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From chest to chest. How the revelation was passed on and protected

From chest to chest. How the revelation was passed on and protected
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December 31, 2024
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When he was nearly forty, Muhammad (peace be upon him) began to see dreams of light and inspiration in preparation for the mission he would be receiving to deliver Allah’s message to the world. These continued for six months and then he began to love and seek seclusion more and more.

The significance of the cave

It was in the cave of Hira that the revelation first came to him. The question is why did Muhammad (peace be upon him) choose Hira out of all the many caves around Makkah?

The answer, as historians and narrators of the Prophet’s biography commented, is that his grandfather ‘Abd al-Muttalib introduced him to it, as ‘Abd al-Muttalib himself would go there to seclude himself (in itikaf). The narration is not completely authentic, but it is a possibility.

The standing of ‘Abd al-Muttalib, among the Quraysh was as though he was Ibrahim II (peace be upon him). Even though he was not a prophet like Ibrahim (peace be upon him), due to his righteousness, Quraysh respected him a great deal. Whenever Muhammad (peace be upon him) felt suffocated by the toxic environment – the idol worship and the injustice, immorality, and societal corruption—he sought solitude to reflect and seek the truth. He found peace and clarity in the Cave of Hira, where he would spend days in worship and contemplation, distancing himself from the chaos, to reflect.

Ibn al-Dhiya’ mentioned in Tareekh Makkah that Muhammad (peace be upon him) chose Hira as the place for his retreat, as he could engage in worship and contemplation while being in the presence of the House of God. Looking towards the Ka‘bah is itself an act of worship. Thus, the Prophet (peace be upon him) combined three acts of worship: solitude, spiritual striving (tahannuth), and looking at the Ka‘bah.

The tradition of seclusion in Hira

1. Ibn al-Athir in al-Kamil fī al-Tareekh stated that ‘Abd al-Muttalib was the first to engage in spiritual devotion in Hira’. Whenever the month of Ramadan began, he would ascend to Ḥirā’ and feed the poor for the entire month.

2. The Quraysh used to practice seclusion: Ibn Ishaq narrated that Wahb ibn Kaysan, the freed slave of the family of al-Zubayr, reported from ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, who asked ‘Ubāyd ibn ‘Umayr about the beginning of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) prophethood when Jibrīl first came to him. ‘Ubayd said: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to seclude himself in Ḥirā’ every year for one month, and this was a practice that the Quraysh also followed during the pre-Islamic period.”

3. Abu Talib praised the practice of ascending to Hira’: Ibn Ishaq narrated that Abu Talib said:

   “And Thawr, and who set Ṣabīr in its place, 

   And a guide to righteousness in Hira’ and its dweller.”

4. The practice of retreat (i‘itikaf) was part of the legacy of the law of Ibrahim (peace be upon him): Ibn Hajar said: “It seems this was something that remained from the laws of the earlier prophets, following the practice of i‘tikāf, and it was common during the time of the Quraysh.”

5. Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) was the only one to seclude himself in his grandfather’s cave rather than his uncles’: Ibn Hajar added: “It should be noted that the Quraysh did not contest the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) choice of the Cave of Hira’ because it had already been the place of retreat for his grandfather, ‘Abd al-Muttalib, who was the first from the Quraysh to do so. The Quraysh held him in high esteem due to his dignity and age, and so they allowed the Prophet (peace be upon him) to follow in his footsteps. His uncles respected this tradition due to their reverence for him.”

6. Zayd ibn ‘Amr also went to Hira’: Ibn Sa‘d, Abū Nu‘aym, and al-Bayhaqi narrated from ‘Amir ibn Rabi‘ah who said: “I met Zayd ibn ‘Amr ibn Nufayl as he was leaving Makkah, heading towards Hira’.

Muhammad (peace be upon him) would ascend the steep mountain paths in the rugged peaks of Jabal al-Noor with some food and water and withdraw from the hubbub of Makkah, to ponder in the stillness and isolation of the cave. Khadija, who would have been in her fifties by then, would lovingly climb up the mountain to replenish his stock as she cared deeply for him.

The Night of Revelation

In the cave of Hira, during Ramadan, on the Night of Qadr, Muhammad (peace be upon him) received the angel, Jibril, who is al Ruh al Amin (the Trusted Spirit). He brought the revelation to all messengers and prophets. His task was to convey the divine revelation to each of them, with the last revelation being to Muhammad (peace be upon him), the final messenger.

Scholars commented on why the visions started coming six months prior to this encounter and observed that without this, the first meeting would have been even more of a shock than it was.

Narration of Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her)

حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ بُكَيْرٍ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ ، عَنْ عُقَيْلٍ ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ أُمِّ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ : أَوَّلُ مَا بُدِئَ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنَ الْوَحْيِ الرُّؤْيَا الصَّالِحَةُ فِي النَّوْمِ، فَكَانَ لَا يَرَى رُؤْيَا إِلَّا جَاءَتْ مِثْلَ فَلَقِ الصُّبْحِ ، ثُمَّ حُبِّبَ إِلَيْهِ الْخَلَاءُ، وَكَانَ يَخْلُو بِغَارِ حِرَاءٍ فَيَتَحَنَّثُ فِيهِ – وَهُوَ التَّعَبُّدُ – اللَّيَالِيَ ذَوَاتِ الْعَدَدِ، قَبْلَ أَنْ يَنْزِعَ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ، وَيَتَزَوَّدُ لِذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يَرْجِعُ إِلَى خَدِيجَةَ فَيَتَزَوَّدُ لِمِثْلِهَا، حَتَّى جَاءَهُ الْحَقُّ وَهُوَ فِي غَارِ حِرَاءٍ، فَجَاءَهُ الْمَلَكُ فَقَالَ : اقْرَأْ. قَالَ : ” مَا أَنَا بِقَارِئٍ “. قَالَ : ” فَأَخَذَنِي فَغَطَّنِي حَتَّى بَلَغَ مِنِّي الْجَهْدَ، ثُمَّ أَرْسَلَنِي فَقَالَ : اقْرَأْ. قُلْتُ : مَا أَنَا بِقَارِئٍ. فَأَخَذَنِي فَغَطَّنِي الثَّانِيَةَ حَتَّى بَلَغَ مِنِّي الْجَهْدَ، ثُمَّ أَرْسَلَنِي فَقَالَ : اقْرَأْ. فَقُلْتُ : مَا أَنَا بِقَارِئٍ. فَأَخَذَنِي فَغَطَّنِي الثَّالِثَةَ، ثُمَّ أَرْسَلَنِي فَقَالَ : { اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ } { خَلَقَ الْإِنْسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ } { اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الْأَكْرَمُ } “. فَرَجَعَ بِهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَرْجُفُ فُؤَادُهُ، فَدَخَلَ عَلَى خَدِيجَةَ بِنْتِ خُوَيْلِدٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا، فَقَالَ : ” زَمِّلُونِي، زَمِّلُونِي “. فَزَمَّلُوهُ حَتَّى ذَهَبَ عَنْهُ الرَّوْعُ ، فَقَالَ لِخَدِيجَةَ – وَأَخْبَرَهَا الْخَبَرَ – : ” لَقَدْ خَشِيتُ عَلَى نَفْسِي “. فَقَالَتْ خَدِيجَةُ : كَلَّا وَاللَّهِ، مَا يُخْزِيكَ اللَّهُ أَبَدًا ؛ إِنَّكَ لَتَصِلُ الرَّحِمَ، وَتَحْمِلُ الْكَلَّ ، وَتَكْسِبُ الْمَعْدُومَ، وَتَقْرِي الضَّيْفَ، وَتُعِينُ عَلَى نَوَائِبِ الْحَقِّ، فَانْطَلَقَتْ بِهِ خَدِيجَةُ حَتَّى أَتَتْ بِهِ وَرَقَةَ بْنَ نَوْفَلِ بْنِ أَسَدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعُزَّى ابْنَ عَمِّ خَدِيجَةَ، وَكَانَ امْرَأً تَنَصَّرَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ، وَكَانَ يَكْتُبُ الْكِتَابَ الْعِبْرَانِيَّ، فَيَكْتُبُ مِنَ الْإِنْجِيلِ بِالْعِبْرَانِيَّةِ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَكْتُبَ، وَكَانَ شَيْخًا كَبِيرًا قَدْ عَمِيَ، فَقَالَتْ لَهُ خَدِيجَةُ : يَا ابْنَ عَمِّ، اسْمَعْ مِنِ ابْنِ أَخِيكَ. فَقَالَ لَهُ وَرَقَةُ : يَا ابْنَ أَخِي، مَاذَا تَرَى ؟ فَأَخْبَرَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ خَبَرَ مَا رَأَى، فَقَالَ لَهُ وَرَقَةُ : هَذَا النَّامُوسُ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ اللَّهُ عَلَى مُوسَى، يَا لَيْتَنِي فِيهَا جَذَعًا ، لَيْتَنِي أَكُونُ حَيًّا إِذْ يُخْرِجُكَ قَوْمُكَ، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : ” أَوَمُخْرِجِيَّ هُمْ ؟ “، قَالَ : نَعَمْ، لَمْ يَأْتِ رَجُلٌ قَطُّ بِمِثْلِ مَا جِئْتَ بِهِ إِلَّا عُودِيَ، وَإِنْ يُدْرِكْنِي يَوْمُكَ أَنْصُرْكَ نَصْرًا مُؤَزَّرًا ، ثُمَّ لَمْ يَنْشَبْ وَرَقَةُ أَنْ تُوُفِّيَ، وَفَتَرَ الْوَحْيُ.

قَالَ ابْنُ شِهَابٍ : وَأَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو سَلَمَةَ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ أَنَّ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْأَنْصَارِيَّ قَالَ – وَهُوَ يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ فَتْرَةِ الْوَحْيِ – : فَقَالَ فِي حَدِيثِهِ : ” بَيْنَا أَنَا أَمْشِي إِذْ سَمِعْتُ صَوْتًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ، فَرَفَعْتُ بَصَرِي فَإِذَا الْمَلَكُ الَّذِي جَاءَنِي بِحِرَاءٍ جَالِسٌ عَلَى كُرْسِيٍّ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ، فَرُعِبْتُ مِنْهُ، فَرَجَعْتُ فَقُلْتُ : زَمِّلُونِي، فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى : { يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ } { قُمْ فَأَنْذِرْ } ، إِلَى قَوْلِهِ : { وَالرُّجْزَ فَاهْجُرْ } “. فَحَمِيَ الْوَحْيُ وَتَتَابَعَ. تَابَعَهُ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ ، وَأَبُو صَالِحٍ ، وَتَابَعَهُ هِلَالُ بْنُ رَدَّادٍ ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ ، وَقَالَ يُونُسُ وَمَعْمَرٌ : بَوَادِرُهُ .

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated:

The commencement of the Divine Inspiration to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) was in the form of good dreams which came true like bright daylight, and then the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him. He used to go in seclusion in the cave of Hira where he used to worship (Allah alone) continuously for many days before his desire to see his family. He used to take with him the journey food for the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadija to take his food likewise again till suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, “I do not know how to read.” The Prophet (ﷺ) added, “The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, ‘I do not know how to read.’ Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, ‘I do not know how to read (or what shall I read)?’ Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said, ‘Read in the name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists), created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous.” (96.1, 96.2, 96.3) Then Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) returned with the Inspiration and with his heart beating severely. Then he went to Khadija bint Khuwailid and said, “Cover me! Cover me!” They covered him till his fear was over and after that he told her everything that had happened and said, “I fear that something may happen to me.” Khadija replied, “Never! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your family, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests generously and assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones.” Khadija then accompanied him to her cousin Waraqa bin Naufal bin Asad bin ‘Abdul ‘Uzza, who, during the pre-Islamic Period became a Christian and used to write the writing with Hebrew letters. He would write from the Gospel in Hebrew as much as Allah wished him to write. He was an old man and had lost his eyesight. Khadija said to Waraqa, “Listen to the story of your nephew, O my cousin!” Waraqa asked, “O my nephew! What have you seen?” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) described whatever he had seen. Waraqa said, “This is the same one who keeps the secrets (angel Gabriel) whom Allah had sent to Moses. I wish I were young and could live up to the time when your people would turn you out.” Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) asked, “Will they drive me out?” Waraqa replied in the affirmative and said, “Anyone (man) who came with something similar to what you have brought was treated with hostility; and if I should remain alive till the day when you will be turned out then I would support you strongly.” But after that Waraqa died and the Divine Inspiration was also paused for a while.

Preparation in childhood

During his childhood, Muhammad (peace be upon him) spent four years in the desert with the tribe of Banu Sa’d, under the care of his foster mother, Halimah al-Sa’diyah. One day, while playing with other children, two angels in the form of men approached him. They gently took him aside from his playmates, laid him on the ground, and opened his chest. They extracted his heart, removed a black clot from it. The angels then washed his heart in a golden vessel filled with Zamzam water, purified it, and returned it to its place, leaving his chest perfectly restored without any sign of harm. This miraculous event, known as the splitting of the chest (Shaqq al-Sadr), was a divine preparation for the purity, strength, and mission that awaited him as the final Messenger of Allah.

Historians and narrators of seerah, say this recurred on a couple more occasions during his life. Twice in his childhood, once before he received the revelation and once before he ascended the heavens on the Isra wal Meraj.

Ibn Manzur, the linguist, who is an authority on the Arabic language and compiler of the most comprehensive Arabic dictionary Lisan al-ʿArab, notes that the word “Hira” (حِرَاء) is derived from the Arabic taharra, which conveys the meaning of “seeking” or “searching”, as it was the mountain where his grandfather would go to seek the truth.  

The cave is a small and confined space and from it you could see the Kaba, before the recent grand construction took place, obscuring its view.

The question is whether Jibril entered the cave as an angel or as in the form of a man. It must have been in the shape of a man, because his wings are so long, they span the horizons, so they would not have fit in the small cramped cave. Later in the famous “hadith Jibril”, he walked into the Prophet’s mosque in Madina and asked him what is Islam, Imaan and Ihsan in the form of a man. So, when he embraced Muhammad (peace be upon him) three times, it was not with his wings, which would have crushed Muhammad, so it must have been with his arms when he was in the shape of a man.

Why did Jibril embrace Muhammad (peace be upon him)?

When Jibril embraced Muhammad (peace be upon him) he pressed him tightly against his chest. This contact between their chests is symbolic of how the Ummah has received its knowledge through the generations – from chest to chest, heart to heart, and soul to soul. The authenticity of our sacred knowledge in Islam has been persevered in its transference from chest to chest, not chest to book. It is not merely intellectual knowledge but divine revelation which has been passed from one to another.  

In the first century of our history as an Ummah, the primary method through which knowledge was preserved and spread by was by oral transmission and memorisation. Then the official recording began by the government. Though records were kept unofficially much earlier than that.

Iqra

The next question we need to ask is why, out of the 12 million words in the Arabic dictionary which is the largest in the world, did Allah choose the first word of His final message to be “iqra”, which the command form, “Read!” Allah could have said instead, “Pray!” or “Give charity!” However the key to access knowledge is to read. From the very first day, Allah was teaching the Ummah that the time for superstitions, and ignorant traditional culture and tribal customs had passed. From now on, knowledge would be based on facts from the revelation. Learning makes you close to Allah.

The command form shows us that seeking knowledge is an obligation from day one from verse one. We need to seek knowledge. Which form of knowledge do we have to seek? The top of the list is divine knowledge and then any beneficial knowledge. Scholars have categorised knowledge into obligatory like how to pray and fast and pay zakah and perform hajj, which is compulsory for every individual. And non-obligatory knowledge which is a collective obligation. It is not enough for one member of the family to learn how to pray, as every single person needs to know this. However, for instance, learning medicine is not a obligation for every individual, it is a collective obligation. Not everyone has to be a doctor, though we have to have sufficient number of doctors in the community. Fard ayn is individual obligation and fard kifaya which is collective like salatul janaza. As long as some people from the community pray janaza it is not necessary for everyone to pray janaza. But salah is an individual obligation. If you don’t do it, you are sinful. Medicine, law and architecture, by contrast, are a collective obligation. As long as some students have learned this, it is not a sin for the rest of the community.

The unbroken chain

The Prophet (peace be upon him) received the knowledge over 23 years, from Iqra until Surat an Nas. In the last year, Jibril came twice that year, to make sure that the Prophet (peace be upon him had the correct and final order of the Quran, so he reviewed the Quran twice that year. It was an indication that this was the last message. The last ayah to be revealed was:

 ٱلۡيَوۡمَ أَكۡمَلۡتُ لَكُمۡ دِينَكُمۡ وَأَتۡمَمۡتُ عَلَيۡكُمۡ نِعۡمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ ٱلۡإِسۡلَٰمَ دِينٗاۚ

This day I have perfected for you your religion, completed My favour upon you, and have approved for you Islam as your religion. (5:3)

Allah promised to preserve this revelation which He never put in place for a previous revelation. It safeguarded the Quran from any deletions or insertions. This is why Allah says in the Quran:

إِنَّا نَحۡنُ نَزَّلۡنَا ٱلذِّكۡرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَٰفِظُونَ

We without doubt have revealed the revelation and We, without doubt, will protect it. (15:9)

Allah kept this knowledge safe in the chests of this Ummah. This is why Islam has this unique feature – the unbroken chain of sacred knowledge, passed down from the Prophet (peace be upon him) to his Companions and from scholar to scholar, as my teachers passed to me, and I pass on to you, until today. This connects us in an uninterrupted line back to the Prophet (peace be upon him) to Jibril and to Allah Himself. It has been protected by the will of Allah Almighty.

We ask that Allah Almighty to enable us to seek knowledge, learn knowledge, understand knowledge, preserve knowledge and disseminate knowledge and for our children to be flag-bearers of it. Ameen.

Based on the talk delivered by Shaykh Haytham Tamim on the journey between Makkah and Madinah 30th Dec 2024

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Shaykh Haytham Tamim is the founder and main teacher of the Utrujj Foundation. He has provided a leading vision for Islamic learning in the UK, which has influenced the way Islamic knowledge is disseminated. He has orchestrated the design and delivery of over 200 unique courses since Utrujj started in 2001. His extensive expertise spans over 30 years across the main Islamic jurisprudence schools of thought. He has studied with some of the foremost scholars in their expertise; he holds some of the highest Ijazahs (certificates) in Quran, Hadith (the Prophetic traditions) and Fiqh (Islamic rulings). His own gift for teaching was evident when he gave his first sermon to a large audience at the age of 17 and went on to serve as a senior lecturer of Islamic transactions and comparative jurisprudence at the Islamic University of Beirut (Shariah College). He has continued to teach; travelling around the UK, Europe and wider afield, and won the 2015 BISCA award (British Imams & Scholars Contributions & Achievements Awards) for Outstanding Contribution to Education and Teaching.

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