Evaluation of accounts in the Siyar sources on the beginning of revelation

The problem of identifying the first revelation descended upon the Prophet Muhammad is a problem that is dealt with by Siyar, Hadith and Tafsir fields. This study in which we studied the ways how the first revelation was dealt with in the early sources in terms of Islamic history basically consists of an introduction and two chapters. In the introduction we first gave information about the aim, importance and scope of the subject and then talked briefly about the historical development of Siyar literature in the first three centuries of hegira, and about the concepts of revelation and prophethood. In the first chapter, the religious situation of Meccan society, the then religions and their adherents, religious practices and the life of the Prophet Muhammad before his prophethood are given information. In the second chapter, matters of preparatory period described as tahannus before the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad and the signs of prophethood are dealt with. After that, accounts about the first revelation in the siyar works composed in the first three centuries are examined in a certain classification in detail. Finally, a chapter is added to the study in which we discussed whether the Arab tradition of narration (qissa) beginning from the Jahiliyya and going on in the Islamic period had an influence on the accounts in question. Keywords: First revelation, prophet, qissa, tahannus, jahiliyya.