The First Revelation to the Prophet Muhammad at Hira

The cave of Hira, Jabal al Nour

Muhammad ibn Abdullah, peace be upon him, was born in Mecca around the year 570 and was known in the city as al Amin, the trustworthy. In his late thirties he began to withdraw for days at a time to a small cave called Hira, on the mountain now known as Jabal al Nour, the mountain of light.

In the year 610, during Ramadan, when he was forty, the angel Jibril came to him in the cave with the command Iqra, which means read or recite. The words that followed are the opening verses of Surah al Alaq, the first of the Qur'an to be revealed. He went home shaken. His wife Khadijah, may God be pleased with her, comforted him and became the first to believe.

Islam does not describe this event as enlightenment. It calls it wahy, revelation, and the man who received it a prophet and messenger. The Qur'an does describe itself as light, nur, and as guidance, huda, and it calls the Prophet a mercy to the worlds. We include the account here in that spirit and with respect for how Muslims understand it. No image of the Prophet appears anywhere on this site.

The message that followed over twenty three years called people to one God and to conduct that could be measured: feeding the hungry, freeing the enslaved, honest weights in the market, the rights of orphans and widows, and zakat, a fixed share of wealth that belongs to the poor.

What it gave the world

A message of mercy, justice, and care for the orphan, the poor and the traveller.

At a glance

Tradition

Islam

Place

The cave of Hira on Jabal al Nour, near Mecca

Date

Ramadan, 610 CE, at the age of forty

First verses

Surah al Alaq, 96:1 to 5

Terms used

wahy, revelation. Islam does not call this enlightenment

Why it is part of Enlightenment Day 2026

The theme of the 2026 conference is celebrating enlightening experiences, and the question it puts to every speaker is how enlightenment connects with an awakening of consciousness that brings good to the world. This account is one of eight the day starts from. The conference is online on Saturday 10 October 2026.

The teacher named here is a subject of the day's talks. Naming them does not mean that they, or any institution that carries their work, take part in or endorse the event.