Al-Ḥāfiẓ Abū Bakr al-Bazzār (1) relates: ʿUbayd b. Ismāʿīl told us, Abū Usāmah told us, from Hishām b. ʿUrwah, from his father, from ʿĀʾishah, who said:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ declared, “Do not abuse Waraqah, for I have seen for him one garden—or even two gardens—in Paradise.”
Ibn ʿAsākir (2) transmits the same report through Abū Saʿīd al-Ashajj, from Abū Muʿāwiyah, from Hishām, from his father, from ʿĀʾishah; its chain is sound. It is also reported as a mursal narration, and that version is closer to the mark.
Both al-Bayhaqī and Abū Nuʿaym, in their works Dalaʾil al-Nubuwwah (3), narrate—on the authority of Yūnus b. Bukayr, from Yūnus b. ʿAmr, from his father, from ʿAmr b. Sharḥabīl—that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to Khadījah:
“When I am alone I hear a voice calling me, and by Allah I fear that some affair lies behind this.”
She replied, “Allah forbid! He would never do that to you. By Allah, you fulfil every trust, maintain family ties, and always speak the truth.”
Later Abū Bakr entered while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was out, and Khadījah told him what had happened. She said, “O ʿAtīq (4), go with Muḥammad to Waraqah.”
When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came in, Abū Bakr took him by the hand, saying, “Come with me to Waraqah.”
He asked, “Who informed you?” He replied, “Khadījah.” They went to Waraqah and recounted the matter.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “When I am alone I hear a call from behind me: ‘O Muḥammad! O Muḥammad!’ and I flee across the land in fear.”
Waraqah said, “Do not do that. When it comes to you, stand firm until you hear what it says to you; then come and tell me.”
When he next secluded himself, the voice called out, “O Muḥammad, say: ‘In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the Worlds …’” until it reached “… nor those who go astray.” Then it said, “Say: There is no god but Allah.”
He returned to Waraqah and told him, and Waraqah said, “Rejoice—and again I say, rejoice! I testify that you are the one of whom the son of Mary gave glad tidings; you are upon the same dispensation as Moses; you are a Prophet sent from Allah; and you will be commanded to fight after this day of yours. If I am still alive then, I will surely fight alongside you.”
When Waraqah passed away, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “I have seen the priest in Paradise clothed in silk garments, for he believed in me and affirmed my truth”—meaning Waraqah.
This is al-Bayhaqī’s version. It is mursal and contains an unusual element—that Sūrat al-Fātiḥah is presented as the first revelation. We have already cited some of Waraqah’s poetry, which indicates the faith he kept hidden, the conviction he formed, and the firmness of that conviction after Khadījah informed him of what had occurred with