Nusr Digitally signed by

Nusrat K. Siddiqui
VISIT TO GHAR-E-HIRA (The Holy Cave near Makkah),
A UNIQUE FIELDWORK OF MY LIFE
by
at K. DN: cn=Nusrat K.
Siddiqui, c=PK,
email=nusrat.

Nusrat Kamal Siddiqui

General Manager Exploration
New Horizon Exploration and Production Limited (NHEPL)
Siddi kamal@gmail.
com
Date: 2010.11.14

Ph: 92-(021) 56833901-3 (O) , (021) 5855662 (R)

Cell: 0332-2105522
E-mail: nusrat.kamal@gmail.com
qui 23:34:18 +05'00'

nsiddiqui@nhepl.com

ABSTRACT
Ghar-e-Hira, the holy cave where the last Prophet Muhammad (SAW) used to go for meditation and
solace and where he eventually received God’s first revelation (Wahi) in 610 AD, is situated atop a hill
aptly named Jabal Al-Noor (the mount of the Divine Light). The mount itself is present at a distance of
about 5 km northeast of Ka’aba which is situated in the holy city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia.
Western half of Saudi Arabia, in geological terms, represents the so called ‘Shield Area’ where the
basement, consisting of igneous and metamorphic rocks, is exposed which, at places, is overlain by
lava flows. However, the eastern half represents world’s most prolific sedimentary basin containing
25% of the global oil reserves which is extremely cheap to exploit too. Deserts generally represent
the Saudi terrain whereas in the western part low relief mountains rise from the flat desert. At places
batholiths of acidic / intermediate rocks penetrate these hills, which being resistant to weathering,
stand out and occupy the highest point. Holy Ka’aba in Makkah is located in a depression
surrounded by hills composed of igneous rocks.
Jabal Al-Noor is one such mountain where a flattened-head batholith of granodioritic composition
rises vertically through its central part. The cave is located on the southwestern edge of the batholith
and is not a cave in its true geological sense. It is rather a perfect arrangement of steeply dipping
large blocks of rectangular shape. A tapering cavity has developed between this setting of joint blocks
to give it a shape of a small triangular cave which is pointing exactly in the direction of Ka’aba, while
Qibla-e-Awwal i.e. Baitul Maqdas (Masjid-e-Aqsa) is situated in the opposite direction to the north.
I did offer my prayers but could not resist the temptation to look at the cave with the eye of a
geologist, a surveyor and also in terms of its archeological importance / historical background.
The paper discusses the geology of the region, orientation of axis of the cave with reference to
Ka’aba and to the sun trajectory, being a perfect retreat and safe, fully ventilated and sunny, a rock
type which is immune to weathering etc., in detail.
The perfection of the location, an environment superbly suited for meditation and the orientation of
the cave, all made me think whether or not the cave was custom-made by God who Himself guided
the holy Prophet (SAW) towards it to prepare him for the enormous responsibilities he was destined
to undertake.

INTRODUCTION
I am a geologist and have been undertaking geological field trips since early 1960s, first as a student
and later as a professional geologist, both in Pakistan as well as abroad.
I first visited Saudi Arabia in 1977 (Umra) and 1978 (Haj) along with my wife Farkhanda, but on both
the occasions was somehow unable to visit Ghar-e-Hira (the Cave of Hira), which I regretted ever
since. I used to think that for the sake of my profession I have always been climbing mountains, and
why I did not climb Jabal Al-Noor, on top of which the most important cave in Prophet’s life is situated,
where he received the first revelation (Wahi) of God. Fortunately in 1998 again I had the opportunity
to visit Saudi Arabia. The timing was perfect as all of my family members were free at the same time -
a rare occasion, and so this time I performed the Umra along with my four kids and wife.
We arrived in Jeddah/Makkah Al-Mukarramah on 18th December, 1998 and the Ramazan in Saudia
started on 19th (1st Ramazan, 1419 Hijra).
It was the very last day of 1998 when I along with my eldest son Atif had the opportunity to climb the
hill, aptly named as Jabal Al-Noor (the mountain of Divine Light), on top of which the Holy Cave is
situated. My objective was not only religious. It also had historical, archeological and geological
aspects. The map attached as Figure-1 shows the area around Haram ( the Ka’aba precinct) and the
relative position of Ghar-e-Hira and Ghar-e-Thaur.

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We remained at the cave for about three hours, offered Nawafil (prayers) as and when it was possible
and calmly recited ‘Duroods’ (pray for Prophet). But the longer I stayed there the more thoughts kept
coming to my mind which made me realize more and more about the greatness of the Prophet
(SAW), revealing those facets of the ‘Insan-e Kamil’ (the most perfect human being), which may not
strictly be religious
only. But Islam, on the
other hand, is not a
religion but Deen - a
way of life. To be a
Momin (true Muslim)
is a perpetual state of
ibadat
(prayers/allegiance to
God) and ibadat in
Deen is not just
praying, or following
the five Rukuns
(pillars) of Islam but
each and every action
covering the entire
life, twenty four hours
of each single
breathing day.
Prophet’s (SAW) life
covers a full
spectrum, what a
human being could
possibly do in ones
life. Though our
Prophet’s (SAW) life
was an exception in a
sense that it was a
unique example of
what could be
humanly possible,
only with a perfection
to the hilt. His
phenomenal
achievements are not
possible by any other
human being. But at
the same time we do
not have any excuse,
what so ever, that we
can not at least
emulate the life he
passed, as our Nabi
(Messenger) was first
a human being, only
to a fabulous
perfection.
He was born in a
Fig-1: The map of Makkah and surrounding areas. Relative locations of Ghar-e-Hira and
most backward and
Ghar-e-Thaur are highlighted with dashed arrows and orientation of joints, at Hira, shown on
the top (modified after Farsi, Z.A. 1988 i.e. 1409 Hijra) desolate place on
earth. Nevertheless,
he promulgated a religion and law, the influence of which is still powerful and pervasive around the
world. Michael H. Hart (1978) ranks the Prophet (SAW) on top of the hundred most influential
personalities of the history and justifies his selection by the following statement, and I quote -‘ It is this
unparalleled combination of secular and religious influence which I feel entitles Muhammad to be
considered the most influential single figure in human history’.
The time, at the cave, seemed to have passed just like that and following narration is what caused the
time to pass so quickly:

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GEOLOGY
Western Saudi Arabia represents the so called ‘Shield Area’ (Fig-2) where igneous and metamorphic

Fig-2: Geological Map of Arabian Peninsula. Note the presence of Arabian Shield in the western part where Makkah & Madina
are located (modified after ARAMCO, 1980).

rocks, with localized lava flows, are exposed in the form of hills and medium size mountains, rising
from the desert sand. At places batholiths comprising of acidic / intermediate rocks penetrate these
hills, which being resistant to weathering occupy the highest point. Jabal Al-Noor is one such hill
where a flattened-head batholith rises vertically through its central part (Fig-3).

Fig-3: Jabal Al-Noor (the Mountain of Divine Light). Note the verticaly protruding batholith through the centre of mountain.

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The cave is located on the southwestern edge of the batholith and is not a cave in its true geological
sense. It is rather a perfect arrangement of steeply dipping large blocks, rectangular in shape and
dislocated along the jointing system. The joints strike at a bearing of about 40 degrees north and dip
at an angle of 55-60 degrees towards northwest (55-60 / 310 degrees). The fresh rock is devoid of
any soft material
along the rugged joint surfaces and hence the rainwater could not allow any movement within the
joint blocks. The ‘Shield Areas’ are the most stable regions of the earth’s crust and, therefore,
earthquakes do not occur which may disturb the juxtaposed joint blocks.
It seems that this geometrical setting of the joint blocks had remained undisturbed for geological
times and has continued to do so since the times of the Prophet (SAW). The cave’s mouth is of
triangular shape and as if a triangular conical piece of rock has been taken out to create a small
cavity which tapers towards southwest, right in the direction of Ka’aba (the first home of God).

THE SAUDI OIL

In the above mentioned regional
geological setting the prolific oil
bearing sedimentary basins of Saudia
fall on the eastern side of the country,
onshore and all along the Persian Gulf
(Fig-4). The four countries around the
northern periphery of the Gulf namely
Saudia, Iraq, Iran and Kuwait contain
about 55% of the world’s known oil
reserves of 1,016 billion barrels (IPE,
2000). Whereas Saudi Arabia alone
contains more than 25 percent (261
billion barrels) of the world reserves.
The God Almighty has been very kind
to the land He chose, since Biblical
times, for propagation of His religion.
But these countries, unfortunately,
lack the prudent utilization of the oil
weapon.

JABAL AL-NOOR (The Mountain of

Divine Light)
The mountain (Fig-3) is located about
5 km northeast of the Ka’aba (Fig-1),
as the crow flies, across a hilly terrain,
which must have been barren 1400
years ago. Only in the mid 20th
century, after the oil boom, the
development in the region had started
and now the residential areas have
reached the foothills. The mountaintop
is about 550- 600m above sea level
with a local relief of about 200m. The
mountain can be reached by following Fig-4: Middle East Oil Map. All the hydrocarbon fields of Saudia are in the
the Al-Sail Road which goes towards eastern part of the country. Note the concentration of World’s 55% Oil
Riyadh. reserves around the Persian Gulf (modified after IPE, 2000).

Access
The easier access to the cave is from the southeastern slope of Jabal Al-Noor. Locals have marked
the access route by white lime, for people to see it with ease, and have cut or built stairs along the
zigzag path. The steep slope is littered with fresh angular boulders, which makes climbing difficult. It
gets steeper where the batholith starts. We bypassed the stairs and tried to walk along the slope
littered with boulders, as these stairs were not there when the Prophet (SAW) used to go up so
frequently.

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 The best time to plan a visit to the cave is immediately after the Fajar prayers. Depending upon
season the taxi would cost Saudi Riyals 10-20 to be dropped on the road side at the southeastern
slope of Jabal Al-Noor . We reached the starting point at about 06:35 am and started the climb. It took
us about 40 minutes, with two rests in between, to reach the top. It was 07:17 am when I saw the
cave for the first time, from top of a cliff, and took the photograph (Fig-5), which also shows the edge
of the 8m high cliff facing the cave’s mouth. During our stay at the cave for about three hours I saw
men, women both old & young, and groups of people arriving and leaving. Some of them reciting
prayers in loud monotone,
disturbing others and trying
to offer, out of their turn, as
many Nawafil (prayers) as
possible, and some even
getting their video made
while praying. Quite a few
just came and left after
offering a couple of
Nawafil. To me, that holy
place is not just for the
religious rituals, but also to
think about ‘why’ and
‘how’, and so far from
Makkah Al-Mukarramah, a
place so perfectly designed
could be found, as I would
dare to explain later.

GHAR-E-HIRA (The Cave

of Hira)
Fig-5: The view of the cave from the top of the 8m high cliff, the edge of which is visible
The cave, situated on top in the foreground. The high rock face to the left prevents the sunrays, in the forenoon,
of Jabal Al-Noor, is a from falling inside the cave.
perfect retreat. It is very
difficult to be seen from below, even if one walks all around the mountain. The top of the hill is
somewhat flattened and one can not see the cave immediately after reaching the top from the
southern slope. As one reaches the top and walks towards southwest, a U-shaped cut with about 8m
vertical drop in northeastern
and about 4m on the
opposite side comes in the
way, which extends right
across the hill. The cave
comes in view from the top of
the 8m high vertical face of
the U-shaped cut (Fig-5). To
the left i.e. southeast, a
narrow depression (like that
for an incipient stream) in the
steep rock face, where now
cement stairs are present,
leads the way to the floor of
the U-shaped cut. The cut
itself is about 2m wide with a
flat floor. In the middle of this
cut large boulders have
fallen, leaving a single
narrow opening (Fig-6)
through which one can
squeeze to the other side
Fig-6: The large boulders fallen in the U-shaped cut and the single opening which (Fig-7), and finds himself
leads to an open space on the other side, where the cave is located to the left (after right in front of the mouth of
Misbahuddin Shakeel, 1996). the holy cave, located to the
left.
Description of the Cave
As mentioned earlier the cave’s mouth is of triangular shape, the apex of which is no more than
1.75m high witha base of about one meter. The roof tapers towards southwest and the maximum
length of the conical cavity is no more than a couple of meters. To the right (northwest) there is a 120
x 50 x 30 cm flat ledge with a nicely sloping smooth boulder at the outer end, like the back of an easy
chair, where one can take rest by stretching legs and reclining on the sloping surface. Someone has

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covered the ledge with white tiles which, I think, should not have been done to keep the original looks.
The floor of the cave has also been covered with the same tiles. Right at the tip of the cavity there is a
square shaped raised block where one can sit to ponder in complete isolation (Fig-8).
Only a man of medium height can stand just inside the mouth, otherwise one will have to stand out for
offering his prayers. Similarly only a lean person can squeeze through the boulders (Fig-6 & 7) fallen
into the U-shaped cut.
The Prophet (SAW) had been visiting the place for a much longer time (reportedly twenty years)
before the first revelation in 610 AD at his mature age of 40 years. At times he is said to have spent
entire month of Ramazan in the cave. He may have meditated, pondered, deliberated, cogitated and
mused, over the existing conditions in the region and within Makkah itself while staying in the
complete isolation of the cave. He must have thought also about how to eliminate the deep-rooted
evils in the society and get the Ka’aba cleansed of the idols and the wrong doings around it.
These kinds of thoughts made me ponder about why such a place was chosen by the Prophet
(SAW). I probably had the part answer that the Prophet (SAW) required complete isolation for
meditation and a place away from his enemies.
But the more I observed the cave the more flabbergasted I got, because of the following:

i. Its orientation with reference to Ka’aba and to the sun trajectory.

ii. Being a perfect retreat, and difficult to reach even if it is visible right in front.

iii. Fully ventilated and sunny

iv. A rock type which is immune to weathering, particularly in such a dry weather, and as they say for
diamonds the ‘Granites are forever’ (the term Granite is being used in a general sense).
i. ORIENTATION OF THE GHAR

Before dealing with this aspect I would like to explain that even after the advent of Islam in 610 AD,
Bait-ul-Maqdas was kept as the Qibla for the first two years as under:

Qibla-e-Awwal vs Qibla-e-Sani

It may be noted that God

initially ordered for Baitul
Maqdas (Masjid-e-Aqsa) to
be the Qibla (the direction
Muslims face to pray) for
offering the prayers. Before
the Hijrah (The Gracious
Emigration) to Madina in 622
AD the Prophet (SAW) used
to lead the prayers by
standing before the southern
wall of the Ka’aba, thereby
keeping Ka’aba and Baitul
Maqdas both in front. After
reaching Madina the prayers
were still continued to be
offered, for another 18-24
months, by facing Baitul
Maqdas, which is in
northwest of Madina,
whereas Makkah is located
to the south. The Prophet
(SAW) continued to pray for Fig-7: The large size boulders and the two narrow exists (A & B) on the other side of
the change of Qibla during Fig-6. The cave itself is located to the right (not in picture). Only a lean person can
this entire period which was squeeze through the boulders.
eventually done through a
revelation (Wahi) in 623-24 AD. The famous incidence of the Wahi ordering the change of Qibla
towards Makkah Al-Mukarramah occurred in 2nd Hijra in a mosque now known as Masjid-e-Qiblatain
(the mosque of two Qiblas). Reportedly the Prophet (SAW) was leading the Zohar or Asar prayer

6
when the Wahi came and he had to turn around and walk to the opposite wall, which every one
followed, and completed the prayer without any break. As late as 1978 the mosque still had two
Mehrabs (arched niche) on both the northern and southern walls of the mosque. But now the northern
Mehrab has been replaced by a large marble plaque warning the pilgrims, in different languages
including Urdu, not to pray in that direction.
Keeping the above in mind it just occurred to me to find the orientation of the cave, and the moment I
looked at the horizon I could see the minarets of the Haram, barely visible in the hazy morning, just to
the right of the cave’s axis which later I found to be those of Bab Al-Fatah (The Gate of Victory). This
setting makes the cave’s axis to be exactly in the direction of the Ka’aba itself, which is present right
in the middle of the Haram’s premises. Now the elevation of the cave is around 550-600m whereas
the Ka’aba itself is situated at an elevation of 330m above sea level. It may be noted that the Ka’aba
is located in a depression surrounded by a ring of high hills except in the northeastern side i.e.
towards the Murva end of the Saee, the direction in which the cave is also located at a bearing of 41
degrees and at a distance of about 5 km from Ka’aba’. In this topographical setting whether the
Ka’aba could have been visible in those days can be deciphered with the help of topographical maps,
may be from as late as 1940s (AD), because the major construction phases in and around Makkah,
which changed the topography, did not happen before 1950s (AD).
Urban development around Ka’aba

Not much had changed since the first walls were constructed around the Ka’aba by Abbasi Khulafa
sometimes in the 8th century AD. Then,
during the Turkish rule and later during the
Saudi Dynasty continuous changes have
been undergoing since mid-50s wherein the
Muta’f (the open area around Ka’aba) has
been enlarged along with a very large
double story covered area, including Saee
around the Muta’f itself. The latest and the
most fabulous renovations which changed
the surrounding topography have been
undertaken over a period of 10 long years,
from 1984 to 1994 AD, by His Majesty King
Fahad. The implementation of this gigantic
and unique project has completely changed
the complexion of both Haram Al-Sharif and
the Masjid Al-Nabawi (Prophet’s mosque in
Madina) in terms of beauty and the facilities
combined. The present Custodian of
Haramain Al-Shareefain has really put his
heart and soul into the job to bring about
the most desirable and practical changes.
These have resulted in topographical
changes and construction of high rise
buildings all around, which hinders the
view. The present influx of pilgrims, which is
more than 2 million during Haj season,
however, have a very comfortable stay due
to these changes.

Sun trajectory
The cave is oriented in a northeast -
southwest direction with its mouth opening
northwards. Towards east the mountain is
higher, protecting it from the direct sunrays
in the forenoon, while in the afternoon the
sunrays can not fall inside the mouth. I live
in Karachi on the seaside. For the sake of Fig-8: The full view of cave’s inside. The floor is covered with white tiles.
curiosity I used to take the bearing of the Note the square shaped raised block at the very tip (after Tarik Jan,
setting sun frequently and particularly on 1998).
the shortest day (22 December) and the longest day (21 June), the record of which is available with
me. The bearing of the setting sun, for Karachi, ranges from a minimum of 240 degrees in winter to a
maximum of 300 degrees in the summer. Now the axis of the cave is oriented at a bearing of 221
degrees and hence the mouth of the cave, which is at right angle
to the axis, follows a bearing of 311 degrees. Makkah is located at the Latitude of 21 degree 25
minutes and Karachi at Latitude 24 degrees 47 minutes. In this setting the measurements at Karachi

7
can be applied to the cave and, therefore the sun rays, even on the longest day would not fall in the
mouth.
ii. A PERFECT RETREAT

The cave represents a perfect retreat. It is difficult to be seen from below by a person who even tries
to look for it. After a difficult / steep climb, from southern side, if one reaches the top even then it can
not be seen immediately, unless one walks to the eastern cliff of the U-shaped cut (Fig-5). Beyond
that point the approach to the cave is further complicated by the steep slope (without the present
cement stairs) and the large boulders which fill the U-shaped cut completely (Fig-6), except the
difficult to be seen narrow opening which provides access to the cave located on the other side of the
boulders.

iii. VENTILATED AND SUNNY

The rectangular blocks of fresh rock have
juxtaposed in such a manner that narrow
slits and openings are present (Fig-9),
which make the cave ventilated and allow
the sun beams to fall inside in the
afternoon, keeping the inside atmosphere
always fresh.

iv. ‘GRANITES ARE FOREVER’ (the term

Granite is being used in general sense)

Being a ‘Shield Area’, in geological sense,

the earth movements are unlikely to
happen to collapse the blocks which are
juxtaposed without any cementing material
(Fig-9). These type of rocks are one of the
strongest rock types and particularly in
such an arid climate would last for ever.
So the cave is likely to be there till the very
end of the world.

A UNIQUE HOLY PLACE OF ISLAM

A unique feature of the holy cave is that it

is the most authentic place where the
Prophet (SAW) passed a very critical
period of his life. It had remained
unaltered ever since and has retained its
originality. In contrast, all other holy places
in Saudia particularly the Haram Sharif
and Masjid Al-Nabawi have largely
changed to accommodate the ever-
increasing number of pilgrims. Similarly I
had the opportunity to visit Ziaraat
(religious historical places) in 1978 as
well, and they are now quite different from
what I had in mind. At that time all of them
were invariably situated in uninhibited
areas, still retaining their old looks and
Fig-9: Inside view of the cave. Note the absence of cementing rising from the desert and rocky terrain.
material along the contacts of joint blocks leaving openings for But now within a lapse of about twenty
ventilation. years most of them have completely
different looks with macadamized roads
and urbanized land all around, particularly Masjid-e-Qiblatain, Masjid-e-Quba, Maidan-e-Uhad,
Maidan-e-Khandaq in Madina Al-Munawwara , and Ghar-e-Hira, Ghar-e-Thaur foothills in the vicinity
of Makkah Al-Mukarramah.

Another thought which kept on striking me at that place was the feeling that ‘it all started here, it all
started here’. This is another uniqueness of the place that the advent of Islam was right from this
place, when the Prophet (SAW) left the place after receiving the first ‘Wahi’ (Fig-10) in 610 AD.

8
Thereafter, he embarked upon preaching of the new faith, first to his close relatives/friends and later
publicly when the second revelation arrived in 613 AD. The spread of Islam was so phenomenal that
within just over a century i.e. by about 740 AD the Arab Bedouins, inspired by the Holy Qur'an and
examples of the Holy Prophet (SAW), had carved out an empire stretching from the borders of India
(present day Pakistan) to Atlantic Ocean in far west - the largest empire the world had seen till then.

WAS IT CUSTOM MADE ?

The perfection of the location, meeting the requirements so meticulously and its orientation, all made
me think whether or not the cave was ‘custom made’ by God who Himself guided the last Prophet
Muhammad Rasul Allah (SAW) towards it to prepare him for the enormous responsibilities he was
destined to undertake.
So that was that; a unique fieldwork of my life.

EPILOGUE

The main objective of this paper is to emphasize that the Prophet’s (SAW) wholesome personality
which is documented in its minutest details, may just not be observed from only a religious point of
view. As we respect The Holy Qur'an with such a high reverence that we are sometimes afraid to
even touch it, what of following it in our daily life - which is exactly what it is meant for.

There is not even a single facet of life on

which the Prophet’s documented
guidance is not available for us to at least
emulate. Somebody has very aptly
remarked that to write on the life of
Prophet (Seerat-e-Nabi) is difficult not
because references are not available but
because there are so many, spread over
a period of more than 1400 years.
The acts and sayings (Hadith) of the
Prophet (SAW) are documented
elaborately for posterity. However, it is
impe- rative that the validity of Hadith
(saying of the Prophet) should always be
authenticated through the established
references. In the Holy Qur'an (Chapter
24, Sura Haam Meem Sijda, Ayah 6) God
in very clear words, has uttered His words
through His spokesman Muhammad
Rasul Allah that ‘Say, (with emphasis), I
am a human being just like you’ (Qul,
Innama Ana Basharum Mislokum). The
difference is that he was not only a
human being to a highest possible
perfection but also humane to the core.

Those who read my article in the ‘Daily

Dawn’ dated 27 June, 1999 commented
that no body have ever seen the cave in
such a manner. Whereas God Almighty
and His last Messenger (SAW) himself
have always taught for Muslim Ummah
(nation) to think and research, which is
Fig-10: The first Wahi written on the flat rock. The man praying in the not just limited to religion, but the entire
cave is prostrating right in the direction of Ka’aba. spectrum of life including all the
sciences. We revere the Prophet (SAW)
to an extent of not just awe but fear, thinking that even a fraction of his achievements are not possible
- which rather leads to escapism. He was on the other hand the most kind, humble and humane
personality who passed an extremely practical life. And this is what I learnt from my visit to the Cave
of Hira.

Wama Ala’ina Illul Balagh.

9
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Mr. Irfan Lateef Khan is acknowledged for composing the final paper.

REFERENCES

-Abdul Ma’abood, M, 1980, ‘Tareekh Al-Makkah Al-Mukarramah’

(Urdu), Volume-1, published by Maktaba Rehmania, Lahore.
-Aghai Ahmed, 1998, ‘Prophet Muhammad - Jurist, General and Statesman’, published by Nigar Printing Press,
Karachi.
-Farsi, Z.A., 1988, Map of Makkah Al-Mukarramah and Holy Places, published by Ministry of Information,
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
-Hart, M.H.,1978, ‘The 100, A ranking of the most influential persons in history’, published by A&W Publishers,
Inc., New York, USA, pp.33-40.
-International Petroleum Encyclopedia (IPE), 2000, published by PennWell Corporation, Oklahoma, USA.
-Jan, Tarik, 1998, ‘The Life and Times of Muhammad Rasul Allah, Universalizing the Abrahamic Tradition’,
published by the Institute of Policy Studies, Islamabad.
-Misbahuddin, S.,1996, ‘Seerat-un-Nabi Album’ (Urdu), 2nd Edition, published by Pakistan State Oil, PSO
House, Karachi.
-Siddiqui, N.K., 1999, ‘A geologist’s visit to Ghar-e-Hira’, published in Sunday Magazine of the Daily Dawn dated
27 June,1999.
____________, 1999, ‘Ghar-e-Hira ki ziyarat, meri zindigi ka aik achoota arziyati ja’eza’(Urdu), Monthly
Magazine Global Science
(December), Karachi, pp.34-37.

____________, 2000, ‘The have-nots have it all..’, published in Business Section of the Daily Dawn dated 24
July, 2000.

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