A third time, the angel held him firmly and then released him, and the first words of the Qur'an descended—but not the first chapter. Instead, the first revelation was the beginning of Surah Al-Alaq (96): "Read in the name of your Lord who created..." The Prophet rushed home to his wife Khadijah, shaken but certain that he had encountered something divine. For the next two years, revelations came in fragments. Then, one day, after the Prophet had begun to preach secretly, Jibreel appeared again. This time, the angel taught him the opening chapter of the Book—Al-Fatihah. The angel said:
One night, during the month of Ramadan, as he sat wrapped in his cloak, the angel Jibreel (Gabriel) appeared in the narrow cave. The angel's presence filled the space with a light that was not of this world. Jibreel squeezed the Prophet tightly and commanded: al quran 1
When the Prophet recited it to his closest companions, they felt a profound shift. It was as if the entire message of the Qur'an—tawhid (oneness of God), mercy, judgment, worship, guidance, and supplication—was condensed into seven verses. The Prophet said, "Al-Fatihah is the cure for every disease" and "No prayer is valid without it." Years later, in Medina, a companion named Abu Sa'id al-Khudri narrated a remarkable event. A group of the Prophet's companions set out on a journey and camped near a tribe of Bedouins. The chieftain of that tribe was stung by a scorpion or bitten by a snake (the narrations vary). His people tried everything—incantations, herbal remedies—but he lay writhing in pain, his face turning dark. A third time, the angel held him firmly
Then the servant says, "You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help." Allah says: "This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks for." Then, one day, after the Prophet had begun