I still remember the day I followed him up the mountain. No one told me to go — I followed out of love, worry, and quiet awe. I was a young man from Mecca, just a servant in my uncle’s household, but I knew there was something different about this nephew of my master. He was known as al-Ameen — the trustworthy one — and even when he walked through the markets, people lowered their voices out of respect.
The mountain was called Hira, and the cave near the top was where he often went to be alone. Mecca, our city, was filled with idols back then — statues carved from wood and stone surrounding the Kaaba, which had once been a place for worshipping Allah, the One God. People offered food to the idols, asked them for help during sickness or drought, and followed them blindly. But he did not. He would go to that cave and pray in silence, searching for truth.
That day, the sun was just beginning to rise. I waited at a distance, not wanting to disturb him. Then, I heard something — not a voice, but a trembling in the air, like the mountain itself had stopped breathing. I saw him fall to his knees.
He stumbled out of the cave not long after. His face was pale. His eyes wide with something I'd never seen before — fear, awe, maybe both. He looked at me but didn’t say anything. I helped guide him down the path. When we reached his home, his beloved wife Khadijah — may Allah be pleased with her — wrapped him in a cloak. He was trembling and whispered over and over, “Cover me… cover me…”
Later, I learned what had happened.
It was the Angel Jibreel — you might know him as Gabriel — the one Allah sends with revelation. According to the Prophet’s own words — peace and blessings be upon him — Jibreel appeared to him in the cave and said one word: “Iqra” — Recite. The Prophet replied that he could not read. Again and again, Jibreel pressed him and said, “Iqra bismi Rabbika allathee khalaq…” which means, “Recite in the name of your Lord who created…”
Those words would become the first verses of the Qur’an — the holy book revealed by Allah to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. It all began in that quiet cave.
I wasn’t a scholar or a man of great status. I just happened to be there, touched by the mercy of being near a moment that would change the world. I saw with my own eyes how heavy revelation could feel. I saw that even the bravest, most trustworthy man could tremble before the truth — and still stand afterward with more strength than before.
That day taught me that Allah chooses whom He wills for His message. And those He chooses, He strengthens. I never saw the Angel Jibreel with my eyes — but I saw the weight his words carried.
Everything changed after that.
Story note: Inspired by the narration of Hadith Bukhari Book 1, Hadith 3 — the first revelation to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ through the Angel Jibreel.
I still remember the day I followed him up the mountain. No one told me to go — I followed out of love, worry, and quiet awe. I was a young man from Mecca, just a servant in my uncle’s household, but I knew there was something different about this nephew of my master. He was known as al-Ameen — the trustworthy one — and even when he walked through the markets, people lowered their voices out of respect.
The mountain was called Hira, and the cave near the top was where he often went to be alone. Mecca, our city, was filled with idols back then — statues carved from wood and stone surrounding the Kaaba, which had once been a place for worshipping Allah, the One God. People offered food to the idols, asked them for help during sickness or drought, and followed them blindly. But he did not. He would go to that cave and pray in silence, searching for truth.
That day, the sun was just beginning to rise. I waited at a distance, not wanting to disturb him. Then, I heard something — not a voice, but a trembling in the air, like the mountain itself had stopped breathing. I saw him fall to his knees.
He stumbled out of the cave not long after. His face was pale. His eyes wide with something I'd never seen before — fear, awe, maybe both. He looked at me but didn’t say anything. I helped guide him down the path. When we reached his home, his beloved wife Khadijah — may Allah be pleased with her — wrapped him in a cloak. He was trembling and whispered over and over, “Cover me… cover me…”
Later, I learned what had happened.
It was the Angel Jibreel — you might know him as Gabriel — the one Allah sends with revelation. According to the Prophet’s own words — peace and blessings be upon him — Jibreel appeared to him in the cave and said one word: “Iqra” — Recite. The Prophet replied that he could not read. Again and again, Jibreel pressed him and said, “Iqra bismi Rabbika allathee khalaq…” which means, “Recite in the name of your Lord who created…”
Those words would become the first verses of the Qur’an — the holy book revealed by Allah to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. It all began in that quiet cave.
I wasn’t a scholar or a man of great status. I just happened to be there, touched by the mercy of being near a moment that would change the world. I saw with my own eyes how heavy revelation could feel. I saw that even the bravest, most trustworthy man could tremble before the truth — and still stand afterward with more strength than before.
That day taught me that Allah chooses whom He wills for His message. And those He chooses, He strengthens. I never saw the Angel Jibreel with my eyes — but I saw the weight his words carried.
Everything changed after that.
Story note: Inspired by the narration of Hadith Bukhari Book 1, Hadith 3 — the first revelation to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ through the Angel Jibreel.
