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In Ghar Heraa
where time
changed.. |
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Text and Photographs; Ahmad
Khalil, MD, PhD . |
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The first word of
the Quran to be revealed to mankind was:
Read..
Place: a remote
cave in the outskirts of Mecca; the Cave or Ghar of Heraa
For several years
before the quran was revealed to Mohammed, may God bless him, He would go
during the month of Ramadan to a remote cave in a mountain at the
outskirts of Mecca, leaving behind the turbulences of everyday life, and
contemplating in a serene mountainscape.
In a glorious moment in time,
he was took by surprise and panic when the angel Gabriel, unknown to him
came telling him to read, and the first words of the Quran were revealed
to him and mankind.
That was one of the
greatest moments in history, probably the greatest at all; a moment when
the history of mankind changed like it never did before, and probably will
never change!
That was in the Cave
or Ghar of Heraa in what became to be known as the Mountain of Light (Jabal
An-Nour).
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Jabal An-Nour; Mountain of Light, where the Cave of
Heraa is located near its summit. The upper part of the summit is
quite a rough terrain with acute ascent except its eastern part (right
in the picture). The height of the mountain from ground level is
probably 800-900 meters; not an easy climb. The cave is located just
20 meters below the top tip (arrow). To reach it, one has to get to
the top first, then make an acute descent to the cave level. |
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It was always a dream to visit Ghar
Heraa, the place where the prophet, may God bless him, went regularly each
year before he would know that he is to become the messenger of God, and
the place where the first words of the Quran were revealed to him in
a glorious night.
I always thought of the place a s a
cave in the middle of a nearby meccan mountain in the middle of one of the
relatively low Meccan mountains we see surrounding Mecca. I was wrong! One
afternoon, I picked a taxi from the city about an hour before sunset
thinking that I would make a fast climb to the 100 or 200 meter cave and
come down before dark, The Meccan driver smiled saying that that would be
difficult to make in that day. I insisted to see the mountain at least,
and in my inside thinking, I believed I could do it, it should not be that
difficult. After all, I made some difficult climbs before.
I was stunned when the car stopped at
the base of a mighty mountain, 800 or 900 meters in height. My determination slightly
fading, but still wishful, I asked where the cave is in the mountain, and
the driver pointed to no other point but the absolute top of that mountain, 1/3 of it rough terrain!!!
I had to postpone for
another couple of years before I had another chance to visit Mecca, and in
that day, I started just after dawn!
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The beginning of the ascent at the mountain base,
the small figures and the size of the buildings of this Meccan suburb
betray the distances |
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A primitive resting spot on the way up, where you
can get some mineral water and religious sites postcards
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Along the years, the road up is being paved by
volunteers like this one |
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a moment of
high traffic on the road |
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The Summit of
the mountain, where one has to pass before reaching the cave some 20
meters down the other side. |
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The cave (Ghar
heraa) as it first looked from the summit |
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Ghar Heraa as
seen from the summit, a natural balcony lies just in front,
overlooking almost 180 degrees of serene surroundings |
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A steep
descent from the summit to the Cave level. Probably there were no
stairs during the days of the prophet |
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After
descending these stairs, one finds almost a blind ended road; the
cliff to the left and ahead, a collection of large rocks with very
little space in between, I stood confused for a good while; where is
the cave?! I then saw a man emerging out of a narrow slit between the
rocks. So that was the way. That slit would hardly allow an average
built man to pass. It leads to a slightly wider space inside the
rocks, then narrower again with a lower roof, for which you have to
bow to pass. Doing so, one finds himself in a something like a small
isolated courtyard, half in shade by overhanging rocks. Opening into
this courtyard is the Cave of Heraa |
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Passing these overhanging stones, one would not think that there is a
road inside which leads to anything. They do, however, lead to the
pristine Cave of Heraa |
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The
inside of
the Cave of Heraa |
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In
the small courtyard in front of the cave entrance, half in shade by
the overhanging rocks, this is a perfect place to get away from
earthly thoughts |
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the pristine
view seen from the private courtyard in front of the cave entrance |
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The summit of
Jabal An-Nour as seen from the cave area. This is the only point where
the existence of the cave can be known. Otherwise, the cave is so
isolated and hidden from view from any other surrounding |
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