❀ The Reality of the Objection
Orientalists have put forth a misleading theory, claiming that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ did not receive revelation, but—God forbid—was afflicted by epilepsy, and that whatever he said after an epileptic fit was considered revelation by the people. This objection is extremely superficial and baseless, and has been thoroughly refuted both scholarly and historically.
✔ Orientalists presented no authentic narration or evidence to support their claim.
✔ They relied on weak and unreliable narrations and used them to build unjustified arguments.
✔ They ignored authentic and widely accepted narrations.
The orientalists’ hostility towards Islam is so deep that they resorted to false accusations based on their own biases. Examples include:
✔ Interpreting the glad tidings given to Hazrat Amina (رضي الله عنها) as a symptom of hereditary epilepsy.
✔ Declaring the incident of Shiq Sadr (splitting of the chest) as an epileptic fit.
✔ Describing the state of revelation as a condition of epilepsy.
Contrary to the claims of the orientalists, authentic ahadith describe in detail the different states of revelation experienced by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
✔ Vision of Hazrat Jibreel (عليه السلام) in his true form:
- Hazrat Jibreel (عليه السلام) appeared in his true form only three times:
① Upon the Prophet’s ﷺ request.
② During the incident of Mi'raj (Ascension).
③ In the early days at the place called Ajyad in Makkah.
(Fath al-Bari, 1/118)
✔ Hearing the sound of revelation:
- Hazrat Umar (رضي الله عنه) said that when revelation descended upon the Prophet ﷺ, a sound like the buzzing of bees could be heard near his face.
(Musnad Ahmad, Kitab al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, 2/212)
✔ Direct conversation with Allah:
- During Mi'raj, the Prophet ﷺ experienced direct conversation with Allah while awake.
(Al-Itqan, 1/46)
✔ Inspiration to the blessed heart:
- Sometimes Hazrat Jibreel (عليه السلام) would inspire directly into the Prophet's ﷺ heart without appearing physically. This is known as "Nafth fi al-ru' (inspiration into the soul)".
(Al-Itqan, 1/46)
✔ The weight of revelation:
- Hazrat Aisha (رضي الله عنها) said that even on cold days, the Prophet’s ﷺ forehead would become drenched in sweat during the descent of revelation.
(Al-Itqan, 1/446)
✔ Weight on animals or humans:
- During revelation, the weight upon the Prophet ﷺ was so heavy that if he was mounted on an animal, the animal would sit down under the pressure.
(Zad al-Ma'ad, 1/18)
Symptoms of Epilepsy:
Epilepsy is a neurological condition characterized by:
- Sudden loss of consciousness and convulsions.
- Body stiffening.
- Frothing at the mouth.
- Complete memory loss.
- Tongue biting or uncontrolled speech.
(Dr. Wahajuddin Ahmad, Neurologist, North Carolina)
Comparison Between Revelation and Epilepsy:
✔ During an epileptic seizure, the patient has no recollection of what happened, whereas the Messenger of Allah ﷺ not only remembered the revelation word-for-word but also dictated the Qur'an to his Companions.
✔ Epileptic speech has no consistency or eloquence, whereas the Qur'an is a matchless and miraculous speech, acknowledged for its eloquence even by the greatest poets of Arabia.
(Al-Khasa'is al-Kubra li al-Suyuti, 1/113)
The orientalists built their accusation upon a weak and isolated narration that claims the Prophet ﷺ fainted and frothed at the mouth after seeing Hazrat Jibreel (عليه السلام) in his true form.
Islamic scholars have declared this narration as weak and fabricated.
(Fath al-Bari, 1/118)
The orientalists accept that the people of Hazrat Musa (عليه السلام) died upon seeing the divine manifestation, and that Hazrat Musa (عليه السلام)** fainted**, but they label the Prophet ﷺ’s state of revelation as epilepsy. This reveals their extreme prejudice.
Hazrat Jabir ibn Abdullah (رضي الله عنه) narrated that when revelation began, the Prophet ﷺ saw an angel between the heavens and the earth. He returned home and said:
"Cover me!" Then Allah revealed these verses:
❝
يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ () قُمْ فَأَنذِرْ () وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ () وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ
❞
"O you who wraps himself (in clothing), Arise and warn, And magnify your Lord, And purify your garments."
(Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 2, Hadith 481)
✔ The detailed descriptions of the Prophet’s ﷺ states during revelation in authentic ahadith do not resemble any signs of epilepsy.
✔ The Qur'an, revealed over twenty-three years, is unmatched in its arrangement, eloquence, and miraculous knowledge, and cannot be the speech of an ordinary human.
✔ Among those who accepted the Prophet ﷺ were the greatest poets, scholars, and wise men of Arabia, none of whom ever described his revelation as epilepsy or any illness.
✔ The objections of the orientalists are based on scholarly weakness, prejudice, and ill intent.
✔ Authentic ahadith and historical evidence prove that the states of revelation bear no resemblance to epilepsy.
✔ The eloquence, coherence, and effect of the Qur'an are clear proofs that it is the word of Allah, not a human fabrication.
