Table of Contents
The Cave of Hira: Place and Setting
On the rocky mountain of Jabal al Nur, northeast of Makkah, there is a small cave that came to be known as Hira. From its opening, one can see the city of Makkah in the distance and, most importantly, the area of the Ka‘bah. It is not a comfortable shelter. The path to it is steep, the space inside is narrow, and the rocks are sharp. Yet this unremarkable cave became the quiet refuge of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ before revelation.
Hira had no religious status in the religion of Quraysh. The Arabs of Makkah did not gather there for worship, nor was it known as a shrine. Its importance arises entirely from the personal worship of the Prophet ﷺ in its solitude and from the first revelation that later descended near it.
Turning Away from the Corruption of Makkah
As he grew older, Muhammad ﷺ increasingly disliked the idolatry, injustice, and moral darkness that filled Makkah. He did not take part in worshiping idols, nor in the sinful customs common in his society. His heart was searching for truth, even before he was told, in clear words, that he was a Prophet.
Allah describes this kind of inner turning of a sincere soul in general terms:
فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا
فِطْرَتَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا
“So set your face toward the religion, inclining to truth,
the fitrah of Allah upon which He has created [all] people.”
(Qur’an 30:30)
The Prophet ﷺ was upon this pure natural state, al fitrah, and his retreats to Hira were an expression of that inner purity. He wanted to be away from gatherings of drink, gambling, and pride, and he wished to remember Allah alone.
Tahannuth: His Worship in Seclusion
The seclusion of the Prophet ﷺ in Hira was a regular and deliberate act of devotion. In authentic narrations, this is called “tahannuth” or “tahannuf.” These words refer to worship that turns away from sin and from false religion, in order to draw near to Allah with sincerity.
Al Bukhari and Muslim narrate from Aishah رضي الله عنها:
عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ:
أَوَّلُ مَا بُدِئَ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مِنَ الْوَحْيِ الرُّؤْيَا الصَّادِقَةُ فِي النَّوْمِ، فَكَانَ لَا يَرَى رُؤْيَا إِلَّا جَاءَتْ مِثْلَ فَلَقِ الصُّبْحِ، ثُمَّ حُبِّبَ إِلَيْهِ الْخَلَاءُ، فَكَانَ يَخْلُو بِغَارِ حِرَاءٍ فَيَتَحَنَّثُ فِيهِ، يَتَزَوَّدُ لِذَلِكَ، ثُمَّ يَرْجِعُ إِلَى خَدِيجَةَ فَتُزَوِّدُهُ لِمِثْلِهَا
“The first form of revelation that began for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was righteous dreams during sleep, and he would not see a dream except that it came like the break of dawn. Then seclusion was made beloved to him, so he would go into seclusion in the cave of Hira and devote himself to worship there. He would stay for several nights and then return to Khadijah, and she would provide him with provisions for a similar period.”
(Al Bukhari, Muslim)
In Hira, he ﷺ was not following the ritual law of Jews or Christians, nor the practices of idol worshipers. He was in pure, sincere devotion, remembering and calling upon Allah according to what his natural disposition and remaining traces of Ibrahimic guidance allowed. The exact form of every word he recited there is not detailed in the sources, and this silence itself shows that what matters most is the reality of his turning to Allah with a pure heart.
The worship of the Prophet ﷺ in Hira was a divinely guided, unique preparation for revelation. It is not a ritual site that Muslims are commanded to visit or imitate as an act of worship.
Support and Provision from Khadijah رضي الله عنها
These retreats were not a withdrawal that ignored his responsibilities. He was a husband, a father, and a trustworthy member of society. His seclusion was balanced by strong ties at home. Khadijah رضي الله عنها knew of and supported his time in Hira. She prepared food and provisions so that he could remain there for many nights, focusing on worship without concern for his worldly needs.
This participation of Khadijah in his retreat shows two important aspects. The first is that his seclusion was not selfish or harsh. It was known, understood, and supported within the family. The second is that from the very beginning of his preparation for prophethood, there was a partnership of support and trust in his household.
Her role during this time hinted at the depth of the support she would later show when the first revelation came and when fear and awe filled his heart.
Length and Rhythm of His Retreats
From the narration of Aishah, we learn that the Prophet ﷺ would stay in Hira for “several nights” at a time. The reports mention that this practice became frequent in the period just before revelation. The last of these retreats was during Ramadan, in the fortieth year of his life.
He would go to Hira, stay for a number of nights in worship, meditation, and remembrance of Allah, then return to his home. After a short time, he would again take provisions from Khadijah and go back. This created a rhythm in his life, alternating between solitude with Allah and engagement with his family and community.
This rhythm is important. It shows that seclusion was not permanent isolation. Rather, it was a repeated act of drawing near to Allah that still respected the duties and relationships of ordinary life. When the time came for public work and open preaching, he ﷺ was already used to moving between quiet devotion and active responsibility.
Inner Experiences before Revelation
Before he ﷺ began staying in Hira often, his spiritual preparation had already begun with true dreams. Aishah رضي الله عنها described this clearly:
أَوَّلُ مَا بُدِئَ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ مِنَ الْوَحْيِ الرُّؤْيَا الصَّادِقَةُ فِي النَّوْمِ، فَكَانَ لَا يَرَى رُؤْيَا إِلَّا جَاءَتْ مِثْلَ فَلَقِ الصُّبْحِ
“The first thing with which revelation began for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was the true dream in sleep. He would not see any dream except that it came true like the break of dawn.”
(Al Bukhari, Muslim)
These dreams were a form of gentle introduction to the unseen. They were clear and truthful, like the morning light. They softened his heart, opened his awareness to divine communication, and then “seclusion was made beloved to him.” The Arabic wording in the hadith shows that Allah placed love of seclusion in his heart. It was not an accident or mere personal taste. It was a specific part of Allah’s preparation for him.
So, the order was: true dreams, then a deep love for being alone with Allah, then repeated retreats in Hira, and finally the first direct revelation that came one night in that same cave.
Why Seclusion Was Made Beloved to Him
The practice of seclusion in Hira served several purposes in the wisdom of Allah. In a general sense, we can observe that it allowed his heart to be completely free from the noise of society, so that it could receive the message of Allah with full attention and without confusion.
Previous prophets also had periods of solitary devotion. About Musa عليه السلام, Allah says:
وَوَاعَدْنَا مُوسَىٰ ثَلَاثِينَ لَيْلَةً وَأَتْمَمْنَاهَا بِعَشْرٍ
“And We appointed for Musa thirty nights and completed them with ten [more].”
(Qur’an 7:142)
Although the details are different, the pattern is similar. A prophet is given time away, in which worldly distractions are removed, and the heart faces the Lord directly. For Muhammad ﷺ, the Cave of Hira was that school of silence and remembrance that prepared him to carry the heaviest of messages.
Allah refers to the weight of revelation when He says:
إِنَّا سَنُلْقِي عَلَيْكَ قَوْلًا ثَقِيلًا
“Indeed, We will cast upon you a weighty word.”
(Qur’an 73:5)
A “weighty word” required a heart that had been purified through honest searching and quiet worship. The retreats in Hira were part of that purification.
Balance between Solitude and Community
Even though seclusion was beloved to him, he ﷺ never fled from the people with hopelessness or hatred. He participated in efforts to defend the oppressed, such as the pact of Hilf al Fudul, and he was known among his people as Al Amin. His retreats to Hira were not escape from responsibilities but preparation to fulfill them in a truer way.
When the time of Hira ended with the first revelation, he did not return to live alone on the mountain. Instead, he descended to Makkah with the message entrusted to him, first sharing it with his family, then with close companions, then with his tribe, and finally with all humanity.
This shows that the purpose of his solitude in Hira was service, not withdrawal for its own sake. The cave served the city. His quiet nights became guidance for generations.
Hira in the Light of Revelation
After the Qur’an began to descend, the meaning of his earlier retreats became clearer. Sometime after the first revelation, Allah addressed His Prophet ﷺ directly with words that connected his past devotion with his coming mission:
يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُزَّمِّلُ. قُمِ اللَّيْلَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا
نِصْفَهُ أَوِ انقُصْ مِنْهُ قَلِيلًا
أَوْ زِدْ عَلَيْهِ وَرَتِّلِ الْقُرْآنَ تَرْتِيلًا
“O you who wraps himself [in clothing].
Stand [in prayer] at night, except for a little.
Half of it, or subtract from it a little,
or add to it, and recite the Qur’an with measured recitation.”
(Qur’an 73:1 4)
What had previously been voluntary seclusion and personal devotion was now given a clear form as night prayer and Qur’an recitation. The quiet of Hira was replaced by the quiet of the night in his home and later in his community, but the inner state of turning completely to Allah remained the same.
No Ritual Pilgrimage to Hira
After the time of the Prophet ﷺ, many Muslims came to love the story of Hira and to feel a deep connection to the place where the first revelation came. However, it is important to understand its correct status. The Prophet ﷺ did not instruct Muslims to climb Jabal al Nur or to pray in the Cave of Hira. The Companions, who loved him more than anyone, did not make it a habit to visit Hira as a specific ritual act.
Later scholars were clear that while remembering the events of Hira is recommended and beneficial as a lesson, turning the cave itself into a religious shrine or making a specific worship connected to it is not from the Sunnah.
There is no prescribed act of worship in Islam that is tied to visiting the Cave of Hira, and there is no special reward mentioned in authentic sources for praying there or touching its rocks.
The greatness of Hira lies in what Allah decreed to occur there, not in any continuing religious function. The real lesson is in the inner state of the Prophet ﷺ, not in the physical location.
Lessons from the Retreats in Hira
For a beginner studying the Seerah, the retreats in Hira teach several clear lessons, without needing to copy their exact form.
They show that guidance begins with a sincere heart that is not satisfied with falsehood, even when everyone around accepts it. They show that truth often begins in quiet reflection before it is spoken aloud. They show that family support and understanding can play a vital role in spiritual journeys, as Khadijah’s role demonstrates. They also show that solitude has value only when it leads to better service, clearer guidance, and stronger mercy toward people.
Above all, the retreats in Hira remind us that the Prophet ﷺ did not suddenly become a Messenger without preparation. Allah gently guided him, step by step, through true dreams, through love of seclusion, and through nights of worship in a lonely cave, until his heart was ready to receive the first words of revelation that would change the world.