The first revelation — the cave of Hira and the beginning

As he approached forty, Muhammad ﷺ increasingly withdrew to a cave on the mountain of Hira, on the edge of Makkah, spending nights there in worship and reflection. It was in Ramadan, on one of these retreats, that the angel Jibril came to him and commanded, “Read.” He answered that he could not read. The angel embraced him firmly and repeated the command, three times, then recited the opening verses of Surah al-’Alaq: “Read, in the name of your Lord who created — created man from a clinging clot. Read, and your Lord is the most Generous, who taught by the pen, taught man what he did not know.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 3).

He returned home shaking and asked to be wrapped in a cloak. Khadijah رضي الله عنها listened, then took him to her cousin Waraqah ibn Nawfal, an old man who had studied the earlier scriptures. Waraqah recognised the description of the angel and told him: this is the same one who came to Musa; you will be driven out by your people, and if I live to see it I will support you. Waraqah died soon after, and for a time revelation paused before resuming.

Two things about this beginning are often noted. First, the content: the first revealed word was iqra’, “read”, and the passage speaks of the pen and of teaching — a striking opening for a message that would place learning and the seeking of knowledge among its central duties. Second, the manner: the Prophet ﷺ did not seek this, did not claim it eagerly, and his first reaction was fear and self-doubt, calmed by a wife who reasoned from his known character.

The early revelations that followed were short, rhythmic passages calling to the oneness of God, warning of accountability, and urging care for the orphan and the poor. For the first years the call was mostly private, spread among family and close friends. Among the earliest to accept it were Khadijah, his cousin Ali, his freedman Zayd ibn Harithah, and his friend Abu Bakr, who in turn brought others.