adminWhen the Master of the Universe (PBUH) reached the age of thirty-eight, he started to hear some voices and some lights around. And sometimes he was called as, “O Muhammad!” from unseen.
Yet he was then still unable to understand what those strange voices and lights meant. However, he knew that such occurrences were not meaningless and not for nothing and spent days pondering over them.
From time to time, he told his venerable wife, Khadija, about them and often they two spoke about them. His wife, Khadija, the only source of comfort then, kept consoling him during their conversations.
This state of Muhammad (PBUH) continued for about one year.
True Dreams
At the age of 39, the period of “True Dreams” started. The events that were to happen the day after were being shown to him in his dreams in a way between wakefulness and sleep. It was so much so that the dreams he had in the night were taking place during the day as he had in his dream. (1)
This state went on about six months, which can be considered a preparation period for receiving divine revelations.
He seeks loneliness
After this six-month period, the Master of the Universe’s holy spirit was searching for complete solitude. His greatest desire was to distance himself from the community and to remain alone with his thoughts… because his soul was getting discomforted by the indecency, cruelty, and gloom that was found in the society in which he lived.
He was made to love loneliness, He could abandon everything that he possessed but he would never abandon being alone with the universe and his realm of contemplation, away from people.
For that reason, he did not stay much in Mecca and was seen to choose desolate places that were far from people and to be consumed in contemplation in these places.
During these periods of solitude, he asked why the mountains, rocks, the earth, the sky, and the universe had been created, why people were sent to Earth, and what their aim and purpose was. The boulders of Mount Hira, the immense deserts, the sun, the moon, the shining stars, nor the passing clouds could answer his inquiries. He passed his days and nights in wonder since he could not find the answers to his questions.
Yes, the Master of the Universe’s holy spirit craved solitude in the outwardly sense whereas in reality, he carried the desire of being in the presence of Allah within the depths of his soul. This desire was to reach an endless existence within solitude.
This condition was seen in almost all of the prophets before they received revelations. Before his prophethood, Hazrat Musa spent 40 days fasting in solitude in the mountain of Tur. Similarly, Hazrat Isa was consumed in worship for forty days in a peaceful forest as he remained far from the world. (2)
THE MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE IN HIRA
The year was 610 in the Gregorian calendar.
The Master of the Universe (pbuh) was forty years old.
He had a regular custom that he had been doing for years. He would spend the month of Ramadan with contemplation, worship, and prayer at the cave at the hill of the Mount of Hira. (3) It was quiet and serene in there. It was the best place for him to be left alone with his reflection. His blessed soul, which was bored with the corrupt atmosphere of the society he lived in, found tranquility and peace over there. (4)
The Messenger of Allah did not worship randomly in the cave of Hira; he worshipped in accordance with the religion of Hanif, the religion of Ibrahim, his ancestor. (5)
One day in the month of Ramadan, he went there again for worshipping and contemplation. He made his way to the mount of Hira with provisions that his wife Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her) prepared for him.
The universe observed every step that its Master took with respect and stood in a deep silence. Yet, that stillness was not in vain. It was full of wisdom.
The Mount Hira The Mount of Nour
The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) accompanied the stillness with his reflection, which thus brought about some harmony. It was as though the universe whispered to his great soul as saying, “The reason why I was created is you. It is you who will explain my meaning best and that I am full of wisdom and lessons. Therefore, I am grateful to you.”
The Master of the Universe (peace be upon him) was now in the cave at the hill of the Mount Hira, where he soon was to be worthy of having divine revelation. He was engaged with his worshipping and contemplation.
[1] Bukhari, Sahih, V. 1, p. 6; Muslim, Sahih, V. 1, p. 97; Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, V. 2, p. 153.
[2] Sayyid Sulayman Nadwi, Asr-ı Saadet, Trns by: Ali Genceli, V. 1, p. 44-45.
[3] Mount Hira: It is about 5 km away from the house of the Messenger of Allah. The cave is on the top of the mountain. Three sides of the cave and its arch consist of crumbled and piled rocks. It is high and long enough for a person to stand without the head touching the arch. It is interesting that the direction the cave extends is the direction of the qiblah. The entrance is a hole that is quite high. It can be reached by stepping on a few stairs made of rock.
[4] Ibn Hisham, Sirah, 1/252
[5] Badiüzzaman Said Nursi, The Letters, 260
