As he approached the age of forty, Muhammad, peace be upon him, 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, and then recited the opening verses of Surah Al-Alaq. In the English translation given on this page, they read: “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.” This is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari, number three.

He returned home shaking, and asked to be wrapped in a cloak. His wife Khadijah listened, and 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. He told him that this was the same one who had come to Musa, that his people would drive him out, and that if he lived to see it, he would support him. Waraqah died soon after, and for a time revelation paused before it resumed.

Two things about this beginning are often noted. The first is its content. The first word revealed was, 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.

The second is its manner. The Prophet did not seek this, and did not claim it eagerly. 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, shared among family and close friends. Among the earliest to accept it were Khadijah; his young cousin Ali; Zayd ibn Harithah, who lived in his household; and his friend Abu Bakr, who in turn brought others.