The life Of The Apostle Muhammad before prophethood (5)

THE LIFE OF THE APOSTLE

MUHAMMAD BEFORE PROPHETHOOD

The confusion which Muhammad experienced by this wonderful double phenomenon, auditory and visual, probably gave him, for a moment, some doubt concerning the identity of the revealer voice or some fear of becoming the victim of a diabolic hallucination. He detested nothing more than magicians and fortune-tellers. With this moral and physical trouble, he returned home shaken by a sort of cold fever and asked to be covered by fit covering. When he narrated that incident later on to Khadija, that devoted companion, she did her best to tranquillize him with the most wise and consoling words: “Verily”, she said to him, “by God, God will never disgrace you because you never do harm; you always say the truth; you keep up good relations with relatives; you aid the weak; you enrich the needy; you show hospitality to your guests, you help all those who suffer for a just cause”.

However, as she was not able to give a positive and certain explanation about the nature of this phenomenon, she decided to go with him to her cousin Waraqa Bin Noufal, an old blind man, who converted to Christianity after he had spent his life in Hebrew readings and had become familiar with the Holy Books. “This is the Namou[1] which God had revealed to Moses”, said Waraqa to them, “and Muhammad will be the Messenger of God to this nation. How I wish I could be alive until the day when your compatriots will expel you from your country”, added Waraqa. “How come? Are they going to expel me?” Cried, Muhammad. “Certainly”, asserted Waraqa, “Never has a man brought what you bring without having been the object of hostility and persecution.” However, if God extends my days until that moment”, added Waraqa, “I will solidly support you in that struggle.”

Waraqa's life did not last long. Yet his calming words could throw a gleam of hope in this anxious self, we shall see that this hope did not continue for a long duration. So Muhammad used to return frequently seeking a second lesson, to place himself in the original conditions, to cross the mountain and to turn his sight round in all directions. Days passed, weeks followed, months succeeded months, a year finished, a second one commenced and, as Asha’bi says, a third year, while he was still waiting for the Angel's coming. Every time he was on the verge of despair, he saw and heard. “O Muhammad, you are the Apostle of Allâh and I am Gabriel.” These words used to tranquillize him for a short time, but he was always waiting for the substantial revelation. So, he fell again into the same grief and anguish. Some people said: “This was nothing but a fit of madness.” Later, others supposed that it had really been an invaluable celestial offer, but the fragile resistance which Muhammad had shown made him seem unworthy of that divine solicitude. However, two short the Qur’anic verses:

“You (O Muhammad), by the Grace of your Lord, are not mad. (LXVIII, 2); “Your Lord (O Muhammad) has neither forsaken you nor hates you.” (XCIII, 3), were revealed to reassure him against this double apprehension, but without providing him the instructions so long expected.