Muhammad: the Prophet of Islam

Lived

About 570–632 CE

Born

Mecca, in the Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe

First revelation

About 610 CE, in the cave of Hira

Hijra to Medina

622 CE, the start of the Islamic calendar

Died

632 CE in Medina, where he is buried

In Islam

The final prophet, through whom the Quran was revealed

Muhammad was born around 570 CE into the Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe, which controlled Mecca, a trading city and site of the Kaaba, then a centre of polytheistic pilgrimage. His father died before he was born and his mother when he was about six, so he was raised by his grandfather and then his uncle Abu Talib.

He worked in trade and became known as al-Amin, “the trustworthy.” Around the age of twenty-five he married Khadija, a respected merchant, who became the first person to accept his message.

Muhammad often withdrew to meditate in a cave on Mount Hira. Around 610 CE, during the month of Ramadan, Muslims believe the angel Gabriel appeared to him with the first words of the Quran, beginning with the command “Recite.” Revelations continued for about twenty-three years until his death.

Muhammad called the people of Mecca to worship one God, abandon idols, care for the poor and prepare for the Day of Judgment. His message threatened the city’s religious and economic order, and his followers, especially the poor and slaves, faced persecution. Some early Muslims took refuge in Abyssinia under a Christian king.

The year 619 is known as the Year of Sorrow, when both Khadija and Abu Talib died. Muslim tradition also tells of the Night Journey (Isra and Mi’raj), when Muhammad was taken to Jerusalem and ascended through the heavens, and the five daily prayers were established.

In 622 CE, Muhammad and his followers emigrated to Yathrib, later called Medina, at the invitation of its tribes. This migration, the Hijra, marks the start of the Islamic calendar. In Medina, Muhammad became both a religious and political leader, and the Constitution of Medina set out relations among Muslims, Jewish tribes and others.

Conflict with Mecca followed, including the battles of Badr, Uhud and the Trench. In 628 the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah brought a truce. In 630 Muhammad entered Mecca with little bloodshed, granted a general amnesty and cleared the Kaaba of idols, rededicating it to the worship of one God.

In 632 Muhammad performed his only full pilgrimage and delivered the Farewell Sermon, emphasizing the equality of believers, the rights of women and the sanctity of life and property. He died in Medina later that year and was buried there, at the site now within the Prophet’s Mosque.

Muslims believe Muhammad is the “seal of the prophets,” the last in a line including Abraham, Moses and Jesus. He is a human being, not divine, and Muslims worship God alone. His words and actions, recorded in hadith and biographies called sira, form the sunnah, a major source of Islamic law and ethics after the Quran.

Muslims express love and respect for him by saying “peace and blessings be upon him” after his name. Most Islamic traditions avoid depicting him in images, to prevent veneration that could approach worship. Sunni and Shi’a Muslims share deep reverence for him and differ over leadership after his death.

Jews and Christians do not regard Muhammad as a prophet. Historically, European writers often portrayed him with hostility. Modern historians study his life using the Quran, early biographies and other sources, and many recognize him as one of the most influential figures in history.

Muhammad was born in Mecca around 570 CE and, according to Muslim belief, received the Quran from God from 610 until his death in 632. He preached the worship of one God, led the community from Mecca to Medina and back, and is honoured by Muslims as the final prophet and the model of a righteous life.