Muhammad's Suicidal Attempts Revisited

In this post I revisit Muhammad’s encounter with the spirit who psychologically violated and demoralized him. The spirit had so traumatized Muhammad that he repeatedly tried to kill himself because of it.

The citations that I will be quoting are all taken from Volume 1 of Ibn Kathir’s The Life of the Prophet Muhammad (Al-Sira al-Nabawiyya), translated by professor Trevor Le Gassick, reviewed by Dr. Ahmed Fareed, published by Garnet Publishing Limited, 8 Southern Court, south Street Reading RG1 4QS, UK, The Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization, in 1998. All emphasis will be mine.

Al-Bukhari stated that Yahya b. Bukayr related to him, quoting al-Layth, from Uqayl, from Ibn Shihab, from Urwa b. al-Zubayr, from 'A'isha who said, “The first indication of revelation to the Messenger of God came in the form of true visions in his sleep. Every vision he had came like the breaking of dawn.

"He then developed a liking for solitude. He would spend time alone in the cave Hira’, where he would seek religious purification through devotions. He would stay there many nights and then return to his family for more provisions to continue doing so; then he would come down to Khadija and repeat the same.

"Eventually the truth came to him while he was there in that cave Hira’.

“The angel came and told him, ‘Read!’ He replied, ‘I don't read.’ He then said, ‘The angel then overpowered me and choked me until I could bear it no more, and then he released me. Again he said, ‘Read!’ Again I replied, ‘I don't read.’ Once more he overpowered me and choked me till I could bear it no more, then he released me and said, ‘Read!’ I replied, ‘I don't read.’ Again he overpowered me and choked me a third time until I could bear it no more. Then he released me and said, ‘Read in the name of your Lord who created; He created man from a clot. Read! Your Lord is the most noble, He who taught by the pen. He taught man what he did not know’ (surat al-'Alaq, XCVI, v.1-5).

“The Messenger of God returned home with this, his heart palpitating. He went in to Khadija, daughter of Khuwaylid, and said, ‘Wrap me up! Wrap me up!’ They did so until the terror left him.

“He then spoke to Khadija, telling her what had happened, saying, ‘I was afraid for myself.’

“Khadija replied, ‘Oh no! I swear by God He would never abuse you. You maintain family ties, yon are hospitable to guests, you support the weak, provide for the poor and help out when tragedy strikes.’

“Khadija then hurled off with him to Waraqa b. Nawfal b. Asad b. ‘Abd al-Uzza, who was her cousin. He had earlier become a Christian, and used to write the Hebrew script, copying out from the Bible in Hebrew whatever God inspired him to write. He was an old man by then, and he was blind.

"Khadija told him, ‘O cousin! Listen to your nephew!’ Waraqa then addressed him, ‘O nephew, what did you see?’ The Messenger of God then told him what he had seen. Waraqa commented, ‘This was the angel Gabriel who used to come down to Moses. How I wish I were a young man again! I hope I am still alive when your people exile you!' The Messenger of God exclaimed, ‘Are they to exile me?’ ‘Yes,’ he replied, ‘no one has ever received what you have without being treated as an enemy. If I am alive when your time comes, I will give you every help.’

"Not long thereafter Waraqa died, and the revelation waned for a period, so that the Messenger of God was so depressed – as we have been told – that he would frequently feel like throwing himself down from the summits of high mountains. Whenever he reached the top of a mountain, to throw himself down, Gabriel would appear and say, ‘O Muhammad, you are in truth the Messenger of God!’ This would relieve his distress and he would return down. And if the inspiration was again long in coming, he would feel and do the same.”

Another account gives the same wording, except that it substitutes the word "when" for the word "whenever" above.

The account is given in full in this way in the Bab al-Tabir (The Chapter on Expression) in al-Bukhari's work.

Ibn Shihab stated that Aba Salama b. 'Abd al-Rahman informed him that Jab'ir b. ‘Abd Allah al-Ansari said, in relating matters concerning the revelation period, that the Prophet said, “While I was walking, I heard a voice from the sky. I raised my sight and there was the angel who had come to me at Hira’ seated on a throne between the sky and the earth. I was terrified and returned home, saying, ‘Wrap me up! Wrap me up!’ And so God revealed the verse, ‘O you who are all wrapped up! Arise and give warning! And glorify your Lord! Purify your garments! And shun idolatry!’ (surat al-Muddaththir, LXXIV, v.1-5). And the revelation became stronger and continued uninterrupted.”

Al-Bukhari added that 'Abd Allah b. Yusuf and Abu Salih gave this tradition a further link, from al-Layth. And Hila b. Rabban added a link, from al-Zuhri. Yunus and Ma'mar, moreover, gave in the prior text the word bawadir, "emotions", in place of the word fu'ad, "heart".

This tradition was related by Imam al-Bukhari in various parts of his work. We have discussed it at length in our first commentary on al-Bukhari, in the book on The Beginnings of the Revelation, in terms of both its chain of authorities and its text. And to God is all praise and grace.

In his sahih collection, Muslim derives this tradition from an account of al-Layth, and through Yunus and Ma’mar from al-Zuhri, just as al-Bukhari attributes it to their authority. In our own commentaries we referred to the additions made by Muslim and to his accounts of it. And to God be praise. Muslim's account of the above goes as far as the above words of Waraqa, "I will give you every help."

The statement, given above, of 'A'isha, mother of the believers, that, “the first indication of revelation to the Messenger of God came in the form of true visions. Every vision he had came like the breaking of dawn” corroborates what Muhammad b. Ishaq b. Yasar related from ‘Ubayd b. Umayr al-Laythi, to the effect that the Prophet said, “And Gabriel brought me while I was asleep a piece of silk brocade cloth with writing on it. He told me, ‘Read!’ I replied, ‘What should I read?’ Thereupon he choked me till I thought it meant death. But then he released me.” He related the rest of 'A'isha's statement in the same words.

This came as a prelude to the awakening that followed. The Prophet is reported to have expressly stated this in the book on the maghazi, the military campaigns, by Musa b. Uqba, from al-Zuhri; therein it states that he saw all that in a dream, and that the angel appeared to him thereafter when he was awake.

The hafiz Abu Nu'aym al-Asbahani stated in his work Dala'il al-Nubuwwa (Signs of the Prophethood) as follows, "Muhammad b. Ahmad b. al-Hasan related to us, quoting Muhammad b. Uthman b. Abu Shayba, quoting Janab h. al-Harith, quoting ‘Abd Allah b. al-Ajlah, from Ibrahim, from ‘Alqama b. Qays, who said, ‘The first visitation to prophets is during their sleep, so that they will remain calm; revelation comes thereafter.’ This comment comes directly from ‘Alqama b. Qays himself. It is an appropriate one that is substantiated by both what preceded and what followed it." (Pp. 279-281)

Regarding the statement quoted above, “The Messenger returned home to Khadija with this, his heart palpitating”, there is a variant reading of bawadir for the word fu'ad, “heart”, that is. Abu Ubayda explains this word as referring to the flesh between the shoulder and the neck.

Others interpret the word as referring to veins that tremble because of fear. Some readings substitute the word baadiluhu, singular badila or badil, for that which palpitates. This would refer to the area between the neck and the collarbone. Others interpret it as the base of the breast, or as the flesh of the breast.

There are also other interpretations of the word. Regarding the phrase, “Wrap me up! Wrap me up!”, when his terror had calmed he asked Khadija, “What is wrong with me? What was it appeared to me?” and then related what had happened. He then said, “I was afraid for myself.” This was because he had witnessed something he had never experienced or imagined before. (Pp. 285-286)

Regarding the words, “Khadija then hurried off with him to Waraqa h. Nawfal . . . he was an old man by then, and blind.”

We gave some information concerning Waraqa in material above relating to Zayd b. 'Amr b. Nufayl. We told how he had become a Christian before the coming of Islam and how he had left and travelled to Syria accompanied by Zayd b. ‘Amr, Uthman b. al-Huwayrith and Ubayd Allah b. Jash. All of these became Christians because they found Christianity to be at that time the religion closest to the truth.

Zayd b. ‘Amr b. Nufayl, however, considered that there were certain innovations, changes, corruptions and interpretations that had occurred in it that prevented him from embracing it. The rabbis and monks told him, moreover, about a prophet whose time was near.

He therefore returned seeking information about this, while continuing to believe in one God, as he had before. But death cut him down before the mission of Muhammad.

Waraqa b. Nufayl did adopt Christianity, and used to try to prognosticate it in the Messenger of God as we have said above, from the way in which Khadija would describe and characterize him. She told Waraqa of the fine, pure qualities he had, and of the signs and indications there were upon him.

Therefore when there occurred as above, she took the hand of the Messenger of God and said, “O Cousin, listen to what happened to your nephew." And when the Messenger of God related to him what he had seen, Waraqa replied, “By the All-Glorious God, this was the angel Gabriel who came down to Moses!”

He did not mention Jesus, though he came later, after Moses, because the system of religion of Muhammad was to be a completion and fulfilment of that sent to Moses. The valid opinion of the scholars, in what they say on this point, is that the sharia complemented, and also abrogated, certain things in the system of Moses. As God said, “And so that I may make permissible to you some of what was forbidden to you” (surat Al- 'Imran, 3, v. 49).

This comment made by Waraqa is similar to that made by the spirits, namely, “O our people, we have heard a book revealed after Moses verifying what was before it, guiding to the truth and to the straight path" (surat al-Ahqaf XLVI, v.30). Waraqa then commented, “How I wish I were a young man again!”

This implies, “How I wish I were a lad endowed with faith, useful knowledge, and good work to do."

The phrase: "I hope I am still alive when your people exile you", implies "so that I can leave with you and help you".

To this the Prophet responded, "Are they to exile me?" According to al-Suhayli he said this because to be parted from one's homeland is very painful. To this Waraqa replied, "Yes, no one has ever received what you have received without being treated as an enemy. If I am alive when your time comes, I will give you every help." That is, "I will strive hard to help you always."

The words, “Not long thereafter Waraqa died" mean that his death came shortly after this event. For what is told of him here constitutes credence in what had occurred, faith in the revelation that had come, and good intent for the future. (Pp. 287-288)

The two hufaz al-Bayhaqi and Abu Nuaym related in both their works entitled Dala'il al-Nubuwwa (Signs of the Prophethood) from a hadith of Yunus b. Bukayr, from Yunus b. 'Amr, from his father, from 'Amr b. Sharahbil, that the Messenger of God said to Khadija, "When I was left to myself, I heard a cry and, by God, I feared that something terrible was going to happen."

She replied, "God forbid! He would never do anything to you! By God, you behave with loyalty, you maintain the ties of kinship, and speak truthfully."

And when Abu Bakr came in, the Messenger of God was no longer there so she recounted it all to him, saying, "Good old friend, go with Muhammad to Waraqa."

When the Messenger of God came in, Aha Bakr took his hand and said, "Let's go at once to Waraqa." He asked, "Who told you?" "Khadija." And so they went at once to Waraqa and related it to him. The Messenger of God told him, "When I am all alone I hear a voice behind me saying, 'Muhammad! O Muhammad!' So I rush off outside." Waraqa told him, "Don't do that. When it comes, stay right there to hear what it says to you. Then come and tell me." And when he was alone, the voice did call out again, saying, "Muhammad! O Muhammad! Say, 'In the name of God the most Merciful, the most Beneficent; praise be to God, Lord of the worlds . . ." And it continued right on (to the end of the surat al-Fatiha; I) to the words, ma la al-dalina, 'nor those who go astray'. It then said, "Say: 'There is no God but God!’”

So he went to Waraqa and told him that. Waraqa replied, "Rejoice, then rejoice again! I bear witness that you are he of whom the son of Mary spoke. What you have is like what came to the angel Gabriel for Moses. You are a Prophet from God. You will be ordered into the struggle some time hereafter. And if I live that long, I will fight along with you!"

When he died the Messenger of God said, "I saw the priest in heaven wearing silken garments, because he believed in me and believed what I said."

He was referring to Waraqa.

This text is from al-Bayhaqi, and its chain of authorities is not fully complete. It is also strange that according to this account it was the surat al-Fatiha (Qur'an, I) that was revealed first. (P. 289)

Ibn Ishaq stated that Wahb b. Kaysan, the freed-man of the Zubayr tribe, related to him, that he heard 'Abd Allah b. al-Zubayr say to Ubayd b. 'Umayr b. Qatada al-Laythi, "Tell me, Ubayd, how was the beginning of the mission of the Messenger of God when Gabriel first came to him?" Ubayd replied, in my presence, talking to 'Abd Allah b. al-Zubayr and the others there with him, “The Messenger of God used to take up residence in Hira in seclusion for one month each year. This practice, known as al-tahannuth, i.e. ‘pious devotion’, was one performed by Quraysh before the coming of Islam.

"While the Messenger of God was dwelling there for that month of each year, he would feed all the poor who came to him. When the period of that month of devotion was concluded, the first thing he would do was go to the ka'ba, circumambulating around it seven times or so before proceeding to his own home.

"This was so until that month came of the year when God honoured him with his mission. That month, it being Ramadan, he went off as usual for his devotions at Hira, his family accompanying him. Then came the night when God did honour him with his mission, thereby having mercy on all men. Gabriel came to him then with the command of God Almighty.

"The Messenger of God said, 'He came to me while I was asleep, carrying a brocade cloth with writing upon it. He told me, "Read!" “Read what?” I asked. He then choked me so hard I thought I would die, but he released me and said, "Read!" "Read what?" I asked, so he choked me so hard I thought I would die. He then released me and said, "Read!" I asked, "What should I read?" I only said this to spare myself his doing the same to me again.

"'Then he said, “Read; in the name of your Lord who created. He created man from a clot. Read! Your Lord is the most noble, He who taught by the pen. He taught man what he did not know."

“‘So I recited this, and then he had finished with me and left me. I awoke from my sleep, and it was as though a document had been inscribed into my heart.'

"He went on: ‘I then went off into the mountains where I heard a voice from the sky saying, "O Muhammad, you are the Messenger of God, and I am Gabriel!"

"'I raised my head up to the sky to look, and there was Gabriel in the image of a man, with his feet placed evenly across the horizons of the sky. He was saying, "O Muhammad, you are the Messenger of God, and I am Gabriel."

"'I stood there looking up at him, neither advancing nor retreating, and began turning my head in all directions, but wherever I looked I still saw him.

“‘I remained standing there thus, neither advancing nor retreating, until Khadija sent her messengers to look for me. And they went all the way to Mecca and returned again to her while I still stood there where I was. Then he (Gabriel) left me.

“‘I now returned to my family and sat down close beside Khadija. She asked me, “Where were you, O father of al-Qasim? I swear, I sent my messengers all the way to Mecca and back looking for you."

“‘I then told her what I had seen, and she said, "Rejoice and be brave; by Him in whose hands Khadija is, I hope you will be the prophet of this nation.”’

“She then arose, dressed, and went off to Waraqa b. Nawfal to tell him what the Messenger of God had reported to her. Waraqa exclaimed, 'Holy of Holies! By Him in whose hands Waraqa is, if you have told me the truth, Khadija, the Archangel Gabriel has come to him just as he did to Moses. He is to be the prophet of this nation! Tell him to be brave!’

“Khadija returned to the Messenger of God and told him what Waraqa had said.

“When the Messenger of God had completed his period of secluded devotion, he did as always, going first to the ka'ba and circumambulating it. There he met Waraqa b. Nawfal who was also performing the circumambulation, and Waraqa asked him, ‘O nephew, tell me what you saw and heard.’

“He did tell him, and Waraqa commented, ‘By Him who bears my soul in His hand, you certainly will be the Prophet of this nation. You have been visited by the Archangel who came to Moses. You will certainly be called a liar, reviled, sent to exile and flight. If I live till that time, I will give God my help, and He will know it.’ Waraqa then brought his head down over him, and kissed him on the top of his head. The Messenger of God thereupon went off home.”

This is the account given by Ubayd b. Umayr, just as we have told it. It serves as a prelude to the awakening that followed it, and introduces the statement of Khadija who said, “Whenever he saw visions they came to him as the breaking of dawn.”

It is probable that this dream came after what he had seen while awake on the morning following that same night. It is also possible it came sometime after that. God knows best.

Musa b. Uqba stated, from al-Zuhri, from Said b. al-Musayyab, as follows, “From what we have been told, the first thing he saw – meaning the Messenger of God – were visions God revealed to him while he was asleep. These greatly disturbed him and he told his wife Khadija of them. God protected her from scepticism about them, opening her heart to belief. And so she said, ‘Rejoice! For God has never done anything but good.’

“Thereafter he went off, but returned later to tell her how he had seen his stomach split open, and it had been washed and cleaned and all restored as before. To this she said, ‘By God, I swear that this is good; so rejoice!’

“Then Gabriel appeared before him while he was on the heights above Mecca, sitting him down on a wonderful seat of honour. The Prophet used to say, ‘He sat me down on a rug of durnuk, velvet, that was decorated with pearls and precious stones.’ Gabriel then announced to him the mission from God the Almighty and Glorious, and put the Messenger of God at ease. Gabriel then said to him, ‘Read!’ He replied, ‘How shall I read?’ Gabriel answered, ‘Read: in the name of your Lord who created. He created man from a clot. Read! your Lord is the most noble, He who taught by the pen. He taught man what he did not know.’”

He went on, “And people claim that ‘O you who are all wrapped up!’ is the first surat revealed to him. But God knows best.”

He went on, “And the Messenger of God accepted the mission from his Lord, and obeyed the commandment Gabriel had brought him from God.

“And when he was returning back home, every tree and rock he passed greeted him. And so he went back to his family in good spirits, convinced that he had seen something stupendous. When he went in to see Khadija, he said, ‘You remember what I told you I saw in a vision? Well, Gabriel has now appeared plainly before me. My Lord, Almighty and Glorious is He, sent him to me.’ He then told her what Gabriel had told him to do and what he had heard him say. She responded, ‘Rejoice! For God will never bring you anything but good. And so accept the order that has come to you from God, for it is the truth. And rejoice, for you are in truth the Messenger of God.’

“She then left her home and set off to visit a youth who belonged to Utba b. Rabi'a b. ‘Abd Shams, a Christian originally from Nineveh, who was called ‘Addas. She said to him, ‘I adjure you by God to tell me, do you have any knowledge about Gabriel?’ He replied, ‘Holy! Holy! How is it that mention is made of Gabriel in this land, all of whose people are idol worshippers?’ She replied, ‘Tell me what you know of him!’ ‘Gabriel’, he replied, ‘is God's trusty servant, God's intercessor between Himself and the prophets. He it was who accompanied Moses and Jesus, upon both of whom he peace.’

“Khadija then came back from visiting him and went to see Waraqa b. Nawfal. She told him of what had happened to the Prophet and what Gabriel had commanded to him. Waraqa said to her, ‘O fond daughter of my brother, I just don't know. Perhaps your companion is the prophet who is awaited by the People of the Book (i.e. Scriptures), about whom they find it written in their Torah and Bible. But I swear by God, that if this is he and he openly proclaims his mission while I am still live, I will express my dedication to God by obedience to His Messenger and by giving him every assistance in maintaining fortitude and in achieving victory.’

“Thereafter Waraqa, God have mercy on him, died.”

Al-Zuhri stated, “Khadija was the first person to believe in God and to give credence to His Messenger.”

The hafiz al-Bayhaqi stated, after having given the account we have reported above, “The reference here to his stomach being split open probably refers to his relating what was done to him when he was a boy, that is, its being opened while he was with Halima. It is also possible that it was split open a second time, and then again a third, when he was transported up to heaven. But God knows best.”

The hafiz Ibn ‘Asakir related in his biography of Waraqa, with a chain of authority back to Sulaymm h. Tarkhan al-Taymi, as follows, “We have heard that God Almighty sent Muwad as a Prophet at the start of the 50th year after the rebuilding of the ka’ba.

“The first aspect of God's making him a Prophet and honouring him, was a vision he saw. He related that to his wife Khadija, daughter of Khuwaylid, and she told him, ‘Rejoice! For, I swear by God, He will never do you anything but good.’

“One day when he was in the cave Hira’, where he would seclude himself from his people, Gabriel came down to him. As he approached, the Messenger of God was mightily afraid, so Gabriel placed one hand on his chest and the other on his back between his shoulders and said, ‘O God, unburden him, and give him relief! Cleanse his heart! O Muhammad, rejoice! For you are the Prophet of this nation. Read!’ The Prophet of God then replied, trembling with fear, ‘I have never read any document; I don't read well. I neither write nor read.’

"At this Gabriel took hold of him and choked him hard, then released him and said, ‘Read!’ And the same happened as before. Then Gabriel seated him upon a soft rug of the durnuk type of such richness and splendour as to remind him of pearls and precious stones. Gabriel then told him, ‘Read: in the name of your Lord who created . . .’ and so on to the end of the verses. He then said to him, ‘O Muhammad, do not be afraid. You are the Messenger of God!‘

"Then he left. The Messenger of God was overcome by anxiety and he asked himself, ‘What am I to do? And what can I say to my people?’

“The Messenger of God then arose afraid, but Gabriel appeared before him in all his splendour. And so the Messenger of God saw a sight that filled him with wonder, and Gabriel told him, ‘O Muhammad, be you not afraid! Gabriel is God's messenger. Gabriel is God's messenger to His prophets and His messengers. Be secure in God's nobility. You are the Messenger of God.’

“As the Messenger of God went home every tree and rock bowed down before him, saying, ‘Peace he upon you, O Messenger of God!’ And so his soul was calmed, and he was sure of God's having honoured him. When he reached his wife Khadija, she saw from his face that something had happened, and that scared her. She arose to him and, when close, began wiping his face and saying, ‘You've probably been seeing and hearing things like those before today.’

"He replied, ‘O Khadija, you know what I've been seeing in my sleep and the voice I've been hearing while awake and that so disturbed me? It was Gabriel! He has appeared plainly before me, spoken to me and made me read some words that gave me fear. He then came back to me and told me that I am the prophet of this nation. So I came back home and on my way trees and rocks turned to me and said, “Peace he upon you, O Messenger of God!”’

“Khadija said, ‘Rejoice! For, by God, I well know that God will not do you anything but good. I bear witness that you are the prophet of this nation whom the Jews await. My servant Nasih and the monk Bahira both told me this and advised me more than 20 years ago to marry you.’ And she stayed with the Messenger of God until he had eaten, drunk, and laughed.

“She then went off to see the monk, who lived close by to Mecca. When she drew near and he recognized her, he said, ‘What is wrong, O mistress of all the women of Quraysh?’ She replied, ‘I have come to you for you to tell me about Gabriel.’

“He replied, ‘Glory be to God, our most holy Lord! How is it that Gabriel is mentioned here, in this land whose people worship idols? Gabriel is the trusted servant of God, and his envoy to His prophets and to His messengers. It is he who was the companion of Moses and Jesus.’

“And so she knew how much God was honouring Muhammad.

“Then she went to a slave of Utba b. Rabi'a called ‘Addas, and questioned him. He told her the same as the monk had, and more besides. He said, ‘Gabriel was with Moses when God drowned Pharaoh and his men. He was also there when God spoke to Moses on Mt. al-Tur. And he it was who accompanied Jesus, son of Mary, and he through whom God aided Jesus.’

“She then left ‘Addas and went to Waraqa b. Nawfal whom she asked about Gabriel. He told her the same. He then asked her what was the matter, and she made him swear not to divulge what she would tell him. He so swore, and she told him, ‘The son of ‘Abd Allah related to me – and he is truthful and never, I swear it, either told a lie or was accused of lying – that Gabriel came down to him in Hira, told him he was the prophet of this nation, and made him recite some verses he had been sent with.’

“Waraqa was dumbfounded at this, and said, ‘If Gabriel has actually placed his feet upon earth, he has done so for the best of people thereupon. And he never came down for anyone except a prophet. For he is the companion of all the prophets and messengers, the one whom God sends down to them. I believe what you tell me of him. Send for ‘Abd Allah's son, so that I may question him, hear what he says and talk to him. I am afraid it may be someone other than Gabriel, for certain devils imitate him and by so doing can mislead and corrupt some men. This can result in a man becoming confused and even crazy whereas before he had been of sound mind.’

“Khadija arose and left him, confident that God would never do anything but good to her husband. So she returned to the Messenger of God and told him what Waraqa had said. God Almighty then sent down the words: ‘Nun. By the pen, and what they write! You are not, by grace of God, mad!’ and so on to the end of these verses (surat al-Qalam, LXIII, v.1). He then told her, ‘Absolutely not, by God! It was Gabriel!’ She told him, ‘I'd like you to go to him and inform him, so that God might give him guidance.'

“The Messenger of God did go to Waraqa who asked him, ‘Did he who came to you appear in lightness or in the dark?’ The Messenger of God described Gabriel to him and his majesty, and what he had revealed to him.

“Waraqa then said, ‘I bear witness that that was Gabriel, and that these were words spoken by God. He has ordered you to convey certain things to your people. It is a matter of prophethood, and if I live on into your era, I will follow you.’ He then said, ‘Rejoice, O son of 'Abd al-Muttalib!’

The account went on, “And Waraqa's words became widely known, along with the fact that he had given credence to the Messenger of God. This fact distressed most of his people.

“And thereafter the revelation faltered. So people said, 'If he had come from God, he would have continued. But God is displeased with him.' And so God sent down the saras of al-Duha (XCIII) and A Lam Nashrah (al-Inshirah, XCIV) in all their entirety." (Pp. 292-297)

In another English version of Ibn Kathir’s biography of Muhammad, there is a footnote stating that the narration from Ibn Asakir, which includes Gabriel’s exhorting Muhammad to not be afraid, is daif (“weak”):

Tarikh Ibn 'Asaakir 17/63. It is a weak khabar. (Al Bidaayah Wannihaayah (From the Beginning to the End), translated by Rafiq Abdur Rahman [Darul-Ishaat, Karachi, Pakistani, First edition 2014], Volume 1. The Story of Creation, Ummah of the Past, The Life of Muhammad up to 9. AH, p. 534; bold emphasis mine)

There’s more:

Al-Bukhari stated in his account given above, “then the revelation waned, so that the Messenger of God was so depressed, as we have been told, that he would often feel like throwing himself down from the summits of high mountains. Whenever he reached the top of a mountain to throw himself down, Gabriel would appear to him and say, ‘O Muhammad, you are in truth the Messenger of God.’ This would relieve his distress and he would return down. And if the revelation was again long in coming, he would feel and do the same. When he would reach the mountain summit, Gabriel would appear and speak to him as before.”

In both the sahih collections there is a tradition from ‘Abd d-Razzaq, from Ma'mar, from al-Zuhri, who said that he heard Abu Salama 'Abd al-Rahman relate from Jabir b. 'Abd Allah, who said that he heard the Messenger of God talking about the intermission in the revelation, say, "While I walked, I heard a voice from heaven. I raised my sight towards the sky and there I saw the angel who came to me in Hira, seated upon a throne amidst the sky. I knelt down before him in fear, right down to the ground, then went to my family and said, ‘Wrap me up! Wrap me up!' And so God sent down, ‘O you who are wrapped up! Arise and give warning! And glorify your Lord! Purify your garments! And shun idolatry!’ (surat al-Mudaththir, LXXIV, v.1-5).

“He went on, ‘And then the revelation became stronger and continued uninterrupted.’”

The above verse was the first of the Qur'an sent down after the intermission in revelation, though not the very first of all, which was the verse, “Read: in the name of your Lord who created” (surat al-'Alaq, XCVI, v.1).  

It is established on the authority of Jabir that the first verse to be revealed was, “O you who are wrapped up.” It is perhaps appropriate to interpret his words as we have suggested, for in the sequence of what he states, there is evidence for the angel having come down earlier, as he recognized him from earlier. Moreover, in Jabir's words making reference to the “intermission in the revelation”, there is a proof that revelation did precede this instance. But God knows best.

It is established in both the sahih collections, from an account of ‘Ali b. al-Mubarak, as well as in the works of Muslim and al-Awza’i, both of whom also quote Yahya b. Abu Kathir as having said, "I asked Abu Salama b. ‘Abd al-Rahman, ‘Which part of the Qur'an was revealed before?’ He replied, ‘The verse, “O you who are wrapped up.”’”

"I asked, ‘And the verse, “Read in the of your Lord who created”?’ He replied, ‘I asked Jabir b. ‘Abd Allah which verse of the Qur'an came earliest, and he replied, “It was ‘O you who are wrapped up.’ So I asked him, ‘What about “Read in the name of your Lord who created?”’ and he answered, ‘The Messenger of God said, “I spent a month in seclusion in Hira’ and when it was over I went down into the heart of the valley. I heard a voice calling out to me and I looked ahead, behind me and to left and right, but I saw nothing. Then I looked up at the sky and there he was, on a throne in the air. I was seized by a trembling” – or he used the word '”anxiety” instead of the word “a trembling” – and went on to Khadija. She ordered them and they wrapped me up. And then God revealed the verse, ‘O you who are wrapped up . . .’ and so on till the verse, ‘and purify your garments.’”’”

According to a variant account he used the words, “And there was the angel who had come to me in Hira’ seated on a throne between the heavens and the earth, and I knelt down before him.”

This is a plain reference to his prior coming to him and to his having made revelation from God to him, as we have stated. But God knows best.

There are some who claim that the first revelation that came after the intermission was the surat beginning, “By the morning hours and by the night when it darkens, your Lord has not forsaken you, nor is He displeased” (surat al-Duha, XCIII, v.1-3) and so on to the end of the surat. This is what Muhammad b. Ishaq stated.

Some Qur'an reciters state that this is why the Messenger of God said the words “Allahu Akbar” (“God is most Great!”) when he received the first part of it, out of joy.

This statement is suspect, since it is refuted by the previous account of the two authors of the sahih collections, to the effect that the first to-be revealed of the Qur'an after the intermission was, “O you who are wrapped up” but that the surat beginning “by the morning hours” came after another intermission of a few nights.

This is established in both sahih collections and elsewhere, as well as from the account of al-Aswad b. Qays, from Jandah b. ‘Abd Allah al-Bajali, who said, “The Messenger of God was indisposed and did not get up for one, two or several nights. A woman commented, ‘So your spirit soon abandoned you, then!’ And so God revealed the verses, ‘By the dawn and by the night when it darkens, your Lord has not forsaken you, nor is He displeased.’”

And it was thereby that the revelation transpired for mankind, whereas it was by the former circumstances that the prophethood came about.

Some authorities state that the intermission lasted for approximately two years, or two years and a half.

What is apparent – though God alone knows best – is that it was a period comparable to that related to Mik'ail; al-Sha’bi and others made this observation.

This does not refute that Gabriel first brought him revelation, in the verses, “Read in the name of your Lord who created.”

Thereafter Gabriel became associated with him, following the revelation of “O you who are wrapped up, arise and give warning! And glorify your Lord. Purify your garments! And shun idolatry!”

Thereafter the revelation intensified and continued; that is, it came uninterrupted, little by little. (Pp. 298-300)

Further Reading

A Muslim Scholar’s Incriminating Statements on Islam Pt. 1

Reexamining Satan’s Influence and Control over Muhammad Pt. 2