(Revealed before Hijrah)
The first five verses of the Surah are universally admitted to be the first revelation which descended upon the Holy Prophet in Cave Hira’ in a night in the month of Ramadan, 13 years before Hijrah. This date corresponds to 610 A.D. On that "Night of Destiny" when the Holy Prophet lay on the floor of the Cave, his mind locked in deep contemplation, these verses were revealed and the words became branded on his soul. 'These verses are the first act of mercy with which God blessed His servants' (Kathir). The connection of this Surah, with the one preceding it, consists in the fact that in that Surah it was stated that from time immemorial God had been sending His Messengers and Prophets to whom He revealed His Will. First came Adam who was followed by Noah, and after a succession of Prophets appeared Moses, the greatest of the Israelite Prophets, and last of all came the Holy Prophet. In this Surah it is stated that just as the birth of man is the result of a gradual process of development, so is his spiritual evolution. The Prophets whose examples were cited in the preceding Surah attained to different stages of spiritual development, but the Holy Prophet represents in his person the best specimen of man’s complete spiritual evolution.