Revelation: The gateway from the heavens to the earth

Nihal Şahin Utku

Mount Hira seems to be hunched over it's own self. As though it has squatted and become solidified while watching Mecca. Similar to the mountains around it; similar to the city of Mecca which it doesn't take it's eyes off and the land of Hijaz which offers nothing but sand and sharp rocks, Mount Hira, too, awaits time with it's nature that is brusque to mankind. It waits as it conceals its secret, just as the zamzam water which Mecca conceals. On its skirt which faces the Kaba, in the dark embrace it forms among its stacked rocks, it now hosts the grandson of Abdulmuttalib and the noblest of the Quraish. Muhammad (pbuh). Mount Hira recognizes him as one of the many nobles who sought refuge in him, whose every climb opens up a door to the heavens.

Every secret has a lifespan and each secret awaits to disclose of this. Mount Hira awaits and becomes anxious. There are rocks rolling its peak to its skirt. The city of Mecca, which carries Mount Hira awaits Muhammad the Trustworthy, who has relocated to the mountain with little provision.

The Trustworthy one of Mecca, who has become isolated within the beliefs and values of the society he lives in and has thus become deeply entrenched in a state of spiritual and ideological contemplation, has set out on his path once again. He is climbing Mount Hira to enter the cave in which his suffering will mature in seclusion and his search will be adorned with tribulation. Once his provisions are finished he heads down to Mecca where he performs Tawaf around the Kaba, looking out for the rights of poor and orphaned. And then, once again, he seeks refuge in the cave under the exhausting weight of the dreams he has been seeing for the past six months. He tries to discover the secret behind the voices, speeches and cries he has been hearing for a while -- voices whose source, point of origin and method of travel he is unfamiliar with.

While time warms up and the sun s to rise over Mount Hira, the Trustworthy one of Mecca becomes startled to the core bay an infinite light that surrounds the skies of the earth, seeping between the spaces that suddenly split the sky. The might of the light greets the omnipotence of the exclamation, "Read!" This blessed man reports that upon lifting his head to gaze at the skies, he saw "a man who spread his feet towards the horizon of the sky." And he adds: "No matter which direction I looked: ahead, backwards, right, left, which ever direction I took a step in and looked at the sky, I saw that angel and heard the same voices." This chosen person who had been called upon to read "In the name of the Creator," attained the status of a prophet in the arms of the angel, who squeezed him until he lost his endurance, while Mount Hira celebrated its sacredness.

This deep solitude that had lasted for months, was now transforming into a convulsive connection that extended until infinity. The Prophet, whose eyes filled with horror, were the dancing grounds for fear, his heart and tongue holding the divine words blown by the blessed angel.

The chosen person experiences a void following the sudden departure of the Angel Jibreel, who had tightly embraced him. He only composes himself in the home of Khadija, whom he ran to in a burning spiritual state. While he covers himself under the sheets and falls asleep, he simultaneously covers the unjust and unlawful values of Mecca.

The Prophet wakes up in order to wake up the whole of humanity. Similar to Prophet Ibrahim, who found the Truth while following the traces of a creator on earth, he, too, is not just shaken by the grandness of the answer given to his question, but takes on the heavy responsibility of being a "messenger of Allah." Following the days in which he envisions the magnitude of the call towards the most difficult task on the universe, he does not hear the Angel Jibreel for a very long time. His Creator no longer calls upon him. Each day he experiences an internally dreadful and dashing period of waiting. All of the worries, blessings and joys of this world are buried into a deep abyss following this incredible miracle. Muhammad experiences a deep purification with the feeling of abandonment brought on while he had been chosen, a feeling taking him far away all of the chaos of the world. He experiences days much more troubling than those before revelation of Prophecy. And finally, after three years, the doors of the heavens open. And the Prophet of the earth understands that this heralds a preparation of a divine downpour that will not cease.

Following years of solitude and a life of seclusion, it does not become easy for the Last Prophet of Allah to address the people as one who calls upon a message. A new period of difficulties await the Messenger of Allah after the revelation of the verse, "From now on warn and awaken those closest to you and members of your family." He does not leave his house for a period of one month. For he experiences hesitancy and concern over how he will share that incredible miracle he witnessed with the society he is a member of. His seclusion at his home peaks the interest of his aunts and his nieces and nephews visit him in his residence. The Messenger of Allah, who shares this incredible truth with his aunts, climbs the hill of Safa shortly thereafter and announces that he has a very important message for his family and clan. The Prophet of humanity faces the curious crowd which quickly fills up the area as he s speaking with this question:

 "Would you believe me if I told you an enemy host was waiting behind this hill to attack you?"

And the crowed yells back with a strong voice, "You have never lied, we believe in everything you have to say."

 It is at that moment that the Trustworthy one of Mecca s his prophecy:

"Allah has sent me so as to warn and advise you in refraining certain things and if you do not listen to me, his wrath threatens you."

Thus Mecca was introduced to revelation.

Undoubtedly, every manifestation of revelation, and descension of each divine message deeply affected the Prophet. Sometimes, despite the fact that the weather was cool, the Messenger of Allah would sweat profusely. Sometimes when riding a camel, he would be so physically overwhelmed with revelation that the camel would crouch down. And in another instance, the Messenger of Allah would touch the femur bone of Zayd bin Thabit in a crowded room of people following an instance of revelation and Zayd would experience an intolerable amount of pain.

When revelation would arrive, the Messenger of Allah would become immobile in the very state he was in, experiencing a passing out. Following the spiritual clarity he experienced afterwards, he returned to mankind with a divine message so strong that it was as though it had been inscribed on to his heart and etched into his memory.

The hands extending to the heavens at Mount Hira, opened a door to the heavens. A door that would change man, mankind, existence and the entire fate of history.