Visit Arabia
It was on this mountain, in a narrow cave called Ghar Hira, that the most important event in the history of Islam took place: the first Revelation to the Prophet ﷺ.
Before the Prophethood, Muhammad ﷺ regularly withdrew to this cave to meditate, for whole nights, far from the tumult of pagan Makkah. He was then about 40 years old.
Sahih al-Bukhari no. 3 · Sahih Muslim no. 160
One night in the month of Ramadan in the year 610 CE, while he was alone in the cave, the Archangel Jibreel suddenly appeared to him:
> "اقرأ" — "Read!"
The Prophet ﷺ replied, terrified: "I do not know how to read."
Jibreel squeezed him hard, then repeated this three times. Then he recited the first 5 verses:
> "Read, in the name of your Lord who created,
> who created man from a clinging substance.
> Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous,
> who taught by the pen,
> who taught man that which he knew not."
Quran 96:1-5 · Sahih al-Bukhari no. 3
The Prophet ﷺ went home trembling to Khadija رضي الله عنها: "Cover me! Cover me!"
Khadija then said to him:
> "By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep the ties of kinship, you bear the burden of the weak, you give to the needy, you receive guests with generosity."
The mountain is 642 metres high. The cave is located near the summit, in a narrow spot that can hold only one person in the position of prayer. The climb takes 1h30 to 2h and is physically demanding.