The Cave of Hiraa'

09/10/2010| IslamWeb

The cave of Hiraa' has received great honor in Islamic history, as it was the place where Allah The Almighty bestowed the status of prophethood upon His Messenger Muhammad, .

Jibreel (Gabriel), may Allah exalt his mention, met the Messenger of Allah Muhammad, , and revealed to him the opening verses of Chapter Al-‘Alaq: {Recite in the name of your Lord who created -}[Quran 96:1]

Before that, this cave was the place where the Prophet, , used to worship and get closer to his Lord the Almighty. ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said, “…he used to seclude himself in the cave of Hiraa', where he would engage in Tahannuth (that is a worship for a certain number of nights)…”[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

The cave of Hiraa' is located to the north-east of Al-Masjid Al-Haraam on a mountain in upper Makkah to the left of the traveler from Makkah to Mina. It is about 4.8 km from Makkah and its height is about 634 m. The people of Makkah call it the "Jabal An-Noor" (the mountain of light). The cave of Hiraa' is on top of this mountain and it is a cavity the door of which opens to the north. It is enough for nine sitting persons and its height is enough for a person of a medium height.

It should be noted that it is impermissible for anyone to go to the cave of Hiraa' with the aim of worshipping Allah The Almighty there, because the Prophet, , used to worship Allah The Almighty in it only before Prophethood. Then, he, , never went to that cave since his Bi‘thah (beginning of the Prophetic mission) until his death whether before Hijrah (emigration) or after it, as stated by scholars. Hence, this proves that it is impermissible for anyone to go to this cave to worship Allah The Almighty there or to visit it believing in its virtue or seeking blessings thereof.