MAKKAH: Just outside Makkah lies one of Islam’s most important historical sites — Ghar-i-Hira, the cave where the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) spent time in seclusion, contemplation and self-reflection.

It was inside this cave, which is located near the top of a steep hill called Jabl-i-Noor (mountain of light), where God revealed to the Holy Prophet (pbuh) the first verses of the Quran. Today, the site is among few still preserved from the Prophet’s (pbuh) time — with help from Pakistani workers in Saudi Arabia.

Every year, observant Muslims deepen their prayers and supplication in the final 10 nights of Ramazan, believing that it was during this time 1,400 years ago that the miraculous revelation took place on Jabl-i-Noor.

The hill itself is not part of the Haj rites, but its location so close to the holy city of Makkah and its significance as a place of enlightenment draws thousands of pilgrims here every year.

But present-day visitors encounter a markedly different summit from the one the Holy Prophet (pbuh) experienced. For starters, there are now more than 1,000 steps that guide pilgrims up the rocky hill to the secluded cave. Along the way, entrepreneurial Pakistanis sell bottled water, snacks and tea to pilgrims exhausted by the climb. Unlike the quiet and seemingly endless stretch of nature the Holy Prophet (pbuh) would have seen from the cave, massive high-rises housing five-star hotels jut into the distant skyline just steps away from the holy Kaaba.

The Pakistani workers and beggars who live off the mountain’s draw say they play a key role in helping to preserve it. Nizam Din, from Quetta, spends his days begging and fixing broken cement steps along the path up the mountain. Jamal Khan, from Karachi, also earns a living by serving the Haj pilgrims who make their way to the cave.

“Our lives here are better because we do not have jobs back home,” he said. “What is a better place to be than here where the Prophet Muhammad received his first revelation from God?”

Makkah’s mayor, Osama al Bar, says the municipality ensures the area’s cleanliness. There are also plans, he added, for the development of a visitors’ centre near the hill to explain to people its significance and history.

He said the area is watched over by the religious police, known as the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, who ensure visitors do not turn it into a place of worship that venerates anything other than God.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2016