Seerah / First Revelation
"Arise and warn" — revelation resumes
- Date
- After a pause in revelation · approximate
- Location
- Makkah
Jabir (RA) reports in Sahih al-Bukhari that after a pause in revelation the Prophet ﷺ saw the same angel again, asked to be wrapped up, and then the opening of Surat al-Muddaththir (74:1–5) was revealed.
As it was narrated
The story, in the words of those who were there
Read slowly. These are the Companions' own words, from the verified hadith collections.
قَالَ ابْنُ شِهَابٍ وَأَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو سَلَمَةَ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، أَنَّ جَابِرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الأَنْصَارِيَّ، قَالَ ـ وَهُوَ يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ فَتْرَةِ الْوَحْىِ، فَقَالَ ـ 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 فَقُلْت…
Narrated Jabir bin 'Abdullah Al-Ansari (while talking about the period of pause in revelation) reporting the speech of the Prophet:"While I was walking, all of a sudden I heard a voice from the sky. I looked up and saw the same angel who had visited me at the cave of Hira' sitting on a chair between the sky and the earth. I got afraid of him and came back home and said, 'Wrap me (in blankets).' And then Allah revealed the following Holy Verses (of Quran): 'O you (i.e. Muhammad)! wrapped up in garments!' Arise and warn (the people against Allah's Punishment),... up to 'and desert the idols.' (74.1-5) After this the revelation started coming strongly, frequently and regularly
What Allah revealed
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلۡمُدَّثِّرُ
O you who covers himself [with a garment]
قُمۡ فَأَنذِرۡ
Arise and warn
وَرَبَّكَ فَكَبِّرۡ
And your Lord glorify
وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرۡ
And your clothing purify
وَٱلرُّجۡزَ فَٱهۡجُرۡ
And uncleanliness avoid
Lessons
- After a pause comes a clear call to act.
Lessons are editorial reflections drawn from the event and its sources.
Pause for a moment
Which moment of your own life does this remind you of? Sit with it for a minute, then send salawat on the one who lived it ﷺ.
Send salawat ﷺBibliography
- Sahih al-Bukhari 4 (Jabir) · primary source
- Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah (further reading)
- Ibn Kathir, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah (further reading)
- Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri, Ar-Raheeq al-Makhtum (further reading)