When the Prophet ﷺ reached the age of forty, the light of prophethood shone upon him. Allah the Exalted honored him with His message, appointed him as His Messenger to all creation, and distinguished him with His grace. He was made a bringer of glad tidings and a warner to all mankind.
When did the revelation descend upon the Prophet ﷺ?
The Prophet ﷺ went to the Cave of Hira, as he used to do so during the month of Ramadan. There, Jibreel (Gabriel, peace be upon him) came to him by Allah's command and sent him as a bringer of glad tidings, a warner, and a mercy to all the worlds.
Al-Bukhari narrated (3902) from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sent at the age of forty. He stayed in Mecca for thirteen years receiving revelation, then he was commanded to migrate and spent ten years [in Medina], and he passed away at the age of sixty-three."
The revelation began on a Monday, the 17th of Ramadan. Allah the Exalted says:
"Ramaḍân is the month in which the Quran was revealed as a guide for humanity with clear proofs of guidance and the decisive authority." [Al-Baqarah: 185].
Muslim narrated (1162) from Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about fasting on Mondays. He said: "It is the day on which I was born and the day on which revelation was sent down to me."
Details of the revelation to the Prophet ﷺ:
Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated the story of the beginning of revelation in detail, as recorded by Al-Bukhari (3) and Muslim (160). She said:
"The first form of revelation that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ experienced was true dreams during sleep. Whenever he had a dream, it would come true as clearly as the break of dawn. Then seclusion was made bestowed upon him, and he would withdraw to the Cave of Hira to engage in worship there for several nights before returning to his family to gather more provisions for a similar period. This continued until the truth came to him while he was in the Cave of Hira. The angel came to him and said, 'Read.' The Prophet ﷺ replied, 'I am not a reader.' The angel took hold of him and pressed him until he could bear it no longer, then released him and said, 'Read.' He replied, 'I am not a reader.' The angel pressed him a second time until he could bear it no longer, then released him and said, 'Read.' He replied, 'I am not a reader.' Then the angel pressed him a third time, released him, and said:
Read, ˹O Prophet,˺ in the Name of your Lord Who created—created humans from a clinging clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous, Who taught by the pen—taught humanity what they knew not. [Al-Alaq: 1–5]."
The wisdom behind this firm pressing (gripping) was to signify the seriousness and gravity of the matter, drawing attention to the weight of the words that would be revealed to him ﷺ. It highlighted the significance of the revelation and the immense responsibility of the message he was to bear.
In each instance, the Prophet ﷺ responded, "I am not a reader," as he was unlettered and could neither read nor write. This is a miraculous aspect of his prophethood: had he been literate, skeptics might have accused him of authoring the Qur'an. Allah says:
" You ˹O Prophet˺ could not read any writing ˹even˺ before this ˹revelation˺, nor could you write at all. Otherwise, the people of falsehood would have been suspicious.." [Al-Ankabut: 48].
The miracle lies in the fact that he ﷺ, though unlettered, brought forth what left the most eloquent and learned people in awe. He spread knowledge, encouraged reading and writing, and laid the foundation for a civilization rooted in knowledge and enlightenment.
