Prophet Muhammad

Early Life

According to the traditional account, Muhammad was born in Mecca in about 570 CE, the Year of the Elephant, to the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe. His father, Abdullah, died before he was born, and his mother, Amina, died when he was about six years old. He was then raised first by his grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib, and after his grandfather's death by his uncle, Abu Talib. As a young man he worked as a merchant and travelled with trading caravans, and he gained a reputation for honesty and trustworthiness: tradition records that he was known as al-Amin, the trustworthy. At about the age of twenty-five he married Khadija, a respected Meccan merchant, and they had children together. Islamic tradition describes him as unlettered, and no record of any formal schooling survives. Little else about his early life is documented outside the traditional accounts, which were written down more than a century after his death.

Career

According to the traditional account, Muhammad received his first revelation in 610 CE, at the age of about forty, while meditating in the Cave of Hira near Mecca. Muslims believe the angel Gabriel appeared to him and commanded him to recite, and the words he received became the first verses of the Quran. He began preaching publicly in 613 CE, proclaiming one God and calling for social justice and care for the poor, and his followers were few at first and faced persecution in Mecca for thirteen years. In 622 CE he and his followers migrated to Medina, then called Yathrib, in the event known as the Hijra, which marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. In Medina he united the tribes under the Constitution of Medina, built the first mosque, and led the Muslim community through conflict with Mecca, including the battles of Badr in 624 CE, Uhud in 625 CE and the Trench in 627 CE. The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah in 628 CE brought a truce, and in 630 CE he entered Mecca peacefully. In 632 CE he made the Farewell Pilgrimage and delivered the Farewell Sermon, and a few months later he fell ill and died in Medina on 8 June 632 CE.

Achievements

Muhammad's central achievement, in the belief of Muslims, was to receive the Quran, which Muslims regard as the verbatim word of God revealed to him between 610 and 632 CE, and to found Islam on its teaching. From a small group of followers in Mecca he built the first Muslim community in Medina, united the tribes of Arabia under a single faith, and established a community governed by law and treaty rather than by tribal custom alone. The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah in 628 CE and the entry into Mecca in 630 CE brought the Arabian Peninsula under one religious and political order. His Farewell Sermon in 632 CE set out principles of equality, justice and the rights of women that Muslims still cite today. Islam, the faith he founded, is now the world's second-largest religion, and his life remains the model, or sunna, that Muslims look to for guidance in worship, conduct and character.

• Received, according to Islamic belief, the first revelation of the Quran in the Cave of Hira in 610 CE
• Founded Islam, today the world's second-largest religion
• United the tribes of Arabia under a single religious and political community
• Led the Hijra from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE, the event that marks the start of the Islamic calendar
• Established the first Muslim community in Medina, governed under the Constitution of Medina
• Concluded the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah in 628 CE, which opened the way to the peaceful entry into Mecca in 630 CE
• Delivered the Farewell Sermon in 632 CE, setting out principles of equality, justice and the rights of women
• Left the Quran, which Muslims regard as the verbatim word of God, as the foundation of Islamic faith and law
• Shaped the law, ethics, art, science and civilisation of Muslim societies for fourteen centuries

Legacy

Muhammad is the founder of Islam, and Muslims believe him to be the final prophet of God, the Seal of the Prophets. Islam is the world's second-largest religion, with nearly two billion adherents, and the Quran and the example of his life, the sunna, remain the two foundations of Muslim faith, law and ethics. His life shaped the civilisation of Muslim societies across the Middle East, North Africa, Asia and beyond, in law, scholarship, art, architecture and science. The Islamic calendar is counted from the Hijra, and his name is honoured by Muslims around the world. Islamic tradition discourages the depiction of prophets in images, and this profile therefore carries no portrait. Scholars study his life from the Quran, the hadith collections and the early biographies, and they note that the earliest surviving biographies were written more than a century after his death, so details of his early life rest on traditional accounts.

Contributions

Muhammad founded Islam and gave Muslims the Quran, which they regard as the verbatim word of God, together with his own example, the sunna, as the foundation of faith and conduct. He united the tribes of Arabia into a single community, established Medina as the first Muslim city, and set out principles of justice, charity and the protection of the vulnerable that remain central to Islamic ethics. His life and teaching shaped the law, scholarship and civilisation of Muslim societies for fourteen centuries.

Notable Works

• The Quran (revealed 610-632 CE, per Islamic belief)
• Constitution of Medina (622 CE)
• Farewell Sermon (632 CE)

Milestones

• c. 570 — Born in Mecca, Arabia (c. 570 CE, the Year of the Elephant) Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
• c. 595 — Marries Khadija at about the age of twenty-five Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
• 610 — Receives the first revelation of the Quran in the Cave of Hira Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia; Quran.com
• 613 — Begins preaching publicly in Mecca Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
• 619 — Khadija and Abu Talib die in the Year of Sorrow Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
• 622 — Migrates to Medina in the Hijra, start of the Islamic calendar Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
• 622 — Unites the tribes of Medina under the Constitution of Medina Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
• 624 — Muslims defeat the Meccans at the Battle of Badr Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
• 628 — Concludes the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah with Mecca Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
• 630 — Enters Mecca peacefully Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
• 632 — Delivers the Farewell Sermon on the Farewell Pilgrimage Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
• 632 — Dies in Medina on 8 June Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia

Timeline

1. 0570

   Born in Mecca, Arabia (c. 570 CE, the Year of the Elephant)

   Approximate date Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
2. 0576

   His mother, Amina, dies when he is about six; he is raised by his grandfather, then his uncle Abu Talib (traditional account)

   Approximate date Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
3. 0595

   Marries Khadija, a respected Meccan merchant, at about the age of twenty-five (traditional account)

   Approximate date Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
4. 0610

   Receives the first revelation of the Quran in the Cave of Hira, near Mecca; Muslims believe the angel Gabriel commanded him to recite

   Approximate date Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia; Quran.com
5. 0613

   Begins preaching publicly in Mecca, proclaiming one God

   Approximate date Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
6. 0615

   Some followers migrate to Abyssinia to escape persecution in Mecca

   Approximate date Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
7. 0619

   Khadija and Abu Talib die, in the year traditionally called the Year of Sorrow

   Approximate date Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
8. 0622

   Migrates from Mecca to Medina in the Hijra, marking the start of the Islamic calendar

   Approximate date Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
9. 0622

   Unites the tribes of Medina under the Constitution of Medina

   Approximate date Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
10. 0624

    Muslims defeat the Meccans at the Battle of Badr

    Approximate date Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
11. 0627

    Medina withstands the siege of the Trench

    Approximate date Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
12. 0628

    Concludes the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah with Mecca

    Approximate date Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
13. 0630

    Enters Mecca peacefully; the city accepts Islam

    Approximate date Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
14. 0632

    Makes the Farewell Pilgrimage and delivers the Farewell Sermon

    Approximate date Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia
15. 8 June 0632

    Dies in Medina, a few months after the Farewell Pilgrimage

    Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Wikipedia

In Their Words

“Recite in the name of your Lord who created” Source: The Quran, 96:1 (Sahih International translation, via quran.com) — The first words Muslims believe were revealed to Muhammad in the Cave of Hira in 610 CE.

“So remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.” Source: The Quran, 2:152 (Sahih International translation, via quran.com) — A verse on remembrance and gratitude to God.

“The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended.” Source: Sahih al-Bukhari 1, narrated by Umar ibn al-Khattab (sunnah.com) — The opening hadith of Sahih al-Bukhari, on the role of intention.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources & References

1. Muhammad — Encyclopaedia Britannica — Encyclopaedia Britannica (accessed 13 November 2026)
2. Muhammad — Wikipedia (cross-check) — Wikipedia (accessed 13 November 2026)
3. Surah Al-'Alaq (96) — Quran.com — Quran.com (accessed 13 November 2026)
4. Sahih al-Bukhari 1 — Sunnah.com — Sunnah.com (accessed 13 November 2026)

Explore More

• More Historical Figures
• Personalities from Saudi Arabia
• More prophets
• More religious leaders
• More statesmans
• More merchants
• Browse all personalities