Bahira
Bahira was a Christian monk who met Abu Talib and Muhammad (s) during their trade journey to Syria. Bahira emphasized to them that Muhammad was no ordinary child and bore the signs of prophethood. According to the narrations, Bahira recognized the signs of prophethood in the Prophet (s) and did not teach him anything. Bahira could not have taught the Qur'an to the Prophet of Islam in a brief meeting and played no role in the emergence of Islam.
The Prophet's (s) Meeting with Monk Bahira
Some narrative and historical books report that Abu Talib decided to travel with a trade caravan to Syria, taking the young Prophet Muhammad (s) with him. At one of the stops, the caravan rested near the monastery of Bahira, where Bahira saw the Prophet (s) and said, "O child, by Lat and 'Uzza, answer what I ask you." The Prophet (s) replied: «لَا تَسْأَلْنِي بِهِمَا فَوَ اللَّهِ مَا أَبْغَضْتُ شَيْئاً كَبُغْضِهِمَا؛ Do not ask me by Lat and 'Uzza, for by Allah, I hate nothing more than these two.» Bahira then said, "By Allah, answer whatever I ask you." The Prophet (s) said, "Ask whatever you wish." Bahira asked several questions, and the Prophet (s) answered them. After this, Bahira told Abu Talib, "Take care of your nephew, for he will attain a great status."[1]
At the time of this journey, the Prophet (s) was either nine[2] or twelve years old.[3] The story of the Prophet's (s) meeting with Bahira is narrated with minor variations in Shia[4] and Sunni[5] sources.
Bahira's Lack of Connection to the Emergence of Islam
Some Orientalists have claimed that Prophet Muhammad (s) learned the foundations of his religion from the Christian monk Bahira.[6] This claim has been criticized for the following reasons:
- It is untenable to assert that Muhammad (s) learned the teachings he later proclaimed over 28 years after this meeting from Bahira during this journey.[7]
- The meeting, which was brief and occurred during the caravan's passage, and the exchanged words, which only included a prophecy of the Prophet's (s) mission, cannot be the basis for the emergence of the vast religion of Islam.[8]
- The Qur'an is divine revelation, and it is impossible to accept that its teachings were founded by individuals like Bahira.[9]
References
- ↑ Al-Tabrisi, Fadl b. Hasan, Zindigani-yi chahardah ma'sum), translated by Aziz Allah 'Atarudi Quchani, Tehran, Islamiyah, 1st edition, 1390 AH, p. 20.
- ↑ Al-Bal'ami, Muhammad b. Muhammad, Tarikhnama-yi Tabari, edited by Muhammad Rushan, Tehran, 1366 SH, vol. 1, pp. 20–21. Ya'qubi, Ahmad b. Ishaq, Tarikh al-Ya'qubi, translated by Muhammad Ibrahim Ayati, Tehran, 1362 SH, vol. 1, p. 369.
- ↑ Ibn Sa'd, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, translated by Mahmoud Mahdavi Damghani, Tehran, 1365–1369 SH, vol. 1, p. 116.
- ↑ Hamiri, Abdullah ibn Ja'far, Qurb al-Isnad, Qom, Al al-Bayt Institute, 1st edition, 1413 AH, p. 318. Ibn Babawayh, Muhammad ibn Ali, Kamal al-Din wa Tamam al-Ni'mah, Tehran, Islamiyah, 2nd edition, 1395 AH, vol. 1, p. 182, Chapter 14, Hadith 35. Mas'udi, Ali b. Husayn, Ithbat al-Wasiyyah, Qom, Ansariyan, 3rd edition, 1384 SH/1426 AH, p. 115. Al-Tabarsi, Fadl b. Hasan, I'lam al-wara bi a'lam al-huda, Tehran, Islamiyah, 3rd edition, 1390 AH, p. 17. Qutb al-Din al-Rawandi, Sa'id ibn Hibatullah, Al-Khara'ij wa l-Jara'ih, Qom, Imam Mahdi Institute, 1st edition, 1409 AH, vol. 1, p. 1084.
- ↑ Bayhaqi, Ahmad b. Husayn, Dala'il al-Nubuwwah fi Ahwal Sahib al-Shari'ah, Beirut, Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 1405 AH, vol. 2, p. 35. Ibn Hisham, Al-Sirah al-nabawiyyah, 1363 SH, vol. 1, p. 191. Al-Tabari, Tarikh l-umam wa l-muluk, Cairo, Dar al-Ma'arif, 5th edition, 1387 AH, vol. 2, p. 277. Ibn Sa'd, Muhammad ibn Sa'd, Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Beirut, Dar Sadir, n.d., vol. 1, p. 154.
- ↑ Ma'ruf Husni, Hashim, Sirat al-Mustafa, Beirut, 1406 AH/1986 CE, p. 53. Rashid Rida, Muhammad, Al-Wahy al-Muhammadi, Cairo, 1380 AH/1960 CE, p. 72.
- ↑ Subhani, Ja'far, Furugh-i Abadiyyat, n.p., Dar al-Tabligh Publications, 1345 SH, vol. 1, p. 142.
- ↑ Zargarinijad, Ghulam Husayn, Tarikh-i sadr-i islam (History of the Early Islam), 1st edition, Tehran, Samt Publications, 1378 SH, p. 208.
- ↑ Ramiyar, Mahmud, Tarikh-i Qur'an (History of the Qur'an), 4th edition, Tehran, Amir Kabir Publications, 1379 SH, p. 131.