A hiatus

After Jibreel first appeared before Muhammad at the cave of Hira, a long time passed without any further revelation. A distressed Muhammad feared Allah had abandoned him. Why had his Lord abandoned him? In moments of despair, he would want to throw himself off a mountain, but then he would sense Jibreel’s presence and become calm again. This interim period was a time of contemplation, a time for Muhammad to prepare himself for what lay ahead.

One day Muhammad returned to the cave of Hira to worship in solitude. As he left the cave and began to descend the mountain another strange event took place. The Prophet described the event as follows: When I descended the mountain and came to the valley, I heard a voice saying “Muhammad! You are the Prophet of Allah, and I am Jibreel!” Then I raised my head and on the horizon, I saw the angel who had come to me in the cave of Hira. I was filled with awe and bowed towards the earth. I hurried home to Khadeejah and asked her to wrap me up. She put a blanket around me and sprinkled water on me.

It was at this time that Prophet received the second revelation. It comprised of the first five verses of Surah Al- Muddaththir: “O you wrapped up in garments! Arise and warn! Magnify your Lord, and your clothing purify! Shun idols and false worship! And give not a thing in order to have more (or consider not your deeds of obedience to Allah as a favour to Him). And be patient for the sake of your Lord (i.e. perform your duty to Allah)” (74: 1-7).

This revelation with its instructions regarding worship came before Muhammad was instructed to perform regular prayers (Salah). It marked the resumption of visitations by Jibreel, and subsequent revelations came in quick succession.

Muhammad had been appointed as a prophet with the first revelation. With the second revelation, he was made Allah’s Messenger, entrusted with two tasks. The first task was to “arise and warn.” He was ordered to teach his people about Allah and to warn them about the consequences of their sins.

The Prophet’s second task was to obey the commands of Allah and act as a model for others. The Surah contains a series of instructions to the Prophet , and a line by line examination reveals the basic religious practices ordered in Islam. In the original Arabic, the phrase fakabbir in the first verse means: Worship Allah alone without associating any partners with Him.

In the second verse, the expression thyaabaka fathhir literally means: Purify your clothing; but according to Muslim scholars, it also means: Purify your conduct. The next verse, warrujza fahjur enjoins the Prophet to: Abstain from the pagan customs of the Arabs. The verse, la tamnun tastakthir means: Do not expect to be rewarded in this world for your efforts. Finally, wa lirabbika fasbir means: Be patient for your Lords sake.