Concerning the argument from the life of the Prophet we can examine several incidents in his life. The following quotation from Shaykh Muhammad Mohar Ali examines the initiation of the revelation:
That the coming of revelation was a sudden and unexpected development to Muhammad (peace be upon him) is evident also from the famous tradition recording his immediate reaction to the event. He hurried back home from the mount Hirâ' bewildered and trembling in terror and asked his wife to cover him. Then he narrated to her what had happened to him in the cave expressing his fear that something untoward was perhaps going to happen to him, perhaps he was going to die. She comforted and assured him, saying that Allah could not mean any harm to him since he was so good and honest a man, always speaking the truth, entertaining guests and helping relatives and the needy, etc. After the initial shock was over she took him to her knowledgeable cousin Waraqah ibn Nawfal to ascertain the significance of her husband's experience in the cave of Hirâ. Waraqah, after having heard about the incident, expressed his studied opinion that Muhammad (peace be upon him) had received a commission from Allah similar to what had been previously received by Prophet Mûsâ and that this would involve him (Muhammad (peace be upon him)) in trouble with his own people. This last remark caused further surprise in him. (fn. Bukhari, no. 3. See also infra, pp. 369-373.)
Now, as Maududi points out (fn. Sîrat-i-Sarwar-i'Âlam, ch.II), several aspects of this report need to be noted carefully. In the first place, the spectacle we get of the Prophet here is that of a person who is clearly bewildered and confused at some unexpected and extraordinary development. Had he ever entertained any ambition, made preparations for playing the role of a Prophet or religious leader and expected or solicited any divine communication being made to him, his reaction would have been quite different. He would not have been bewildered and terrified, but would rather have returned from mount Hirâ' happy and confident in the success of his endeavors and expectations, not needing consolation and assurance from anyone else, and would have straightway proceeded to proclaim his commission and mission.
Secondly, the reaction of Khadîjah (r.a.) is equally significant. Had her husband been ambitious and making any preparation for playing the role of a social or religious reformer, that fact, of all persons on earth, would have at least been known to her. Hence, when the Prophet returned from mount Hirâ' with his new experience, she would have simply congratulated him on the ultimate success of his exercises and expectations and, instead of taking him to her cousin to obtain his opinion, would have taken other appropriate steps to embark her husband on his new role.
Thirdly, the attitude of Waraqa is similarly noteworthy. He was a close relative of the Prophet and knew him and his background well since his boyhood. Waraqah was also conversant with the Christian scripture and the fact of divine revelation. With that knowledge he instantly came to the conclusion that the stranger who had appeared to Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the cave of Hirâ' could not be anyone but the angel who used to bring God's message to Mûsâ. Had the Prophet been ambitious and desirous of becoming a religious leader and had he been in the habit of receiving instructions in the teachings of Christianity from Waraqah, as is often alleged, the latter's reaction and attitude would have been different. He would have either informed Muhammad (peace be upon him) that he had obtained what he had long been seeking or, likelier still, would have exposed his preparations and pretensions to the public. That Waraqah did neither of these is in itself an evidence that neither imparted lessons in Christianity to Muhammad (peace be upon him) nor was aware of any ambition and preparation on his part to become a socio-religious reformer. On the contrary, Waraqah's reaction clearly shows that by his study of the previous scriptures he had come to learn that the advent of a Prophet was foretold in them, that his advent was expected shortly and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) answered the scriptural descriptions of that awaited Prophet. It may further be pointed out that the orientalists, more particularly Watt, state that Waraqah's assurance gave Muhammad (peace be upon him)confidence in his mission. (fn. Watt, M. at M., 50; Muhammad's Mecca, 59). This acknowledged lack of confidence on the Prophet's part at the very inception of his mission further belies the assumption of ambition and preparation on his part., To these may be added the well-known facts of his denial of any desire for material gains out of his mission and, more particularly, his turning down of the Quraysh leaders' repeated offers of wealth, leadership and power to him in lieu of his abandoning his mission. (M. Mohar Ali, Sîrat Al-Nabî and the Orientalists, pp. 237-239)
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