Jabal al-Nour

Jabal al-Nour
Jabal al-Nour in the vicinity of Mecca
Highest point
Elevation642 m (2,106 ft)
Coordinates21°27′29″N 39°51′41″E / 21.45806°N 39.86139°E / 21.45806; 39.86139
Naming
Native nameجَبَلُ ٱلنُّورِ (Arabic)
Geography
Jabal al-Nour is located in Saudi Arabia
Jabal al-Nour
Jabal al-Nour
Location within Saudi Arabia
LocationMakkah Province, Hejaz, Saudi Arabia
Parent rangeHijaz Mountains

Jabal al-Nour (Arabic: جَبَل ٱلنُّوْر, romanized: Jabal an-Nūr, lit. 'Mountain of the Light' or 'Hill of the Illumination') is a mountain near Mecca in the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia. The mountain houses the grotto or cave of Hira (Arabic: غَار حِرَاء, romanized: Ghar-i-Hira, lit. 'Cave of Hira'). It is here where the Islamic prophet Muhammad is said to have received his first revelation of the Quran from the angel Jibra'il, which consists of the first five ayat of Surah Al-Alaq. The mountain itself is barely 640 m (2,100 ft) tall; nonetheless one to two hours are needed to make the strenuous hike to the cave. There are 1750 steps to the top which can take anywhere between half an hour and three hours. Jabal al-Nour is a major tourist destination for visitors and pilgrims. However, access is restricted to Muslims, as non-Muslims are not permitted to enter Mecca.

Etymology

The mountain is where Muhammad is said to have had his first revelation and received five verses of the Quran, and was given the title Jabal an-Nūr ("Mountain of the Light" or "Mountain of the Enlightenment"). This experience is sometimes identified with the beginning of revelation; hence the present name. The date of the first revelation is said to have occurred on Laylat al-Qadr, one of the last 10 nights of Ramadan, suggested to have been around August of 610 A.D.

Appearance

One physical feature that differentiates Jabal al-Nour from other mountains and hills is its unusual summit, which makes it look as if two mountains are on top of each other. Hira is both without water and vegetation other than a few thorns. Hira is higher than Thabīr (ثَبِيْر), and is crowned by a steep and slippery peak, which Muhammad with some companions once climbed.

Geology

The mountain is composed of intrusive igneous rocks, predominantly Precambrian aged coarse grained hornblende tonalite, with subordinate granodiorite.

Cave of Hira

The entrance to the Cave of Hira in the mountain

The Cave of Hira was of minor significance before Islam. Taking 1750 walking steps to reach, it is about 3.7 m (12 ft) in length and 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) in width. It is at a height of 270 m (890 ft). During the Hajj (pilgrimage), an estimated five thousand visitors climb to it daily to see the place where Muhammad is believed to have received the first revelation of the Quran on the Laylat al-Qadr (night of power) by the angel Jibreel (Gabriel). Most Muslims do not consider visiting the cave an integral part of the Hajj. Nonetheless, many visit it for reasons of personal pleasure and spirituality, and though some consider it a place of worship, this view conflicts with Salafist interpretations of Islamic ritual. While the cave plays an important role in As-Sīrah an-Nabawiyyah (prophetic biography), it is not considered as holy as other sites in Mecca, such as the Al-Haram Mosque, and so under most interpretations of Islam, the same reward is received for praying here as at any other place in Mecca.

According to Islamic tradition, before Muhammad's first revelation, he had transcendental dreams, in which were signs that his prophethood had begun and that the stones in Mecca would greet him with the salaam. These dreams lasted for six months.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Jabal al-Nour (The Mountain Of Light) and Ghar Hira (Cave of Hira)". Mecca. 16 September 2015.
  2. 1 2 "In the Cave of Hira'". Witness-Pioneer. Archived from the original on 2008-02-15. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  3. ↑ "Jabal Al Nour". ALL Makkah & Madinah. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  4. ↑ "Which Mountain Witnessed the First Revelation of the Quran and the Beginning of the Prophet's Message". Saudi Press Agency. 17 July 2026. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
  5. ↑ "Saudi Arabia Travel Advisory". United States Department of State. Retrieved 8 September 2026.
  6. ↑ Weir, T.H.; Watt, W. Montgomery (24 April 2012). "Ḥirāʾ". In Bearman, P.; Bianquis, Th.; Bosworth, C.E.; van Donzel, E.; Heinrichs, W.P. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam (2nd ed.). Brill Online. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  7. ↑ "Surah Al-Qadr - 1-5". Quran.com. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  8. ↑ "T̲h̲abīr", Encyclopedia of Islam (2 ed.), Brill, 2017, retrieved 2018-04-11
  9. ↑ Schadler, Peter (2017). "4". John of Damascus and Islam: Christian Heresiology and the Intellectual Background to Earliest Christian-Muslim Relations. Brill. p. 158. ISBN 978-9004356054.
  10. ↑ Weir, T. H.. "Ḥirāʾ." Encyclopaedia of Islam, First Edition (1913-1936). Edited by M. Th. Houtsma, T.W. Arnold, R. Basset, R. Hartmann. Brill Online, 2013. Reference. Augustana College. 07 October 2013 <http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-1/hira-SIM_2820>
  11. ↑ Youssef, Ahmed M.; Pradhan, Biswajeet; Al-Kathery, Mohamed; Bathrellos, George D.; Skilodimou, Hariklia D. (January 2015). "Assessment of rockfall hazard at Al-Noor Mountain, Makkah city (Saudi Arabia) using spatio-temporal remote sensing data and field investigation". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 101: 309–321. Bibcode:2015JAfES.101..309Y. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2014.09.021.
  12. 1 2 "Saudi Tourism". Saudi Tourism. Archived from the original on 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  13. ↑ "Multiplication of reward for prayer in Makkah and Madeenah - Islamweb - Fatwas". www.islamweb.net. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  14. ↑ Mubārakpūrī, Ṣafī R. (1998). When the Moon Split (A Biography of the Prophet Muhammad). Riyadh: Darussalam. p. 32.