Abstract:

The Age of Jahiliyyah is a process in which many religious beliefs and understandings are manifested. Although the dominant element in the Arabian Peninsula before Islam was paganism, the existence of communities that adopted beliefs such as Christianity, Judaism, Sabiism, and Hanifism is also a reality. One of the famous figures of the period, Waraqah b. Nawfal did not adopt paganism and went on a quest with some of his friends who were thinking like him. In this context, it is stated that he was a Hanif and a Christian, as well as that he became a Muslim later on. The events where Waraqah's path crossed with the Prophet are mentioned in the sources of siyer and Islamic history. There are scenes where he is mentioned with Muhammad(pbuh) both before and after his prophethood. Such expressions were sometimes used by orientalists as a basis for groundless claims about the origin of Islam. Especially the dialogue narrated about the coming of the first revelation gains importance in this context. In this article, a concise presentation of Waraqah’s life is provided in the first part, and then his religious situation is discussed. In the part that forms the basis of the study, inferences are made after the rumors that Waraqah’s name is mentioned together with Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) before and after the prophethood are discussed. Per the nature of the subject, descriptive, analytical, and inductive methods were followed in the article.

Keywords: