In the hadith, there is a story mentioned regarding Bahira the monk
Reference: (Jami' at-Tirmidhi: 3620, Chapter on the Beginning of the Prophethood of the Prophet ﷺ)
. Some people consider the meeting of the Holy Prophet ﷺ with Bahira the monk to be doubtful; they say that Bahira is the name of a fictitious character and that this person never actually existed. They cast doubt on this incident because it is one of the signs of the Prophethood of the Holy Prophet ﷺ. Is the story of Bahira the monk authentic in its chain of narration? Did the Holy Prophet ﷺ learn anything from Bahira the monk?First Point
Is the story of Bahira the monk authentic in its chain of narration? According to some scholars, this story is not proven with an authentic chain, but the correct view is that this story is established. Hafiz Ibn Hajar, may Allah have mercy on him, states regarding the narrators of this hadith’s chain that they are narrators of Sahih Bukhari.
Reference: (Al-Isabah 1/643)
Imam Bayhaqi states that this incident is well-known among the people of Maghazi (military expeditions). Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, says that the origin of this incident is established.
Reference: (Al-Fusool fi as-Seerah, p. 267)
Secondary Doubt
Did the Holy Prophet ﷺ learn anything from Bahira the Monk?
In light of this story, some doubts are raised regarding the Holy Prophet ﷺ, to which the following answers are presented in order. It should be noted that in the authentic story, the name Bahira is not mentioned; rather, a monk without a name is referred to, and the claim that Islam was learned from Bahira the Monk is completely false.
Answer to the Doubt
First Point
This is merely a claim without any evidence; it is even stranger to consider a meeting as proof of teaching and learning. Otherwise, those who raise doubts must explain in detail what was learned or heard from Bahira the Monk, or present those teachings with evidence. However, they are unable to do so because no such details exist anywhere.
Second Point
The Holy Prophet ﷺ met this person only once, and that too in childhood, when his uncle Abu Talib traveled with him to Syria.
Third Point
In the entire life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, there are two instances of travel towards the evening. Once in childhood and once in youth. Both times, he did not go beyond the markets of Basra. There is no evidence of education on this occasion. The first time, Abu Talib was with the Prophet ﷺ, and the second time, it was Khadijah's servant Maysarah. In the childhood incident, some chains of narration mention an unnamed monk, and some narrations mention Bahira by name, but it is not free from weakness. On this occasion, Bahira told the Prophet’s uncle Abu Talib that he had seen the trees bowing and warned him about the ways of the Jews.
Fourth Point
What the monk said on this occasion was nothing new but the same thing that the People of the Book, who adhered to the old religion, used to say at that time.
It is very strange that from the historical traditions which indicate the prophethood of the Holy Prophet ﷺ and are acknowledged by non-Muslim scholars, instead of deriving the correct meaning—where it is clear that this person testified to the prophethood of the Holy Prophet ﷺ—a strange and distorted meaning has been taken that the one who gives the glad tidings of prophethood is himself the teacher. Whereas that person is himself influenced by these signs. The words of this monk are:
هَذَا سَيِّدُ الْعَالَمِينَ هَذَا رَسُولُ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ يَبْعَثُهُ اللَّهُ رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ
Reference: ( Jami` at-Tirmidhi:3620 )
Translation: They are the leaders of the entire world, they are the messengers of the Lord of the entire world ﷺ, Allah will send them as a mercy for the entire world.
Fifth Point
If Bahira was the source of this Islamic blessing, then he would have been more deserving of prophethood and he would have wanted to be followed rather than preparing someone else for it.
