Between the Age of Darkness and the Break of Dawn — Page 16

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

بَيْنَ عَصْرِ الظَّلَامِ وَمَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ.

Between the age of darkness and the breaking of dawn.

وَحَدَّثَنِي عَمَّا اسْتَوْلَى عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْفَزَعِ حِينَ هَبَطَ عَلَيْهِ جِبْرِيلُ فَجْأَةً أَوَّلَ مَا هَبَطَ.

He told me of the terror that gripped him when Gabriel suddenly descended upon him for the first time.

وَكَانَ الرَّسُولُ ﷺ حِينَئِذٍ مُسْتَغْرِقًا فِي عِبَادَتِهِ وَتَأَمُّلِهِ.

The Messenger, peace be upon him, was absorbed in worship and contemplation at the time.

وَكَانَ جِبْرِيلُ يَحْمِلُ إِلَيْهِ الْبُشْرَى بِأَنَّ اللهَ قَدِ اجْتَبَاهُ وَاخْتَارَهُ رَسُولًا إِلَى قَوْمِهِ.

Gabriel brought him the good news that Allah had chosen and selected him as a messenger to his people.

لِيُنْذِرَ بِالْهَلَاكِ مَنْ عَصَاهُ، وَيُبَشِّرَ بِالْجَنَّةِ مَنْ تَبِعَ نَهْجَهُ وَتَرَسَّمَ خُطَاهُ.

He was to warn those who disobeyed Him of destruction, and bring glad tidings of Paradise to those who followed his path and walked in his footsteps.

أَكَانَتْ هَذِهِ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ يَرَى فِيهَا جِبْرِيلَ؟

Was this the first time he had seen Gabriel?

نَعَمْ. وَقَدْ أَلِفَ رُؤْيَتَهُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ.

Yes, though he grew accustomed to seeing him thereafter.

لَمْ يَعُدْ إِلَيْهِ جِبْرِيلُ فِي الْمَرَّةِ الثَّانِيَةِ إِلَّا بَعْدَ أَنِ انْقَضَى عَلَى زِيَارَتِهِ الْأُولَى أَرْبَعُونَ يَوْمًا.

Gabriel did not return for a second visit until forty days had passed since the first.

الدَّعْوَةُ إِلَى اللَّهِ حِينَ أَمَرَهُ بِتَبْلِيغِ رِسَالَتِهِ الْخَالِدَةِ إِلَى النَّاسِ.

The call to Allah began when He commanded him to convey His eternal message to the people.

أَلَّا يَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا اللَّهَ وَحْدَهُ، لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَنْ يُقْلِعُوا عَنْ عِبَادَةِ الْأَصْنَامِ.

It was to worship Allah alone, with no partner, and to abandon the worship of idols.

لَقَدْ كَانَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ نَصَرَهُ أَهْلُهُ.

The first to support him were his own kin.

أَوَّلُ مَنْ آمَنَ.

The first to believe.

وَكَانَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ آمَنَ بِهِ السَّيِّدَةُ خَدِيجَةُ زَوْجَتُهُ.

The first to believe in him was his wife, Lady Khadijah.

وَابْنُ عَمِّهِ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ.

And his cousin, Ali ibn Abi Talib.

وَهَلْ نَسِيتُمَا خَادِمَهُ زَيْدَ بْنَ حَارِثَةَ؟

Have you both forgotten his servant, Zayd ibn Harithah?

لَوْ صَبَرْتَ عَلَيْنَا لَذَكَرْنَاهُ.

If you had been patient, we would have mentioned him.

فَمَنْ تَظُنَّانِ كَانَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ آمَنَ بِرِسَالَتِهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَقَارِبِهِ؟

Who do you both think was the first to believe in his message from outside his family?

أَبُو بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ.

Abu Bakr al-Siddiq.

وَلَمْ يَكُنْ هَؤُلَاءِ قَادِرِينَ عَلَى مُصَارَحَةِ قُرَيْشٍ بِنُصْرَتِهِ.

These individuals were not in a position to openly declare their support for him to the Quraysh.

سِرِّيَّةُ الدَّعْوَةِ.

The secrecy of the call.

لِهَذَا بَدَأَتْ دَعْوَتُهُ سِرًّا، وَظَلَّ يَدْعُو النَّاسَ إِلَى عِبَادَةِ اللَّهِ فِي الْخَفَاءِ ثَلَاثَ سَنَوَاتٍ.

For this reason, his mission began in secret, and he continued calling people to worship Allah in private for three years.

وَقَدْ أَخْفَى الدَّعْوَةَ حَتَّى لَا يُعَرِّضَ أَصْحَابَهُ لِمَا يَتَهَدَّدُهُمْ مِنْ كَيْدِ الْمُعَانِدِينَ مِنْ كُفَّارِ قُرَيْشٍ.

He kept the call hidden to protect his companions from the threats and schemes of the stubborn disbelievers of Quraysh.

Vocabulary · المفردات (36 verbs · 52 nouns)

• حَدَّثَ — to tell
• اِسْتَوْلَى — to seize
• هَبَطَ — to descend
• اِسْتَغْرَقَ — to become absorbed
• تَأَمَّلَ — to contemplate
• حَمَلَ — to carry
• اِجْتَبَى — to select
• اِخْتَارَ — to choose
• أَنْذَرَ — to warn
• عَصَى — to disobey
• بَشَّرَ — to give good news
• تَبِعَ — to follow
• تَرَسَّمَ — to trace
• رَأَى — to see
• أَلِفَ — to become accustomed
• عَادَ — to return
• اِنْقَضَى — to pass
• أَمَرَ — to command
• عَبَدَ — to worship
• أَقْلَعَ — to refrain
• نَصَرَ — to support
• آمَنَ — to believe
• نَسِيَ — to forget
• صَبَرَ — to persevere
• ذَكَرَ — to mention
• ظَنَّ — to think
• بَدَأَ — to begin
• ظَلَّ — to remain
• دَعَا — to call
• أَخْفَى — to hide
• عَرَّضَ — to expose
• تَهَدَّدَ — to threaten
• كَانَ — to be
• بَلَّغَ — to convey
• قَدَرَ — to be able
• صَارَحَ — to be frank/open
• عَصْر — era
• ظَلَام — darkness
• مَطْلَع — beginning
• فَجْر — dawn
• فَزَع — fear
• فَجْأَة — suddenness
• رَسُول — messenger
• عِبَادَة — worship
• بُشْرَى — good news
• قَوْم — people
• هَلَاك — destruction
• جَنَّة — paradise
• نَهْج — path
• خُطْوَة — step
• مَرَّة — time
• رُؤْيَة — vision
• زِيَارَة — visit
• يَوْم — day
• دَعْوَة — call
• تَبْلِيغ — conveyance
• رِسَالَة — message
• نَاس — people
• شَرِيك — partner
• صَنَم — idol
• أَهْل — family
• سَيِّدَة — lady
• زَوْجَة — wife
• ابْن — son
• عَمّ — paternal uncle
• خَادِم — servant
• غَيْر — other
• أَقَارِب — relatives
• قَادِر — capable
• مُصَارَحَة — frankness
• نُصْرَة — support
• سِرِّيَّة — secrecy
• سِرّ — secret
• خَفَاء — concealment
• سَنَة — year
• صَاحِب — companions
• كَيْد — plot
• مُعَانِد — stubborn person
• كَافِر — disbeliever
• مُسْتَغْرِق — absorbed
• خَالِدَة — an eternal (female) person/thing
• أُولَى — first (feminine)
• أَرْبَعُون — forty
• تَأَمُّل — contemplation
• خَالِد — eternal
• قَرِيب — relative
• صِدِّيق — truthful one
• أَصْحَاب — companions