Zād al-Maʿād - Ibn al-Qayyim - (1/71)

Zād al-MaʿādIbn al-Qayyim

First: His words, “I cannot read,” explicitly indicate that he had not read anything before that.

Second: The command to read precedes the command to warn, for once he had read to himself, he would convey what he had read as a warning. He was therefore commanded first to read, and then to convey as a warning what (1) he had read.

Third: Jābir’s report and his statement, “The first passage of the Quran that Allah revealed to him was ‘Merciful (20),’” are Jābir’s own words, whereas ‘Ā’ishah related what the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—had said about his own experience.

Fourth: The report of Jābir cited as evidence explicitly indicates that the angel had already descended to him before the revelation of “Merciful (20).” He said: “I raised my head, and there was the angel who had come to me at Hirā’. I returned to my family and said, ‘Wrap me up! Cover me!’ Then Allah revealed ‘Merciful (20).’” He had also related that the angel who came to him at Hirā’ revealed to him:

“Read in the name of your Lord.”

Thus, Jābir’s report shows that al-Muddaththir was revealed later (2). The authoritative evidence lies in what he narrated, not in his opinion. Allah knows best.

Section: The Sequence of the Call

The call has several stages:

The first stage: Prophethood.

The second: Warning his closest relatives.

The third: Warning his people.

(1) This is the reading in the manuscripts and earlier editions. Al-Fiqī’s edition reads: “andhara bi-mā qara’ahu … thumma bi-l-indhār bi-mā (he warned by means of what he had read … then by warning by means of what).” As is his habit, he altered the text without indicating this. Al-Sihāh (entry n-dh-r) states: “Indhār (warning) means conveying information, and applies only to instilling fear.” Thus, the author’s words “andhara mā qara’ahu (he conveyed what he had read as a warning)” mean that he conveyed it in a manner intended to instill fear. Likewise, “thumma bi-indhār mā qara’ahu (then by conveying what he had read as a warning)” means conveying it. (2) Manuscripts ك, ع, مب, ن read: “Yā ayyuhā al-muddaththir (O you who are wrapped up).”

أحدها: أنّ قوله: «ما أنا بقارئ»، صريح في أنه لم يقرأ قبل ذلك شيئًا. الثاني: أنّ الأمر بالقراءة في الترتيب قبل الأمر بالإنذار، فإنه إذا قرأ في نفسه أنذر ما قرأه؛ فأمره بالقراءة أولًا، ثم بإنذار ما (١) قرأه ثانيًا. الثالث: أن حديث جابر وقوله: «أول ما أنزل الله عليه من القرآن ﴿رَحِيمٌ (٢٠)﴾» قول جابر، وعائشة أخبرت عن خبره ﷺ عن نفسه بذلك. الرابع: أن حديث جابر الذي احتجَّ به صريح في أنه قد تقدَّم نزولُ الملك عليه أولًا قبل نزول ﴿رَحِيمٌ (٢٠)﴾ فإنه قال: «فرفعتُ رأسي، فإذا الملك الذي جاءني بحراء. فرجعت إلى أهلي، فقلت: زمِّلوني، دثِّروني؛ فأنزل الله ﴿رَحِيمٌ (٢٠)﴾». وقد أخبر أن الملك الذي جاءه بحراء أنزل عليه ﴿اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ﴾. فدلَّ حديث جابر على تأخُّرِ نزول «المدثر» (٢)، والحجة في روايته، لا في رأيه. والله أعلم. فصل في ترتيب الدعوة ولها مراتب: المرتبة الأولى: النبوة. الثانية: إنذار عشيرته الأقربين. الثالثة: إنذار قومه.

(١) كذا في الأصول والطبعات القديمة. وفي طبعة الفقي: «أنذر بما قرأه ... ثم بالإنذار بما»، وقد تصرَّف كعادته دون تنبيه. في «الصحاح» (نذر): «الإنذار: الإبلاغ، ولا يكون إلا في التخويف»، فقول المصنف: «أنذر ما قرأه» أي أبلغه على وجه التخويف. وكذا قوله: «ثم بإنذار ما قرأه» أي: إبلاغه. (٢) ك، ع، مب، ن: «يا أيها المدثر».