Ayesha reported,

Aishah said, The first thing that came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was true dreams in his sleep. He never saw a dream but that it came to pass as clearly as the breaking of dawn. Then solitude was made dear to him, so he would withdraw to the cave of Hira and devote himself to worship there, the narrator explaining that the word used means devotion in worship, for a number of nights before returning to his family. He would take provisions with him for that, then return to Khadijah and take the like of it again, until the truth came upon him suddenly while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and said, "Recite."The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied, "I am not a reciter."The Prophet said, "He seized me and pressed me tightly until I was overcome with strain, then he released me and said, 'Recite.' I said, 'I am not a reciter.' So he seized me and pressed me a second time until I was overcome with strain, then he released me and said, 'Recite.' I said, 'I am not a reciter.' So he seized me and pressed me a third time until I was overcome with strain, then he released me and said, 'Recite in the name of your Lord who created, created man from a clinging clot. Recite, and your Lord is the Most Generous, who taught by the pen' [Alaq 96:1–4], on to the words, 'taught man what he did not know' [Alaq 96:5]."The Messenger of Allah ﷺ returned with it, the muscles of his shoulders trembling, until he came in to Khadijah and said, "Wrap me up, wrap me up." So they wrapped him until the terror left him.Then he said to Khadijah, "Khadijah, what is wrong with me? I fear for myself." And he told her what had happened.Khadijah said, "Not at all. Be glad. By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. By Allah, you keep the ties of kinship, you speak the truth, you bear the burdens of others, you provide for the destitute, you welcome the guest, and you help others in times of genuine hardship."Then Khadijah took him to Waraqah bin Nawfal, who was her cousin, the son of her father's brother. He was a man who had become a Christian in the days before Islam. He could write in Arabic script, and he wrote out from the Gospel in Arabic as much as Allah willed him to write. He was a very old man who had gone blind.Khadijah said, "Cousin, listen to your nephew."Waraqah asked, "Nephew, what is it you see?"The Prophet ﷺ told him what he had seen.Waraqah said, "This is the same revelation that was sent down to Musa. I wish I were a young man in those days. I wish I could be alive," and he mentioned something further.The Messenger of Allah ﷺ asked, "Will they really drive me out?"Waraqah replied, "Yes. No man has ever brought what you have brought without being persecuted. If I live to see your day, I will support you with all my strength."But it was not long before Waraqah died, and the revelation ceased for a time, until the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was grieved.

عن عائشة زوج النبي ﷺ

قالت: كان أول ما بدئ به رسول الله ﷺ الرؤيا الصادقة في النوم، فكان لا يرى رؤيا إلا جاءت مثل فلق الصبح، ثم حبب إليه الخلاء، فكان يلحق بغار حراء، فيتحنث فيه-قال: والتحنث: التعبد- الليالي ذوات العدد قبل أن يرجع إلى أهله، ويتزود لذلك، ثم يرجع إلى خديجة، فيتزود بمثلها، حتى فجئه الحق وهو في غار حراء، فجاءه الملك فقال: اقرأ. فقال رسول الله ﷺ: ما أنا بقارئ قال: فأخذني فغطني حتى بلغ مني الجهد ثم أرسلني، فقال: اقرأ. قلت: ما أنا بقارئ فأخذني فغطني الثانية حتى بلغ مني الجهد ثم أرسلني، فقال: اقرأ. قلت: ما أنا بقارئ فأخذني فغطني الثالثة حتى بلغ مني الجهد، ثم أرسلني فقال: {أقرأ باسم ربك الذي خلق خلق الإنسان من علق اقرأ وربك الأكرم الذي علم بالقلم} الآيات إلى قوله: {علم الإنسان ما لم يعلم}. فرجع بها رسول الله ﷺ ترجف بوادره، حتى دخل على خديجة فقال: زملوني زملوني، فزملوه حتى ذهب عنه الروع، قال لخديجة: أي: خديجة، ما لي لقد خشيت على نفسي؟ فأخبرها الخبر، قالت خديجة: كلا، أبشر، فوالله لا يخزيك الله أبدا، فوالله، إنك لتصل الرحم، وتصدق الحديث، وتحمل الكل، وتكسب المعدوم، وتقري الضيف، وتعين على نوائب الحق. فانطلقت به خديجة حتى أتت به ورقة بن نوفل-وهو ابن عم خديجة أخي أبيها، وكان امرءا تنصر في الجاهلية، وكان يكتب الكتاب العربي، ويكتب من الإنجيل بالعربية ماشاء الله أن يكتب، وكان شيخا كبيرا قد عمي، فقالت خديجة: يا ابن عم، اسمع من ابن أخيك. قال ورقة: يا ابن أخي ماذا ترى؟ فأخبره النبي ﷺ خبر ما رأى، فقال ورقة: هذا الناموس الذي أنزل على موسى، ليتني فيها جذع، ليتني أكون حيا-ذكر حرفا- قال رسول الله ﷺ: أو مخرجي هم؟ قال ورقة: نعم، لم يأت رجل بما جئت به إلا أوذي، وإن يدركني يومك حيا أنصرك نصرا مؤزرا. ثم لم ينشب ورقة أن توفي، وفتر الوحي فترة حتى حزن رسول الله ﷺ.