Jabal al-Hira is a mountain which lies about two miles from the Ka’bah. Near the top is a small cave known as the Cave of Hira , which is a little less than 4 meters in length and a little more than 1.5 meters in width. It was here that the Prophet Muhammad received the first revelations of the Holy Quran during the month of Ramadhan in 610 CE. The mountain is also known as Jabal al-Noor (the Mountain of Light) and Jabal al-Islam (the Mountain of Islam). The Prophet first began to have revelations in the form of good dreams which came true. Then he began to like solitude. He would go to the cave of Hira and meditate there in solitude for a number of days and nights. He would take provisions with him to stay for an extended period, and when he returned to Khadija, he would stock up again and go back to the cave. This was his practice until Truth was revealed to him by an angel while he was in the cave of Hira. During Tahajjud time one night, when he was alone in the cave, there came to him an angel in the form of a man. The angel said to him, “Recite!”. “I cannot read”, the Prophet replied. The angel took hold of him a second time and pressed him until he could not endure it any longer. After letting him go, the angel again said, “Recite!”. Again the Prophetreplied “I cannot read”. The angel further embraced him again until he had reached the limit of endurance and said “Recite!” for the third time the Prophet said “I cannot read”. The angel released him and said: “Read in the name of your Lord, the Creator. He Who created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Bounteous. Who taught by the Pen, taught man what he knew not.” [96:1-5] (Source: Islamic Landmarks).
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Islamic Faith: Dialectic of Mortality and Immortality
