I feared for my life

إني خشيت على نفسي (لما أتاه الوحي أول مرة)

I feared for my life. (He made this statement when revelation descended upon him the first time.)

The Rawafid ask, “Is it possible for a nabi to be in doubt with regards his Rabb?”

At the same time, are they not the ones who say, “Whatever contradicts the Qur’an, then recite this verse:

أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيْمًا فَآوىٰ وَوَجَدَكَ ضَالًّا فَهَدىٰ

Did He not find you an orphan and give [you] refuge? And He found you lost and guided [you],[1]

وَكَذٰلِكَ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ رُوْحًا مِّنْ أَمْرِنَا مَا كُنْتَ تَدْرِيْ مَا الْكِتَابُ وَلَا الْإِيمَانُ وَلٰكِنْ جَعَلْنَاهُ نُوْرًا نَّهْدِيْ بِهِ مَنْ نَّشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِيْ إِلىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيْمٍ صِرَاطِ اللَّهِ الَّذِيْ لَهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ أَلَا إِلَى اللَّهِ تَصِيْرُ الْأُمُوْرُ

And thus We have revealed to you an inspiration of Our command. You did not know what is the Book or [what is] faith, but We have made it a light by which We guide whom We will of Our servants. And indeed, [O Muhammad], you guide to a straight path – The path of Allah, to whom belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Unquestionably, to Allah do [all] matters evolve.[2]

It appears in the books of the Rawafid:

Have you not heard Allah’s―the Mighty and Majestic―statement:

وَكَذٰلِكَ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ رُوْحًا مِّنْ أَمْرِنَا مَا كُنْتَ تَدْرِيْ مَا الْكِتَابُ وَلَا الْإِيمَانُ

And thus We have revealed to you an inspiration of Our command. You did not know what is the Book or [what is] faith.^[3]

He then says, “What do your scholars say regarding this verse? Do they acknowledge that he was in a period where he was unaware of the Book and Faith?”

I said, “I do not know what they say, may I be sacrificed for you.”

He told me, “Yes indeed. He was in a phase where he was unaware of the Book and Faith.”[4]

In this manner did Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu become superior to our Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam—according to Shia narrations—since ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu recited the shahadah as soon as he emerged from his mother’s womb whereas Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was unaware of the Book and Faith before Nubuwwah.

With regards to the narration that appears in Tabaqat Ibn Sa’d:

و إني لأخشى أن أكون كاهنا

I feared being a sorcerer.[5]

Ma’mar ibn Rashid is one of the narrators.

Hafiz explains, “The ahadith he narrates in his town are mudtarib since he would narrate from his books correctly while in his town and when he would travel, he would narrate from his memory such things in which he would speculate. The scholars are unanimous upon this like al Madini, al Bukhari, Abu Hatim, Ya’qub Ibn Shaybah, and others.”[6]
Al Dhahabi comments, “He is known to be guilty of awha”[7]

Next⇒ Certainly, I am the servant of Allah, and the seal of the prophets while Adam ‘alayh al Salam was still in his mould

[1] Surah al Duha: 6 – 7.

[2] Surah al Shu’ara’: 52 – 53.

[3] Surah al Shu’ara’: 52.

[4] Al Kafi vol. 1 pg. 274; Bihar al Anwar vol. 81 pg. 266.

[5] Tabaqat Ibn Sa’d vol. 1 pg. 195.

[6] Al Talkhis al Habir vol. 3 pg. 168.

[7] Mizan al I’tidal vol. 6 pg. 480.

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