When Israfil Came Down To Earth ?
Now The next Incident I will share with you is actually Jibreel giving advice in a very subtle way but it’s profound advice as well. This narration that I’m about to share with you is so profound and Al-Hafidh Ibn Rajab Al Hanbali in his famous book The Humility in Prayer the last chapter is just about this Hadith even though it has nothing to do with prayer.
Because of what it means, the prophet (ﷺ) he says in a authentic hadith that I was sitting with jibreel (A.S) then all of a sudden the sky split. and an angel came down. He started to come close to us now you want to know what makes this narration so strange, Rasool Allah (S.a.w) When Jibreel Saw This Angel he became smaller, he held himself like bracing for something.
The angel came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said oh messenger of allah, i’m a messenger that’s been sent to you from God.
I’m giving you a choice. I’m here to give you a choice, either you live. You’re a prophet (ﷺ) who lives like a king, or a prophet (ﷺ) that lives like a humble slave.
Who can give me an example a prophet (ﷺ) that lives like a king. Sulayman (A.S), Dawood (A.S) means that you’ll live comfortable, look you can have a great life live very comfortably be a king, have the riches of this world.
Do whatever you want and you’ll still have the here after it’s not going to decrease from you in any way whatsoever.
So you can either be that or you can continue to live like a humble slave, I mean the prophet (ﷺ) like some used to go nights and hunger stones tied to His stomach. He suffered from poverty, at the very worse even after success right. So you have a choice now so the
Prophet (ﷺ) said I looked at Jibreel he said, Jibreel Did this, So the Prophet (ﷺ) said, I’ll choose to be a prophet (ﷺ) that lives like a humble slave, so the angel left.
So I looked at Jibreel (A.S) this was very strange Jibreel (A.S) Said, this angel, He’s never been down before this day. So the prophet (ﷺ) Said, Why Is it That you got smaller and you were afraid, He said i Swear by allah, I did not think that he came except to announce the day of judgement.
Who was that angel?
Israfil.
When Jibreel saw Israfil come down he thought it was all over.
When Jibreel (A.S) Became Afraid ?
So Jibreel (A.S) even became afraid at the sight of Israfil and Ibn Rajab (R) he ends his book with choose to be a humble servant and how did this affect the Prophet (ﷺ) physically as well I mean obviously He continued to live and very humble means the Prophet (ﷺ) When he used to eat his food sometimes he’d lay back, recline and eat but after that incident the prophets (ﷺ) Would only eat his food sitting up.
So the Sahaba asked him Ya Rasool allah why why is it that you only eat your food sitting up ?
he said because this is more befitting for a Prophet (ﷺ) that will live like a homele slave.
So it affected the Prophet (ﷺ) that incident actually affected the Prophet (ﷺ).
