“The Prophet of Allah — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — whenever revelation descended upon him, it would weigh heavily upon him, and his face would change in color.”
Narrated by Muslim (no. 2334), from the narration of ʿUbādah ibn al-Ṣāmit — may Allah be pleased with him.
Brief Explanation of the Hadith
The Companions — may Allah be pleased with them — were the most diligent of people in observing the states of the Prophet — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — and in following his guidance in every matter. Among this was their close attention to his condition when revelation descended upon him. As narrated by ʿUbādah ibn al-Ṣāmit — may Allah be pleased with him — he said: “When revelation came down upon the Prophet of Allah — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — he would be distressed thereby…”. That is: he would be seized by distress and great constriction — due to the intensity with which revelation descended and the difficulty of bearing it, or because of what it might contain of commands, warnings, and stern obligations. Thus, he would be in awe of what he had been charged with regarding the rights of servitude and gratitude for blessings, and in fear for the sinners lest they be overtaken by Allah’s punishment. This would cause him grief until it became clear to him what had been decreed.
As for his saying, “his face would redden (tatarabbad wajhuhu),” it means that his complexion would change and become clouded; al-rabd refers to the alteration of whiteness toward blackness. This was due to the gravity and awe of the revelation, as Allah described it: “Indeed, We shall cast upon you a weighty word” (al-Muzzammil 73:5).
Revelation would descend upon the Prophet — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — in various forms, the most severe of which were those that weighed heavily upon him. ʿĀʾishah — may Allah be pleased with her — described its intensity, saying: “I saw him on a very cold day when revelation came down upon him, and when it departed from him, his forehead was dripping with sweat.”
Among its forms was that Jibrīl would come to him in the likeness of a man — and often he would appear in the form of the noble Companion, Dihyah ibn Khalīfah al-Kalbī — may Allah be pleased with him.