Final answer:
The Qur'an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel while Muhammad was in a cave near Mecca. The revelations were initially transmitted orally and memorized by his companions, and then eventually written down and compiled into the text of the Qur'an after his death.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Muslim belief, the revelation of the Qur'an to Prophet Muhammad began in 610 CE when he was about 40 years old. The setting was a cave near Mecca where Muhammad sought solitude for contemplation. It is here that he reported being visited by the angel Gabriel, who conveyed to Muhammad the words of God. This event marks the commencement of the revelations that would continue for the next 20 years.
Muhammad recited these revelations from memory to his followers. As Muhammad was considered to be illiterate, these recitations were recorded by his companions on various materials and were memorized by many. The process of compiling these recitations into the physical text of the Qur'an began after Muhammad's death, with the definitive version being completed during the reign of Caliph Uthman.