The Archangel Gabriel — in Arabic Jibrīl or Jibrāʾīl — is the angel of revelation in Islamic tradition, the celestial messenger “through whose agency”, as Snouck Hurgronje puts it, “the eternal Quran was finally revealed to Mohammad piece by piece”. He is mentioned in The Achehnese in connection with the Achehnese observance of the Night of Qadar in the month of Ramadhan.
The Night of Qadar
According to Mohammedan teaching, the Night of Qadar (lailat al-qadar) or “night of the divine decree” is the night on which the eternal Quran was sent down by Allah to the world below, “to be finally revealed to Mohammad piece by piece through the agency of the Archangel Gabriel”. It is generally believed that on the day — or rather night — that forms the anniversary of this great event, “the whole creation feels its influence”. On this special night, no less than on that of the middle of Sha’ban, all manner of rich blessings are supposed to be dealt forth by Allah to those who keep vigil therein, wakeful and if possible engaged in pious devotions.
Achehnese observance
At the time of Snouck Hurgronje’s writing, no one could fix the date of the Night of Qadar with certainty. The sole rule was the prevalent idea that the night of the qadar is one of the last five odd-numbered nights of the fasting month — i.e. the nights preceding the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th or 29th. Of these, the 21st and 27th disputed with each other the right to the name. In Acheh, the greatest animation was displayed on the night before the 27th: before every house-door was set a lighted lamp with seven mouths, or “eyes” as the Achehnese call them; the young amused themselves by letting off crackers (beude China, “little Chinese guns”); and at sunset persons of substance brought complete jeulampeuengs to the meunasah, so that the celebrants might enjoy a hearty meal instead of the preliminary mess of pottage with which they usually broke their fast. The tradition was that, during the qadar night, the very trees bowed to the ground in awe in the direction of the kiblat — that is, toward the Sacred Mosque at Mecca — a phenomenon said to be rarely visible to the eyes of ordinary mortals.
Place in the Achehnese calendar
The role assigned to the Archangel Gabriel in the Achehnese conception of the Night of Qadar places him at the heart of the most solemn of the night-vigils of the fasting month. Although his name is not invoked in any distinctive Achehnese formula — he is, rather, the presupposed agent of a familiar Mohammedan doctrine — the popular rites of the 27th of Ramadhan are unintelligible without the doctrine of the descent of the Quran through his mediation. The observance is one of the points at which the formal teaching of Islam and the popular superstition of the Achehnese — with their lighted seven-eyed lamps and their trees doing obeisance toward the kiblat — meet upon a single sacred night.
Sources
The Achehnese, Vol. II, by Dr. C. Snouck Hurgronje, translated by A.W.S. O’Sullivan, indexed by R.J. Wilkinson. Leyden: E.J. Brill, 1906.
The archangel Gabriel, who gives Adam lessons in agriculture in the Hikayat asay pade, restores Putroe Peureukison to life, and plays a role in the mystical transfer of Muhammad’s prophetic light in the Hikayat nubuet.
See Also
- Mohammad (the Prophet)
- Lailat al-Qadar (Night of Qadar)
- Ramadhan (fasting month)
- Malam dua ploh tujoh (27th night of Ramadhan)
- Mecca
- Acheh
- Adam and Hawa
- Putroe Peureukison
- Mohammad
Source
The Achehnese, Vol. I, by Dr. C. Snouck Hurgronje, translated by A.W.S. O’Sullivan, indexed by R.J. Wilkinson. Leyden: E.J. Brill, 1906.
The Archangel Gabriel — in Arabic Jibrīl or Jibrāʾīl — is the angel of revelation in Islamic tradition, the celestial messenger “through whose agency”, as Snouck Hurgronje puts it, “the eternal Quran was finally revealed to Mohammad piece by piece”. He is mentioned in The Achehnese in connection with the Achehnese observance of the Night of Qadar in the month of Ramadhan.
The Night of Qadar
According to Mohammedan teaching, the Night of Qadar (lailat al-qadar) or “night of the divine decree” is the night on which the eternal Quran was sent down by Allah to the world below, “to be finally revealed to Mohammad piece by piece through the agency of the Archangel Gabriel”. It is generally believed that on the day — or rather night — that forms the anniversary of this great event, “the whole creation feels its influence”. On this special night, no less than on that of the middle of Sha’ban, all manner of rich blessings are supposed to be dealt forth by Allah to those who keep vigil therein, wakeful and if possible engaged in pious devotions.
Achehnese observance
At the time of Snouck Hurgronje’s writing, no one could fix the date of the Night of Qadar with certainty. The sole rule was the prevalent idea that the night of the qadar is one of the last five odd-numbered nights of the fasting month — i.e. the nights preceding the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th or 29th. Of these, the 21st and 27th disputed with each other the right to the name. In Acheh, the greatest animation was displayed on the night before the 27th: before every house-door was set a lighted lamp with seven mouths, or “eyes” as the Achehnese call them; the young amused themselves by letting off crackers (beude China, “little Chinese guns”); and at sunset persons of substance brought complete jeulampeuengs to the meunasah, so that the celebrants might enjoy a hearty meal instead of the preliminary mess of pottage with which they usually broke their fast. The tradition was that, during the qadar night, the very trees bowed to the ground in awe in the direction of the kiblat — that is, toward the Sacred Mosque at Mecca — a phenomenon said to be rarely visible to the eyes of ordinary mortals.
Place in the Achehnese calendar
The role assigned to the Archangel Gabriel in the Achehnese conception of the Night of Qadar places him at the heart of the most solemn of the night-vigils of the fasting month. Although his name is not invoked in any distinctive Achehnese formula — he is, rather, the presupposed agent of a familiar Mohammedan doctrine — the popular rites of the 27th of Ramadhan are unintelligible without the doctrine of the descent of the Quran through his mediation. The observance is one of the points at which the formal teaching of Islam and the popular superstition of the Achehnese — with their lighted seven-eyed lamps and their trees doing obeisance toward the kiblat — meet upon a single sacred night.
See Also
- Mohammad (the Prophet)
- Lailat al-Qadar (Night of Qadar)
- Ramadhan (fasting month)
- Malam dua ploh tujoh (27th night of Ramadhan)
- Mecca
- Acheh
Source
The Achehnese, Vol. I, by Dr. C. Snouck Hurgronje, translated by A.W.S. O’Sullivan, indexed by R.J. Wilkinson. Leyden: E.J. Brill, 1906.