Table of Contents
Turning Away from Falsehood
From his earliest years, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ felt a deep discomfort with the beliefs and practices of his people. The Quraysh around him worshipped idols, made statues from stone and wood, and claimed that these could bring benefit or harm. Yet he never bowed to an idol, never sacrificed to an idol, and never took part in the pagan rituals that filled Makkah.
Allah later reminded him of this state of inner guidance and protection:
أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيمًا فَآوَى
وَوَجَدَكَ ضَالًّا فَهَدَى
وَوَجَدَكَ عَائِلًا فَأَغْنَى
“Did He not find you an orphan and give [you] shelter?
And He found you unaware [of the details of the way] and guided [you].
And He found you poor and made [you] self-sufficient.”
(Qur’an 93:6–8)
The scholars explain that “unaware” here refers to not yet knowing the details of revelation and law, not to misguidance in belief or idol worship. Even before receiving revelation, he was protected from bowing to false gods and from the major immoralities that were common in his society.
He lived in a city full of idols around the Ka‘bah, drinking, gambling, and oppression. Yet inside his heart there was a sense that this entire way of life was wrong. This inner rejection was the beginning of his active search for truth, even before he knew what form that truth would take.
The Prophet ﷺ was never an idol worshipper. His search for truth was a movement from natural purity and inner guidance to the full light of revelation, not a journey from shirk to tawhid.
The Fitrah and the Inner Call
Every human being is created with a natural inclination to recognize and worship the one Creator. This innate disposition is called fitrah. The Prophet ﷺ, more than anyone else, lived according to this pure fitrah even before revelation.
Allah says:
فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا ۚ فِطْرَتَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا
“So set your face toward the religion, upright, the natural disposition of Allah upon which He has created mankind.”
(Qur’an 30:30)
The Prophet ﷺ was the perfect example of this “upright” turning to Allah. The fitrah in his heart made him dislike the idols, reject the indecent practices in the markets and gatherings, and feel a growing distance from the empty customs of his people.
His search for truth began within, as a response to this fitrah. He was not searching out of confusion between many gods, but out of a deep desire to know and worship the one true God in the way that God Himself wanted.
Signs in the Creation and in Himself
As he grew into adulthood, the Prophet ﷺ became more thoughtful and reflective. He watched the skies, the stars, the alternation of day and night, and the cycle of life and death around him. These were not empty scenes to him. They were signs.
Later, the Qur’an described this way of looking at the world:
إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
وَاخْتِلَافِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لَآيَاتٍ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ
الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمْ
وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَٰذَا بَاطِلًا
“Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth
and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding,
those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides
and who reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying],
‘Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly.’”
(Qur’an 3:190–191)
This description matches the state that was developing in him. The world he saw could not be explained by lifeless idols. The order of the universe, the beauty of the stars, and the power of the storms all pointed to a Creator who is living, powerful, and wise.
At the same time, he also saw injustice in society. The weak were robbed, girls were sometimes killed at birth, the poor were neglected, and the strong used their power without mercy. This made him feel that something was deeply wrong. His search for truth was not only about belief, but also about a just and moral way of life that would please the Creator.
Turning Away from the People
As his inner certainty that the ways of his people were false became stronger, he began to withdraw more from their gatherings. He disliked sitting with them when they drank or spoke indecently. He did not join in their festivals that were built around idols.
A hadith in Sahih Muslim mentions that Allah protected him even from accidental involvement in sinful gatherings when he was young. On an occasion when he thought of attending a kind of entertainment in Makkah, he fell asleep and did not hear anything until the morning. This protection continued into his adult life, so that his heart remained untainted while he was still living among people of shirk.
This gradual withdrawal was part of his preparation. It created a space between him and the falsehood around him, so that his heart could focus fully on Allah. It also showed that he was not satisfied with just criticising society. Inside, he was searching for a pure alternative.
The Path of the Hanif
In Arabia there were a few individuals known as hunafā’ singular hanif. They rejected idol worship and tried to follow the pure faith of Ibrahim عليه السلام as they understood it. The Qur’an uses this term to describe the religion of Ibrahim:
قُلْ إِنَّنِي هَدَانِي رَبِّي إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ
دِينًا قِيَمًا مِّلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا
وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ
“Say, ‘Indeed, my Lord has guided me to a straight path,
an upright religion, the way of Ibrahim, inclining to truth,
and he was not of those who associate others with Allah.’”
(Qur’an 6:161)
The Prophet ﷺ, a descendant of Ibrahim عليه السلام, was more deserving of this description than anyone. His search for truth was in fact the living reality of millat Ibrahim, the way of Ibrahim. While the other hunafā’ had incomplete knowledge and often confusion, he was being guided step by step towards the final and complete shaping of that same pure religion.
He shared with the hunafā’ the rejection of idols and the turning to one God. However, he did not fully join any of them or take them as a source of law and detailed belief. His guidance came directly from Allah, not from copying the attempts of others.
Desire for Guidance from the People of Scripture
In his journeys and in Makkah, he encountered Jews and Christians, or heard about their beliefs. He knew that they were “People of the Book” and that they held scriptures, claimed prophethood, and spoke of a single God. Some of them, like Waraqah ibn Nawfal, spoke Arabic and had studied earlier scriptures.
The Qur’an later pointed out that there was still a living trace of true belief among some of them:
لَّيْسُوا سَوَاءً
مِّنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ أُمَّةٌ قَائِمَةٌ
يَتْلُونَ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ وَهُمْ يَسْجُدُونَ
“They are not all alike. Among the People of the Book is a community standing in obedience,
reciting the verses of Allah during the hours of the night and prostrating.”
(Qur’an 3:113)
His awareness of such people increased his sense that real guidance must exist. He wanted a connection to the one God of Ibrahim, Musa, and ‘Isa عليهم السلام. This longing was part of his search, yet he was not instructed to simply follow the corrupted or incomplete forms of their religions.
Instead, Allah was preparing him to receive a revelation that would confirm the truth they originally had and correct what had been changed:
وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ
مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَمُهَيْمِنًا عَلَيْهِ
“And We have revealed to you the Book in truth,
confirming what was before it of the Scripture and as a guardian over it.”
(Qur’an 5:48)
Before this Qur’anic guidance came, his heart had already turned towards the God of these prophets, asking for the pure original way that they had brought.
Love for Solitude as Part of the Search
One of the clearest outer signs of his inner search for truth was his increasing love for solitude. As authentic narrations describe, he began to spend many nights alone in the Cave of Hira, away from the noise and false practices of Makkah.
‘Aishah رضي الله عنها said in the famous hadith of the beginning of revelation in Sahih al Bukhari:
أَوَّلُ مَا بُدِئَ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنَ الْوَحْيِ الرُّؤْيَا الصَّادِقَةُ فِي النَّوْمِ
فَكَانَ لَا يَرَى رُؤْيَا إِلَّا جَاءَتْ مِثْلَ فَلَقِ الصُّبْحِ
ثُمَّ حُبِّبَ إِلَيْهِ الْخَلَاءُ
“The beginning of the revelation to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was the true dream in sleep.
He would not see any dream except that it came like the break of dawn.
Then seclusion was made beloved to him...”
The phrase “seclusion was made beloved to him” shows that this was not a random habit. It was a deliberate part of his spiritual preparation and search. He was guided to love being alone with his thoughts and with his Lord, away from the distractions and corruptions of people.
In that solitude, he would reflect on the creation, remember Allah according to the knowledge available to him, and distance his heart further from the idols of Quraysh. He did not yet have a formal prayer or recited scripture, but he had a heart that was turning again and again to its Creator.
Search through Reflection, Not Argument
During this time, there is no sound proof that he debated his people about theology, challenged them with long arguments, or tried to present himself as a reformer. His search for truth was quiet, deep, and dignified.
He was known and trusted as “al Amin,” the trustworthy, and “as Sadiq,” the truthful, but he did not yet stand in public as a preacher. His role at this stage was a seeker in contemplation, not yet a public warner.
The Qur’an later described a similar process of inner reflection in the story of Ibrahim عليه السلام, who looked at the star, the moon, and the sun, and declared one after the other that they could not be his Lord because they disappear:
فَلَمَّا أَفَلَ قَالَ لَا أُحِبُّ الْآفِلِينَ
“But when it set, he said, ‘I do not love those that set.’”
(Qur’an 6:76)
This kind of reflection, noticing the weakness of created things and seeking the One who does not disappear, matches the inner search of the Prophet ﷺ. He was not demanding proof from others, but looking at the world, his own heart, and the echoes of earlier prophets to know the true Lord.
Growing Longing for Direct Guidance
As his solitude increased, so did his longing for clear and direct guidance. He had a sense that great truth existed and that it must come from Allah alone, but he did not yet know how, when, or through whom it would arrive.
Certain reports mention that when he heard of a prophet being mentioned by people of the Book, he felt a kind of hope and concern. He wished to see the completion of this guidance and feared that his people might miss it or oppose it. These emotions fed his supplications in those long nights in Hira.
The Qur’an later revealed something that shows how his soul was always attached to guidance from his Lord:
قُلْ إِنِّي لَن يُجِيرَنِي مِنَ اللَّهِ أَحَدٌ
وَلَنْ أَجِدَ مِن دُونِهِ مُلْتَحَدًا
إِلَّا بَلَاغًا مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرِسَالَاتِهِ
“Say, ‘Indeed, none can protect me from Allah,
nor can I find any refuge besides Him,
except in conveying [the truth] from Allah and His messages.’”
(Qur’an 72:22–23)
Even before he was commanded to convey, his inner safety and refuge were already with Allah alone. He was looking towards the day when clear commands and messages would come, and when his search would be answered.
Protection from Misguidance While Searching
One might imagine that someone searching intensely could fall into errors, superstitions, or strange ideas. Yet Allah preserved His final Messenger ﷺ from all such deviations, even in the stage before revelation. His search for truth was guided, pure, and clean from the stains of misguidance.
Allah says:
مَا كُنتَ تَدْرِي مَا الْكِتَابُ وَلَا الْإِيمَانُ
وَلَٰكِن جَعَلْنَاهُ نُورًا نَّهْدِي بِهِ مَن نَّشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا
“You did not know what is the Book or [full detailed] faith,
but We have made it a light by which We guide whom We will of Our servants.”
(Qur’an 42:52)
He did not know the Qur’an yet, nor the full shape of Islamic law and beliefs. However, his heart was already attached to Allah alone, his character was pure, and his path was straight in conduct. The missing piece was revelation itself, not belief in one God or love of truth.
The Prophet’s search for truth was a guided search within purity, not a time of following false beliefs. Revelation completed and clarified what his pure fitrah and Allah’s protection had already prepared.
The Quiet Pause Before the Dawn of Revelation
All of these elements came together in the last period before revelation: distance from idol worship, disgust with social corruption, love of solitude, deep reflection on creation, awareness of earlier prophets, and longing for clear guidance from Allah.
His nights in Hira were the peak of this process. He would take food and water, stay there in the cave, and reflect. When his supplies were finished, he would return to Khadijah رضي الله عنها, then go back again for more seclusion. This pattern continued until the night when Allah answered his search directly, by sending Jibril عليه السلام with the first words of revelation.
The moment of “Iqra” and what followed belongs to the next stage in his life. Here, it is enough to see that the command to “Read” came to a heart already burning with desire for truth. Revelation did not fall on a careless person, but on someone who had spent years seeking the pleasure, knowledge, and guidance of his Lord.
In this way, his search for truth was both a preparation for prophethood and a lesson for all who come after him. Guidance is a gift from Allah, but the servant turns to it with a pure heart, sincere questioning, and a willingness to leave falsehood behind.