At first what started of the Waḥī (Revelation) to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was good visions during sleep and he never saw a vision except what came to him was the like of the crack of dawn (i.e. his visions came true). Thereafter, seclusion was made beloved to him. He used to go in seclusion in the cave of Ḥirāʾ where he used to practice monotheism, which was worship for several days until he longed to see his family and prepare for a similar trip. He would then return to Khadījah and would prepare for a similar trip.

Until ˹one day,˺ the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Ḥirāʾ. The Angel came to him and asked him and said "Iqraʾ (Read!)". He said, "I do not know how to read!" He said, "The Angel grabbed me and overwhelmed me such that fatigue overcame me. He then let me go and and said 'Read.' I said, 'I do not know how to read!' Then he grabbed me a second time and overwhelmed me such that fatigue overcame me. He then let me go and said 'Read!' I said, 'I do not know how to read!' Then he grabbed me for the third time, overwhelmed me, and then let me go and said, 'Read in the name of your Lord: who created; He created man from ʿalaq (a thing suspended). Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous." (ʿAlaq 96:1-3)

Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ returned with the Inspiration and with his heart beating severely. Then he went to Khadījah b. Khuwaylid ؓ and said, "Cover me! Cover me!" They covered him till his fear was lifted and after that he told her what had happened and said, "I fear for myself." Khadījah said, "Never! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you! (1) In fact, you keep good relations with your kith and kin, (2) you carry the weak, (3) you provide for those deprived, (4) you are hospitable to your guests, and (5) you assist the deserving ˹calamity-afflicted˺ ones."

Khadījah then brought him to her cousin Waraqah b. Nawfal b. Asad b. ʿAbd al-ʿUzzá, paternal cousin of Khadījah, and one who had become a Christian during the pre-Islamic Period, and used to write in Hebrew letters. He would write from the Gospel in Hebrew as much as Allah wished him to write. He was an old man and had lost his eyesight.

Khadījah said to Waraqah: Listen to the story of your nephew, O my cousin! Waraqah said, "O my nephew! What have you seen? The Messenger of Allah ﷺ described to him whatever he had seen. Waraqah then said to him: This is the nāmūs (keeper of secrets) whom Allah had sent to Moses ﷺ. Would that I were young and would be alive when your people would turn you out. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Will they drive me out?" Waraqah said: Yes, no man has ever come with something similar to what you have brought and was not treated with hostility. And if I would see ˹such ˺ a day ˹of yours˺ then I would strongly support you. The Waraqah could not fulfill ˹his promise˺ and died. Then the Waḥī paused for a while.  

أَوَّلُ مَا بُدِئَ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنَ الْوَحْىِ الرُّؤْيَا الصَّالِحَةُ فِي النَّوْمِ، فَكَانَ لاَ يَرَى رُؤْيَا إِلاَّ جَاءَتْ مِثْلَ فَلَقِ الصُّبْحِ۔ ثُمَّ حُبِّبَ إِلَيْهِ الْخَلاَءُ وَكَانَ يَخْلُو بِغَارِ حِرَاءٍ فَيَتَحَنَّثُ فِيهِ: وَهُوَ التَّعَبُّدُ اللَّيَالِيَ ذَوَاتِ الْعَدَدِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَنْزِعَ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ وَيَتَزَوَّدُ لِذَلِكَ۔ ثُمَّ يَرْجِعُ إِلَى خَدِيجَةَ فَيَتَزَوَّدُ لِمِثْلِهَا۔

حَتَّى جَاءَهُ الْحَقُّ وَهُوَ فِي غَارِ حِرَاءٍ، فَجَاءَهُ الْمَلَكُ فَقَالَ: «اقْرَأْ۔» قَالَ: «مَا أَنَا بِقَارِئٍ۔» قَالَ: «فَأَخَذَنِي، فَغَطَّنِي حَتَّى بَلَغَ مِنِّي الْجَهْدَ۔ ثُمَّ أَرْسَلَنِي فَقَالَ: (اقْرَأْ) قُلْتُ: (مَا أَنَا بِقَارِئٍ۔) فَأَخَذَنِي، فَغَطَّنِي الثَّانِيَةَ حَتَّى بَلَغَ مِنِّي الْجَهْدَ۔ ثُمَّ أَرْسَلَنِي فَقَالَ: (اقْرَأْ۔) فَقُلْتُ: (مَا أَنَا بِقَارِئٍ۔) فَأَخَذَنِي، فَغَطَّنِي الثَّالِثَةَ۔ ثُمَّ أَرْسَلَنِي فَقَالَ: {اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ ۝ خَلَقَ الإِنْسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ ۝ اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الأَكْرَمُ ۝}»

فَرَجَعَ بِهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَرْجُفُ فُؤَادُهُ، فَدَخَلَ عَلَى خَدِيجَةَ بِنْتِ خُوَيْلِدٍ ؓ فَقَالَ: «زَمِّلُونِي، زَمِّلُونِي۔» فَزَمَّلُوهُ حَتَّى ذَهَبَ عَنْهُ الرَّوْعُ۔ فَقَالَ لِخَدِيجَةَ وَأَخْبَرَهَا الْخَبَرَ: «لَقَدْ خَشِيتُ عَلَى نَفْسِي۔» فَقَالَتْ خَدِيجَةُ: «كَلاَّ! وَاللَّهِ مَا يُخْزِيكَ اللَّهُ أَبَدًا! إِنَّكَ (١) لَتَصِلُ الرَّحِمَ، (٢) وَتَحْمِلُ الْكَلَّ، (٣) وَتَكْسِبُ الْمَعْدُومَ، (٤) وَتَقْرِي الضَّيْفَ، (٥) وَتُعِينُ عَلَى نَوَائِبِ الْحَقِّ۔»

فَانْطَلَقَتْ بِهِ خَدِيجَةُ حَتَّى أَتَتْ بِهِ وَرَقَةَ بْنَ نَوْفَلِ بْنِ أَسَدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْعُزَّى، ابْنَ عَمِّ خَدِيجَةَ، وَكَانَ امْرَأً تَنَصَّرَ فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ: وَكَانَ يَكْتُبُ الْكِتَابَ الْعِبْرَانِيَّ فَيَكْتُبُ مِنَ الإِنْجِيلِ بِالْعِبْرَانِيَّةِ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَكْتُبَ، وَكَانَ شَيْخًا كَبِيرًا قَدْ عَمِيَ۔

فَقَالَتْ لَهُ خَدِيجَةُ: «يَا ابْنَ عَمِّ، اسْمَعْ مِنَ ابْنِ أَخِيكَ۔» فَقَالَ لَهُ وَرَقَةُ: «يَا ابْنَ أَخِي، مَاذَا تَرَى؟» فَأَخْبَرَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ خَبَرَ مَا رَأَى۔ فَقَالَ لَهُ وَرَقَةُ: «هَذَا النَّامُوسُ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ اللَّهُ عَلَى مُوسَى ﷺ۔ يَا لَيْتَنِي فِيهَا جَذَعًا، لَيْتَنِي أَكُونُ حَيًّا إِذْ يُخْرِجُكَ قَوْمُكَ۔» فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: «أَوَمُخْرِجِيَّ هُمْ؟» قَالَ: «نَعَمْ۔ لَمْ يَأْتِ رَجُلٌ قَطُّ بِمِثْلِ مَا جِئْتَ بِهِ إِلاَّ عُودِيَ۔ وَإِنْ يُدْرِكْنِي يَوْمُكَ، أَنْصُرْكَ نَصْرًا مُؤَزَّرًا۔» ثُمَّ لَمْ يَنْشَبْ وَرَقَةُ أَنْ تُوُفِّيَ، وَفَتَرَ الْوَحْىُ۔  

as he was narrating about the period of Wahī (Revelation): "While I was walking, ˹suddenly˺ I heard a voice from the sky. I looked up and saw the same Angel who had visited me at the cave of Ḥirāʾ sitting on a chair between the sky and the earth. I got afraid of him, came back ˹home˺ and said, 'Cover me!' Then Allah ﷻ revealed: 'O you who covers himself [with a garment]' Arise and warn.' until His statement 'And idolatory, avoid.' (Muddaththir 74:1-5) After this the revelation started coming strongly, frequently and regularly."  

وَهُوَ يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ فَتْرَةِ الْوَحْىِ فَقَالَ فِي حَدِيثِهِ: «بَيْنَا أَنَا أَمْشِي، إِذْ سَمِعْتُ صَوْتًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ، فَرَفَعْتُ بَصَرِي، فَإِذَا الْمَلَكُ الَّذِي جَاءَنِي بِحِرَاءٍ جَالِسٌ عَلَى كُرْسِيٍّ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ۔ فَرُعِبْتُ مِنْهُ فَرَجَعْتُ فَقُلْتُ زَمِّلُونِي! فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى {يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ * قُمْ فَأَنْذِرْ}» إِلَى قَوْلِهِ «{وَالرُّجْزَ فَاهْجُرْ} فَحَمِيَ الْوَحْىُ وَتَتَابَعَ۔»  

I asked Aba Salama bin ʿAbdur-Rahman about the first Sura revealed of the Qur'an. He replied "O you, wrapped-up (i.e. Al Muddaththir)." I said, "They say it was, 'Read, in the Name of your Lord Who created,' (i.e. Surat Al-ʿAlaq (the Clot)." On that, Abu Salama said, "I asked Jabir bin ʿAbdullah about that, saying the same as you have said, whereupon he said, 'I will not tell you except what Messenger of Allah ﷺ had told us. Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "I was in seclusion in the cave of Hira', and after I completed the limited period of my seclusion. I came down (from the cave) and heard a voice calling me. I looked to my right, but saw nothing. Then I looked up and saw something. So I went to Khadija (the Prophet's wife) and told her to wrap me up and pour cold water on me. So they wrapped me up and poured cold water on me." Then, 'O you, (Muhammad) wrapped up! Arise and warn,' (Surat Al Muddaththir) was revealed." (74.1)  

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا سَلَمَةَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ أَوَّلِ مَا نَزَلَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ قَالَ {يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ} قُلْتُ يَقُولُونَ {اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ} فَقَالَ أَبُو سَلَمَةَ سَأَلْتُ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ؓ عَنْ ذَلِكَ وَقُلْتُ لَهُ مِثْلَ الَّذِي قُلْتَ فَقَالَ جَابِرٌ لاَ أُحَدِّثُكَ إِلاَّ مَا حَدَّثَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ جَاوَرْتُ بِحِرَاءٍ فَلَمَّا قَضَيْتُ جِوَارِي هَبَطْتُ فَنُودِيتُ فَنَظَرْتُ عَنْ يَمِينِي فَلَمْ أَرَ شَيْئًا وَنَظَرْتُ عَنْ شِمَالِي فَلَمْ أَرَ شَيْئًا وَنَظَرْتُ أَمَامِي فَلَمْ أَرَ شَيْئًا وَنَظَرْتُ خَلْفِي فَلَمْ أَرَ شَيْئًا فَرَفَعْتُ رَأْسِي فَرَأَيْتُ شَيْئًا فَأَتَيْتُ خَدِيجَةَ فَقُلْتُ دَثِّرُونِي وَصُبُّوا عَلَىَّ مَاءً بَارِدًا قَالَ فَدَثَّرُونِي وَصَبُّوا عَلَىَّ مَاءً بَارِدًا قَالَ فَنَزَلَتْ {يَا أَيُّهَا الْمُدَّثِّرُ * قُمْ فَأَنْذِرْ * وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرْ}