Waraqa, the Angel Gabriel, and the First Muslims
Chapter 2
The first contact between Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Angel Gabriel in the cave near Makkah left him disturbed.
He was worried about what had transpired and worried about his own safety.
As described in Chapter 1, Lady Khadijah did her utmost to calm him down. To soothe him further, she accompanied him to see her elder cousin, Waraqa ibn Naufal, a religious scholar.
Waraqa was recognised as one of the four hunafaa' (followers of Prophet Abraham's, peace be upon him) who repudiated the pagan customs of the Makkan and Arabian tribes.
He had become a Nazirite and used the Hebrew alphabet to write. He would write from the Gospel in Hebrew as much as Allah desired. When he met Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), he was an elderly man and had lost his eyesight.
When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) informed him what had transpired in the cave, Waraqa recognised the angel as the same one who had appeared to Prophet Moses (peace be upon him).
Waraqa asked (the Prophet):
“What do you see?”
When he told him, Waraqa said:
“That is the same angel whom Allah sent to the Prophet Moses. Should I live till you receive the Divine Message, I will support you strongly.”
The absence of Angel Gabriel
Waraqa died a few days later, and the revelation faded. For several weeks, Angel Gabriel did not return to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
It is unknown how long this absence will last. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) required time to heal physically from the first instance of revelation, and his absence made him wait for the return of Angel Gabriel and the Divine Revelation.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sad that Angel Gabriel disappeared during these weeks, but he resumed his life till this happened:
Following then, the revelation became more frequent and intense. Angel Gabriel would appear to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) at various times and places to disclose fresh chapters and verses of the Qur'an to him.
Who Were the First Believers?
After Lady Khadijah, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) informed the people closest to him of the revelation he had received from God.
The first four persons who were dear and close to him were his wife Khadijah, his best friend Abu Bakr, his cousin Ali, and his servant Zayd.
It is said therefore that Lady Khadijah was the first woman to convert to Islam, Abu Bakr the first adult man to accept Islam, Ali the first Muslim boy, and Zayd the first freed slave.
Abu Bakr converted to Islam instantly, without hesitation. Ali ibn Abi Talib, who was raised in the house of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and was around 10 years old at that time, also accepted Islam after one night of thinking about it.
It is narrated that he saw the Prophet (peace be upon him) and Khadijah praying, and asked what they were doing. When the Prophet told him about the revelation, Ali asked him to let him think about it. He spent that night thinking, and the next morning he went back to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and embraced Islam.
The story of Zayd, whom Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) loved so much, is an amazing story. After he was freed, Zayd chose to stay and serve Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) rather than return to his tribe as a free man with his father and uncle who came to Makkah to escort him back.
The stories of each of these early converts are amazing and inspiring, as each one of them contributed so much to Islam through their strong faith and dedication to the spread of the religion and their support of the Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him).
Acceptance of More Believers to Islam
Abu Bakr played a crucial part in relaying the word to four people who ultimately became the Prophet's prominent companions (peace be upon him).
Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, Uthman ibn Affan, Al-Zubayr ibn al-Awam, and Abdur Rahman bin Awf were their names.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to meet and teach the new converts the religion in private. Because the call to Islam was still occurring on an individual and secret basis.
He (peace be upon him) used to meet them in the home of a young man in Makkah by the name of Al-Arqam ibn Abi Al-Arqam. He recited to them the verses revealed from the Qur'an and helped guide them on their journey on the path to Allah.
All new converts needed the Prophet's (peace be upon him) support, as they faced tremendous pressure from their families and tribes. One such case was Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, who was only 16 years old when he converted to Islam.
His mother threatened him and tried to torture him to force him to leave Islam. When that did not work, she tried emotional blackmail to make him leave the religion. She said she would stop eating and drinking till Sa’d returned to the worship of idols and that she would die a painful death if her son did not leave Islam.
But Sa'd was firm in his faith and told his mother he would never leave Islam, no matter what she did. When she saw his determination, she broke her fast.
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