LESSON 4
FIRST PROPHETIC EXPERIENCESAt the age of 40 Muhammad had his first prophetic experiences. The details differ according to the different traditional accounts. Ibn-Ishāq cites az-Zuhrī who says that Muhammad "did not see visions in his sleep, but they came to him like the brightness of daybreak", and this presumably at his home in Mecca. Most other traditions, however, have the event take place on Mount Hirā' outside Mecca. Muhammad went there for a customary Arab religious devotion called tahannuth. His experience with Christian monks may also have taught him to love prayer and solitude. He had the habit of going annually for a month in the mountains where he could think about God and also about his personal life and the social and religious condition of his people. His first experience took place during the month of Ramadān (Q 2:185), and that "on the night of destiny" (Q 97; 44:1-4). This is thought to be on the 27th or anytime within the last 10 days of Ramadān, although some say the "night of destiny" is 17 Ramadān, when another revelation was made, some years later, at the Battle of Badr (Q 4:41).
Whatever the exact day, while Muhammad was alone on the mountain he had an overpowering experience. Some accounts say it was while he was sleeping; others say he was awake. As for the content of this experience, there are three main versions, each with its own variations.
In the first version Muhammad hears a voice [an inner voice seems to be meant] telling him, "You are the Messenger of God". In one variation Muhammad heard this repeatedly while walking through the valleys and hills and did not see anyone. Another variation, given by az-Zuhrī, says that "the Truth [al-haqq, a name for God] came to him unexpectedly" and told him this. Still another variation has the message come from Gabriel. The traditions mentioning Gabriel at this time are suspect, because his name does not come up in the Qur'ān until the later, Medinan sūras.
In the second version Gabriel commands Muhammad to recite a part of the Qur'ān (96:1-5 or 74:1-4).
In a third version Muhammad did not hear anything, but saw two visions, such as are described in Qur'ān 53:1-18.
Some authors try to harmonize the three versions of Muhammad's first prophetic experience; with great ingenuity they fit every detail into a single coherent story. But if we admit that the story was altered or transformed by different reporters, it is more likely that they were all describing the same event in different ways.
All that seems sure is that Muhammad did have a deep religious experience while on Mount Hirā', that he saw some kind of vision and was prompted to recite certain Qur'ānic verses that began ringing in his mind. This is a historical judgement which neither affirms nor denies whether Muhammad received revelations from God. Muslims insist that the Qur'ān came immediately from God, whereas Christians, in spite of its literary excellence and theological insights, take it as a human work.
How did Muhammad react to this first experience, and what of others who came to know of it? All the accounts show that Muhammad's experience caused him great dread and anxiety. Az-Zuhrī even places here the temptation to commit suicide by jumping off a mountain cliff. In any case, Muhammad returned home and told Khadīja of his experience and fears, and she asked advice from her cousin Waraqa, "who had become a Christian, read books and heard from the masters of the Torah and the Gospel". Waraqa, it is said, exclaimed that Muhammad was "the Prophet of this people", having been visited by the great Nāmūs that came to Moses. "Nāmūs is taken to be Gabriel, but the word is from the Greek noµos, meaning "law", in this case the Mosaic Law or Torah.
Waraqa remained a Christian, but Khadīja became the first believer in Muhammad, remaining his staunch supporter and comforter as long as she lived.
At one point "the suggestions stopped for a time, so that the Messenger of God was distressed and grieved". Muhammad's despondency ended when his experience of Qur'ān messages resumed.
Muhammad then began to spread his message among some of his friends and relatives. Among them were his cousin `Alī, son of Abū-Tālib, who was 10 years old at the time, and the older man Abū-Bakr. Each of these was important in the early development of Islam and each had a turn as ruler of the Muslim community.
At this time Muhammad preached about:
- God's power and goodness, shown particularly in the creation of man, but also in creating and providing for the rest of nature (Q 96:1-5; 90:4,8-10; 80:17-22;. 87:1-3; 55; 88:17-20),
- Man's return to God for judgement (Q 96:8; 74; 80:22; 84:1-12),
- Man's responses to God in gratitude and worship (Q 80:16ff; 106; 87:14ff; 96:6ff),
- Man's response to God in generosity to men (Q 93:9-11; 104:1-3; 92:5-11; 68:17-33; 53:34ff; 100:6-11; 89:18-21; 69:33-35; 51:17-19; 70:17ff).
The Qur'ān (74:2; 87:9) tells Muhammad to "warn" and to "remind" people particularly about the greatness of God and of the certainty of his judgement on the last day. At this time the message was confined to simple and obvious statements about religion which anyone could recognize as true. Muhammad's task was simply to convey this message, nothing more.
Muhammad naturally was the leader of the group of those who accepted his message. In the amorphous political scene of the newly urbanized tribal Mecca, any association not based on blood relationship inevitably had competitive political overtones. As opposition emphasized the separatist nature of his community, Muhammad inevitably became a full fledged political leader and eventually a head of state.
QUESTIONS
- What are the different stories of Muhammad's first prophetic experience?
- How did Muhammad himself interpret his experience, and what convinced him that he was a prophet? Compare this with the experience of some prophets of the Old Testament and some present-day "prophets" or visionaries.
- What were the main points of Muhammad's preaching?
- Why did Muhammad's activities immediately stir up opposition?
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