Sahih Bukhari Volume 1, Book 1

Volume 1, Book 1, Number 1 :
Narrated by 'Umar bin Al-Khattab
I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The reward of deeds
depends upon the intentions and every person will get the
reward according to what he has intended. So whoever
emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry,
his emigration was for what he emigrated for."
Volume 1, Book 1, Number 2 :
Narrated by 'Aisha
(the mother of the faithful believers) Al-Harith bin Hisham
asked Allah's Apostle "O Allah's Apostle! How is the Divine
Inspiration revealed to you?" Allah's Apostle replied,
"Sometimes it is (revealed) like the ringing of a bell, this
form of Inspiration is the hardest of all and then this state
passes ' off after I have grasped what is inspired.
Sometimes the Angel comes in the form of a man and
talks to me and I grasp whatever he says." 'Aisha added:
Verily I saw the Prophet being inspired Divinely on a very
cold day and noticed the Sweat dropping from his
forehead (as the Inspiration was over).
Volume 1, Book 1, Number 3 :
Narrated by 'Aisha
(the mother of the faithful believers) The commencement
of the Divine Inspiration to Allah's Apostle was in the form
of good dreams which came true like bright day light, and
then the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him. He
used to go in seclusion in the cave of Hira where he used
to worship (Allah alone) continuously for many days
before his desire to see his family. He used to take with
him the journey food for the stay and then come back to
(his wife) Khadija to take his food like-wise again till
suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in
the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to
read. The Prophet replied, "I do not know how to read.
The Prophet added, "The angel caught me (forcefully)
and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more.
He then released me and again asked me to read and I
replied, 'I do not know how to read.' Thereupon he
caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could
not bear it any more. He then released me and again
asked me to read but again I replied, 'I do not know how
to read (or what shall I read)?' Thereupon he caught me
for the third time and pressed me, and then released me
and said, 'Read in the name of your Lord, who has created
(all that exists) has created man from a clot. Read! And
your Lord is the Most Generous." (96.1, 96.2, 96.3) Then
Allah's Apostle returned with the Inspiration and with his
heart beating severely. Then he went to Khadija bint
Khuwailid and said, "Cover me! Cover me!" They covered
him till his fear was over and after that he told her
everything that had happened and said, "I fear that
something may happen to me." Khadija replied, "Never!
By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good
relations with your Kith and kin, help the poor and the
destitute, serve your guests generously and assist the
deserving calamity-afflicted ones." Khadija then
accompanied him to her cousin Waraqa bin Naufal bin
Asad bin 'Abdul 'Uzza, who, during the PreIslamic Period
became a Christian and used to write the writing with
Hebrew letters. He would write from the Gospel in
Hebrew as much as Allah wished him to write. He was an
old man and had lost his eyesight. Khadija said to Waraqa,
"Listen to the story of your nephew, O my cousin!"
Waraqa asked, "O my nephew! What have you seen?"
Allah's Apostle described whatever he had seen. Waraqa
said, "This is the same one who keeps the secrets (angel
Gabriel) whom Allah had sent to Moses. I wish I were
young and could live up to the time when your people
would turn you out." Allah's Apostle asked, "Will they
drive me out?" Waraqa replied in the affirmative and said,
"Anyone (man) who came with something similar to what
you have brought was treated with hostility; and if I
should remain alive till the day when you will be turned
out then I would support you strongly." But after a few
days Waraqa died and the Divine Inspiration was also
paused for a while. Narrated Jabir bin 'Abdullah Al-Ansari
while talking about the period of pause in revelation
reporting the speech of the Prophet "While I was walking,
all of a sudden I heard a voice from the sky. I looked up
and saw the same angel who had visited me at the cave of
Hira' sitting on a chair between the sky and the earth. I got
afraid of him and came back home and said, 'Wrap me (in
blankets).' And then Allah revealed the following Holy
Verses (of Quran): 'O you (i.e. Muhammad)! wrapped up
in garments!' Arise and warn (the people against Allah's
Punishment),... up to 'and desert the idols.' (74.1-5) After
this the revelation started coming strongly, frequently and
regularly."
Volume 1, Book 1, Number 4 :
Narrated by Said bin Jubair
Ibn 'Abbas in the explanation of the Statement of Allah.
'Move not your tongue concerning (the Quran) to make
haste therewith." (75.16) Said "Allah's Apostle used to
bear the revelation with great trouble and used to move
his lips (quickly) with the Inspiration." Ibn 'Abbas moved
his lips saying, "I am moving my lips in front of you as
Allah's Apostle used to move his." Said moved his lips
saying: "I am moving my lips, as I saw Ibn 'Abbas moving
his." Ibn 'Abbas added, "So Allah revealed 'Move not your
tongue concerning (the Qur'an) to make haste therewith. It
is for us to collect it and to give you (O Muhammad) the
ability to recite it (the Qur'an) (75.16-17) which means that
Allah will make him (the Prophet ) remember the portion
of the Qur'an which was revealed at that time by heart
and recite it. The Statement of Allah: And 'When we have
recited it to you (O Muhammad through Gabriel) then you
follow its (Qur'an) recital' (75.18) means 'listen to it and be
silent.' Then it is for Us (Allah) to make It clear to
you' (75.19) means 'Then it is (for Allah) to make you
recite it (and its meaning will be clear by itself through
your tongue). Afterwards, Allah's Apostle used to listen to
Gabriel whenever he came and after his departure he
used to recite it as Gabriel had recited it."
Volume 1, Book 1, Number 5 :
Narrated by Ibn 'Abbas
Allah's Apostle was the most generous of all the people,
and he used to reach the peak in generosity in the month
of Ramadan when Gabriel met him. Gabriel used to meet
him every night of Ramadan to teach him the Qur'an.
Allah's Apostle was the most generous person, even more
generous than the strong uncontrollable wind (in
readiness and haste to do charitable deeds).
Volume 1, Book 1, Number 6 :
Narrated by 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas
Abu Sufyan bin Harb informed me that Heraclius had sent
a messenger to him while he had been accompanying a
caravan from Quraish. They were merchants doing
business in Sham (Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan), at
the time when Allah's Apostle had truce with Abu Sufyan
and Quraish infidels. So Abu Sufyan and his companions
went to Heraclius at Ilya (Jerusalem). Heraclius called them
in the court and he had all the senior Roman dignitaries
around him. He called for his translator who, translating
Heraclius's question said to them, "Who amongst you is
closely related to that man who claims to be a Prophet?"
Abu Sufyan replied, "I am the nearest relative to him
(amongst the group)." Heraclius said, "Bring him (Abu
Sufyan) close to me and make his companions stand
behind him." Abu Sufyan added, Heraclius told his
translator to tell my companions that he wanted to put
some questions to me regarding that man (The Prophet)
and that if I told a lie they (my companions) should
contradict me." Abu Sufyan added, "By Allah! Had I not
been afraid of my companions labeling me a liar, I would
not have spoken the truth about the Prophet. The first
question he asked me about him was: 'What is his family
status amongst you?' I replied, 'He belongs to a good
(noble) family amongst us.' Heraclius further asked, 'Has
anybody amongst you ever claimed the same (i.e. to be a
Prophet) before him?' I replied, 'No.' He said, 'Was
anybody amongst his ancestors a king?' I replied, 'No.'
Heraclius asked, 'Do the nobles or the poor follow him?' I
replied, 'It is the poor who follow him.' He said, 'Are his
followers increasing decreasing (day by day)?' I replied,
'They are increasing.' He then asked, 'Does anybody
amongst those who embrace his religion become
displeased and renounce the religion afterwards?' I
replied, 'No.' Heraclius said, 'Have you ever accused him of
telling lies before his claim (to be a Prophet)?' I replied,
'No. ' Heraclius said, 'Does he break his promises?' I
replied, 'No. We are at truce with him but we do not know
what he will do in it.' I could not find opportunity to say
anything against him except that. Heraclius asked, 'Have
you ever had a war with him?' I replied, 'Yes.' Then he
said, 'What was the outcome of the battles?' I replied,
'Sometimes he was victorious and sometimes we.' Heraclius
said, 'What does he order you to do?' I said, 'He tells us to
worship Allah and Allah alone and not to worship
anything along with Him, and to renounce all that our
ancestors had said. He orders us to pray, to speak the
truth, to be chaste and to keep good relations with our
Kith and kin.' Heraclius asked the translator to convey to
me the following, I asked you about his family and your
reply was that he belonged to a very noble family. In fact
all the Apostles come from noble families amongst their
respective peoples. I questioned you whether anybody
else amongst you claimed such a thing, your reply was in
the negative. If the answer had been in the affirmative, I
would have thought that this man was following the
previous man's statement. Then I asked you whether
anyone of his ancestors was a king. Your reply was in the
negative, and if it had been in the affirmative, I would
have thought that this man wanted to take back his
ancestral kingdom. I further asked whether he was ever
accused of telling lies before he said what he said, and
your reply was in the negative. So I wondered how a
person who does not tell a lie about others could ever tell
a lie about Allah. I, then asked you whether the rich
people followed him or the poor. You replied that it was
the poor who followed him. And in fact all the Apostle
have been followed by this very class of people. Then I
asked you whether his followers were increasing or
decreasing. You replied that they were increasing, and in
fact this is the way of true faith, till it is complete in all
respects. I further asked you whether there was anybody,
who, after embracing his religion, became displeased and
discarded his religion. Your reply was in the negative, and
in fact this is (the sign of) true faith, when its delight enters
the hearts and mixes with them completely. I asked you
whether he had ever betrayed. You replied in the negative
and likewise the Apostles never betray. Then I asked you
what he ordered you to do. You replied that he ordered
you to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to worship
any thing along with Him and forbade you to worship
idols and ordered you to pray, to speak the truth and to
be chaste. If what you have said is true, he will very soon
occupy this place underneath my feet and I knew it (from
the scriptures) that he was going to appear but I did not
know that he would be from you, and if I could reach him
definitely, I would go immediately to meet him and if I
were with him, I would certainly wash his feet.' Heraclius
then asked for the letter addressed by Allah's Apostle
which was delivered by Dihya to the Governor of Busra,
who forwarded it to Heraclius to read. The contents of the
letter were as follows: "In the name of Allah the
Beneficent, the Merciful (This letter is) from Muhammad
the slave of Allah and His Apostle to Heraclius the ruler of
Byzantine. Peace be upon him, who follows the right path.
Furthermore I invite you to Islam, and if you become a
Muslim you will be safe, and Allah will double your
reward, and if you reject this invitation of Islam you will
be committing a sin by misguiding your Arisiyin (peasants).
(And I recite to you Allah's Statement:) 'O people of the
scripture! Come to a word common to you and us that we
worship none but Allah and that we associate nothing in
worship with Him, and that none of us shall take others as
Lords beside Allah. Then, if they turn away, say: Bear
witness that we are Muslims (those who have surrendered
to Allah).' (3:64). Abu Sufyan then added, "When
Heraclius had finished his speech and had read the letter,
there was a great hue and cry in the Royal Court. So we
were turned out of the court. I told my companions that
the question of Ibn-Abi-Kabsha) (the Prophet Muhammad)
has become so prominent that even the King of Bani Al-
Asfar (Byzantine) is afraid of him. Then I started to become
sure that he (the Prophet) would be the conqueror in the
near future till I embraced Islam (i.e. Allah guided me to it)
." The sub narrator adds, "Ibn An-Natur was the Governor
of llya' (Jerusalem) and Heraclius was the head of the
Christians of Sham. Ibn An-Natur narrates that once while
Heraclius was visiting ilya' (Jerusalem), he got up in the
morning with a sad mood. Some of his priests asked him
why he was in that mood? Heraclius was a foreteller and
an astrologer. He replied, 'At night when I looked at the
stars, I saw that the leader of those who practice
circumcision had appeared (become the conqueror). Who
are they who practice circumcision?' The people replied,
'Except the Jews nobody practices circumcision, so you
should not be afraid of them (Jews). 'Just Issue orders to
kill every Jew present in the country.' While they were
discussing it, a messenger sent by the king of Ghassan to
convey the news of Allah's Apostle to Heraclius was
brought in. Having heard the news, he (Heraclius) ordered
the people to go and see whether the messenger of
Ghassan was circumcised. The people, after seeing him,
told Heraclius that he was circumcised. Heraclius then
asked him about the Arabs. The messenger replied, 'Arabs
also practice circumcision.' (After hearing that) Heraclius
remarked that sovereignty of the 'Arabs had appeared.
Heraclius then wrote a letter to his friend in Rome who
was as good as Heraclius in knowledge. Heraclius then left
for Homs. (a town in Syrian and stayed there till he
received the reply of his letter from his friend who agreed
with him in his opinion about the emergence of the
Prophet and the fact that he was a Prophet. On that
Heraclius invited all the heads of the Byzantines to
assemble in his palace at Homs. When they assembled, he
ordered that all the doors of his palace be closed. Then he
came out and said, 'O Byzantines! If success is your desire
and if you seek right guidance and want your empire to
remain then give a pledge of allegiance to this Prophet
(i.e. embrace Islam).' (On hearing the views of Heraclius)
the people ran towards the gates of the palace like
onagers but found the doors closed. Heraclius realized
their hatred towards Islam and when he lost the hope of
their embracing Islam, he ordered that they should be
brought back in audience. (When they returned) he said,
'What already said was just to test the strength of your
conviction and I have seen it.' The people prostrated
before him and became pleased with him, and this was
the end of Heraclius's story (in connection with his faith).