Yahya bin Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that I asked Abu Salamah bin Abdur Rahman (may Allah have mercy on him): Which verse of the Qur'an was revealed first? Abu Salamah replied: "Ya ayyuhal muddathir (O you who are wrapped up in a garment)." I said to him: "I have heard that 'Iqra' bismi rabbika allathee khalaq' was revealed first." He said: "I am telling you what I heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I secluded myself in the cave of Hira. When I had completed that period and came down and reached the middle of the valley, I was called. I looked in front of me, behind me, to my right and to my left, and I saw that the angel was sitting on a chair between the sky and the earth. Then I came to Khadijah and said to her: 'Cover me with a cloth and pour cold water over me.' And this verse was revealed to me: 'O you who are wrapped up in a garment, arise and warn, and magnify your Lord.' (Al-Muddathir: 31)"