Ajay Kumar at 19:33, 28 September 2023

2023-09-28T19:33:18Z

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{{short description|Holy mountain and peak in Saudi Arabia}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Jabal al-Nour
| native_name ={{native name|ar|جَبَل ٱلنُّوْر}}
| photo = Jabbal An-Nour - Makkah (2241558560).jpg
| photo_caption = Jabal al-Nour in the vicinity of [[Mecca]]
| elevation_m = 642
| elevation_ref =
| prominence_m =
| prominence_ref =
| listing =
| location = [[Makkah Province]], [[Hejaz]], [[Saudi Arabia]]
| coordinates = {{coord|21|27|29|N|39|51|41|E|type:mountain_region:SA_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| range = [[Hijaz Mountains]]
| range_coordinates =
| map = Saudi Arabia#
| map_alt = Map of Saudi Arabia Showing the location of Jabal al-Nour
| map_caption = Location of Jabal al-Nour in Saudi Arabia
| map_size =
| label = Jabal al-Nour
| label_position = right
}}

'''Jabal al-Nour''' ({{lang-ar|جَبَل ٱلنُّوْر|Jabal an-Nūr|lit=Mountain of the Light}} or 'Hill of the Illumination') is a [[mountain]] near [[Mecca]] in the [[Hejaz]] region of [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref name="Mecca2015">{{cite web |title=Jabal al-Nour (The Mountain Of Light) and Ghar Hira (Cave of Hira) |url=http://mecca.net/muslim-videos/jabal-al-nour-the-mountain-of-light-and-cave-of-hira/#/video/first-revelation-cave-of-hira |work=16 September 2015}}</ref> The mountain houses the [[Cave#Talus cave|grotto or cave]] of Hira' ({{lang-ar|غَار حِرَاء|Ghar-i-Hira|lit=Cave of Hira}}), which holds tremendous significance for [[Muslim]]s throughout the world, as it is here where the [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|Islamic prophet]] [[Muhammad in Islam|Muhammad]] is said to have received his [[Muhammad's first revelation|first revelation]] of the [[Quran]], which consisted of the first five [[Ayah|ayats]] of [[Al-Alaq|Surah Al-Alaq]] from the angel [[Gabriel in Islam|Jibra'il]] (as is pronounced in certain [[Qira'at|Quran recitation schools]] and some Arab tribes; also known as [[Gabriel]]).<ref name="icoh">{{cite web |publisher=Witness-Pioneer |title=In the Cave of Hira' |url=http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/SM_tsn/ch1s7.html |url-status=dead |access-date=2018-04-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080215232900/http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/SM_tsn/ch1s7.html |archive-date=2008-02-15 }}</ref> It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Makkah. The mountain itself is barely {{convert|640|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall; nonetheless one to two hours are needed to make the strenuous hike to the cave. There are 1750 steps to the top which, even for a fit individual, can take anywhere between half an hour and one-and-a-half hours.

==Etymology==
This is where Muhammad is said to have had his [[Muhammad's first revelation|first revelation]] and received five verses of the [[Quran]], the mountain was given the title ''Jabal an-Nūr'' ("Mountain of the Light" or "Mountain of the [[Enlightenment (spiritual)|Enlightenment]]"). This experience is sometimes identified with the beginning of revelation; hence the present name.<ref name=Weir>{{cite encyclopedia |last1=Weir |first1=T.H. |last2=Watt |first2=W. Montgomery |title=Ḥirāʾ |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam |date=24 April 2012 |edition=2nd |editor-first1=P. |editor-last1=Bearman |editor-first2=Th. |editor-last2=Bianquis |editor-first3=C.E. |editor-last3=Bosworth |editor-first4=E. |editor-last4=van Donzel |editor-first5=W.P. |editor-last5=Heinrichs |publisher=Brill Online |access-date=7 October 2013 |url=http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/hira-SIM_2890}}</ref> The date of the first revelation is said to be during the night on August 10, 610 [[Anno Domini|A.D.]] or, Monday the 21st of [[Ramadan]],{{Citation needed|date=March 2023}} making Muhammad 40 lunar years, 6 months and 12 days of age, i.e. 39 solar years, 3 months and 22 days.<ref name=Mubarakpuri1998>{{cite book |last=Mubārakpūrī |first=Ṣafī R. |title=When the Moon Split (A Biography of the Prophet Muhammad) |publisher=Darussalam |place=Riyadh |date=1998 |url=https://archive.org/details/when-the-moon-split-a-biography-of-proph |pages=32}}</ref>

==Appearance==
One physical feature that differentiates Jabal al-Nour from other mountains and hills is its unusual summit, which makes it look as if two mountains are on top of each other. The top of this mountain in the mountainous desert is one of the loneliest of places. However, the cave within, which [[Qibla|faces the direction]] of the [[Kaaba]], is even more isolated. While standing in the courtyard back then, people could only look over the surrounding rocks. Nowadays, people can see the surrounding rocks as well as buildings that are hundreds of meters below and hundreds of meters to many kilometers away. Hira is both without water or vegetation other than a few thorns. Hira is higher than Thabīr ({{lang|ar|ثَبِيْر}}),{{efn|A peak in the area of [[Mina, Saudi Arabia]].<ref name="EOI2017Thabīr">{{citation |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia of Islam]] |title=T̲h̲abīr |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |edition=2 |url=http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/thabir-SIM_7505?s.num=5 |year=2017 |access-date=2018-04-11}}</ref><ref name="Schadler2017Thabir">{{cite book |last=Schadler |first=Peter |title=John of Damascus and Islam: Christian Heresiology and the Intellectual Background to Earliest Christian-Muslim Relations |page=158 |chapter=4 |publisher=Brill |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6NBCDwAAQBAJ |isbn=978-9004356054 |year=2017}}</ref>}} and is crowned by a steep and slippery peak, which Muhammad with some companions once climbed.<ref>Weir, T. H.. "Ḥirāʾ." Encyclopaedia of Islam, First Edition (1913-1936). Edited by M. Th. Houtsma, [[T.W. Arnold]], R. Basset, R. Hartmann. Brill Online, 2013. Reference. Augustana College. 07 October 2013 <http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-1/hira-SIM_2820></ref>

== Geology ==
The mountain is composed of [[Intrusive rock|intrusive igneous rocks]], predominantly [[Precambrian]] aged coarse grained [[hornblende]] [[tonalite]], with subordinate [[granodiorite]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Youssef |first1=Ahmed M. |last2=Pradhan |first2=Biswajeet |last3=Al-Kathery |first3=Mohamed |last4=Bathrellos |first4=George D. |last5=Skilodimou |first5=Hariklia D. |date=January 2015 |title=Assessment of rockfall hazard at Al-Noor Mountain, Makkah city (Saudi Arabia) using spatio-temporal remote sensing data and field investigation |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1464343X1400329X |journal=Journal of African Earth Sciences |language=en |volume=101 |pages=309–321 |doi=10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2014.09.021|bibcode=2015JAfES.101..309Y }}</ref>

==Cave of Hira==
[[Image:Cave Hira.jpg|thumb|The entrance to the Cave of Hira in the mountain]]

The Cave of Hira was of minor significance before Islam, its name comes from ''hira'' (jewels). Taking 1750 walking steps to reach, it is about {{convert|12|ft|abbr=on|order=flip}} in length and {{convert|5|ft|3|in|abbr=on|order=flip}} in width.<ref name="icoh"/> It is at a height of {{convert|270|m|abbr=on}}.<ref name="tour">{{cite web |publisher=Saudi Tourism |url=http://www.sauditourism.com.sa/en/Provinces/news.aspx?NewsID=26 |url-status=dead |title=Saudi Tourism |access-date=2018-04-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008111737/http://www.sauditourism.com.sa/en/Provinces/news.aspx?NewsID=26 |archive-date=2011-10-08 }}</ref> During the ''[[Hajj]]'' (pilgrimage), an estimated five thousand visitors climb to it daily to see the place where Muhammad is believed to have received the first revelation of the Quran on the ''[[Laylat al-Qadr]]'' (night of power) by the angel [[Gabriel|Jibreel (Gabriel)]].<ref name="tour"/> Most Muslims do not consider visiting the cave an integral part of the Hajj. Nonetheless many visit it for reasons of personal pleasure and spirituality, and though some consider it a place of worship, this view conflicts with [[Salafist]] interpretations of Islamic ritual. While the cave plays an important role in ''[[Prophetic biography|As-Sīrah an-Nabawiyyah]]'' (prophetic biography), it is not considered as holy as other sites in Mecca, such as the [[Al-Haram Mosque]], and so under most interpretations of [[Islam]], the same reward is received for praying here as any other place in Mecca.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Multiplication of reward for prayer in Makkah and Madeenah - Islamweb - Fatwas|url=https://www.islamweb.net/en/fatwa/350878/multiplication-of-reward-for-prayer-in-makkah-and-madeenah|access-date=2021-07-12|website=www.islamweb.net}}</ref>

Before Muhammad's first revelation, he had [[Transcendence (religion)|transcendental]] dreams, in which were signs that his prophethood had begun and that the stones in Mecca would greet him with the ''[[As-salamu alaykum|salaam]]''. These dreams lasted for six months.<ref name=Mubarakpuri1998/>

An increasing need for solitude led Muhammad to seek seclusion and meditation ([[Muraqabah]]) in the rocky hills which surrounded Mecca.<ref>{{cite book |last=Peterson |first=Daniel C. |title=Muhammad, prophet of Allah |place=Grand Rapids, Mich. |date=2013}}</ref> He retreated to the cave for one month each year, engaging in seclusion ([[Taḥannuth|Tahannuth]]).{{efn|It has a number of meanings,<ref name="EOI2017Taḥannuth">{{citation |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopedia of Islam]] |title=Taḥannut̲h̲ |publisher=Brill |edition=2 |url=http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/tahannuth-SIM_7304?s.num=114&s.start=100 |year=2017 |access-date=2018-04-11}}</ref><ref name="Kister1968">{{citation |author=Kister, M. J. |title="Al-Taḥannuth": An Inquiry into the Meaning of a Term |website=Kister.huji.ac.il |volume=31 |number=2 |pages=223–236 |url=http://www.kister.huji.ac.il/sites/default/files/Tahannuth.pdf |year=1968 |access-date=2018-04-11}}</ref> one of which is 'self-justification', as practised by the tribe of [[Quraysh]] during the ''[[Jahiliyyah|Jāhiliyyah]]''.}}<ref name=Weir/><ref name=Tabari>{{cite book |last=al-Tabarī |first=Abū Ja'far Muhammad B. Jarīr |editor-first1=W. Montgomery |editor-last1=Watt |editor-first2=M.V. |editor-last2=McDonald |date=1988 |trans-title=The history of al-Tabarī |title=Ta'rīkh al-rusul wa'l-mulūk |volume=6 |place=Albany, N.Y. |publisher=State University of New York Press}}</ref> He took provisions and fed the poor who came to him. Before returning home to his family for more provisions, he would circumambulate the Kaaba seven times.<ref name=Tabari/>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Gable Noor.JPG|View of Jabal al-Nour
File:Hira mağarası.jpg|People entering the Cave of Hira
File:جبل النور مكة.jpg|Overview of Jabal an-Nour
File:Jabl_e_Noor.jpg|Cave Hira
File:Jabl_e_Noor_2.jpg|Jabal e Noor
File:Great Mosque of Mecca1.jpg|A photograph of [[Mecca]] in 2019, featuring ''[[Great Mosque of Mecca|Al-Masjid Al-Haram]]'' in the foreground, and Jabal an-Nour in the background. [[Abu Qubays (mountain)|Jabal Abu Qubays]] is to east of the mosque, in the right hand side of the photograph.
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Saudi Arabia|Geography}}
* [[Biblical Mount Sinai]]
* [[Cumorah]]
* [[Holiest sites in Islam]]
* [[Sacred mountains]]
* [[Sarawat Mountains|Sarat Mountains]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.3dmekanlar.com/en/mount-hira.html 3D Tour of Hira Cave]
* [http://www.spinattic.com/tour.php?id=3213 360° Virtual Tour of Hira Cave]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/4578168.stm#Pictures In pictures: Hajj preparations] (Pictures #4 and #5 are of Jabal an-Nūr and the Hira cave)

{{Mountains in the Arabian Peninsula}}{{Holiest sites in Shia Islam}}

[[Category:Mountains of Saudi Arabia|Nour, Jabal]]
[[Category:Gabriel]]
[[Category:Islamic holy places]]

Jabal al-Nour - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 19:33, 28 September 2023