It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyidah Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her): "Indeed, I see a light, I hear a voice, and I fear that some madness has afflicted me." In response, she said: "O son of Abdullah! Allah will never do such a thing to you." Then she went to Waraqah bin Nawfal and told him the whole matter. He said: "If you are truthful, then this is the same Namus (angel) as came to Musa (peace be upon him). If you are commissioned (as a Prophet) during my lifetime, I will support you, assist you, and I will believe in you."

Narrated from Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), she says: The beginning of revelation to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was in the form of true dreams during sleep. Whatever dream he (peace and blessings be upon him) saw, it would come true like the break of dawn. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) began to prefer seclusion and would go to the Cave of Hira and worship there for several nights, taking provisions for those days. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) would return to Sayyida Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) and take provisions again for as many days, until one day suddenly the Truth came to him (peace and blessings be upon him) while he was in the Cave of Hira. The angel came to him (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: Read. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I am not one who reads. So he took hold of me and pressed me so hard that I felt great difficulty, then he released me and said: Read. I said: I am not one who reads. He again took hold of me and pressed me until I felt great difficulty, then he released me and said again: Read. I said: I am not one who reads. He took hold of me a third time and pressed me, and I felt great difficulty, then he said: {اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّکَ الَّذِیْ خَلَقَ … … مَا لَمْ یَعْلَمْ} Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) returned home, while the flesh of his shoulders was trembling. He (peace and blessings be upon him) reached Sayyida Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) and said: Cover me! So they covered him until his fear subsided. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Khadijah! What has happened to me? Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) narrated the whole incident to her and said: I fear for myself. But she said: Never! Be happy, by Allah! Allah will never disgrace you, for you maintain ties of kinship, speak the truth, bear the burdens of others, host guests, and help in matters of truth. Then Sayyida Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) took him (peace and blessings be upon him) to Waraqah bin Nawfal, who was her cousin. In the time of ignorance, he had adopted Christianity, and since he could write in Arabic, he used to write the Gospel in Arabic. He was an old man and had become blind. Sayyida Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) said to him: O son of my uncle! Listen to your nephew. Waraqah said: Nephew! What do you see? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) narrated everything in detail. Waraqah said: This is the same Namus (angel) who was sent down to Musa (peace be upon him). Would that I were strong when your people will drive you out. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Will they drive me out? Waraqah said: Yes, no man has ever brought anything like what you have brought except that he was opposed, and if I live to see that day, I will support you strongly. But soon after, Waraqah passed away and the revelation stopped. Now the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was grieved, and indeed it reached us that his grief increased so much that he (peace and blessings be upon him) wished several times to throw himself from the tops of mountains. Whenever he (peace and blessings be upon him) climbed to the top of a mountain to throw himself down, Jibreel (peace be upon him) would appear before him and say: O Muhammad! Indeed, you are truly the Messenger of Allah. This would lessen the anxiety in his (peace and blessings be upon him) heart and his soul would be at ease, so he (peace and blessings be upon him) would return. When the period would become prolonged and the revelation would remain suspended, he (peace and blessings be upon him) would do the same again, and when he reached the top of the mountain, Jibreel (peace be upon him) would appear to him and repeat the same words as before.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, he says: When revelation began to descend upon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he was forty years old, then he stayed in Makkah Mukarramah for thirteen years and in Madinah Munawwarah for ten years, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away at the age of sixty-three.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) also narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed in Makkah for fifteen years; during seven of those years, he would see light and hear voices, and for eight years, revelation continued to descend. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) resided in Madinah Munawwarah for ten years.

Mawla Bani Hashim Ammar narrates, he says: I asked Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) about the age of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at the time of his passing. He said: I did not think that a person like you, who lived among the people of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), would be unaware of this matter. I said: I have asked, but there has been disagreement among us, so I wanted to know your opinion on this matter. He said: Can you calculate? I said: Yes. He said: Add up—the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent at the age of forty, then he stayed in Makkah for fifteen years, during which there was both peace and fear, then when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) migrated to Madinah, he stayed there for ten years.

It is narrated from ‘Ala bin Ziyad ‘Adawi that he said to Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him): O Abu Hamzah! When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent as a Prophet, how old was he at that time? He said: Forty years. He asked: Then what happened? He said: Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed in Makkah for ten years and in Madinah for ten years, thus his age became sixty years, then Allah Almighty caused him (peace and blessings be upon him) to pass away. He asked: In those days, what kind of age did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) appear to be? He said: Like the most vigorous youth, the most handsome and well-built. He asked: O Abu Hamzah! Did you participate in jihad with the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Yes, I was with him (peace and blessings be upon him) at the Battle of Hunayn.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I secluded myself in the Cave of Hira for a month. When I completed this period and descended to the open area of the valley, I was called. I looked in front of me, behind me, to my right, and to my left, but I saw nothing. Then I was called again. I looked in the same way, but I could not see anyone. Then I was called again. This time, when I raised my head, I saw that the angel was sitting on a throne in the air. In another narration: He was sitting on a throne between the heaven and the earth. This caused me to tremble severely. I went to Khadijah and said: Cover me with a blanket. So they covered me with a blanket and poured water over me. Then Allah Almighty revealed these verses: O you who are wrapped in a blanket, arise and warn, and magnify your Lord, and purify your garments.

It is narrated from Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that Jibreel (peace be upon him) came to the Noble Prophet riding a Turkish horse. He had tied a turban, and its end was between his shoulders. When I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) about him, he said: Did you see him? That was Jibreel (peace be upon him).

Sayyiduna Abu Salamah narrates from a man that this man passed by the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, while he, peace and blessings be upon him, was whispering with Jibreel, peace be upon him. That man refrained from coming close to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, out of fear that he might overhear his conversation. When morning came, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to that man: "When you passed by us last night, what prevented you from greeting us with salam?" He said: "I saw you whispering with a man, so I feared that perhaps you would dislike my coming near." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Do you know who that man was?" He said: "No." The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "That was Jibreel, peace be upon him. If you had greeted him with salam, he would have replied to your salam." The narrator says: I heard from other than Abu Salamah that he was Sayyiduna Harithah bin Nu'man, may Allah be pleased with him.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them both), he says: I asked the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! Do you feel the revelation? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Yes, when I hear resounding sounds, I become silent at that moment. Whenever revelation is sent to me, I feel as if my soul is about to depart.