Cave of Hira

About Cave of Hira

Cave

The Cave of Hira is where the Prophet Muhammad used to withdraw for reflection before his mission, and where he received the first revelation of the Quran from the angel Jibril: the opening verses of Surat al-Alaq, beginning "Recite in the name of your Lord who created." The cave sits near the summit of Jabal al-Nour, the Mountain of Light, east of Makkah on the left of the road to Arafat, about 634 metres above sea level and four kilometres from the Masjid al-Haram. It is a small hollow in the rock with its opening to the north, about four cubits long and under two wide, with room for only four or five people at a time; a person entering faces towards the Kaaba. From the top of the mountain the Kaaba itself could once be seen, before the modern expansions of the mosque hid it from view. Jabal al-Nour draws large numbers of pilgrims. Climbing it is not a rite of Hajj or Umrah, but the place is among the dearest to Muslims because it witnessed the beginning of the Quran's revelation. The ascent, by a stairway of about 1,750 steps, takes between half an hour and three hours depending on fitness. Like all of Makkah, the mountain is open to Muslims only.

Where:

Mecca, Saudi Arabia