Muhammad's first revelation

Muhammad's first revelation was an event described in Islam as taking place in 610 AC, during which the Islamic prophet, Muhammad was visited by the angel Jibrīl, known as Gabriel in English, who revealed to him the beginnings of what would later become the Qur’an. The event took place in a cave called Hira, located on the mountain Jabal an-Nour, near Mecca. As for the exact date of this event, it has been calculated to be on Friday, the 17th of Ramadan at night, i.e. August 6, 610 C.E. – when Muhammad was 40 lunar years, 6 months and 12 days of age, i.e. 39 Gregorian calendar years, 3 months and 22 days. 6 August 610 (Julian) was actually a Thursday. The proleptic Gregorian calendar is two days ahead in the sixth century and three days ahead in the seventh.

In his 1998 book Mubarakpuri sets the event as "Late one Monday night, just before sunrise on the twenty-first of Ramadan (August 10, 610 C.E.)" 10 August 610 was a Monday, the phrase "Late one Monday night, just before sunrise" translating as "early one Monday morning". In The Sealed Nectar Mubarakpuri gives preference to the 21st, noting "Then they differ over the day that the Revelation began."

All these versions are wrong. We can establish the day of the Islamic month (but not the month itself) corresponding to a given Julian date by projecting the fixed (i.e. non-intercalated) calendar backwards. When we do, we find that 6 August 610 corresponds to 11 Ramadan and 10 August to 15 Ramadan. The equivalence of 40 lunar years, 6 months and 12 days to 39 Gregorian calendar years, 3 months and 22 days is also incorrect. 39 Julian calendar years, 3 months and 22 days takes us back from 10 August 610 to 19 April 571. This is 14,367 days. Taking the average length of an Islamic month as 29.53059 days, this equates to 486.51 months, which in the fixed calendar is 40 years, 6 months and 15 days.

19 April 571 is taken as Muhammad's birth date. But his birth date is reliably reported to be Monday, 12 Rabi'I 570. Projecting the fixed calendar backwards 19 April 571 is found to be the 9th day of an Islamic month. Also, the calendar was intercalated throughout the period. Under intercalation 12 Rabi'I might fall in May or June, but never in April. Under intercalation also 23 Ramadan might fall in November or December, but never in August. Had the fixed calendar been in use in 610 21 Ramadan would have been 16 August, a Sunday. Ibn Abbas (and indeed Muhammad himself) stated that the dates of both Muhammad's birth and the first revelation were Mondays. Ibn Abbas also stated that the first revelation occurred on the 23rd. With knowledge of the year, date and day of the week we are in a position to fix both dates exactly. Muhammad's birth occurred just after sunset on Sunday, 11 Rabi'I (Sunday 1 June 570). The first revelation occurred on the night of 23 Ramadan, Sunday 13 to Monday 14 December 610. We can confirm this by cross-referencing the other information provided (the intervals within a year) because these are the same whether the year is intercalated or not.

For the birth date, we have the astronomically-calculated 6 months and 15 days before the first revelation. From the Sunni date (27 Ramadan) back to 12 Rabi'I is 6 months and 15 days. We also have the reported interval of 6 months and 12 days. From the Shia date (23 Ramadan) back to 11 Rabi'I is 6 months and 12 days. As final confirmation it is reported that Muhammad died four days after his birthday. He died on 14 Rabi'I AH 11 (Monday 8 June 632).

According to biographies of Muhammad, while on retreat in a mountain cave near Mecca (the cave of Hira), Gabriel appears before him and commands him to “Read!”. He responded, “But I cannot read!”. Then the angel Gabriel embraced him tightly and then revealed to him the first lines of chapter 96 of the Qur’an, “Read: In the name of your Lord Who created, (1) Created man from a clot. (2) Read: And your Lord is the Most Generous, (3) Who thought by the pen, (4) Thought man that which he knew not.” (Bukhari 4953).

Before the revelation

Main article: Muhammad

Muhammad was born and raised in Mecca. When he was nearly 40, he used to spend many hours alone in prayer and speculating over the aspects of creation. He was concerned with the "ignorance of divine guidance" (Jahiliyyah), social unrest, injustice, widespread discrimination (particularly against women), fighting among tribes and abuse of tribal authorities prevalent in pre-Islamic Arabia. The moral degeneration of his fellow people, and his own quest for a true religion further lent fuel to this, with the result that he now began to withdraw periodically to a cave named Mount Hira, three miles north of Mecca, for contemplation and reflection. Islamic tradition holds that Muhammad during this period began to have dreams replete with spiritual significance which were fulfilled according to their true import; and this was the commencement of his divine revelation.

The first revelation

The entrance to the Hira cave.

According to Sunni tradition, during one such occasion while he was in contemplation, the angel Gabriel appeared before him in the year 610 AD and said, "Read", upon which he replied, "I am unable to read". Thereupon the angel caught hold of him and embraced him heavily. This happened two more times after which the angel commanded Muhammad to recite the following verses:

"Read! in the name of your Lord who created

Man from a clinging substance.

Read: Your Lord is most Generous,–

He who taught by the pen–

Taught man that which he knew not."^{[Quran 96:1–5]}

After the revelation

Perplexed by this new experience, Muhammad made his way to home where he was consoled by his wife Khadijah, who also took him to her Ebionite cousin Waraqah ibn Nawfal. Waraqah was a Christian. Islamic tradition holds that Waraqah, upon hearing the description, testified to Muhammad's prophethood, and convinced Muhammad that the revelation was from God. Waraqah said: "O my nephew! What did you see?" When Muhammad told him what had happened to him, Waraqah replied: "This is Namus (meaning Gabriel) that Allah sent to Moses. I wish I were younger. I wish I could live up to the time when your people would turn you out." Muhammad asked: "Will they drive me out?" Waraqah answered in the affirmative and said: "Anyone who came with something similar to what you have brought was treated with hostility; and if I should be alive until that day, then I would support you strongly." A few days later Waraqah died.

The initial revelation was followed by a pause and a second encounter with Gabriel when Muhammad heard a voice from the sky and saw the same angel "sitting between the sky and the earth" and the revelations resumed with the first verses of chapter 74.

At-Tabari and Ibn Hisham reported that Muhammad left the cave of Hira after being surprised by the revelation, but later on, returned to the cave and continued his solitude, though subsequently he returned to Mecca. Tabari and Ibn Ishaq write that Muhammad told Zubayr:

"when I was midway on the mountain, I heard a voice from heaven saying "O Muhammad! you are the apostle of Allah and I am Gabriel." I raised my head towards heaven to see who was speaking, and Gabriel in the form of a man with feet astride the horizon, saying, "O Muhammad! you are the apostle of Allah and I am Gabriel." I stood gazing at him moving neither forward nor backward, then I began to turn my face away from him, but towards whatever region of the sky I looked, I saw him as before."

Biographers disagree about the period of time between Muhammad's first and second experiences of revelation. Ibn Ishaq writes that three years elapsed from the time that Muhammad received the first revelation until he started to preach publicly. Bukhari takes chapter 74 as the second revelation however chapter 68 has strong claims to be the second revelation.