By Allah! But have the glad tidings, for by Allah, Allah will
never disgrace you as you keep good relations with your
kith and kin, speak the truth, help the poor and the destitute,
serve your guests generously and assist the deserving,
calamity afflicted ones.’’[11]
Khadija and Muhammad then went to visit her cousin
Waraqa,[12] a Christian, who could write in Hebrew and
had knowledge of the Gospels. Waraqa confirmed that
Muhammad’s revelations were genuine and warned
Muhammad that he would face hostility and opposition for
making them known.[13]
Without Khadija’s care and Waraqa’s affirmation, the
world might never have known Islam, for the new prophet’s
distress and uncertainty were intense. Soon after Waraqa
identified the being who had appeared to Muhammad,
Waraqa died, Allah’s revelations ceased, and the new
prophet was plunged into a sadness so intense that he even
contemplated suicide by throwing himself off of a mountain.
Every time he went up the top of the mountain, however,
the angel Gabriel would appear and give him assurances
that he was indeed Allah’s messenger, and his peace would
be restored. Muslims throughout history have been
embarrassed by the fact that Muhammad’s prophetic
mission was confirmed in its earliest stages by a Christian
(who was also a priest and a convert from Judaism). Some
Muslim sources deny that Waraqa was a Christian at all, but
this fact is well attested not only in the Hadith but also by a
ninth century biographer of Muhammad, Ibn Hisham: ‘‘It
has been said about the priest Waraqa that he was of the