Waraqa ibn Nawfal

Waraqa ibn Nawfal was Khadija's cousin, an elderly Christian scholar of Mecca, versed in the Scriptures. When the Prophet ﷺ received the first revelation and was shaken by its enormity, it was Waraqa who recognised in the angel Gabriel the one who had come to Moses, thus confirming the beginning of the prophetic mission.

After the first revelation in the Cave of Hira', the Prophet ﷺ returned home trembling, fearing for himself. Khadija reassured him, then took him to her cousin Waraqa ibn Nawfal.

Waraqa was an elderly man who had gone blind, had embraced Christianity in the pre-Islamic era and knew the Scriptures, writing in Hebrew. Khadija said to him: 'My cousin, listen to the son of your brother.' The Prophet ﷺ told him what he had experienced.

Waraqa immediately recognised the signs: 'This is the Namus (the angel Gabriel) that God sent to Moses.' Then he added: 'How I wish I were young and could live until the day when your people will drive you out.' The Prophet ﷺ, surprised, asked: 'Will they drive me out?' Waraqa replied: 'Never has a man come with a message like yours without being met with hostility. If I live to see that day, I will support you with all my strength.'

But Waraqa died shortly after, at the very beginning of revelation. He did not have time to see what followed. Aisha reported this account in an authentic hadith of Bukhari.

This account offers an instructive contrast with that of the monk Bahira. Waraqa's account is reported in an AUTHENTIC HADITH (sahih) of Bukhari, from Aisha. Its chain of transmission is solid. This is a first-level reliable account. Bahira's account, by contrast, belongs to the Sira (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd, Tabari), with variations and a less assured chain. Two figures with a comparable role (recognising the signs of the Prophet ﷺ), but at two different levels of solidity. That is the whole interest of knowing the source: it tells us what degree of confidence to accord a report. 'Reported by Bukhari' and 'reported in the Sira' are not equivalent.

Waraqa teaches that truth can be recognised by a sincere heart, even aged, even on the threshold of departure. His immediate support for the Prophet ﷺ — he who came from another tradition — shows that upright faith recognises upright faith. And his solidly attested story reminds us of the importance of relying on sure sources.