972 — Abū Bakr ibn Abī Dāwūd also narrated to us, saying: Abū Umayya Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Khallād narrated to us, saying: Yaqūb ibn Muhammad narrated to us, saying: Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Yahyā ibn Urwa narrated to us, from Hishām, from his father, from Aisha—may Allah be pleased with her—who said:

When Khadīja—may Allah have mercy on her—told Waraqa that Muhammad had mentioned Gabriel—peace be upon him—to her, he exclaimed, “Glory be to Allah! Glory be to Allah! How can Gabriel be mentioned in this land where idols are worshipped? Gabriel is the trusted emissary whom Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, sends to His messengers! Take him to the place where he saw what he saw. When he sees him, uncover yourself. If he is from Allah, Muhammad will no longer see him.”

She did so. When ⦗1441⦘ she uncovered herself, Gabriel—peace be upon him—disappeared from Muhammad’s sight. She returned and informed Waraqa, who said, “The great bearer of divine revelation comes to him—the one about whom the Children of Israel teach their sons only for a price.”

Waraqa then continued to await the public proclamation of the call, and he said concerning it:

[Wāfir meter]

I persisted, stubborn in this grave uncertainty,
Burdened by a care that long had stirred my sobs.

Tidings after tidings came from Khadīja;
My waiting has indeed grown long, Khadīja!

Deep within Mecca, I remain in hope
That I might see your tidings come to pass:

That Muhammad will one day rise supreme
And overcome all those who contend with him;

That radiant light will shine throughout the lands,
Keeping all creation straight, lest it go astray.

If only, when all this has come to pass,
I might witness it and be the first to enter—

To enter what Quraysh has held in hate,
Even if it makes all Mecca roar in protest.