This is a special issue of the journal dedicated to an important aspect of the history of the Qur’an.

Certain narratives recorded in some primary books of Hadith narrate the account of the first contact of Muhammad (sws) with the divine. It speaks of his month-long stays in the cave of Hira’. It is stated that while he was meditating during one of these stays, he is said to have received the first revelation from God when Gabriel spoke to him on His behalf.

In this article, a critical analysis of the text and chain of narration of these narratives will be conducted in the following sequence:

I A Representative Text

II Critical Analysis

A. Criticism on the Text

B. Criticism on the Chain

III Conclusion

IV Appendices

A. Questionable Personality of Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri

B. Evaluation of the Chains of Narration

C. Mursal Variants