The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) – Volume III — Page 197
VI - All Races Invited to Islām 197 e-‘Imrān. Moreover, narrations substantiate the fact that the first 8 0 verses of Sūrah Āl-e-‘Imrān were revealed in 9 A. H. when the delegation from Najrān came to visit the Holy Prophet sa. 1 Furthermore, since the letter addressed to Caesar was positively written immediately after the Treaty of Ḥudaibiyyah, therefore, verses revealed in 9 A. H. could not possibly be included in a letter written in 6 A. H. or 7 A. H. Hence, it is proven that this whole story of a letter is false altogether. This is the allegation which is raised at this instance. This allegation, however, is not a new one. This question was brought before Muslim historians and they have answered it with very elaborate explanations. 2 In actuality, the fact is, and it so happened many times, that various phrases were spoken by the Holy Prophet sa or Ḥaḍrat ‘Umar ra and then a short time thereafter, identical verses of the Qur’ān were revealed. Moreover, it is not inconceivable for highly trained spiritual hearts to be influenced by the hidden rays of a Divine truth and express it by the special light of their heart or particular spiritual insight prior to its revelation. As such, numerous accounts of this are recorded in history and Ḥadīth, such as the conduct with the prisoners of Badr, funeral prayer of hypocrites, prohibition of alcohol, injunctions of Pardah , 3 etc. 4 Hence, it is not beyond belief that on this occasion, the Holy Prophet sa dictated this passage himself first and then the same passage was revealed in the form of a Quranic verse later on. Moreover, it is also possible that the first eighty verses of Sūrah Āl-e-‘Imrān were not all revealed in their entirety when the delegation of Najrān came to Madīnah. Instead, a 1 * Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Volume 1, pp. 171-172, Wafdu Najrāna , Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 11, p. 327, An-Nau‘us-Sādisu Fī Dhikri Ḥajjihī Wa ‘Umrihī sa , Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) [Publishers] 2 * Fatḥul-Bārī Sharḥu Ṣaḥīḥil-Bukhārī, By Al-Imām Aḥmad bin Ḥajar Al-‘Asqalānī, Volume 1, pp. 53- 54, Kitābu Bad’il-Waḥyi, Chapter No. 6, Ḥadīth No. 7 * Tafsīrul-Qur’ānil-‘Aẓīm (Tafsīru Ibni Kathīr), By ‘Imāduddīn Abul-Fidā’ Ismā‘īl bin ‘Umar Ibni Kathīr, Volume 2, pp. 47-48, Tafsīru Sūrati Āl-e-‘Imrān, Under verse 64, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon (1998) * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 11, p. 327, An-Nau‘us-Sādisu Fī Dhikri Ḥajjihī Wa ‘Umrihī sa , Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) 3 Islāmic injunction of veiling [Publishers] 4 * Fatḥul-Bārī Sharḥu Ṣaḥīḥil-Bukhārī, By Al-Imām Aḥmad bin Ḥajar Al-‘Asqalānī, Volume 1, p. 665, Kitābuṣ-Ṣalāti, Bābu Mā Jā’a Fil-Qiblati. . . , Ḥadīth No. 402 * Sharḥul-‘Allāmatiz-Zarqānī ‘Alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, By Allāmah Shihābuddīn Al-Qusṭalānī, Volume 2, pp. 322-323, Bābu Ghazwati Badril-Kubrā, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)