Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
1.
Allah Ta'ala is Akram (Most Generous) in the sense that He provided all the means necessary for man's life and survival even before his creation. Then Allah Ta'ala also placed within human nature the method of utilizing these means. It is with the name of this very Akram that you are commanded to read.

2.
Allah Ta'ala is Akram for mankind in every aspect of life. He is also Akram in that He taught man the method of using the pen, through which knowledge can be disseminated on a wide scale, and written material remains even after the death of a scholar and continues to be transmitted from generation to generation.

Hadith Commentary:
In this very first revelation, you were encouraged to acquire knowledge.
Alongside this, the creation of man was mentioned.
Within this is an indication that the foremost duty of man is first to attain knowledge of his Lord, and then to recognize his own existence and his own self.
There are also subtle indications in this regarding the etiquettes of acquiring knowledge.
Reflect, O people of understanding.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has narrated this hadith in an extremely concise manner.
Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah states:
“In my opinion, even Imam Bukhari’s rahimahullah teacher, Yahya ibn Bukayr, would not have narrated it to him in this way.
Nor did he (Yahya ibn Bukayr) make such an abbreviation; rather, it appears that this is the action of Imam Bukhari rahimahullah himself.
From this, it is evident that Imam Bukhari rahimahullah considered this type of abbreviation to be permissible.”
(Fath al-Bari: 8\923)
➋
In any case, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah wishes to clarify, regarding the aforementioned verse, the context in which it was revealed.

Hadith Commentary:
Vocabulary of the Hadith:

(1)
AL-WAHY (Revelation):
The literal meaning of wahy is:
To convey information in an extremely secret or hidden manner,
and its application extends to gestures,
writing,
written messages,
letters, and inspiration or instillation.
In the legal (shar‘i) sense:
That speech is called wahy which is sent down by Allah to a prophet or messenger.

(2)
AL-RU’YA AL-SADIQAH:
A true dream.
That which you see in a dream,
it appears exactly the same in wakefulness.

(3)
FALAQ AL-SUBH:
The dawn,
the light of morning,
meaning that dream is completely clear,
there is no ambiguity or obscurity in it.

(4)
HUBBIBA ILAYHI AL-KHALA’:
A love for solitude and seclusion was instilled,
so that with complete peace,
and tranquility of heart, there would be an opportunity for contemplation,
and by separating from familiar human company, humility and submissiveness would develop in the heart.

(5)
YATAHANNAFU:
To avoid sin,
“hanth” means sin,
and “tahannuth”
means to abstain from sin,
as if worship protects a person from sin,
therefore it has been interpreted as “ta‘abbud” (servitude/worship).

(6)
AL-LAYALIY AWLAT AL-‘ADAD:
He would spend several nights in this activity,
sometimes the entire month of Ramadan
would pass in this way.

(7)
HATTA FAJI’AHU AL-HAQQ:
Suddenly, the angel came to you with revelation,
you had neither hope nor expectation of it.
In terms of Allah’s knowledge, everything was written in the Preserved Tablet (al-Lawh al-Mahfuz) even fifty thousand years before the creation of the heavens and the earth,
in which prophethood,
sainthood,
happiness and wretchedness,
good and evil—everything is recorded.
In this sense, not only you,
but every prophet,
every companion,
every saint, in fact every human’s rank and status is predetermined,
but the manifestation of everything occurs at its appointed time.
The time of every person’s birth and death is fixed,
but its occurrence will be at its own time.
Similarly, the time of your (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) prophethood was fixed,
but when the revelation began to descend upon you,
then you became a prophet;
before the coming of revelation, you were not a prophet (even though in destiny and Allah’s knowledge you were a prophet).
Therefore, to say:
that you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) were a prophet at the time of birth, or even at the time when Adam (alayhis salam) had not yet been created,
this is not correct.
If you were already a prophet,
then what was the need for the discussion about which law you followed in worship in the Cave of Hira,
and did the circumstances that occurred at the time of the first revelation occur later as well? If you were already a prophet,
and you knew it,
then why did this situation arise?

(8)
MA ANA BIQARI’:
I am not learned/read,
most scholars have considered (ma)
to be a negation,
and its meaning is “ma uhsinu al-qira’ah,”
I cannot read well,
and this is in the case
when someone is given a written thing and told to read.
Or if he is simply told to read,
but if someone,
after making him recognize the word, says:
Read! Or recites the phrase and says:
Repeat this phrase,
then he can read.
Therefore, when the angel recited the words of revelation before you,
you also recited them after him.
Some scholars have interpreted it as interrogative,
as in the wording of one narration (kayfa aqra’u)
“How can I read?” (I cannot read on my own)
Another narration is (ma dha aqra’u)
“What should I read?”
Despite the explicit statements of all the early commentators,
and despite accepting that you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) were unlettered.
If, hypothetically, you were literate, then people would have doubted your prophethood.
It is claimed that you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) refused to read,
saying I am not one who reads,
my worship would be disturbed,
when for the fourth time Jibril (alayhis salam) said: ﴿Iqra’ bismi rabbika allathee khalaq﴾,
then your mind turned to the fact that he too is mentioning the very Being in whose observation and contemplation you are absorbed,
so you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) read,
so when Jibril (alayhis salam) first embraced you,
did that not disturb your worship?
And did your response not affect your worship?
And if you were already a prophet,
then why did you not know this beforehand?

(9)
HATTA BALAGHA MINNI AL-JAHD:
“Jahd,”
it is correct to read with either a fatha or a damma on the jeem,
the meaning will be extremity (limit)
and hardship,
if the dal has a fatha, the meaning will be:
Jibril exerted his full strength,
he pressed with all his might,
since he was in human form,
therefore his strength was also human; no human
can bear the angelic strength and power,
nor does an angel experience hardship.
If the dal has a damma, the meaning will be:
I exhausted all my strength in bearing the pressure,
my strength reached its final limits.
It is possible that the first time:
the embrace (pressure)
was to turn you away from worldly thoughts and concerns.
The second time:
to draw your thoughts and attention to himself, and the third time:
to make you familiar with him.
(Irshad al-Sari: 1/63)

(10)
TARJUFU BAWADIRUHU:
“Bawadir”
is the plural of “badirah,”
it refers to the flesh of the shoulder,
it was trembling due to fear and anxiety.

(11)
ZAMMILUNI:
Wrap me in a cloth or cover me with a garment.

(12)
AL-RAU‘:
Fear,
anxiety.

(13)
LAQAD KHASHITU ‘ALA NAFSI:
Due to the angel’s pressure and the resulting fear, I feared for my life,
this phrase relates to the circumstances that occurred in the Cave of Hira,
because it is in the past tense,
and the intention is to describe the intensity of that incident.
If its meaning is taken as present or future, as is felt from the response of Khadijah (radi Allahu anha),
then the meaning would be:
“I fear that I may not be able to fulfill this responsibility as it deserves,
or that I may not be able to bear this great responsibility.”
So then Khadijah (radi Allahu anha) said,
if you were not worthy of this responsibility or could not fulfill it, then this responsibility would not have been placed upon you,
Allah will not disgrace a person of such lofty qualities and noble character as you,
if a responsibility is placed upon someone and he cannot fulfill it,
then this becomes a cause of humiliation and disgrace for him,
therefore it is not possible that you would be unable to fulfill this responsibility.

(14)
TAHMILU AL-KALL:
“Kall”
means burden.
﴿huwa kallun ‘ala mawlahu﴾ “He is a burden upon his master.”
Meaning:
You help and assist the weak,
orphans, and the helpless,
you provide them with sustenance and support.

(15)
TUKSIBU AL-MA‘DUM:
“Kasaba” and “aksaba” mean to earn and give to someone,
“ma‘dum,”
if it means needy, i.e., poor and destitute,
then the meaning will be:
“You earn and give to the poor and penniless,”
because “ma‘dum” means non-existent, and the poor and needy
fall under the meaning of “la shay’ ma‘dum wa mu‘dim,”
or the meaning will be that you give rare things.
Teachings and guidance like yours cannot be obtained from anywhere else,
in this case, “kasaba” will be from the triliteral simple form,
and if it is considered from the augmented form,
then the first object will be omitted and the attribute of “ma‘dum” will also be omitted.
“Tuksibu ghayraka al-mala al-ma‘dum:”
“You earn rare wealth for others.”

(16)
NAWA’IB AL-HAQQ:
“Nawa’ib”
is the plural of “na’ibah,”
it means calamity and misfortune,
that if someone faces a calamity due to the truth,
you assist him,
you do not help in wrongful matters.

(17)
TANASSARA FI AL-JAHILIYYAH:
Before your (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) mission, he had adopted Christianity.

(18)
NAMUS:
Confidant,
the confidant of good is called “namus” and the confidant of evil is called “jasus” (spy).

(19)
AL-JADHA‘:
A strong youth.

(20)
NASRAN MU’AZZARAN:
Strong and powerful help,
to give full support.

Benefits and Issues:

(1)
Before the coming of revelation, you were prepared for it,
a love for single-mindedness and seclusion was instilled in your heart,
so that you would become accustomed to contemplation with focus,
and your interaction with people would decrease,
and purity would develop within your heart.

(2)
Through true dreams, guidance towards righteousness and guidance was given, just as the dawn appears before sunrise.

(3)
Jibril (alayhis salam) suddenly came with revelation and adopted such a manner that bearing future revelation would become easier,
and for a period, revelation was suspended,
so that your love and longing for its attainment would increase.
When a beloved thing is attained once,
then lost, the longing for its attainment increases greatly,
for this reason, during the period of suspension of revelation, you would become saddened, and Jibril (alayhis salam) would appear before you and lighten your grief and sorrow.

(4)
Khadijah (radi Allahu anha) described six of your perfect qualities,
which were the guarantee of your success and triumph:
(1)
Maintaining family ties.
(2)
Truthfulness in speech.
(3)
Helping and supporting the weak and helpless.
(4)
Assisting the needy and poor.
(5)
Hospitality.
(6)
Cooperation in facing calamities,
and these very qualities are still the guarantee for the propagation and dissemination of the religion,
and Muslims, by adopting them, can make the religion dominant throughout the world,
especially the scholars who are your heirs,
for them this is a moment of reflection.

(5)
The decisive factor in influencing others is a person’s character and conduct,
you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not invite Khadijah (radi Allahu anha) to accept prophethood,
you merely narrated the incident of the descent of revelation and informed her of your own experiences,
she herself accepted your prophethood,
in fact, according to her own understanding, she consoled you and, for further reassurance, took you to her cousin,
he accepted your prophethood and informed you of the circumstances to come and assured you of full support.

(6)
Those who propagate and spread the religion must endure hardships and suffering,
and the enmity and hostility of their own people,
this field is not a bed of roses,
it is a path full of thorns,
for which patience, steadfastness, and perseverance are required.

(7)
The very first revelation to descend were the opening verses of Surah Al-‘Alaq, which were revealed in the Cave of Hira,
and then for about two and a half years, the coming of revelation was suspended.

(8)
According to Arab etiquette, elders are addressed as “uncle,”
since Waraqah was elderly,
he was called your uncle.

Explanation:
1:
That is, whichever dream the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) saw would be fulfilled exactly and clearly as seen.
This was the initial state of his (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) prophethood.
Then the series of verbal revelation began with “Iqra’ bismi rabbika” ().