The first revelation of the Quran: Cave Hira and Iqra

The first verses revealed

بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ٱقْرَأْ بِٱسْمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ﴿١﴾ خَلَقَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ ﴿٢﴾ ٱقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ ٱلْأَكْرَمُ ﴿٣﴾ ٱلَّذِى عَلَّمَ بِٱلْقَلَمِ ﴿٤﴾ عَلَّمَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ ﴿٥﴾

The first command of the Quran is to read, and its first verses speak of creation, generosity and knowledge taught by the pen. For a book that would be memorised by millions and written down from the start, the opening is fitting.

What happened, step by step

The fullest account is the hadith narrated by ‘A’ishah at the very start of Sahih al-Bukhari (hadith 3), also in Sahih Muslim (160).

Stage	What happened
Before	The Prophet ﷺ, aged about 40, spends periods in seclusion in the Cave of Hira on Jabal an-Nur, outside Makkah. He sees true dreams that come to pass “like the break of dawn”.
The night	The angel Jibril comes and says “Read!” (Iqra’). The Prophet ﷺ answers that he cannot read; this happens three times, then the first five verses of Al-‘Alaq are revealed.
Immediately after	He returns home trembling to his wife Khadijah, saying “Cover me”. She comforts him: Allah would never disgrace him, for he keeps family ties, helps the weak and serves guests.
Waraqah	Khadijah takes him to her cousin Waraqah ibn Nawfal, a Christian scholar, who recognises the same angel who came to Musa.
The pause	Revelation pauses for a time (fatrat al-wahy).
It resumes	The angel appears again, and the opening of Al-Muddaththir is revealed: “O you wrapped in your cloak, arise and warn.”

Ramadan and Laylat al-Qadr

بِّسْمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ إِنَّآ أَنزَلْنَٰهُ فِى لَيْلَةِ ٱلْقَدْرِ ﴿١﴾

The Quran ties its own revelation to Ramadan (Al-Baqarah 2:185) and to Laylat al-Qadr, which is why Ramadan is the month Muslims read the Quran most. Many scholars explain that the Quran was sent down to the lowest heaven on that night, then revealed to the Prophet ﷺ in parts over about 23 years. See our Ramadan Quran reading plan.

After the first revelation

Revelation came gradually, in response to events and questions, for about thirteen years in Makkah and ten in Madinah. The surahs from those two periods are known as Makki and Madani surahs. The verses were memorised by the Companions and written down by scribes as they came, as told in how and when the Quran was written. For an introduction to the Book itself, see what is the Quran, and for all its chapters, the list of surahs.

The first word revealed was “Read”. If you are ready to start reading the Quran yourself, our Noorani Qaida course begins from the alphabet.