So Khadijah took him to Waraqah ibn Nawfal ibn Asad ibn Abd al-Uzza, Khadijah’s paternal cousin. He was a man who had embraced Christianity in the pre-Islamic era. He used to write in the Arabic script and would write in Arabic from the Gospel whatever Allah willed him to write. He was an elderly man who had become blind. Khadijah said to him, “O cousin, listen to what your nephew has to say.” Waraqah said to him, “O my nephew, what have you seen?” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, then told him what he had seen. Waraqah said, “This is the bearer of divine revelation whom Allah sent down to Moses. Would that I were a young man then! Would that I might still be alive when your people drive you out!” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, asked, “Will they drive me out?” (1) He replied, “Yes. ⦗196/b⦘ No one has ever brought what you have brought without being met with hostility. If I live to see your day, I will support you with all my strength.” (2) Waraqah did not live long thereafter before he died, (3) and revelation ceased for a time. (4)

Muhammad ibn Ismail also narrated this hadith elsewhere in his book, from Yahya ibn Bukayr through this chain of transmission. He said: Abdullah ibn Muhammad narrated to me; Abd al-Razzaq narrated to us; Mamar informed us. Al-Zuhri said: Urwah informed me from Aishah, and he mentioned the hadith. He said: “Read in the name of your Lord Who created,” up to, “what he did not know.” He added at its conclusion: “Then revelation ceased for a period, until the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, became so deeply grieved—as has reached us—that he repeatedly went to the peaks of high mountains intending to cast himself down from them. Whenever he reached a mountain summit in order to throw himself from it, Gabriel would appear to him and say, ‘O Muhammad, you are truly the Messenger of Allah.’ Thereupon his heart would be calmed and his soul reassured, and he would return. Whenever the pause in revelation became prolonged for him, he would again do the same; and whenever he reached a mountain summit, Gabriel would appear to him and say the same.” (5)

Ahmad ibn Abdan informed us; Ahmad ibn Ibrahim al-Shurayhi informed us; Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Thalabi informed us; Abd Allah ibn Hamid al-Warraq informed us; Makki ibn Abdan informed us; Abd al-Rahman ibn Bishr informed us; Sufyan narrated to us from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, from al-Zuhri, from Urwah, from Aishah, who said: “The first surah to be revealed was the saying of Allah, exalted is He: ‘Read in the name of your Lord.’” (6)

Abu Ubaydah said: Its idiomatic construction means: “Read the name of your Lord,” meaning that the preposition is grammatically superfluous. The meaning is: “Mention His name.” He was commanded to begin the recitation with the name of Allah as an instruction in proper conduct. (7)