A PRETENDING BASTARD!

Like Abu Jahl, his friend Waleed was conscious of the truth, preached by Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) but also like him, he was fond of ridiculing the divine message. It was even said that he had earlier considered accepting Islam after listening to the holy prophet recite a certain Qur’anic verse and he had commented thus:

It is certainly full of ecstasy; sweet to the hearing; its background is cool and fruitful.

On being accosted afterward by some other infidels, Waleed was however fooled into saying unpleasant words about the holy Qur’an. Abu Jahl, in particular, had suggested that he should utter some insulting phrases against Allah, the Quran and the holy Prophet Muhammad and thus, he succumbed to the human folly and declared:

This is indeed a magic initiated (by him) (74:24).

And Allah revealed:

Leave me to deal with him whom I created alone, and then I granted extensive wealth; and a lot of children surrounding him. And made life smooth for him. Yet he desires that I should give more. Nay! For certainly he has been stubborn to our revelations. On him I shall impose a fearful doom. For certainly he pondered; then he planned. Self destroyed is he, how he planned! Again self destroyed is he, how he planned! Then he looked. Then he frowned and showed displeasure. Then he turned away in pride and said: this is but sorcery: this is but folktale. We shall fling him unto the burning fire. Ah, what will make you know the burning fire. I leave it naught; it spare naught. It destroys the man. Above it are nineteen (angels). (74:11 30)

Waleed was rich and blessed with a number of children. He was therefore distinguished and unique in this regard, hence the phrases in that verse “…the one I created alone; and to whom I granted extensive wealth and children surrounding him” but rather than being humbled by the threat of those angels said to be on guard of the hell fire, like Abu Jahl, he resorted to ridiculing their number “over it are nineteen angels”. He said “if nineteen were the total number of angels on guard of the burning fire promised by the lord of Muhammad, then we shall take them up one after the other with our stronger, numerical strength. 

Allah then revealed in prompt response:

And we have not make the keepers of the fire except angels; and we have not mentioned their number except as a trial for those who disbelieve that those who were given the scripture will be convinced and those who have believe will increase in faith and those who were given the scripture and thee believers will not doubt and that those in whose hearts is disease (the disbelievers) will say, what Does Allah intend by this as an example? Thus does Allah lead astray whom he wills and guides whom he wills. And none knows the soldiers of your lord except him. And it the fire is not but a reminder to humanity. 74:31

Waleed also went further to label Muhammad a sorcerer and his message, a folk lore, which mockery had almost demoralized the messenger of Allah before his lord responded thus:

And do not mind every worthless habitual swearer; and scorner; going about with malicious gossip a preventer of good, transgressing and sinful; cruel, moreover a pretending bastard. Because he has got a lot o wealth and children, when our verses are recited to him, he says, folklore of the olden days. We will strike him upon the snout. (68: 10-16)

In the verses above are seven different phrases with which Allah had described Waleed, the son  of Mugheerah: “a worthless habitual swearer; a scorner; going about with malicious gossip; a preventer of good; transgressing and sinful; cruel minded and a pretending bastard”

The Quranic exegesis has it that as soon as those verses were revealed, the son of Mugheerah was irked. He looked inward and agreed to all the descriptive phrases as being part of him but only one: A PRETENDING BASTARD!

WAS Waleed truly a bastard? Was he truly an illegitimate child? CLICK HERE TO KNOW