Answer 1:In a cave in the mountains near Mecca (or Makkah), in the current Saudi Arabia. Answer 2:God never spoke to Mohammad. It was a spirit that spoke to Mohammad. Mohammad had a strange experience at the cave of Hira while he was sleeping. A spirit appeared to him and forced him three times to the ground so that Mohammad thought he was visited by an evil spirit and going to die. This spirit made him recite the first verses of Quran (found in the 96th chapter of the modern day Quran). The terrified Mohammad went to his wife Kadijah and told her to cover him up and she covered him until his fear was over. Then she took him to her cousin Waraqah and he told Mohammad that it was an angel of God who appeared to him. After this incident Mohammad had suicidal thoughts. Later, Mohammad claimed that when he was on the way to a mountain to throw himself down to commit suicide a voice was heard, "You are the messenger of Allah and l am Gabriel." When this incident was told to Kadijah she told him, "I swear by Allah that you are a Messenger for this nation." One thing to notice here is that the spirit appeared to Mohammad is not the Gabriel who appeared in the Biblical incidents. Two main reasons for this is that: 1) when Gabriel appeared to Biblical personalities they were not terrified or had suicidal attempt after the incident as Mohammad did and 2) Mohammad's later revelations were contradictory to Biblical messages came through Gabriel (Example: Gabriel told Daniel that Messiah would die for others and Gabriel told Mary that Jesus would be called the Son of God). Answer 3 (Comments on Answer 2 above)
- God never spoke directly to any of His prophets except through an angel. The only exceptions are God direct talk to prophet Moses (without being shown to Moses) and God direct talk to prophet Muhammad during the prophet miracle called "Alisraa&Miiraj".
- Prophet Muhammad was not sleeping in the cave when the Angel Gabriel talked to him. He was meditating and worshiping God the same way was prophet Abraham doing.
- When prophet Muhammad returned back home, he was heavily sweating and his wife Khadija talked to her cousin Waraqah (he was prophet Jesus believer -and was deeply familiar with the God holy books) who told him that he was visited by the angel and he will be the prophet of this nation and that if he (Waraqa) will be alive until then he (Waraqa) will be the first to defend his message.
- Prophet Muhammad never thought of committing suicide. It is a crystal clear lie. He was faithful even before being assigned by God to call for Islam.
- The proofs claimed above that It was not the angel Gabriel are not correct for two reasons: First: The current readable God holy book texts are not reflecting real God Words revelations to His prophets as Quran. They were written by more than one man and over hundreds of years after death of Jesus (Peace be upon him) and not in the original revelation language. So, no one knows the real feelings of other prophets when met with the angels. Second: One can read in the proofs that Quran is a real God Word revelations to prophet Muhammad to believe that Quran was revealed to him by the angel Gabriel and in its current Arabic language without single letter change. This explains why many famous Christian priests and Jewish religious people and others converted to Islam.
- I wonder that if both The Bible and Quran are God holy books; as Muslims believe; why one considers the Bible is the reference while the Quran is not although the current Bible text books are inspirations and writings of many saints (as called by Christians) and not reflecting real God Word revelations to Jesus (that explains the presence of more than one Bible version) and not in its original revelation language, while the Quran reflects real God Word without single letter change and with its original still spoken language (Arabic).
