (8) ‘The proof for these two methods is found in the hadeeth of “Aa'ishah, in which she stated that Haarith ibn Hisham asked the Prophet (3), “O Allaah’s Messenger! How is the divine message revealed to you He (#%) responded, “Sometimes it comes to mc like the ringing ofa bell. This form is the hardest on me, and this state passes off afier [have grasped what is inspired. Sometimes the angel comes to me in the form of aman and talks to me, and I grasp what he says.”"” 125 Damishgi, p. 62 126 See Ch. 4, under “The Stages of Revelation’, for a more detailed discussion of the Lauh al-Mahfoodh. 7 Narrated by al-Bukhaare70 An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur'aan Therefore, in the first case, the angel would remain in its angelic form, and the state of the Prophet (3) would change so that he (#8) could communicate with the angel, and this state was difficult for him. In the second case, the angel would change from his angelic being to a human form, and communicate with the Prophet (8). Since the Prophet @) remained as he was, this type of inspiration was easier for him." However, in both cases the Prophet (3%) explained that he clearly understood the inspiration, for he (2%) said after explaining each of the two types of inspiration, ..and I grasp what he says.” In the beginning of his prophethood, the Prophet (34) was fearful of forgetting the verses that Jibreel recited to him, so he (#8) used to quickly repeat afier Jibreel, even before Jibreel had finished his recitation. At this, Allaah revealed, ALLY ay Soe KB. 528 sede Outs Se siaipee1$5 «Do not move your tongue with haste concerning (the Qur'aan); itis for Us to collect it and Recite it. Afier we have recited it to you, then follow its recital» (75:16-18] The Prophet (8) was assured that he would not forget the Qur'aan, so there was no need for him to hasten in repeating after the angel: Ap Sales MIR, Be a e5 GAS, 5 gai «And do not be in haste (in taking) the Qur'aan (from the angel) before its My Lord! Increase my knowledge!" inspiration is complet [20:114] dtoyou, and sa There are no reported incidents where Jibreel came in the form of a man and inspired the Prophet (3) in front of the Companions or any other bystanders. A- though the Companions saw Jibrecl on a number of occasions in the form of a man, he never inspired the Prophet (#%) with the Qur'aan on these occasions. Thus it may be surmised that when Jibreel came to the Prophet (#8) in this form, with the wahy only the Prophet (2%) could see him. Jibreel also came to the Prophet (8) in his natural form, without taking on a different shape. This occurred three times; once in the Cave of Hiraa’ when the first revelation came down, once shortly afterwards (probably the second or third revela- tion) and once on the Night of al-Israa wa al-Mi'raaj.”” The Prophet (#8) reported 128 f.Q cation. However, it should be kept in mind that the exa an, p. 39. The scholar Ibn Khaldoon (d. 808 A.H.) is also quoted on this point of communi. ct nature of this communication will never be known to mankind, and as such the investigation into, and commentary on, this subject should be kept limited. 129 Ch, Ubaydaat, p. 34-36. Some scholars claim that the Prophet (38) saw Jibreel in his natural form only twice, and this is based on an authentic reportInspiration - al-Wahy 71 that Jibreel had six hundred wings, and that Jibreel was so large that he reached the heavens in height. Tt might be asked: Was Jibrecl the only angel that the Prophet (2) communicated with? The answer is that the Prophet (#§) communicated with a number of different angels, but the only angel whose name is mentioned with regards to the revelation of the Qur'aan is Jibreel. For example, Ibn ’Abbaas reports that once Jibreel was sitting with the Prophet (#8), when they heard a sound from above. Jibreel said, “This is (the sound of) a door from the skies, it has never opened until today.” An angel came down to them, and Jibreel said, “This angel has come down to the earth, it has never come ¢ his salaams to them, and said to the Prophet (#4), “I give you glad tidings of two lights that you have been given, which have not been Soorah al-Faatihah), and the last verses of Soorah al-Bagarah, you shall not read any word in it except that down before today.” The angel g given to any prophet before you: The Opening of the Book (i. you will be granted it”! Also, there are narrations in which the Prophet () in- formed the Companions that the angels had whispered in his heart certain state- ments. Therefore, although Jibreel was not the only angel whom the Prophet (38) communicated with, to the best of our knowledge he is the only angel that came with the Qur'aan. This agrees with the description that is given of the Qur'aan, BA GEO Is «And this (Qur'aan) is a Revelation from the Lord of the world; which the A ste Alay trustworthy Angel (Jibreel) has brought down» [26:192-193] In other words, Jibreel brought down all of the Qur'aan. The effect that the revelation process had on the Prophet (#4) has been recorded in a number of Aadeeth. ‘Aalishah narrates, “Sometimes the revelations would de- scend upon the Prophet (#2) ona very cold morning, and his forehead would glisten with sweat."'? ‘Ubaadah ibn as-Saamit reported that whenever the wahy descended upon the Prophet (#8), the significance and importance that he gave (to the inspiration) could be scen, and his face became slightly pale. Also, the Prophet @) would lower his head during the inspiration process, and the Companions, due to their love for the Prophet (3), would also lower their heads, until the revelation had ended. The Companions were eager to witness the revelation upon the Prophet (2%). It y only natural that they would be so curious about witnessing such a rare phenom- enon. Safwaan ibn Ya'la ibn Umayyah reported that his father, Ya'la ibn Umayyah used to say (during the Prophet's (#2) lifetime), “How I wish I could see the Prophet (B) while the wahy comes down to him!” So, one day, the Prophet (38) was at (a 130 ci Ashqar, ‘Aatim al-Malaa'ikah, p. 1. 131 Reported by Muslim. 132. Reported by Mustim 133. Reported by Muslim.72 An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur'aan ) Me: What is the ruling for one who enters into the state of itraam'™ while his clothes are soaked in perfume?” So the Prophet (3) waited for a while, until the inspiration came to him. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab motioned to Ya'la, “Come quickly!” so Ya'la came and stuck his head into the Prophet's (34) tent to see him! He saw the Prophet (8), his face was red (duc to the inspiration), and he stayed lik then it was lifted off from him, and he called the questioner and said, “As for the place called) Jraanah, when a person came to him and said enger of Allaah! that for some time, perfume on you body, then wash yourself three times, and as for your clothes, then replace them (with non-scented ones)..."'" This narration shows the extreme desire that the Companions had to see the Prophet (#%) during this state, and also demon- strates the difficulty of the revelation process on the Prophet (2). ‘To summarise the various types of inspiration, it is appropriate to quote Ibn al- Qayyim’s (d. 758 A.H.) classification of the types of wahy:'™ 1) True dreams, such as those experienced by the Prophet (3) before his prophethood. 2) The inspiration that used to be whispered into the Prophet's (2) heart by the angels, such as his (#4) statement, “Verily, the Holy Spirit has whispered in my heart that a person will never die until his (preordained) time comes..." 3) The angel used to come to him in the form ofa human and speak with him. 4) The inspiration used to come to him like the ringing of a bell. 5) He (@§) used to see the angel in the original form that the angel was created in. 6) What Allaah inspired in him (24) directly, when he was above the seven skies in his journey of al-Israa wa al-Mi'raaj. 7) What Allaah Spoke to him directly, just like He spoke to Moosaa, and this also occurred in his (38) journey of al-Israa wa al-Mi'raaj. The revelation of the Qur'aan occurred by the third, fourth and fifth methods only. .Iv. The Difference Between the Qur'aan and Hadeeth Qudsee A hadeeth Qudsee is a hadeeth in which the Prophet (8) narrates a statement from Allaah. For example, the Prophet (#8) said, “Allaah said, ‘O My servants, I have made injustice haraam for M and have made it Aeraam between you also, so do not be unjust to one another. 134 The state that a person who desires to perform the major or minor pilgrimage must enter. During this state, itis not allowed to perfume the body, hence the reason for the question 135. Reported by al-Bukhaaree. 136. bn al-Qayyim also mentions an cighth category, and that is the inspiration from All (8) without any barrier between them, but this category is one that has never occurred, ef: Zaad al-Ma'ad, wl, ps 18. 137. Ibn Nu‘aym in his Hilya, see Sulieeh al-fami’, #2085. 138. Reported by Muslim to the ProphetInspiration - al-Wahy 73 There are a number of differences between hadeeth Oudsee and the Qur'aan: 1) The primary difference that is given by most scholars is that the Qur'aan is the Speech of Allaah, revealed to the Prophet (¥) in meaning and wording. Thus, the Qur'aan is from Allaah even in wording. Hadeeth Qudsee, according to many scholars, is only from Allaah in meaning. Therefore, the Qur' n is attributed directly to Allaah. It is said, ‘Allaah said with regards toa verse of the Qur'aan, but this cannot be used for a hadecth Oudsee without adding the phrase, ‘The Prophet (388) said that Allaah said 2) The Qur'aan has been put forth as a miracle that can never be imitated in its style, prose or content. It is an open challenge forall of mankind to produce even a chapter similar to it. A hadeeth Oudsee, on the other hand, has no miraculous nature in it. ists for 3) Allaah has promised to preserve the Qur'aan, whereas no such promise the hadeeth Qudsee. 4) The Qur'aan has reached us in mutawaatir chains of narration. There is no dif ference of opinion over the Qur'aan; all scholars are in agreement as to what its verses and letters are. Hadeeth Oudsce, on the other hand, mainly exist in the form of ahaad (i.c., non-niitawaatir) hadecth. There are authentic, w fabricated hadeeth Oudsee,'” for it is still a hadeeth that must be checked with all ak and even the rules of the scholars of hadeeth. 5) Itis an act of worship to recite the Qur'aan, whereas this is not the case for a hadeeth Oudsee. The person who reads hadeeth Oudsee will be rewarded for seck- ing knowledge, just as if he read other hadecth. The recitation of the Qur'aan, on the other hand, is an act of worship in and of itself. This point also implies that a hadeeth Oudsee cannot be read in prayers, and if done so then such a prayer will not be valid. Only the Qur'aan may be recited in prayer. 139 ‘This is the opinion that almost all authors of ‘oom al-Qur'aan quote. Some scholars, howev that even the wording of hadeeth Oudsee is from Allaah, and this is the opinion that this author inclines ay towards. The reason is that most of the authors of the works of ‘loom a/-Qur'aan have been Ash'arees, and the opinion that hadeeth Otedsce arc inspired in ‘meaning’ and are not the actual alaame of Allaah reeks of the Ash arce faith. There is absolutely no proof to show that the words of the hadeeth Oudsee are not from Allaah. When the Prophet (3) says, “Allaah says..", it should be held upon its literal, apparent meaning; namely, that Allaah actually spoke these words, and the Prophet (38) was inspired these words; and Allaah knows best. However, the wordings of the hadeeth Qudsee have not been promised to be preserved by Allaah {in contrast to the Qur'aan); only their meanings have b the same hadeeth Quésee is found in different works of hadeeth with different wordings. The Qur'aan, on the other hand, has been preserved in wording and meaning, 140 There have also been attempts to fabricate Qur the difference is that these rejected recitations of the Qu Pherefe preserved. wanic recitations (see Ch. 1 for further details), but ‘aan are agreed upon by all the scholars. Certain hadeeth Ondsee, on the other hand, are subject to a difference of opinion over their authenticity just like other hadceth.