Stage 2 of 8
The Revelation
A cave above Makkah, an unexpected visitor, and a small circle of people who believed from the start.
Stage overview
The Revelation
For years Muhammad ﷺ had climbed a mountain just outside Makkah to sit alone in a small cave called Hira. In 610 CE, in the month of Ramadan, the angel Jibril came to him there with the first words of the Quran. He came down shaking and went straight to his wife, Khadijah, who steadied him and believed him.
What followed was quiet. For about three years the message travelled by word of mouth, from one trusted person to the next. A few believed at once, among them Khadijah and his close friend Abu Bakr. Makkah as a whole knew little about it.
Then came a command to speak to his nearest relatives, and he invited them to a meal to do so. The three chapters of this stage hold a beginning that almost no one in the city yet knew about: the cave, the first believers, and a family that had to decide how to answer.
Three chapters
The chapters of this stage
Read them in order, or open the one you need. Each chapter is short, sourced and reviewed.
The Cave of Hira
Ramadan, a mountain cave above Makkah, and the first words of the Quran.
The first believers
Who believed first, and why the people closest to him trusted him.
Calling his family
A meal for his closest relatives, and a message they had to answer.
Next stage · 03The Call in Makkah
The message leaves the circle of family and friends and goes public.
ContinueThe map
Where the stage happened
This stage stays close to home: a cave on a mountain just outside Makkah, and the city below.
- Cave of Hira Where revelation first came
- Khadijah's home Where he went afterwards
- Makkah Home of the first believers
The cave of Hira on the mountain above Makkah, and the way down to the family home in the valley.
This map is a simple sketch to help you picture where events took place. Positions, distances and borders are approximate, so please use it for reference only, not as an accurate map.