Muhammad initially despaired over his first revelation and contemplated suicide

Evidence

[Muhammad’s] heart.” He was so confused and troubled by the revelation that he decided to commit suicide by throwing himself off a mountain, but when he went out to do so, he heard a voice from heaven proclaiming “O Muhammad! Thou art the apostle of God and I am Gabriel.” He looked up and saw the angel, “in the form of a man with feet astride the horizon.” He went home, still uncertain of his mission, and told his wife Khadîja what had happened. She told him to rejoice and be of good heart and went to her cousin Waraqa, a learned Christian who, upon hearing the details of Muhammad’s vision, proclaimed that he was indeed “the prophet of this people.” — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 183

Categorization

• QUESTION: Interesting how the earliest Islamic tradition records Muhammad’s initial doubt and near-suicide — worth comparing how this episode is handled in later Muslim historiography versus early Christian polemics.
• XREF: Connects to the biblical prophets’ initial reluctance/doubt (Jeremiah, Jonah) — a recurring pattern in prophetic call narratives across traditions.