HOW DID REVELATION COME TO THE PROPHET?

The clear messages that come directly from Allah the Almighty to prophets, either directly or through an angel, are called "wahy" (revelation). The Qur’an mentions that Allah sent wahy not only to prophets, but also to the bee, the mother of Musa, the disciples of Isa, the angels, the earth, and the seven heavens.

In addition, from Adam (peace be upon him) onwards, all prophets (peace be upon them) received wahy. The Qur’an says:

“We have sent revelation to you (O Muhammad) as We sent revelation to Nuh and the prophets after him. And We sent revelation to Ibrahim, Isma’il, Ishaq, Ya’qub and the descendants, Isa, Ayyub, Yunus, Harun, and Sulayman. And We gave Dawud the Zabur.” (Surah an-Nisa, 163).

It is also stated: “We relate to you the best of stories by revealing to you this Qur’an.” indicating that the Qur’an itself was sent down through wahy (Surah Yusuf, 3).

The exact nature of wahy and how it affects the Prophet is unknown to us. It is a mysterious communication between Allah and His prophet. Sometimes wahy would come in the form of a true dream, sometimes the Angel Jibril would come in human form or in his own form to deliver the revelation. During the Mi’raj, it is known that the Noble Prophet (ﷺ) spoke to Allah through a veil, receiving the five daily prayers and the last two verses of Surah al-Baqarah.

In a hadith narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), Harith ibn Hisham asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): “How does revelation come to you?” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied:

“Sometimes it comes to me like the ringing of a bell, and that is the hardest for me. When it passes, I grasp what was said. Sometimes the angel comes to me in the form of a man and speaks to me, and I understand what he says.”

Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “I saw revelation coming to him on a very cold day, and when it ended, sweat was dripping from his forehead.” (Tirmidhi).

Authentic hadiths also mention: “When revelation came to the Prophet (ﷺ), he would be greatly distressed and his face would turn pale. When revelation came, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would lower his head, and the Companions would also lower their heads. When the revelation ended, he would raise his head again.” (Muslim).

Prepared by Hasan AMANKUL