The first revelation: The first revelation came to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in the Cave of Hira, near Makkah, in the month of Ramadan. He was 40 years old.
The Angel says, 'Read!': The Angel Jibreel (as) came to him and said: "Read!" The Prophet (SAW) replied that he could not read. Jibreel (as) embraced him and repeated the word, and then the first verses were revealed:
The first verses: "Read, in the name of your Lord who created — created the human being from a clinging clot. Read, and your Lord is the Most Generous, who taught by the pen — taught the human being what he did not know."
Allah began with 'Read': Notice what Allah began with: not a command to fight, and not a long list of rules. He began with "Read" — with knowledge.
Key Terms
- Hira (حراء) — the cave near Makkah where the first revelation came
- Iqra (اقرأ) — "Read!"
- Surah Al-Alaq (سورة العلق) — the surah of the first revealed verses (Surah 96)
Quran or Hadith
Quran 96:1–5 — the first revealed verses, beginning "Read, in the name of your Lord who created." — to be checked.
A short explanation, in a small box in the app: these five verses are the beginning of the Quran's revelation — and of Islam's message that knowledge comes first.
Fresh diagram to be drawn
Diagram to be drawn: a simple timeline point — Cave of Hira, Ramadan, age 40, "Iqra" — with a small mountain and cave illustration. In Project Desk colours.
Example
The first lesson sets the tone: When a teacher begins a new class, the first lesson sets the tone for everything that follows. If the first lesson is "read and learn", the whole course is about learning.
Islam begins with knowledge: The first revelation sets the tone of Islam: it begins with knowledge, with the pen, and with reading in the name of Allah.
- The first revelation came in the Cave of Hira, in Ramadan, when the Prophet (SAW) was 40.
- It began with the word "Read" — knowledge comes first.
- The first verses are Quran 96: 1–5.