Tahannuth

Age of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ32/33Name of the CaveHiraMountainJabal Al-NoorLocationMakkah

LanguagesGermanUrdu

(Dr. Imran Khan & Mufti. Shah Rafi Uddin Hamdani)

The word Tahannuth (تحنّث) means 'praying to Allah Almighty at an isolated place for a number of days.' ¹ In the field of Seerah, it refers to the meditative and spiritual journeys undertaken by Prophet Muhammad to the cave of Hira for a number of days on different occasions.

Prophet Muhammad Never Indulged in Polytheism

Prophet Muhammad was 32 or 33 years of age when he was inclined towards praying in solitude, isolation and privacy. ² During his isolation, he often saw a strange light, ³ which made him feel at ease. Furthermore, he was never inclined towards polytheism and naturally abhorred it. ⁴ Ali even asked Prophet Muhammad about it. Al-Suyuti narrates:

هل عبدت و ثناقط، قال: لا، قال فهل شربت خمرا قط، قال: لا وما زلت اعرف ان الذى ھم علیه كفر...⁵

Did you (before being blessed with prophethood) worshipped a deity or an idol? He (the Holy Prophet ) said: No, he (Ali ) asked: Did you ever drink (alcohol)? He (the Holy Prophet ) said: No, because I realized that whatever these people are practicing, is disbelief.

Moreover, once during a meeting, the pagans served him some food which had been sacrificed in the name of the idols. He put it aside towards Zaid ibn Amr and refused to eat from it. Then, he addressed the pagans and said that We do not eat from the food that has been sacrificed in the name idols. ⁶

The Cave of Hira

Before the declaration of Prophethood, the Holy Prophet began to experience powerful signs of revelation, in the form of dreams which were true visions. ⁷ The immediate result of these visions was that solitude became dearer to him, and he would go for spiritual retreats, mostly in the month of Ramadan, to a cave in Mount Hira, which was located at the Mount of Al-Noor, two miles from Makkah, and was 4 yards long and 1.75 yards wide. ⁸ This was a traditional practice amongst the descendants of Ishmael and in each generation, there had been one or two individuals, who would withdraw to a solitary place from time to time so that they may have a period which was uncontaminated by the world of men. In accordance with this practice, Prophet Muhammad would take provisions with him and consecrate a certain number of nights to the worship of Allah Almighty. Then, he would return to his family, and sometimes would merely return to take more provisions and retreat to the mountain again. ⁹

He used to take Sawiq (barley porridge) and water and head towards the cave of Hira. During those hours of privacy and solitude, he would wonder over the divine powers and kept praising and glorifying Allah Almighty. ¹⁰ The more he was drawing near the age of forty, the more he felt attracted towards solitude and meditation. His heart was also restless about the immorality and idolatry, which were rampant among the people of Arabia, but he could not do anything about it, yet. This solitude with this sort of contemplative approach must be understood in its Divine perspective. It was a preliminary stage to the period of grave responsibilities, that he was about to shoulder very soon. Furthermore, privacy and detachment from the impurities of life were two indispensable prerequisites for the Holy Prophet’s soul to come into close communion with the Unseen Power that lay behind all the aspects of existence in this infinite universe. It was a rich period of privacy which ushered in a new age, of unbreakable contact with that Power. ¹¹ For about seven years, he passed in the same state, but during the last six months of that time period, he frequently had true dreams. ¹²

Divine Experiences

During the years in which he would head out towards cave Hira, he would hear an unseen voice, which would say the following words ‘Peace be on you, O Messenger of Allah’. When he would turn around and try to locate the source of the voice, no individual would be in sight. It is narrated that the words were uttered by a tree or a stone. ¹³

After some time in prayer and meditation, the Holy Prophet started to feel a presence in his cave. He used to see some bright light and hear someone calling his name. He narrated this to Khadija as well. ِAs Ibn Saad narrates:

يا خديجة إني أرى ضوءا وأسمع صوتا.¹⁴

O Khadija, I see light and hear some (divine) noises.

Khadija narrated these events to her cousin Warqah ibn Naufil, ¹⁵ who was a learned scholar and a believer of Abrahamic religion. ¹⁶ He told Prophet Muhammad to listen to that divine voice intently next time, ¹⁷ so that the reality could unfold upon him. Another narration is narrated as:

فلما خلا ناداه يا محمد قل: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم الحمد لله رب العالمين. حتى بلغ. ولا الضالين قل لا إله إلا الله. ¹⁸

When the Holy Prophet was in isolation (praying), he heard someone who said: O Muhammad ! Proclaim: In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful (and) recite Surah Fatihah (complete). Then he told me to say: There is no God, but Allah.

When Warqa ibn Naufil heard about it, he congratulated Prophet Muhammad on receiving the glad tidings twice. Then, he testified that Prophet Muhammad was the great personality which Jesus son of Mary had informed the people of the book. Then, he added that the same angel comes to Prophet Muhammad who used to come to Moses . Thus, Muhammad was a true prophet. ¹⁹ Events like these continued to occur until the first revelation was revealed upon the Holy Prophet. At that time, he was forty years old.

• ¹  Muhammad ibn Abd Al-Razzaq Al-Hussaini (N.D.), Taj Al-Uroos min Jawahir Al-Qamoos, Dar Al-Hidaya, (N.A.), Vol. 5, Pg. 224-225.
• ²  Akber Shah Najeebabadi (2000), The History of Islam, Darus Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Vol. 1, Pg. 104.
• ³  Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1990), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 153.
• ⁴  Akber Shah Najeebabadi (2000), The History of Islam, Darus Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Vol. 1, Pg. 104
• ⁵  Jalal Al-Din Al-Suyuti (2008), Al-Khasais Al-Kubra, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 150.
• ⁶  Akber Shah Najeebabadi (2000), The History of Islam, Darus Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Vol. 1, Pg. 104.
• ⁷  Abu Bakr Ahmed ibn Hussain Al-Bayhaqi (1405 A.H.), Dalail Al-Nabuwwah, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 2, Pg. 135.
• ⁸  Safi ur Rehman Mubarakpuri (2010), Al-Raheeq Al-Makhtoom, Dar ibne Hazam, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 86.
• ⁹  Martin Lings (1985), Muhammad ﷺ his life based on the Earliest Sources, Suhail Academy, Lahore, Pakistan, Pg. 43.
• ¹⁰  Akber Shah Najeebabadi (2000), The History of Islam, Darus Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Vol. 1, Pg. 104.
• ¹¹  Safi Al-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri (2010), Al-Raheeq Al-Makhtoom, Dar ibn Hazam, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 86.
• ¹²  Akber Shah Najeebabadi (2000), The History of Islam, Darus Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Vol. 1, Pg. 104.
• ¹³  Muhammad ibn Yusuf Al-Salihi Al-Shami (1993), Subul Al-Huda wal-Rashad fe Seerat Khair Al-Abad, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 2, Pg. 228.
• ¹⁴  Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1990), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 154.
• ¹⁵  Abul Fida Ismael ibn Kathir Al-Damishqi (1976), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Kathir, Dar Al-Marifat lil Taba’at wal-Nashr wal-Tawzi, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 404.
• ¹⁶  Ibid, Pg. 155.
• ¹⁷  Muhammad ibn Yusuf Al-Salihi Al-Shami (1993), Subul Al-Huda wal-Rashad fe Seerat Khair Al-Abad, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 2, Pg. 234.
• ¹⁸  Abu Bakr Ahmed ibn Hussain Al-Bayhaqi (1405 A.H.), Dalail Al-Nabuwwah, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 2, Pg. 158.
• ¹⁹  Jalal Al-Din Al-Suyuti (2008), Al-Khasais Al-Kubra, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 161.