Physical State of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ During Revelation

(Dr. Imran Khan & Mufti. Shah Rafi Uddin Hamdani)

When Wahi (revelation) was revealed upon a Prophet, it had an enormous physical and spiritual effect. Its magnitude was so immense that if it was revealed upon any ordinary human being, he would not have been able to bear it. Explaining the magnitude of those effects, the Holy Quran states:

لَوْ أَنزَلْنَا هٰذَا الْقُرْآنَ عَلَىٰ جَبَلٍ لَّرَأَيْتَهُ خَاشِعًا مُّتَصَدِّعًا مِّنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَتِلْكَ الْأَمْثَالُ نَضْرِبُهَا لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ 21¹

Had We sent down this Qur’an on some mountain, then, (O listener,) you would certainly have seen it bowed, split and crushed to pieces for fear of Allah. And We give these examples for the people so that they may ponder.

This verse explicitly states that if the Quran (which is Wahi Matlu, revelation) was revealed on mountains, they would not have been able to withstand its pressure and would have crumbled. Hence, when it was revealed on the Holy Prophet , it had extreme physical effects on him as well.

Zaid ibn Thabit states that he was with the Holy Prophet and his leg was under the leg of the Holy Prophet . At that time, a revelation was revealed upon Prophet Muhammad and when it was being revealed, he felt that his leg was crushed under Prophet Muhammad's , as it had become extremely heavy. ² Aishah states that if a revelation came while Prophet Muhammad was riding an animal, the animal could not move since the Holy Prophet had become so heavy. ³ Ubadah ibn Samit states that when the Holy Prophet would receive a revelation, he would feel anxious and the color of his face would change. ⁴ Abu Huraira states that when Prophet Muhammad would receive a revelation, the companions would be so awestruck that they could not look at him until it was fully revealed. Aishah states that when a revelation would be revealed, the brow of Prophet Muhammad would sweat profusely. ⁵ All these narrations depict the nature and pressure of the revelation which was borne by the Holy Prophet .

• ¹  Holy Quran, Al-Hashr (The Gathering) 59: 21
• ²  Muhammad ibn Ismail Al-Bukhari (1999), Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith: 370, Darus Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 65-66.
• ³  Muhammad ibn Jareer Al-Tabari (2001), Tafseer Al-Tabari, Dar Hijr, Giza, Egypt, Vol. 23, Pg. 365.
• ⁴  Muslim ibn Al-Hajjaj Al-Neshapuri (2000), Sahih Al-Muslim, Hadith: 6061, Darus Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 1028.
• ⁵  Muhammad ibn Yusuf Al-Salihi Al-Shami (2013), Subul Al-Huda wal-Rashad fe Seerat Khair Al-Abad, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 2, Pg. 257.