THE BEGINNING OF THE REVELATIONS, THE DATE AND THE PROPHET’S SPIRITUAL STATE DURING THIS PROCESS

The people of Mecca were living in a state of disbelief and polytheism, and were engrossed in falsehood and corruption as in the case of those like Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab. The heart of one among these people had remained pure from the whirlpool of superstition and falsehoods. The Divine Mercy had protected him. His heart was constantly beating for the people, he   continuously contemplated how they could escape the deviation and reach salvation, how they could abandon idol worshipping. On certain days, the Prophet would go to the cave of Hira, where he would sit in a state of meditation and worship. On yet another of his visits to the cave, as he was about to leave the Prophet heard a voice as if it was echoing from a distance. The voice was clear and distinct: “Read!”

The Prophet replied: “I do not know how to read.” The voice repeated: “Read!”

And after the third time, when the Prophet asked, “What shall I read?” the voice grew louder:

Read in, and with the Name of your Lord, Who has created. Created   human from a clot clinging (to the wall of the womb). Read, and your Lord is the All-Munificent, Who has taught (human) by the pen. Taught human what he did not know. (al-Alaq 96:1–4)

The Prophet repeated the words, then he returned home shaking with fear and told his dear wife Khadija, “Cover me, cover me!”

He remained beneath the covers until his fear passed, then what  happened after was related by Khadija: “Rejoice and be cheerful. He in Whose hands stands Khadija’s life bears witness to the truth that you will be the Prophet to this people.”

Khadija told the Prophet to rest, and went to visit her cousin Waraqa ibn Nawfal. Waraqa, who was now old and blind, had great knowledge of the Torah and the Bible, and after listening to Khadija, he replied: “I swear by Allah that the same spirit, the Angel of revelation who descended to Prophet Musa, peace be upon him, has descended unto him, and no doubt he is the Prophet of these people, of the people. Tell him to remain strong. If only I would be alive when they drive him out of his homeland, I would give him all my support.”

Khadija, the Prophet’s dear wife returned home in a state of excitement and explained what Waraqa had told her. The Prophet praise his Lord.

The Date: The first revelation was received by the Prophet at the age of forty years old, on Monday 17th  Ramadan in the year 610 CE.

The Qur’an was sent down in its entirety from the Supreme Preserved Tablet to the heavens of this world, and was then sent down to the noble Prophet in stages.

 

Akgul, Muhittin. Tafsir: An Introduction to Qur’anic Exegesis. Tughra Books Press, Inc. 2013