غار حراء

Cave of Hira - Ghar Hira - Hira Mağarası - Ghar Thowr

Useful Information

photography — Cave of Hira, Saudi Arabia. Public Domain.

Location:	Jabal al-Nour, Hirā' mountain, near Mecca. (21.4573709, 39.8591955)
Open:	no restrictions. [2021]
Fee:	free. [2021]
Classification:	Tectonic Cave
Light:	n/a
Dimension:	L=3.7 m, W=1.60 m, A=270 m asl.
Guided tours:	self guided, St=1,750.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Cave of Hira, An Nur Street, Jabal An Nur District, Mecca, Makkah Al Mukarramah, Makkah Region, 21955, Saudi Arabia
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History

Description

Located at the جَبَل ٱلنُّوْر (Jabal al-Nour, Jabal-al-noor, Mountain of Light) is a small cave named غار حراء (Cave of Hira) which is the place where Muhammad is believed to have received the first revelation of the Quran on the Night of Power by the angel Jibreel. The cave plays an important role in As-Sīrah an-Nabawiyyah (The Prophetic Biography).

Muhammad had an increasing need for solitude and was seeking seclusion and meditation in the rocky hills which surrounded Mecca. He retreated to the cave for one month, each year, engaging in تَحَنُّث (taḥannuth - procreation). He took provisions along with him during this retreat, with which he fed the poor who came to him. Before returning home to his family he would circumambulate the Kaaba seven times, or however many times Allah willed, then he would go home.

The Cave of Hira is visited by 5,000 visitors daily during the season of Ḥajj (Pilgrimage). This low number is a result of the fact, that the majority of Muslims do not consider visiting the cave as an integral part of the Hajj. Some consider it a place of worship, but this conflicts with Salafist interpretations of Islamic ritual. It is not considered as holy as other sites in Mecca, such as Al-Haram Mosque. Under most interpretations of Islam, the same reward is received for praying here as any other place in Mecca.