The Mirror of the Excellences of Islam — Page 122
PREFACE-ESSENCE OF ISLAM 121 people of the past. From these, it can be learnt that they certainly did not believe that the Holy Spirit descended upon the Holy Prophet, may peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him, only at certain special and particular times, and that at other times the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was—God forbid—totally deprived of his company. AUTHOR'S MARGIN NOTE Shaikh 'Abdul-Haqq, the Muhaddith of Delhi, cites Kitabul-Wafa Shāhādāt and Safrus-Saadat etc. to show that the Holy Prophetsas was never separated from the angels of revelation and that Jibrā'īl, peace be upon him, was his permanent companion. One of these sayings is documented by Shaikh Abdul-Haqq, the Muhaddith of Delhi, on page 42 of his book Madārijun- Nubūwwat. Its purport is that the angels of wahy are the constant friends and com- panions of the Holy Prophet, peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him. He quotes from Jāmi'ul-Usūl and Kitābul-Wafa that, continuously, for three years from the beginning of the Prophethood, Hadrat Israfil accompanied the Holy Prophet, may peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him, after that Hadrat Jibrā'īl came to provide permanent companionship. Again, quoting from Safrus-Saʻādat, he says that Allah, His eminence be glorified, commanded Isrāfil to keep company with the Holy Prophet, peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him, when he was seven years of age. So, Isrāfil stayed with the Holy Prophetsas every moment and always till he was 11 years of age; Isrāfil, however, did not sug- gest anything by way of wahy to the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, except for a word or two. Likewise, Mīkā'īl was also a companion of the Holy Prophet. Then, after that, Hadrat Jibrā'īl was commanded, and he remained continuously in the company of the Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, for twenty-nine years before the wahy began. Following this period, the wahy of Prophethood commenced.