Waraqa ibn Nawfal
Blind hanif who confirmed the first revelation; Khadijah's cousin.
Hijri d. year 1 of revelation CE d. c. 610 CE
An elderly, learned cousin of Khadijah — one of the four The Hunafa' — who confirmed the first revelation.
Identity
- Of Banu Asad (cousin to Khadijah’s father Khuwaylid), ~40 years her senior.
- Rejected idolatry, became Christian, learned to write scripture in Hebrew; by the time of the revelation he was very old and blind.
Confirming the revelation (EP 010)
When Khadijah brought the Prophet ﷺ to him, Waraqa recognised the visitor as “al-Namus (the Keeper of Secrets), the same [Jibril] who came to Musa,” and warned: “Never has anyone come with the like of what you bring except that his people opposed and expelled him… I wish I were young to support you.” He died shortly after — and the Prophet ﷺ later reported seeing him in white garments (a sign of Paradise), so he is counted among the earliest believers.
Cross-references
The Beginning of Revelation (Iqra) · Khadijah bint Khuwaylid (rha) · The Hunafa' · Muhammad ﷺ
Sources
- S003 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 004 & EP 010 (hadith of Bukhari on the first revelation).