Nasai

935. Commentary:

➊ The fact that an angel can assume a human form is established abundantly from authentic hadiths. There is no rational objection to this either. Light assumes many colors; sometimes it appears in one color, sometimes in another, though in reality, light is white. The sun appears red at the time of setting and rising, and intensely white at noon, even though at that time it is rising or setting elsewhere. The mysteries and secrets of this universe are innumerable; therefore, it is not the way of people of intellect and understanding to deny something that is clearly established.

➋ The fact that sweat would pour forth even in the winter season was due to the heaviness (thiqal) of revelation (wahy), because when receiving revelation, you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had to exert an immense amount of physical strength.

➌ This blessed hadith proves that the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum) used to ask questions of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), and the Noble Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would answer them and teach them matters of the religion without showing any annoyance or the like. Then, the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum) conveyed to us everything they learned and memorized from him without concealing anything. And all praise is due to Allah for that. (4) Asking about the nature of something in the religion for the sake of reassurance of the heart is not contrary to certainty (yaqin).

Hadith Footnote: The details of the descent of revelation have been written in detail in the first part, in the Book of Revelation.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
For revelation (wahy), it is necessary that there be a compatibility between the listener and the speaker.
There are two forms of this:
a.
The listener is dominated by spirituality and is characterized by that attribute.
This is the first type of revelation.
The sound of this revelation is like the ringing of a bell.
It was very difficult to bear this type of speech.
b.
The speaker is characterized by the attribute of the listener.
In this type, the angel of revelation would come in the form of a human being; in this case, it was easier to bear the revelation because a person is familiar with this kind of conversation.

➋
There is also a third, defective form of revelation.
Since the question was about revelation in the waking state, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not mention the third method.

➌
According to this hadith, the angel takes on the form of a human being, and from this Imam Bukhari (rahimahullah) has established his point.
And Allah knows best.

Explanation:
The Prophets (alayhimus-salam), especially our master and leader Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), received revelation (wahy) in various ways. The dreams of the Prophets are also revelation, and the occurrences or inspirations that descend upon their purified hearts are also revelation. Sometimes, the angel sent by Allah converses with them in his original form, and sometimes he appears in human form and conveys to them the command of Allah. At times, Allah, the Most High and Exalted, Himself addresses His Messenger directly. All these types of revelation were found, from time to time, in the blessed life of the Noble Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). In the above hadith, where the resemblance to the sound of a bell is mentioned, Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah has interpreted this as referring to revelation, and has explained it as the sound of the feet of the angel who brings the revelation. Some scholars have taken this sound to mean the Divine Voice, and, under the Qur’anic verse «وماكان لبشر ان يكلمه الله الا وحيا اومن ورآي حجابٍ» etc. [الشوریٰ: 51], have described it as the form of communication from behind a veil. Nowadays, with the invention of the telephone, we also observe that the caller first places a finger on the bell, and the sound is heard as a bell where the call is received. This is, in reality, a kind of unseen, spiritual telephone from Allah the Exalted, which descends from the higher realm upon the blessed hearts of His chosen servants, the Prophets and Messengers. The revelation to the Noble Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) occurred with such frequency that it can be likened to a shower of mercy. The Noble Qur’an is that revelation which is called “recited revelation” (wahy matlu), meaning the revelation that will remain in the recitation of Muslims until the Day of Resurrection, and the “non-recited revelation” (wahy ghayr matlu) consists of his sacred hadiths (ahadith qudsiyyah), which have been referred to in the Qur’an as “al-hikmah” (wisdom). The protection of both types of revelation has been taken as the responsibility of Allah the Exalted, and in these fourteen hundred years, just as memorizers (huffaz), reciters (qurra’), scholars (‘ulama’), jurists (fudala’), and exegetes (mufassirun) have continued to be produced for the service and protection of the Noble Qur’an, likewise, for the protection of the Prophetic hadiths, Allah the Exalted has produced groups of hadith scholars (muhaddithin) such as Imam Bukhari rahimahullah, Imam Muslim rahimahullah, and others. They rendered such service to the Prophetic knowledge that the Ummah can never fully repay their debt until the Day of Judgment. The Prophetic hadith that if the religion were to be at Thurayya (the Pleiades), some people from among the Persians would acquire it from there—without doubt, this refers to these very noble hadith scholars, Imam Bukhari, Muslim, and others, who traveled thousands of miles on foot in search of the Prophetic hadiths and, enduring great hardships, compiled them.

Alas, it is most regrettable that in this fourteenth century, some people openly deny the Prophetic hadiths and mock the noble hadith scholars, and there are also those who, while outwardly professing respect for them, secretly strive with all their might to prove them unreliable, mere narrators, devoid of discernment, and lacking in understanding. However, the lasting acceptance and universal recognition that Allah the Exalted has granted to the noble services of His chosen servants cannot be erased by such misguided efforts.

In summary, there are four forms of revelation:
➊ Allah the Exalted addresses His Messenger-Prophet directly.
➋ An angel brings the message of Allah.
➌ Inspiration is cast into the heart.
➍ True dreams are shown.

In technical terminology, the word “wahy” (revelation) is used exclusively for the Prophets, while “ilham” (inspiration) is general and can occur to other righteous servants as well. In the Noble Qur’an, the word “ilham” has also been used for animals, as mentioned in «واوحي ربك الي النحل» [النحل: 68]. For further details on revelation, the Imam of Hadith has quoted the following narration: [حدیث مبارکہ نمبر 3 دیکھیں]

Hadith Commentary:
➊
From this hadith, the greatness of revelation (wahy) becomes evident, as during the descent of revelation, the state of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would change, and his blessed face would become altered. This did not happen just once or twice, but throughout his life, he had to endure this state hundreds of times. From this, not only does the greatness of revelation become clear, but also the truthfulness and infallibility (‘ismah) of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) are known.
➋
In the question regarding how revelation would come, three things are involved:
(a)
The nature of the revelation itself.
(b)
The state of the bearer of revelation, Jibril (alayhis salam).
(c)
The state of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) himself.
In the answer, all three of these matters have been explained in detail.
➌
From the words of the hadith:
“It was very hard upon me,” it is understood that divine revelation was not a form of internal speech (kalam nafsi), because a person who experiences internal speech due to mental disturbance utters “unseen things” and does not experience any hardship, difficulty, or anxiety. However, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), due to the pressure of an unseen force and the heaviness of the divine word, would become drenched in sweat at the time of revelation and his anxiety would increase.
➍
In this hadith, two forms of revelation have been mentioned which would generally occur to him.
Apart from these, sometimes revelation would come in the form of a dream, and sometimes through inspiration (ilham) and casting (ilqa’), and at times Jibril (alayhis salam) would come with revelation in his true form.
And sometimes, there is also evidence of revelation by Allah Himself speaking from behind a veil, as the hadith of Mi’raj is a clear proof of this.
➍
From some narrations, it is known that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had a strong aversion to the sound of bells. In such circumstances, why was the descent of revelation likened to such a sound? Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah answers this in the following words: In a bell (jars), there are two things:
One is music and melody, which is detestable; the other is the intensity and strength of the sound.
Revelation has been likened to the second characteristic of the bell, which is not detestable.
Because of this intensity, revelation has been described as a “weighty word” (qawl thaqil).
Due to this, the nervous system of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would be affected to such an extent that even in the coldest season, he would become drenched in sweat.
➎
In one narration, it is mentioned that at the time of the descent of revelation, a sound like the buzzing of bees would be heard near the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
This quality of the sound was in relation to the listeners, but for the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), this sound was like the ringing of a bell, so that external noise and commotion would not interfere with the hearing of revelation.
(Fath al-Bari: 1/19)
➏
It is also understood that asking questions for the satisfaction of the heart is not contrary to certainty, just as our master Ibrahim (alayhis salam) asked Allah Ta’ala about the revival of the dead. Likewise, there is no harm in asking the Prophets (alayhimus salam) about the states and events that befell them.
(Fath al-Bari: 1/22)

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues:

Ṣalṣalah:
Originally, this refers to the sound and clanging produced when an iron chain is struck against the ground. Since the sound of clanging is heard from all directions and has continuity—there is no pause—it becomes difficult to comprehend words from it. According to some, this was the sound of the angel’s wings so that you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would become fully attentive to receiving revelation, and your attention would not be diverted elsewhere. In this situation, since spirituality and the angelic nature would dominate you, meaning you had to move from a human disposition to an angelic disposition—which was an extraordinary occurrence—you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had to endure great hardship in this state. And when the angel would come in human form, you would remain in your human state, so this situation would be a source of ease and convenience for you.

Explanation:
1:
It is said: This sound used to be the sound of Jibril, which in the beginning was unintelligible, then it would become understandable but with great difficulty. For this reason, this form of revelation was the hardest upon the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), such that he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would become drenched in sweat.

Some scholars say that this was the sound of the wings of Jibril, which occurred so that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) would become alert for the revelation, just as in our times there is the ringing of a phone.

2:
The reason for it being the hardest was that there was difficulty in understanding it.

934. Commentary:

➊ “In what state does revelation come to you?” This question encompasses three aspects: (1) The nature of the revelation itself, (2) The state of the bearer of revelation, Jibril (alayhis salam), (3) The state of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) himself. The answer clarifies all three of these aspects. In this hadith, two forms of revelation that would commonly occur to you are mentioned. Besides these, there are also various other forms of revelation. Allamah Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullah) has mentioned ranks along with the types of revelation: (1) Receiving true dreams. The revelation to the Noble Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) began with these. Whatever you would see in a dream would occur exactly as such in wakefulness. (2) Something being cast into the heart without the angel being seen, as in the statement of the Noble Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam): «إنَّ روحَ القدسِ نفثَ في رَوعي………» “Indeed, the Holy Spirit (Jibril Amin) cast this into my heart.” [سلسلة الأحادیث الصحیحة : 865/6 ، حدیث : 2866]

➌ The angel bringing revelation to you in human form, which is also mentioned in the present hadith. On such occasions, Jibril (alayhis salam) would usually come in the form of the well-known Companion Dihyah al-Kalbi (radi Allahu anhu). Sometimes, he would come in the form of another person, as is narrated from Umar (radi Allahu anhu) that Jibril (alayhis salam) came in the form of a stranger. See: [صحیح مسلم ، الإیمان ، حدیث : 8]

➍ Sometimes, a sound like the ringing of a bell would be heard and the descent of revelation would begin. This is also mentioned in the present hadith. (5) The angel bringing revelation to the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) in his true form. In this way, revelation came to you twice. (6) Speaking directly with Allah, behind a veil, in the heavens, as occurred on the night of Mi’raj when you (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) spoke with Allah and received the gift of fifty prayers, which were reduced to five. (7) Direct speech from Allah without the intermediary of an angel, behind a veil, as Allah spoke to Musa (alayhis salam): «﴿وَكَلَّمَ اللَّهُ مُوسَى تَكْلِيمًا﴾» [النساء : 164 : 4]

No human can speak to Allah face to face. The command of Allah is: «﴿وَمَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَنْ يُكَلِّمَهُ اللَّهُ إِلا وَحْيًا أَوْ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ﴾» [الشوری : 51 : 42]

“It is not possible for any human that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration or from behind a veil.” [زاد المعاد : 80-78/1]

➋ “A sound like the ringing of a bell”—this was the sound of revelation, which was quite difficult to comprehend, because understanding words from a bell-like sound requires great attention and there is much difficulty in grasping them. Therefore, much effort had to be exerted to understand them. Some scholars have expressed the view that when the angel brought revelation, he would flutter his wings, and this sound would be produced. And some scholars have opined that the comparison here is not to the melody of the sound, but to its continuity and intensity: just as the sound of a bell is continuous and intense and does not break at any point, so too was the sound of revelation continuous and intense. See further: [ذخیرہ العقبیٰ شرح سنن النسائي : 55/12]

In this form, since the angel was not visible to you, but the revelation was cast directly into your heart, this was a cause of intensity and heaviness for you. And Allah knows best. Aishah (radi Allahu anha) states that revelation would descend upon you on a very cold day, and when the revelation would end, your forehead would be drenched with sweat. [صحیح البخاري ، بدء الوحي ، حدیث : 2]

According to Shah Waliullah (rahimahullah), during revelation your ears and eyes would be closed off from the outside; you would neither see anything nor hear any other sound, so that there would be no interference in the revelation and your attention would not be diverted elsewhere. This sound, in fact, was due to the ears being closed, and thus this sound would persist throughout the duration of the revelation.

Benefit:
In this hadith, the various forms of revelation (wahy) have been described, and they are four: ➊ Allah, the Exalted, speaks directly to His Messenger. ➋ An angel comes to the Messenger with Allah’s message. ➌ Inspiration is cast into the heart. ➍ True dreams are shown. Revelation would come to the Noble Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) sometimes in one form and sometimes in another. Furthermore, from this hadith, the importance of memorizing and retaining the knowledge of revelation becomes clear.