The Messenger of God
Early Life in Mecca
Muhammad was born around 570 CE — the Year of the Elephant — in Mecca, in the Hejaz region of the Arabian Peninsula. His father, Abdullah, died before his birth, and his mother, Aminah bint Wahb, died when he was approximately six years old. He was raised first by his paternal grandfather Abd al-Muttalib and, after the grandfather's death, by his uncle Abu Talib, the leader of the Banu Hashim clan of the powerful Quraysh tribe.
From early youth he earned the epithet Al-Amin — "The Trustworthy" — renowned among the Meccans for his honesty, integrity, and sound judgment. He worked as a merchant and shepherd. Around the age of 25, he was employed by and later married Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, a wealthy businesswoman and widow fifteen years his senior. Their marriage was by all historical accounts a devoted and loving partnership. She was the first person to accept Islam and remained Muhammad's closest confidant until her death in 619 CE.
Revelation — The First Word
In approximately 610 CE, at around the age of 40, Muhammad was meditating in the Cave of Hira on Jabal al-Nour ("Mountain of Light") near Mecca when he received his first revelation. According to Islamic belief, the angel Jibril (Gabriel) appeared to him and conveyed the command: "Iqra'" — "Read" or "Recite." These were the opening verses of what would become Surah Al-Alaq (Chapter 96 of the Quran).
Shaken and overwhelmed, Muhammad returned home to Khadijah, who reassured him and brought him to her cousin Waraqah ibn Nawfal, a Christian scholar, who confirmed that what Muhammad had experienced was the same divine revelation that had come to Moses. The revelations continued over 23 years until shortly before Muhammad's death.
Early Preaching & Persecution in Mecca
Muhammad began preaching the message of tawhid (the absolute oneness of God), social justice, care for the poor, and the abolition of idol worship. His early followers included his wife Khadijah, his cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib, his close friend Abu Bakr, and Zayd ibn Harithah. The Quraysh establishment — whose power and income depended on the Ka'bah's role as a centre of polytheistic worship — fiercely opposed his message and persecuted the early Muslim community.
In 619 CE, Muhammad suffered the "Year of Sorrow" (Am al-Huzn) — the deaths of both his beloved wife Khadijah and his protective uncle Abu Talib in the same year, leaving him exposed and vulnerable in Mecca. He attempted to seek refuge in Ta'if; the city's leaders rejected him and had him driven out with stones. Tradition records his prayer from this moment as a model of patience and trust in God.
The Hijra — Migration to Medina (622 CE)
Under mounting threat, in 622 CE Muhammad and his followers made the Hijra — the migration to the city of Yathrib, renamed Medina al-Munawwara ("the Radiant City"). This event marks year 1 of the Islamic lunar calendar (AH — Anno Hegirae). In Medina, Muhammad became not only a spiritual leader but also a political statesman. He drafted the Constitution of Medina — one of the world's first written constitutional documents — establishing rights and responsibilities for the Muslim community, Jewish tribes, and other residents of the city.
Battles & the Return to Mecca
The years in Medina were marked by a series of military conflicts with the Quraysh and their allies, including the Battle of Badr (624 CE), the Battle of Uhud (625 CE), and the Battle of the Trench (627 CE). In 628 CE, the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah established a ten-year truce, allowing Muslims to perform pilgrimage to Mecca the following year. When the Quraysh violated the treaty in 630 CE, Muhammad marched to Mecca with a large force. The city surrendered with minimal bloodshed. He declared a general amnesty for most Meccans — including former enemies — and cleansed the Ka'bah of its idols, re-dedicating it to the worship of one God.
The Farewell Pilgrimage & Death
In 632 CE, Muhammad performed his first and only complete Hajj — the Farewell Pilgrimage (Hajjat al-Wida'). On the plain of Arafat, he delivered the Farewell Sermon to approximately 114,000 pilgrims — a landmark address on human equality, the rights of women, the sanctity of life and property, and the completion of religion. Shortly after his return to Medina, he fell ill and died on 8 June 632 CE at the age of approximately 63, in the house of his wife Aisha, with his head resting in her lap. He was buried in what is now the Green Dome of the Prophet's Mosque (Al-Masjid an-Nabawi) in Medina.