The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam — Page 115
114 Α'ΙΝΑ-Ε-ΚΑMĀLĀT-E-ISLAM-DAFI UL-WASĀWIS AUTHOR'S MARGIN NOTE not separate from Jesus even for the blink of an eye, and Gabriel ascended only when Jesus ascended to the heavens, and he stayed on earth, day and night, for thirty-three years, not leaving him even for a single moment, and for thirty-three consec- utive years, he left his heavenly abode- which is not less than a thousand miles in The belief of present-day maulawis is that the manner in which revelation descends on the Messiah is unique among all Prophets. length and breadth—desolate and abandoned, whereas, the authentic ahādīth say that not a foot of heaven remains without angels even for a single moment¹—and the manner in which he conveyed revelation to Jesus for thirty-three years also turns out to be unique among all Prophets! AUTHOR'S MARGIN NOTE How does revelation descend upon the Prophets Bukhārī, Abū Dāwūd, Tirmidhi, Ibn Mājah, and Muslim are all unanimous in their reports that the descent of Gabriel (that is, his manifestation, as I explained earlier) from the heavens with revelation takes place upon the Prophets from time to time. In sup- port of this, Ibn Jarīr and Ibn Kathīr have also recorded the following hadith: عَنِ النَّوَّاسِ بِنْ سَمْعَانَ رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى أَنْ يُوحِيَ بِأَمْرٍ تَكَلَّمَ بِالْوَحْيِ، فَإِذَا تَكَلَّمَ أَخَذَتِ السَّمَوَاتُ مِنْهُ رَجْفَةٌ أَوْ قَالَ رَعْدَةً شَدِيدَةً مِنْ خَوْفِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، فَإِذَا سَمِعَ بِذْلِكَ أَهْلُ السَّمَوَاتِ صَعِقُوا وَخَرُّوا لِلَّهِ سُجَّدًا فَيَكُونُ أَوَّلَ مَنْ يَرْفَعُ رَأْسَهُ جِبْرَائِيلُ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَوةُ وَالسَّلَامُ، فَيُكَلِّمُهُ اللَّهُ مِنْ وَحْيِهِ بِمَا أَرَادَ فَيَمْضِي بِهِ جِبْرَائِيلُ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلوةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى الْمَلَائِكَةِ كُلِّهَا مِنْ سَمَاءٍ إِلَى سَمَاءٍ يَسْأَلُهُ مَلَائِكَتُهَا مَاذَا قَالَ رَبُّنَا يَا جِبْرَائِيلُ فَيَقُولُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ : قَالَ الْحَقُّ وَهُوَ الْعَلِيُّ الْكَبِيرُ. فَيَقُولُونَ كُلُّهُمْ مِثْلَ مَا قَالَ جِبْرَائِيلُ فَيَنْتَهِي جِبْرَائِيلُ بِالْوَحْيِ إِلَى حَيْثُ أَمَرَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى مِنْ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ. 1. Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Kitābuz-Zuhd, Bābu fi Qaulin-Nabīsas: Lau-Taʻlamūna Mã A'lam Ladaḥiktum Qalīlan, Hadith 2312 [Publisher]