Muhammad the Prophet

The Chosen One was in the Cave of Hiraa.
For two years and more he had prayed there and adored
His Creator and wondered at the mystery
Of man with his corruptible flesh, just growing
Out of a clot, and the soul in him
Reaching out to knowledge sublime, new
And ever new, taught by the bounty
Of God, and leading to that which man himself
Knoweth not. And now, behold! A dazzling
Vision of beauty and light overpowered his senses,
And he heard the word "Iqraa!"

What does that Arabic word mean? The Commentary, at C. 30, continues:"

Iqraa!" - which being interpreted may mean
"Read!" or "Proclaim!" or "Recite!"
The unlettered Apostle was puzzled;
He could not read. The Angel seemed
To press him to his breast in a close embrace,
And the cry rang clear "Iqraa!"
And so it happened three times until
The first overpowering sensation yielded
To a collected grasp of the words which made clear
His Mission; its Author, God the Creator,
Its subject, Man, God's wondrous handiwork,
Capable, by Grace, of rising to heights sublime;
And the instrument of that mission, the sanctified Pen,
And the sanctified Book, the Gift of God,
Which men might read, or write, or study, or treasure in their souls.

Ubu'l Kassim thought he must be dreaming. He told his wife, Khadija, what had happened. Later, he told his wife's cousin, a Christian. The Commentary continues, at page 10:

...She [Khadija] knew it was no dream or delusion.
She went and consulted her cousin Waraqa,
A devout worshipper of God in the Faith of Christ,
Learned in spiritual lore. He listened
And with her rejoiced that he, Muhammad,
Was God's Chosen One to renew the Faith.

The first words of the Koran are called the Al-Fatiha. Translated into English (which, to a devout Muslim is never as good as Arabic), they give praise to God and ask for His guidance.