The Interruption of Revelation and the “Fall from a Height” Report: A Textual-Critical Study in Prophetic Biography

The interruption of revelation after the first encounter in the Cave of Ḥirāʾ is one of the frequently discussed episodes in the Prophetic biography. Classical sources, however, differ in identifying the duration of this interruption and in distinguishing it from other occasions in which revelation was delayed, such as the revelation of Sūrat al-Ḍuḥā and the Prophet’s response to questions concerning the People of the Cave. This overlap has contributed to interpretive confusion, particularly regarding the report that the Prophet Muhammad attempted to throw himself from a height due to distress over the pause in revelation. This study offers a textual-critical and analytical examination of these reports in order to clarify the duration of the first interruption of revelation and assess the authenticity and implications of the “fall from a height” narrative. By comparing biographical, exegetical, and hadith-based accounts, the study argues that delays in revelation concerning specific incidents should not be conflated with the initial interruption of revelation. The findings indicate that, according to the strongest scholarly opinions, the initial pause in revelation did not exceed one month. The study further shows that the report of attempted self-harm requires critical scrutiny and cannot be accepted unqualifiedly as a historically reliable account. The paper contributes to applied humanities by demonstrating how rigorous textual analysis can refine the interpretation of Islamic heritage texts, address contested narratives in the Prophetic biography, and support more responsible academic and educational engagement with early Islamic sources.