When Rasulullah was forty years old, an angel appeared in the
cave of Hira and commanded him three times to 'Read'. Rasulullah
replied that he could not. The angel then recited the following
verses as the first revelations of the Quran then disappeared:
This Divine incident so affected Rasulullah that he hurried home
and he related the incident to Hazrat Khadeejah (R.A.) When
Rasulullah said he was afraid for his life, Hazrat Khadeejah
(R.A.) comforted him and said 'you should feel happy. Allah will
never let you down because you have been loving, helpful,
truthful, and you are 'Fair'. After this granting of
apostleship, Rasulullah began to preach Islam. The first man to
become a Muslim was his closest friend Hazrat Abu Bakr (R.A.)
and first women was his beloved wife Hazrat Others who became
Muslims willingly were Hazrat Ali-ibn-Abu Taalib (R.A.), the
young cousin of Rasulullah , and Hazrat Zaid-bin-Harith (R.A.)
the freed slave of Rasulullah. Contents of the biography of the
Prophet Muhammed