5.1.1 Love for Seclusion

Turning Away from a Corrupt Society

In the years before revelation, Muhammad ﷺ lived among his people in Makkah as Al Amin, the trustworthy, yet his heart did not feel at home with what he saw around him. Idols filled the Kaabah, injustice spread in the markets, and the weak were oppressed. Poetry, pride, and tribal rivalry took the place of true guidance. Though he had not yet received revelation, he disliked the false gods, the drinking, the gambling, and the shamelessness that had become normal in his society.

Allah prepared his heart to feel discomfort with these things. This inner dislike was not yet a set of formal laws and rulings. It was a natural, pure fitrah that rejected what was ugly and false. Because of this, he ﷺ turned away more and more from the noise of gatherings, the pointless talk of the Quraysh, and the empty celebrations around idols. Instead, he longed for quiet reflection, honesty with himself, and closeness to the One true God who had created the heavens and the earth.

This turning away did not mean he abandoned his duties among the people. He still kept his promises, fulfilled his business responsibilities, helped the needy, and maintained good ties with his family. However, his heart sought something higher than the life that surrounded him. That search for meaning and truth is what opened the path toward his love for seclusion.

Increasing Desire for Solitude

As he grew older, especially approaching the age of forty, this desire for solitude became stronger and more regular. The authentic hadith in Sahih al Bukhari describes this change in very clear words. Aishah رضي الله عنها said:

عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ: أَوَّلُ مَا بُدِئَ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنَ الْوَحْيِ الرُّؤْيَا الصَّادِقَةُ فِي النَّوْمِ، فَكَانَ لاَ يَرَى رُؤْيَا إِلَّا جَاءَتْ مِثْلَ فَلَقِ الصُّبْحِ، ثُمَّ حُبِّبَ إِلَيْهِ الْخَلاَءُ، فَكَانَ يَخْلُو بِغَارِ حِرَاء…

“The commencement of the Divine Inspiration to Allah’s Messenger ﷺ was in the form of good righteous dreams in his sleep. He never had a dream but that it came true like bright daylight. Then the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him, and he used to go in seclusion in the cave of Hira…”
(Sahih al Bukhari)

The words “then the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him” show that this was not a random habit or a personal hobby. It was a gift from Allah, placed into his heart at the right time. This love came after a first stage of preparation, when his dreams became truthful and clear, and then it pushed him towards a quiet place away from the idols of Makkah.

The change was noticeable. He no longer found comfort in the gatherings of Quraysh around their idols and their stories of pride. Instead, his heart became attached to nights of reflection, to the stars in the sky, to the silence that allowed him to think about the Creator and His signs in the universe.

The Cave of Hira as a Chosen Retreat

On one of the mountains that overlook Makkah, called Jabal al Nur, there is a small cave known as Hira. It is not large or comfortable. Reaching it requires climbing steep rocks. Inside, there is just enough space for a few people to sit or stand. Yet this is the place that Muhammad ﷺ chose and loved as his retreat before revelation.

From the entrance of the cave, a person can see part of Makkah and the Kaabah area from a distance. He ﷺ was away from the idols, but he could still see the House that Ibrahim عليه السلام had built for the worship of Allah alone. This physical position matched the inner position of his heart. He was separate from the false practices of his people, but he did not cut off from them completely, because his mission would soon be to guide them.

There, in Hira, he would spend long periods in worship and reflection. Aishah رضي الله عنها said in the same hadith:

فَيَتَحَنَّثُ فِيهِ وَهُوَ التَّعَبُّدُ اللَّيَالِيَ ذَوَاتِ الْعَدَدِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَنْزِعَ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ، وَيَتَزَوَّدُ لِذَلِكَ

“…and there he used to worship (tahannuth) for many nights before returning to his family, and he used to take provisions for that…”
(Sahih al Bukhari)

The word “yatḥannath” refers to devoting oneself to Allah in worship, avoiding sins and the ways of the people around. In that cave, away from eyes and noise, he ﷺ would remember Allah, think about His creation, and distance his heart from the falsehood around him in Makkah.

How Long He Stayed in Seclusion

The hadith describes that he ﷺ would stay in the cave “al layali dhawati al adad,” which means several nights at a time. He would not go for only a short moment. Instead, his retreats were serious and extended.

He prepared for these retreats carefully. He would gather provisions enough for several nights, such as food and drink, and then climb to Hira. When his supplies were finished, he would return to his family, stay with them for a while, then prepare again and go back to the cave. This shows organization and intention. It was not a sudden, emotional flight from people. It was a deliberate and loved pattern in his life.

During these days and nights, he was alone with Allah, away from the praise and opinions of people. His heart was emptied from the noise of the world, so it could be filled with the words of revelation when the time came. Little by little, his inner world was being shaped for the role of being a Messenger.

The Role of Khadijah رضي الله عنها in Supporting His Seclusion

Although the retreats of the Prophet ﷺ took place in solitude, he did not live this love for seclusion in conflict with his family life. Khadijah رضي الله عنها knew about his climbs to Hira, his wish to be alone in worship, and she supported him fully. She prepared provisions for him. She looked after the home in his absence. She did not complain about his time in the cave, because she understood that he was seeking truth and closeness to Allah.

Later, when he returned from Hira after the first revelation in fear and awe, it was Khadijah who reminded him of his long search for the truth and his high character. This support shows that his love for seclusion was not selfish. Those close to him recognized its purity and sincerity.

Her role in these days before revelation would later become one of the reasons she was the first to believe in his prophethood. She had already seen the spiritual preparation with her own eyes. She knew that his time in Hira was not madness, not superstition, and not sadness. It was a heart turning fully towards its Lord.

Worship and Reflection Before Revelation

The exact form of worship the Prophet ﷺ practiced in the cave before revelation is not detailed in full. However, the hadith speaks of “tahannuth,” which the narrators explain as “taabbud,” worship. This worship did not follow the future rules of Islamic prayer, because the salah had not yet been revealed in its full form. Instead, it was worship based on the pure fitrah and the remaining traces of the way of Ibrahim عليه السلام.

In the cave he would remember Allah, think about His blessings, and reflect on the heavens and the earth. This kind of reflection is praised in the Quran. Later, Allah would say:

إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآيَاتٍ لأُولِي الأَلْبَابِ. الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ

“Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for people of understanding, those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth…”
(Quran 3:190–191)

These verses were revealed later, but they describe the kind of heart that the Prophet ﷺ already possessed, and which Allah was perfecting through seclusion. Hira provided the quiet space where thinking about the creation led his heart to the Creator more and more.

Seclusion as a Divine Gift

A key phrase in the hadith is, “ḥubbiba ilayhi al khalā’,” the love of seclusion was made beloved to him. This shows that seclusion at this stage was not his idea alone. It was something Allah placed into his heart as part of the plan of prophethood.

This divine gift protected him from the worst influences of his society at the very time when revelation was about to begin. Instead of being occupied with trade, social disputes, or tribal politics, his days and nights became filled with remembrance, reflection, and worship in a quiet place. His heart was purified from worldly attachments and made ready to receive the words of Allah without distraction.

It is important to remember that this stage came near the age of forty. Allah says in the Quran:

حَتَّىٰ إِذَا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ وَبَلَغَ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً

“…until, when he reaches his full strength and reaches forty years…”
(Quran 46:15)

This age is mentioned in the Quran as a time of maturity and completeness. In the life of the Prophet ﷺ, it was also the time when this love for seclusion reached its peak, then led directly to the first revelation. The timing shows wisdom and planning from Allah.

The Balance Between Isolation and Responsibility

Although he loved to be alone in Hira, Muhammad ﷺ did not become a permanent hermit. He did not live in the cave all year. He went, stayed for a number of nights, then returned to his family, attended to his responsibilities, and then went again. This rhythm preserved a balance. His seclusion was a means of spiritual preparation, not an escape from life.

When revelation finally came, this stage of seclusion ended in a new way. He still took time for worship and reflection, but now with clear guidance from Allah and with the weight of a message to deliver. Before revelation, his love for seclusion was mainly to detach from falsehood and seek truth. After revelation, his time alone became a way to renew strength, increase closeness to Allah, and carry the heavy duty of calling people to Islam.

In this way, the love for seclusion in the cave prepared him for a new kind of life among the people. It trained him to place Allah above everything else, so that later he could bear insults, rejection, and hardship with patience, because his heart had already learned to stand with Allah in silence and stillness.

Connection Between Seclusion and the First Revelation

The last and most intense period of seclusion in Hira ended on a specific night in Ramadan, when the first verses of the Quran were revealed. Allah says:

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ

“The month of Ramadan is that in which the Quran was sent down…”
(Quran 2:185)

On that night, in that cave, after many days and nights of worship and reflection, the first revelation reached him. The seclusion itself did not cause revelation, because revelation is only by the will of Allah. However, the seclusion had made his heart fully ready to receive it. His love for quiet worship had drawn him exactly to the place and moment that Allah had chosen.

Aishah رضي الله عنها said:

ثُمَّ حُبِّبَ إِلَيْهِ الْخَلاَءُ … حَتَّى جَاءَهُ الْحَقُّ وَهُوَ فِي غَارِ حِرَاء

“Then the love of seclusion was made beloved to him … until the truth came to him while he was in the cave of Hira.”
(Sahih al Bukhari)

The words “until the truth came to him” show that the period of seclusion was a bridge that led directly into prophethood. Once revelation began, the purpose of that particular kind of long retreat in Hira was fulfilled. From that point, his seclusion would take a new form guided by the Quran and by the duties of his mission, which belong to later chapters.

In summary, the love for seclusion in the life of Muhammad ﷺ was a gentle and wise preparation by Allah. It turned him away from a corrupted society without removing him from his responsibilities. It attached his heart to Allah in worship and reflection. It took him to the Cave of Hira again and again, until the night when the first words of the Quran were revealed, and the private search for truth became a public mission for all of humanity.