Hira

So, let us begin with thinking about the journey of the Hijra.

When we think about that, we have to remember that SubhanAllah, he would go up, particularly in the month of Ramadan, to the cave of Hira, which was not a easy journey by any means, yet he would take that journey up the mountains to this cave.

And what it basically reminds us is that he would do this to have some time away.

To have some time away from the hustle and bustle of Mecca.

Imran, we get asked this question quite a lot as well.

And, you know, who was there... witnessing Hira and Isra' al-Miraj, right? So Hira is basically the cave of Hira where the Prophet got the first revelation.

Of course, he got revelation for 23 years after that, and people witnessed Jibreel alayhi salam coming in the form of a man, etc., etc., okay? People actually witnessed that firsthand.

But for 23 years, he was getting revelation.

He went to Jerusalem.

where he led all of the prophets in prayer and then he's taken to the seventh heaven to meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala where he receives a few verses of the Qur'an directly from Allah when he goes there.

Now Imran, does there have to be a witness for it to be true? Hira and Miraj?

So it depends on what you mean by witness.

Islam is 100% a supernaturally, you know, founded, based religion.

Um, we just say that that spirit that accosted Muhammad in the Cave of Hira when, when he was, you know, given the, the Quran, um, that was just like Muhammad thought.

Muhammad believed it was a, what's called a djinn.

It's where we get the English word genie.

Withdraw from people, worship in solitude.

So he would go out to worship in the mountains, and he chose a place far away from the people, but yet close to Mecca, the cave of Hira, Ghar Hira in Arabic.

The cave of Hira, its distinction was that it was near Mecca, but yet elevated up in the mountains, a bit far away.

So he was close enough to return for food or check up on his family, but hard to reach by people.

He didn't want people to come to him, so he would climb up to the cave of Hira, and there he would worship alone.

The cave of Hira, that small, distant cave, the Prophet Muhammad would sit there.

And from that cave, those of you who've been there, you can see the Kaaba.

So he would worship there.