The Life of the Prophet Muhammad by Ibn Kathir - Volume 1 of 4

308 THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD
I recover. And never once did I receive revelation without thinking that my soul
was being seized by it."'"
Abii Ya'la d-Mawsili stated that Ibrahim h. al-Hajj@ related to him, quoting
'Abd al-W*id b. Ziyxd, quoting 'A~irn b. Kulayb, quoting his father, from his
uncle al-'Ilya b. 'Asim, who said, "We were with the Messenger of God
(SAAS) when revelation came to him. When this happened, he could still see
and his eyes remained open, while his hearing and his heart were made empty
for what would come to him from God, Almighty and Glorious is He."
Abii Nu'aym related, from a tradition of Qutayha that 'Ali b. Ghurab related
to him, from d-Ahwq h. Hakim, from Abu 'Awma, from Sacid b. d-Musayyib,
from Abii Hurayra, who said, "When revelation came down to the Messenger of
God, he would get a headache and would cover his head with the henna plant."
This is a very strange hadith.
Im& Ahad stated that Ahn al-Nadr related to him, quoting Abii Mu%wiya
Sina, from Layth, from Shahr b. Hawshab, from Asma', daughter of Yazid,
who said: "I was holding the reins of alLCAdbz', the camel of the Messenger of
God (SAAS), when the whole text of the siirat al-Mz"ida (Qur'a, V) was
revealed to him. The camel's back almost gave way beneath the weight of it."
Abii Nu'aym related this from a hadith of al-Thawri, from Layth b. Aba Salim.
h&n Ahad also stated that Hasan related to him, quoting Ibn Lahi'a, quoting
Jabr b. 'Ahd All&, from Abii 'Ahd al-Ra!m%m al-Hubali, from 'Abd Allxh b. 'Amr,
who said, "The smt al-Md'zda was revealed to the Messenger of God (SAAS)
while he was riding on his camel. It could not carry him, so he dismounted."
Ibn Mardawayh related, from a hadith of Sab* b. Sahl, from 'A~im al-Ahwal,
who said, "Umm 'Amr related to me, from her uncle, that he was on a journey
with the Messenger of God (SAAS) when the siirat al-MSida was revealed to
him. The camel's neck was broken because of the weight of it."
The implications of this are strange.
It is established, moreover, in both ~ahih collections that the siirat al-Fath
(Qur'an, XLVII) was revealed to the Messenger of God (SAAS) when he was
returning from al-Hudaybiyya, riding on his camel. It came at various times,
according to the circumstances. But God knows best.
We have earlier given an account of the kinds of revelation that came to him
(SAAS) in the early part of our exegesis of d-Bukhari's work, along with the
comments of al-Halimi and other Imams, God be pleased with them dl.
God Almighty stated, "Do not move your tongue with it, to speak it in haste. It
is up to Us to put it together, and to recite it. So when We do recite it, follow its
recitation. And then, it is up to Us to explain it" (siirat al-@@ma, LXXV,
v. 16-19).