The Beginning of Revelation and Early Preaching

Al-Suhayli's commentary on the first revelation is among the most detailed and theologically rich sections of Al-Rawd al-Unuf. The Prophet Muhammad, having retreated in increasing frequency to the cave of Hira on the Mountain of Light (Jabal al-Nur) outside Makkah, received the first words of divine revelation at the age of forty. Al-Suhayli annotates the famous account preserved in Bukhari and Muslim through Aisha: the angel Jibril appeared and commanded 'Read' (Iqra'), the Prophet replied that he could not read, and Jibril embraced him tightly before repeating the command. Al-Suhayli explains the wisdom in this exchange, noting that the initial embrace served to prepare the Prophet's body and spirit for the extraordinary experience of receiving divine speech, and that the command 'Iqra' in this context meant to receive and convey, not merely to decode written text.

The stages of early preaching are analyzed with attention to the social and political dynamics of Makkan society. The Prophet first invited his closest circle: Khadijah, his cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib, his adopted son Zayd ibn Haritha, and his close companion Abu Bakr al-Siddiq. Al-Suhayli notes the significance of this initial circle: a woman of experience and standing, a youth from the Prophet's own household, a freed slave who had chosen to remain with the Prophet when given the chance to return to his family, and a man of business reputation and social influence. The diversity of this first group foreshadowed the universal scope of the message.

The opposition of Quraysh is treated by al-Suhayli as both a historical fact and a theological test. The Quraysh had material and social interests in the existing religious order, and the monotheistic message of Islam threatened the pilgrimage economy centered on the idols of the Ka'ba. Al-Suhayli identifies the main figures of opposition, including Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab, and notes that the Quran addressed them directly in revelation. He explains that the persistence of Quranic condemnation of specific individuals by name, while unusual in prophetic discourse that typically generalizes, served to demonstrate the Prophet's truthfulness: he conveyed what he received without softening it for political convenience.

The early converts included people of high social standing alongside those who were vulnerable: slaves, poor Muslims, and women. Al-Suhayli highlights this pattern as evidence of the message's authenticity. A man seeking power and social dominance would have first cultivated the powerful. The Prophet's first followers came from those who knew him best and from those who had the least worldly incentive to join a persecuted minority. Al-Suhayli draws the reader's attention to the names of these early believers and the subsequent trajectories of their lives, noting that their commitment was tested and confirmed in the years of persecution that followed the first public proclamation of the message.