Tarikh (al-Tabari) 708
The sending of the Prophet ﷺ
رَوَى الْإِمَامُ أَحْمَدُ فِي تَارِيخِهِ بِسَنَدٍ صَحِيحٍ عَنْ عَامِرٍ الشَّعْبِيِّ قَالَ: إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ نَزَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ النُّبُوَّةُ وَهُوَ ابْنُ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً، فَقُرِنَ بِنُبُوَّتِهِ إِسْرَافِيلُ ثَلَاثَ سِنِينَ ، فَكَانَ يُعَلِّمُهُ الْكَلِمَةَ وَالشَّيْءَ، وَلَمْ يَنْزِلِ الْقُرْآنُ عَلَى لِسَانِهِ، فَلَمَّا مَضَتْ ثَلَاثُ سِنِينَ قُرِنَ بِنُبُوَّتِهِ جِبْرِيلُ، فَنَزَلَ الْقُرْآنُ عَلَى لِسَانِهِ عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً، عَشْرًا بِمَكَّةَ وَعَشْرًا بِالْمَدِينَةِ، فَمَاتَ وَهُوَ ابْنُ ثَلَاثٍ وَسِتِّينَ سَنَةً. وَهَذَا يَقْتَضِي أَنَّ إِسْرَافِيلَ قُرِنَ مَعَهُ بَعْدَ الْأَرْبَعِينَ ثَلَاثَ سِنِينَ، ثُمَّ جَاءَهُ جِبْرِيلُ. قَالَ الْإِمَامُ أَبُو شَامَةَ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: وَحَدِيثُ عَائِشَةَ- أَيِ الْآتِي فِي الْبَابِ بَعْدَهُ- لَا يُنَافِي هَذَا فَإِنَّهُ يَجُوزُ أَنْ يَكُونَ أَوَّلَ أَمْرِهِ الرُّؤْيَا، ثُمَّ وُكِّلَ بِهِ إِسْرَافِيلُ فِي تِلْكَ الْمُدَّةِ الَّتِي كَانَ يَخْلُو فِيهَا بِحِرَاءَ فَكَانَ يُلْقِي إِلَيْهِ الْكَلِمَةَ بِسُرْعَةٍ وَلَا يُقِيمُ مَعَهُ تَدْرِيجًا وَتَمْرِينًا، إِلَى أَنْ جَاءَهُ جِبْرِيلُ فَعَلَّمَهُ بَعْدَ مَا غَطَّهُ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ. فَحَكَتْ عَائِشَةُ مَا جَرَى لَهُ مَعَ جِبْرِيلَ وَلَمْ تَحْكِ مَا جَرَى لَهُ مَعَ إِسْرَافِيلَ اخْتِصَارًا لِلْحَدِيثِ، أَوْ لَمْ تَكُنْ وَقَفَتْ عَلَى قِصَّةِ إِسْرَافِيلَ. انْتَهَى. وَذَكَرَ بَعْضُ الْعُلَمَاءِ فِي حِكْمَةِ مَجِيءِ إِسْرَافِيلَ إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ الْمُوَكَّلُ بِالنَّفْخِ فِي الصُّوَرِ، وَالنَّبِيُّ ﷺ بُعِثَ قُرْبَ السَّاعَةِ وَكَانَتْ بِعْثَتُهُ مِنْ أَشْرَاطِهَا، فَبُعِثَ إِسْرَافِيلُ لِهَذِهِ الْمُنَاسَبَةِ وَلَمْ يُبْعَثْ إِلَى نَبِيٍّ قَبْلَهُ. وَقَدْ أَنْكَرَ الْوَاقِدِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى خَبَرَ الشَّعْبِيِّ وَقَالَ: لَمْ يَقْرِنْ بِهِ مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ إِلَّا جِبْرِيلُ. قَالَ الْحَافِظُ: وَلَا يَخْفَى مَا فِيهِ، فَإِنَّ الْمُثْبَتَ مُقَدَّمٌ عَلَى النَّافِي إِلَّا إِنْ صَحِبَ النَّافِيَ دَلِيلُ نَفْيِهِ فَيُقَدَّمُ. انْتَهَى. قَالَ الشَّيْخُ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى فِي فَتَاوِيهِ: قَدْ وَرَدَ مَا يُوهِي أَثَرَ الشَّعْبِيِّ، وَهُوَ مَا رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ؓ قَالَ: بَيْنَا النَّبِيُّ ﷺ جَالِسٌ وَعِنْدَهُ جِبْرِيلُ إِذْ سَمِعَ نَقِيضًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِنْ فَوْقُ فَرَفَعَ جِبْرِيلَ بَصَرَهُ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَقَالَ: يَا مُحَمَّدُ هَذَا مَلَكٌ قَدْ نَزَلَ لَمْ يَنْزِلْ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ قَطُّ. قَالَ فَأَتَى النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ: أَبْشِرْ بِنُورَيْنِ أُوتِيَتَهُمَا لَمْ يُؤْتَهُمَا نَبِيٌّ قَبْلَكَ: فَاتِحَةُ الْكِتَابِ وَخَوَاتِيمُ سُورَةِ الْبَقَرَةِ لَنْ تَقْرَأَ حَرْفًا مِنْهَا إِلَّا أُوتِيَتَهُ. قَالَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ إِنَّ هَذَا الْمَلَكُ إِسْرَافِيلُ. انْتَهَى كَلَامُ الشَّيْخِ. وَرَوَى الطَّبَرَانِيُّ وَالْبَيْهَقِيُّ فِي الزُّهْدِ بِسَنَدٍ حَسَنٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ؓ قَالَ: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ وَجِبْرِيلَ عَلَى الصَّفَا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: يَا جِبْرِيلُ وَالَّذِي بَعَثَكَ بِالْحَقِّ مَا أَمْسَى لِآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ سَفَّهُ دَقِيقٌ وَلَا كَفٌّ مِنْ سَوِيقٍ. فَلَمْ يَكُنْ كَلَامُهُ بِأَسْرَعَ مِنْ أَنْ سَمِعَ هَدَّةً مِنَ السَّمَاءِ أَفْزَعَتْهُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: أَمَرَ اللَّهُ الْقِيَامَةَ أَنْ تَقُومَ؟ فَقَالَ: لَا وَلَكِنْ أَمَرَ إِسْرَافِيلَ فَنَزَلَ إِلَيْكَ حَتَّى يَسْمَعَ كَلَامَكَ فَأَتَاهُ إِسْرَافِيلُ فَقَالَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى بَعَثَنِي إِلَيْكَ بِمَفَاتِيحِ خَزَائِنِ الْأَرْضِ وَأَمَرَنِي أَنْ أَعْرِضَ إِلَيْكَ أُسَيِّرُ مَعَكَ جِبَالَ تِهَامَةَ زُمُرُّدًا وَيَاقُوتًا وَذَهَبًا وَفِضَّةً. فَقُلْتُ: فَإِنْ شِئْتَ نَبِيًّا مَلِكًا وَإِنْ شِئْتَ نَبِيًّا عَبْدًا؟ فَأَوْمَأَ إِلَيْهِ جِبْرِيلُ: أَنْ تَوَاضَعَ. فَقَالَ بَلْ نَبِيًّا عَبْدًا. ثَلَاثًا. وَرَوَاهُ ابْنُ حِبَّانَ فِي صَحِيحِهِ مُخْتَصَرًا مِنْ حَدِيثِ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ وَلَفْظُهُ: جَلَسَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَنَظَرَ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَإِذَا مَلَكٌ يَنْزِلُ فَقَالَ لَهُ جِبْرِيلُ: هَذَا الْمَلَكُ مَا نَزَلَ مُنْذُ خُلِقَ قَبْلَ السَّاعَةِ. وَذَكَرَ الْحَدِيثَ. فَظَهَرَ أَنَّ الْمُعْتَمَدَ مَا مَشَى عَلَيْهِ الْوَاقِدِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى.
Translation
✧ Imam Ahmad narrated in his Tārīkh with a sound chain of transmission from ʿĀmir al-Shaʿbī that he said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ received prophethood when he was forty years old, and Isrāfīl was paired with his prophethood for three years. He would teach him the word and the thing, and the Qurʾān did not descend upon his tongue. When three years had passed, Jibrīl was paired with his prophethood, and the Qurʾān descended upon his tongue for twenty years: ten in Makkah and ten in Madinah. He died when he was sixty-three years old. This implies that Isrāfīl was paired with him after the age of forty for three years, then Jibrīl came to him. Imam Abū Shāmah, may Allah Almighty have mercy on him, said: The ḥadīth of ʿĀʾishah—that is, the one coming in the chapter after this—does not contradict this, for it is possible that the first matter was the dream, then Isrāfīl was assigned to him during that period in which he would seclude himself in Ḥirāʾ, and he would cast the word to him quickly and would not stay with him gradually and as practice, until Jibrīl came to him and taught him after pressing him three times. ʿĀʾishah related what happened to him with Jibrīl and did not relate what happened to him with Isrāfīl, either as an abbreviation of the ḥadīth or because she had not come to know the story of Isrāfīl. End quote. Some scholars mentioned concerning the wisdom of Isrāfīl's coming to him that he is the one entrusted with blowing the trumpet, and the Prophet ﷺ was sent near the Hour, and his sending was one of its signs, so Isrāfīl was sent for this connection and was not sent to any prophet before him. Al-Wāqidī, may Allah Almighty have mercy on him, rejected the report of al-Shaʿbī and said: No angel was paired with him except Jibrīl. Al-Ḥāfiẓ said: What is in it is not hidden, for the one who affirms takes precedence over the one who denies, unless the denier accompanies his denial with evidence, in which case he takes precedence. End quote. The Shaykh, may Allah Almighty have mercy on him, said in his fatāwā: There has come what weakens the report of al-Shaʿbī, and that is what Muslim narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās ؓ who said: While the Prophet ﷺ was sitting with Jibrīl beside him, he heard a creaking sound from the sky above. Jibrīl raised his gaze to the sky and said: O Muhammad, this is an angel who has descended and has never descended to the earth before. He said: Then he came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: Rejoice in two lights that you have been given and no prophet before you was given: the Opening of the Book and the closing verses of Sūrat al-Baqarah. You will not recite a letter of them except that you will be given it. A group of scholars said that this angel is Isrāfīl. End of the Shaykh's words. Al-Ṭabarānī and al-Bayhaqī narrated in al-Zuhd with a good chain of transmission from Ibn ʿAbbās ؓ who said: One day the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and Jibrīl were on al-Ṣafā, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: O Jibrīl, by Him who sent you with the truth, the family of Muhammad has not had an evening with a measure of flour or a handful of barley meal. His words were no sooner spoken than he heard a loud sound from the sky that startled him. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Has Allah commanded the Hour to rise? He said: No, but He commanded Isrāfīl, and he descended to you to hear your words. Isrāfīl came to him and said: Allah Almighty has sent me to you with the keys of the treasures of the earth and commanded me to offer you that I move with you the mountains of Tihāmah as emeralds, rubies, gold, and silver. Then I said: If you wish, a prophet-king, and if you wish, a prophet-servant? Jibrīl gestured to him to be humble. He said: Rather, a prophet-servant. Three times. Ibn Ḥibbān narrated it in his Ṣaḥīḥ in abbreviated form from the ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah, and his wording is: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sat and looked at the sky, and behold an angel was descending. Jibrīl said to him: This angel has not descended since he was created before the Hour. And he mentioned the ḥadīth. Thus it appears that the relied-upon position is that upon which al-Wāqidī, may Allah Almighty have mercy on him, proceeded.
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.