What was the first revelation of the Quran?

The verses themselves

The revelation begins with the command to read:

"Read in the name of your Lord who created — created man from a clinging substance. Read, and your Lord is the most Generous — who taught by the pen — taught man that which he knew not."— Qur'an 96:1–5

Ibn Kathir notes that these verses are the first thing revealed of the Qur'an, and he describes them as the first mercy with which Allah showed mercy to His servants and the first blessing He bestowed upon them. He draws attention to what the passage contains: a reminder that man's creation began from a clinging substance, and that from Allah's generosity He taught man what he did not know — the very knowledge by which Adam was distinguished above the angels.

The account of how it happened

The fullest narration comes from 'A'ishah رضي الله عنها, and it is recorded in both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. She described how the Prophet's ﷺ first experience of revelation was true dreams in sleep, which came like the breaking of dawn. Then solitude was made beloved to him, and he would go to the cave of Hira and worship there for a number of nights before returning to Khadijah.

Then the truth came to him while he was in the cave. The angel came and said, "Read." He replied, "I am not a reader." The Prophet ﷺ described being seized and pressed until he reached the limit of his endurance, then released, and this happened three times. Then the angel recited:

"Read in the name of your Lord who created…"— Sahih al-Bukhari, from 'A'ishah رضي الله عنها

He returned with it, his heart trembling, and said to Khadijah, "Wrap me, wrap me." When the fear had passed he told her what had happened and said, "I feared for myself." Khadijah replied that Allah would never disgrace him — he maintained ties of kinship, spoke the truth, carried the burdens of others, provided for the destitute, honoured guests, and helped in times of hardship. She then took him to Waraqah ibn Nawfal, who recognised what he had seen and said this was the same namus (the angelic revelation) that had come to Musa.

Why the majority hold this view

A second report, from Jabir رضي الله عنه, says the first thing revealed was "O you who covers himself" (Surah al-Muddaththir). The scholars reconciled the two, and Ibn Kathir, Ibn al-Qayyim and Ibn Taymiyyah all concluded that al-'Alaq came first. Ibn al-Qayyim, in Zad al-Ma'ad, gives four reasons, summarised by IslamWeb (fatwa 145043):

• "I am not a reader" proves it: the Prophet's ﷺ reply shows he had not read anything before that moment.
• The order of the commands: the command to read precedes the command to warn. He first read within himself, then was commanded to warn with what he had read.
• 'A'ishah's report is stronger: Jabir's statement was his own view, whereas 'A'ishah narrated directly from the Prophet ﷺ about his own experience.
• Jabir's own narration confirms it: in it the Prophet ﷺ says the angel who came to him at Hira appeared to him again — showing the Hira revelation had already occurred before al-Muddaththir.

Ibn Taymiyyah, in Majmu' al-Fatawa, states that the first thing revealed was "Read in the name of your Lord" according to the vast majority of scholars, and that this is the sounder view. He explains the distinction: by "Read" he was commanded to recite, not yet to deliver the message, and by that he became a prophet; by "Arise and warn" he was commanded to warn, and by that he became a messenger.

The two "firsts" are not a contradiction

Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen explains that statements about "the first thing revealed" fall into two categories. The first is unrestricted — and that is unquestionably the first five verses of Surah al-'Alaq. The second is restricted to a particular sense, such as the first revelation after the pause in revelation, or the first revelation concerning the mission to warn. Jabir's report refers to the first revelation after the interval, which is why the scholars said the Prophet ﷺ was made a prophet by "Read" and sent as a messenger by "al-Muddaththir."

Key takeaways

• The first revelation was the opening five verses of Surah al-'Alaq (Qur'an 96:1–5), sent down in the cave of Hira.
• The majority of scholars, including Ibn Kathir, Ibn al-Qayyim and Ibn Taymiyyah, hold this position over the report naming Surah al-Muddaththir.
• Jabir's report is understood as referring to the first revelation after the pause, not the very first revelation.
• The Prophet ﷺ was made a prophet by "Read" and a messenger by "Arise and warn."
• The passage establishes the honour of knowledge: Allah taught man by the pen what he did not know.

Further reading

• Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Qur'an al-'Azim, commentary on Surah al-'Alaq
• Ibn al-Qayyim, Zad al-Ma'ad
• Ibn Taymiyyah, Majmu' al-Fatawa

And Allah knows best.