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Muslim Ummah
Prophet & History

The Life of the Prophet Muhammad: An Overview

From his birth in Makkah to the first revelation, the migration to Madinah and his final years, the key moments of the Prophet's life.

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  1. Early life in Makkah
  2. The first revelation
  3. Calling people to the One God
  4. The migration to Madinah
  5. Return to Makkah and the final years
  6. His legacy

Early life in Makkah

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born in Makkah, a trading town in western Arabia, around the year 570 CE. Makkah was home to the Kaaba, a simple cube-shaped sanctuary that Muslims believe was first raised for the worship of the One God by the Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael. By the Prophet's time, however, it had become surrounded by idols.

His early years were marked by loss. His father, Abdullah, died before he was born, and his mother, Aminah, passed away when he was still a small child. He was cared for first by his grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib, and then by his uncle, Abu Talib, who protected him for many years.

As a young man he worked as a shepherd and later as a merchant. He became known in Makkah for his honesty, so much so that people gave him the nickname al-Amin, meaning 'the trustworthy one'. At around the age of twenty-five he married Khadijah, a respected businesswoman, and their marriage was remembered as one of deep love and mutual support.

وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَٰكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةًۭ لِّلْعَٰلَمِينَ

“We sent thee not save as a mercy for the peoples.”
Quran 21:107 (tr. Pickthall)

The first revelation

As he grew older, the Prophet often went to reflect alone in a small cave called Hira, on a mountain just outside Makkah. He was troubled by the injustice he saw around him and drawn to quiet contemplation of God.

Around the year 610 CE, when he was about forty, Muslims believe the angel Gabriel (Jibril in Arabic) came to him in the cave and brought the first words of the Quran. The opening command was to read, or recite, in the name of God who creates. This was the beginning of a revelation that would continue, piece by piece, for about twenty-three years.

The experience shook him deeply. He returned home trembling, and it was Khadijah who comforted him, reassured him of his good character, and became the first person to believe in his message.

Calling people to the One God

At first the Prophet shared the message quietly with family and close friends. Its core was simple: there is only one God, worthy of all worship, and every person will one day answer for how they lived. The message also called for care of orphans, the poor and the weak.

When he began to preach openly, many of Makkah's powerful leaders opposed him. The new teaching challenged both the idol worship at the heart of the town's religious life and the privilege of its elite. Early believers, especially those without tribal protection, faced mockery, boycott and sometimes harsh treatment.

To find safety, a group of Muslims travelled to Abyssinia (in present-day Ethiopia), where a just Christian king gave them shelter. Later, the Prophet lost both Khadijah and his protector Abu Talib within a short time, a period of great sorrow in his life.

The migration to Madinah

Meanwhile, people from the town of Yathrib, several days' journey to the north, had accepted Islam and invited the Prophet to come and live among them. In 622 CE, as threats against him grew, the Prophet and his Muslim followers made the journey north. This migration is called the hijrah.

The hijrah was such a turning point that it later became the starting point of the Islamic calendar. Yathrib became known as Madinat al-Nabi, 'the city of the Prophet', or simply Madinah.

In Madinah the Prophet helped to build a new community. He joined the migrants from Makkah with the local believers in bonds of brotherhood, built a simple mosque that served as the community's centre, and agreed a written charter setting out the rights and duties of the town's different groups.

Return to Makkah and the final years

The years that followed included serious conflict with the leaders of Makkah, as well as periods of negotiation and truce. Through it all, the community in Madinah grew, and more and more of Arabia's tribes came to embrace Islam.

In 630 CE the Prophet returned to Makkah with a large number of followers, and the city was taken with very little fighting. Rather than seeking revenge on those who had persecuted him for years, he declared a general pardon. The idols around the Kaaba were removed, and it was restored as a place of worship for the One God.

In 632 CE the Prophet performed what is known as the farewell pilgrimage. In a sermon delivered during this pilgrimage, he is reported to have reminded people of the sacredness of life and property, the equality of all people before God, and the rights of women. A few months later he fell ill and passed away in Madinah, where he is buried.

His legacy

After his death, Muslims later came to differ over questions of leadership, but they share a deep love for the Prophet, his family (known as the Ahl al-Bayt, 'the people of the house') and his companions, who carried his teachings forward.

For Muslims, the Prophet is not divine. He is a human being and the final messenger in a long line that includes Abraham, Moses and Jesus. His example, known as the Sunnah, shows how the guidance of the Quran can be lived out in daily life: in prayer, in family life, in business and in kindness to others.

Whenever Muslims mention his name, they ask God to send peace and blessings upon him. It is a small, constant sign of the gratitude and affection that more than fourteen centuries have not dimmed.

Key takeaways

  • The Prophet was born in Makkah around 570 CE and was known as 'the trustworthy one' long before his prophethood.
  • The first revelation came around 610 CE in the cave of Hira, and the Quran was revealed over about twenty-three years.
  • The migration to Madinah in 622 CE marks the start of the Islamic calendar.
  • He returned to Makkah in 630 CE with a general pardon, and passed away in Madinah in 632 CE.
  • Muslims see him as a human messenger whose example, the Sunnah, shows how to live by the Quran.

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