Was muhammad's first teacher a christian?

owen.grandison wrote: Yes, according to orthodox sunni muslims own writings, waraqa bin naufal (527-639) was a christian.  "Then she rose and gathered her garments about her and set forth to her cousin waraqa... who had become a christian and read the scriptures and learned from those that follow the torah and the gospel". Waraqa attached himself to christianity and studied its scriptures until he had thoroughly mastered them". (The life of muhammad.  A. guillaume.  Oxford university press. 1980 A.D. pages 83, 99).

The complete story is narrated by Aisha (peace be upon her) in Sahih Al-Bukhari:

"The commencement of the Divine Inspiration of Allah's Apostle was in the form of good dreams which came true like bright daylight, and then the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him. He used to go in seclusion in the cave of Hira where he used to worship (Allah alone) continually for many days before wishing to see his family. He used to take with him provisions for the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadeejah to eat his food again as before.

One day suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied, "I do not know how to read." The Prophet (peace be upon him) added, "The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, "I do not know how to read." Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time until I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, "I do not know how to read (or what shall I read)?" Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said, "Read in the name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists), created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous.'"(96):1-3.

Then Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) returned with the Inspiration and with his heart trembling. He went to Khadeejah the daughter of Khuwaylid (his wife) and said, "Cover me!" She covered him until his fear subsided. After that he told her everything that had happened and said, "I fear that something may happen to me." Khadeejah replied, "Never! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests generously and assist the deserving people afflicted with calamities."

Khadeejah then accompanied him to her cousin Waraqah ibn Nawfal ibn Asad ibn AbdulUzza, who, during the pre-Islamic period became a Christian and used to write in the Hebrew alphabet. He would write from the Gospel in Hebrew as much as Allah wished him to write. He was an old man and had lost his eyesight.

Khadeejah said to Waraqah, "Listen to the story of your nephew, O my cousin!" Waraqah asked, "O my nephew! What have you seen?" Allah's Apostle described that which he had seen. Waraqah said, "This is the one who keeps the secrets (angel Gabriel) whom Allah had sent to Moses. I wish I were young and could live until the time when your people will turn you out." Allah's Apostle asked, "Will they drive me out?" Waraqah replied in the affirmative and said, "Anyone (man) who came with something similar to that which you have brought was greeted with hostility; and if I remain alive until the day when you will be turned out then I should support you strongly."

owen.grandison wrote: IT WAS CHRISTIANS WHO WANTED THE SO-CALLED PAGANISTIC ARABS TO CONVERT TO THIS NEW FOUNDED RELIGION, ISLAM? On one such feast day, four men separated themselves from the rest of the qurayshites and decided among themselves that idol worship was wrong. these men were: 1) Waqara bin naufal bin asad bin abdul uzza - who was a christian, and a distand cousin of muhammad.  It was waraqa who said:  "Verily muhammad is the prophet of this people." 2) Ubaydullah ibn jash ibn ra'ab ibn ya'mar ibn sabra ibn murra ibn kabir ibn ghanm ibn dudan asad ibn khazayam; - who was related to muhammad by his grandfather abdul muttalib and went t o abyssinia and became a christian. 3) Uthman bin al huwayrith bin asad bin abudl uzza ibn qusayy - khadiyjah's cousin and became a christian at constantinople as well. 4) Zayd ibn amr ibn nufayl ibn abdul uzza ibn abdullah ibn qurt ibn riyah ibn uzzah ibn adiyy ibn ka'b ibn luwaiy - he was a cousin of umar. They sought to control arabia's trade and influence muhammad religious thoughts, thus they proclaimed they did not believe that idol worship was a good way of life.  Now why all of a sudden these 4 men who were christians proclaimed they sought the religion of truth, and warned of the prophecy of a coming prophet?  What was wrong with christianity as the religion of truth?  Did they eveer convert to islam?  No!  They remained christians.  Christians going around arabia boosting up muhammad so he can proclaim the religion islam, made up by the catholic jesuit priests.  These men saw the people as corrupted, and needed st. augustin's teachings. So you see waraqa (muhammad's main man and interpreter) was a roman catholic, originally from tama-re, descended from ancient egyptian stock.  He converted to christianity in constantinople, turkey and followed the augustine doctrine and studied what you muhammadsn arecalling the injiyl "evangel, revelation," until he thoroughyly mastered it.  Waraqa bin naufal also mastered the torah and was the undle of khadija (555-619 A.D.), muhammad's first wife as previously said.  Waraqa had told his cristian uncle, khadiyjah who was also a rich christian an ex-nun that muhammad will be the awaited "prophet", whome they had selected and that he will be used for the plot to manipulate all the arabs of arabia and control its trad; thus eventually waraqa taught him a lot about christianity.  Ubaydallah continued to search until the new religion islam held its own.  He was among those arabs who later migrated to abyssinia taking with him his wife  umm habiba bint abu sufyaan (who converted to christianity). Originally muhammad followed the rites of abraham which was not islam the religion or rites of abraham would had been the worship of baal, then later on alyuwn alyuwn el-the most high.  This is something totally false that you muhammadans try to tie in abraham who hasn't of yet been proven to have existed.  His indoctrination changed since the time he met khadijah then HIS RELIGION CHANGED.  Khadijah implanted christianity into islam by way of her cousin waraqa.  Being that waraq was able to manipulate and shape muhammad's thinking CHRISTIANITY was weaved into his own laws and traditions and paved the way to a new found religion - ISLAM.  Remember the catholic church was influenced by MANES, A PERSIAN, AND ROMAN, GNOSTIC, PAGANISTIC DOCTRINATIONS, WHICH BECAME PART OF ISLAM! So its true when people say, "muhammad was the founder of islam"; the made up religion called islam which has been further perverted into idol worshipping, called "muhammadism."  You worship him as you would worship allah who you call "father."  However muhammad told his followers he was not the father of any of them (qur'aan 33:40), which stems back in time when fathers and mothers were worshipped in the form of adoration as teraphim in peoples houses.  Because teraphims were statues of ancestors placed in th ehouse and adorned.  People like muhammad lookedupon that as idol worshipping.  In turn people eventually began calling the creator "father," ab; as in the cae of the lord's prayer - "our father ", abanaa.  And although the scroll of malachi 4:6, says "and he (eloheem yahuwa, elijah) will return the hearts compassionately of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers..."; muhammad with the help of the qur'aan changed that and began turning children away from their fathers (qur'aan 9:23).  By doing this the name, rabb "master", sustainer" was used in reference to the name of allah which he still got from the hewbrews or jews.  Although he deterred them from calling allah as well as himself "father " he told them to follow his teachings.  However, you ended up looking to him as a father figure anyway giving him reverence and adoration as our ancestors did with teraphims to the point of worshipping him right beside allah.

Narrated 'Aisha^(R): Volume 4, Book 55, Number 605:

"..The Prophet returned to Khadija while his heart was beating rapidly. She took him to Waraqa bin Naufal who was a Christian convert and used to read the Gospel in Arabic Waraqa asked (the Prophet), "What do you see?" When he told him, Waraqa said, "That is the same angel whom Allah sent to the Prophet) Moses. Should I live till you receive the Divine Message, I will support you strongly."

The other had�th is:

Narrated 'Aisha^(R): Volume 1, Book 1, Number 3

Khadija then accompanied him to her cousin Waraqa bin Naufal bin Asad bin 'Abdul 'Uzza, who, during the pre-Islamic Period became a Christian and used to write the writing with Hebrew letters. He would write from the Gospel in Hebrew as much as Allah wished him to write. He was an old man and had lost his eyesight. Khadija said to Waraqa, "Listen to the story of your nephew, O my cousin!" Waraqa asked, "O my nephew! What have you seen?" Allah's Apostle described whatever he had seen. Waraqa said, "This is the same one who keeps the secrets (angel Gabriel) whom Allah had sent to Moses. I wish I were young and could live up to the time when your people would turn you out." Allah's Apostle asked, "Will they drive me out?" Waraqa replied in the affirmative and said, "Anyone (man) who came with something similar to what you have brought was treated with hostility; and if I should remain alive till the day when you will be turned out then I would support you strongly." But after a few days Waraqa died.

Waraqa was an old man and died shortly after Muhammad^(P) had received the revelation of the Qur'�n; as clearly can be read from the above had�th. While the revelation of the Qur'�n continued for more than twenty years after the death of Waraqah bin Nawfal, the Prophet^(P) was receiving the revelation in different places and even while he was among his Companions. Also, he was answering direct questions raised later by the Jews in Madinah. In addition, the Jews and the disbelievers of Mecca would be very pleased if they knew for sure that there was a knowledgeable person who was teaching Muhammad^(P) the Qur'�n.

And finally Waraqa himself announced in all of the had�ths reported in Sahih al-Bukh�r� that he would support Muhammad^(P) strongly if he lived long enough:

"Should I live till you receive the Divine Message, I will support you strongly."

"if I should remain alive till the day when you will be turned out then I would support you strongly."

It is not surprising to see that when these points are brought together, Christian missionaries start to take refuge in the excuses that Waraqa was a heretic or on whose authority he said that he would support Muhammad's^(P) prophethood?

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