Islamiyat · Oct / Nov 2025 · Paper 11 · Question 2

Describe the first revelation, and the roles of Jibril, Khadija and Waraqah ibn Nawfal at the time of the first revelation.

Use the AO1 Levels of Response.

Candidates should include some of the following points. All other relevant points must be credited.

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had increased the time he spent in solitude in the cave of Hira. When he was 40 the revelation came to him, during the month of Ramadan:

The angel Jibril came to him and instructed him to read, iqra, and the Prophet (pbuh) replied he could not.

The angel squeezed him hard (‘the angel pressed me until I could not bear it any more’).

He repeated the command and squeezed the Prophet (pbuh) again, then after the third time the angel squeezed him, and released him, the Prophet (pbuh) recited the first few verses of Sura Alaq (96.1–5), saying it was as though they were imprinted on his heart.

The first verses of Sura Alaq are:

‘1. Read! in the name of your Lord, who created, 2. Created man out of a clot of congealed blood: 3. Proclaim! And your Lord is most bountiful, 4. He who taught by the pen, 5. Taught man what he did not know.’ The Prophet (pbuh), shaken and overwhelmed, came out of the cave and saw the angel on the horizon. The Angel told him, ‘You are the Messenger of Allah and I am Jibril.’

The Prophet (pbuh) was confused and shaken, and he ran home and asked his wife Khadija to cover him.

Khadija consoled him, saying God would not disgrace him, and went to see her cousin, Waraqa ibn Nawfal, who confirmed his prophethood. Waraqa ibn Nawfal told the Prophet (pbuh) that this was the same angel that had appeared to previous prophets. He assured the Prophet (pbuh) of his support but also warned the Prophet (pbuh) of the dangers to come. Answers can be elaborated on with detailed description and quotations.

What is the significance of God sending the first revelation through an angel? Give reasons for your answer.

Use the AO2 Levels of Response.

Candidates can give other examples and all relevant answers should be credited.

It could be said that God does not appear to humans, therefore He chose to send the revelation through a medium, in this case the Angel Jibril. God said in the Qur’an that ‘It is not fitting for a man that Allah should speak to him except by inspiration or from behind a veil, or by the sending of a messenger to reveal, with Allah’s permission, what Allah wills’ (42.51). The first revelation was sent through the angel to show it was coming from God and was not a message from another human being. This encounter made the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) realise that the events in the cave were more significant than his previous dreams which had come true. Jibril was the angel that brought revelation to previous prophets, as confirmed by Waraqa ibn Nawfal, and the presence of the angel is significant in showing that this message was sent by God as a

continuation of the previous messages.