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One day, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was engaged in worship inside the Cave of Hira when, all of a sudden, an angel appeared before him. This was Hazrat Jibrael عليه السلام, who had always been the messenger of Allah’s commands to His Prophets, ،علیہم السلامthe angel said at once, “Read”, The Prophet ﷺ replied, “I am not amongst those who read .” then the angel embraced him firmly with great force and let him go, saying again, “Read” the Prophet ﷺ again replied, “I am not amongst those who read.” a second time, the angel pressed and hugged him strongly to his chest, released him, and said, “Read”, the Prophet ﷺ once more replied, “I am not amongst those who read.” For the third time, the angel embraced him with great strength, released him, and then said:اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الْأَكْرَمُ الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ عَلَّمَ الْإِنسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ
Translation: Read with the Name of your Lord Who created (everything). He created human beings from a clot of blood. Read, and only your Lord is the Most Generous. The One Who taught to write with the pen, The One Who taught man what he knew not. (PARAH 30, SURAH ALAQ, 1-5)
This was the very first revelation sent to the Prophet ﷺ. After memorizing these verses, the Prophet ﷺ returned home. But because of this sudden and overwhelming event, his blessed heart trembled with fear. He said to his family, “Cover me with a blanket, cover me with a blanket.” When his fear subsided and he regained some calm, the Prophet ﷺ narrated the incident of the cave to Hazrat Khadijah رضي الله عنها, and said, “I fear for my life.”Hearing this, Hazrat Khadijah رضي الله عنها reassured him:“Never, by Allah, that will never happen, Allah will never disgrace you. By Allah, you maintain the ties of kinship, you bear the burdens of others, you earn and provide for the poor and needy, you honor your guests, and you support people in the path of truth and justice.”After this, Hazrat Khadijah رضي الله عنها took the Beloved Prophet ﷺ to her cousin Warqah bin Nawfal. He was among those who had abandoned the idolatry of the Quraysh, had embraced Christianity, and used to translate the Gospel from Hebrew into Arabic. He was now very old and had lost his sight. Hazrat Khadijah رضي الله عنها said, “Brother, listen to what your nephew has to say.”Warqah asked the Prophet ﷺ, “My nephew, what have you seen?” The Beloved Prophet ﷺ then narrated the entire incident of the Cave of Hira. Upon hearing it, Warqah bin Nawfal said, “This is the very same angel whom Allah Almight sent to Hazrat Musa عليه السلام.” Then he added, “I wish I were young and strong when your time of declaration of Prophethood begins, I wish I could live until the day when your people will make you leave Makkah.” The Beloved Prophet ﷺ, surprised, asked, “Will they make me leave Makkah?” Warqah replied, “Yes. No man has ever come with what you have brought without facing hostility from his people. If I live to see that day, I will surely support you.”After this event, the revelation ceased for a short period, and the Prophet ﷺ remained deeply eager and restless, waiting for it to return. Then one day, as the Prophet ﷺ was walking outside, he suddenly heard a voice calling: “O Muhammad ﷺ” When he raised his blessed head towards the sky, he saw the same angel Hazrat Jibrael عليه السلام seated on a throne between the skies and the earth. Seeing this, the Prophet ﷺ was overcome with awe and fear, and he returned home, and said to his family, “Cover me with a blanket, cover me with a blanket.” As he lay covered, suddenly the opening verses of Surah Al-Muddaththir were revealed:
يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ قُمْ فَأَنْذِرْ وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ وَالرُّجْزَ فَاهْجُرْ
Translation: O you who is enveloped in a cloak (i.e. the Prophet Muhammad). Stand up and then warn. And proclaim the purity of only your Lord. And keep your clothes pure. And keep away from the idols. (Parah 29 ,Surah Muddaththir 1-5)
After these verses were revealed, Allah Almighty appointed His beloved Messenger ﷺ to the noble mission of spreading Islam. From then on, in obedience to the command of his Lord, the Prophet ﷺ stood prepared to call people to the truth and to convey the message of Islam.
Sayyida Ruqayyah's رضي الله عنها first marriage was to Utbah bin Abu Lahab before the declaration of prophethood. However, before she could move to her husband's house, Surah Lahab was revealed. Upon hearing the declaration of his eternal disgrace and humiliation in this Surah, Abu Lahab became furious and forced his son Utbah to divorce Sayyida Ruqayyah رضي الله عنها. Eventually, Utbah divorced her. Afterward, she was married to the Ameer ul Momineen, Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan رضی اللہ عنہ.