Muhammad described
the archangel, Gabriel, as having six-hundred wings and whose figure
and size covered the entire horizon. (Sahih Muslim Book:
Book 001, No. 0330 and Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 4, Book 54, No. 457-458)
Muhammad
was inside the cave during this encounter when he heard the voice
of Gabriel instruct him to "Recite!" Muhammad replied that he
was unable to read, and upon the third instruction to recite,
the angel began to reveal teachings that would later be compiled into
the Qur'an.
The initial encounter greatly frightened Muhammad,
causing him to fall to the ground. He then went home seeking
to hide under a blanket. His account is recorded as follows:
"...as
I was walking, I heard a voice in the sky, and when I looked up towards
the sky, to my surprise, I saw the angel who had come to me in the
Hira Cave, and he was sitting on a chair in between the sky and the
earth. I was so frightened by him that I fell on the ground and came
to my family and said,...Cover me! Cover me!" (Sahih Bukhari: Vol
4, Book 54, No.461)
Muhammad conveyed the frightening experience to his
wife, Khadijah, who questioned him about what he saw and heard. She
subsequently assured him that he must have been receiving messages
from God.
As Muhammad began to share his "angelic" encounters
with others, many began to question the authenticity of his
claims. It was then during another encounter with the angel, Gabriel,
that Muhammad received the following revelation in reponse to those
who were doubting him:
" Therefore proclaim thou praises (of
thy Lord): for by the Grace of thy Lord, thou art no (vulgar) soothsayer,
nor art thou one possessed.
(Qur'an: 052.029)
Islamic theology
teaches that Muhammad's communication from the angel, Gabriel,
was spoken in the Arabic language and continued for approximately
twenty-three years until the death of the Islamic prophet at the age
of sixty-three. Various translations of the Qur'an have since
been made, however, the Arabic version is said to be the purest document
and many Islamic prayers are encouraged to be recited in the Arabic
language.