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Muhammad was a prophet and founder of Islam.

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Muhammad was the prophet and founder of Islam. Most of his early life was spent as a merchant. At age 40, he began to have revelations from Allah that became the basis for the Koran and the foundation of Islam. By 630 he had unified most of Arabia under a single religion. As of 2015, there are over 1.8 billion Muslims in the world who profess, “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.”

FULL NAME: Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim BORN: c. 570 BIRTHPLACE: Makkah, Saudi Arabia DEATH: June 8, 623

Muhammad was born around 570, AD in Mecca (now in Saudi Arabia). His father died before he was born and he was raised first by his grandfather and then his uncle. He belonged to a poor but respectable family of the Quraysh tribe. The family was active in Meccan politics and trade.

Many of the tribes living in the Arabian Peninsula at the time were nomadic, trading goods as they crisscrossed the desert. Most tribes were polytheistic, worshipping their own set of gods. The town of Mecca was an important trading and religious center, home to many temples and worship sites where the devoted prayed to the idols of these gods. The most famous site was the Kaaba (meaning cube in Arabic). It is believed to have been built by Abraham (Ibrahim to Muslims) and his son Ismail. Gradually the people of Mecca turned to polytheism and idolatry. Of all the gods worshipped, it is believed that Allah was considered the greatest and the only one without an idol.

In his early teens, Muhammad worked in a camel caravan, following in the footsteps of many people his age, born of meager wealth. Working for his uncle, he gained experience in commercial trade traveling to Syria and eventually from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean. In time, Muhammad earned a reputation as honest and sincere, acquiring the nickname “al-Amin” meaning faithful or trustworthy.

In his early 20s, Muhammad began working for a wealthy merchant woman named Khadijah, 15 years his senior. She soon became attracted to this young, accomplished man and proposed marriage. He accepted and over the years the happy union brought several children. Not all lived to adulthood, but one, Fatima, would marry Muhammad’s cousin, Ali ibn Abi Talib, whom Shi’ite Muslims regard as Muhammad’s successor.

Muhammad was also very religious, occasionally taking journeys of devotion to sacred sites near Mecca. On one of his pilgrimages in 610, he was meditating in a cave on Mount Jabal aI-Nour. The Angel Gabriel appeared and relayed the word of God: “Recite in the name of your Lord who creates, creates man from a clot! Recite for your lord is most generous….” These words became the opening verses of sūrah (chapter) 96 of the Qur'an. Most Islamic historians believe Muhammad was initially disturbed by the revelations and that he didn’t reveal them publicly for several years. However, Shi’a tradition states he welcomed the message from the Angel Gabriel and was deeply inspired to share his experience with other potential believers.

Islamic tradition holds that the first persons to believe were his wife, Khadija and his close friend Abu Bakr (regarded as the successor to Muhammad by Sunni Muslims). Soon, Muhammad began to gather a small following, initially encountering no opposition. Most people in Mecca either ignored him or mocked him as just another prophet. However, when his message condemned idol worship and polytheism, many of Mecca’s tribal leaders began to see Muhammad and his message as a threat. Besides going against long standing beliefs, the condemnation of idol worship had economic consequences for merchants who catered to the thousands of pilgrims who came to Mecca every year. This was especially true for members of Muhammad’s own tribe, the Quraysh, who were the guardians of the Kaaba. Sensing a threat, Mecca’s merchants and leaders offered Muhammad incentives to abandon his preaching, but he refused.

Increasingly, the resistance to Muhammed and his followers grew and they were eventually forced to emigrate from Mecca to Medina, a city 260 miles to the north in 622. This event marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. There Muhammad was instrumental in bringing an end to a civil war raging amongst several of the city’s tribes. Muhammad settled in Medina, building his Muslim community and gradually gathering acceptance and more followers.

Between 624 and 628, the Muslims were involved in a series of battles for their survival. In the final major confrontation, The Battle of the Trench and Siege of Medina, Muhammad and his followers prevailed and a treaty was signed. The treaty was broken by the Meccan allies a year later. By now, Muhammad had plenty of forces and the balance of power had shifted away from the Meccan leaders to him. In 630, the Muslim army marched into Mecca, taking the city with minimum casualties. Muhammad gave amnesty to many of the Meccan leaders who had opposed him and pardoned many others. Most of the Meccan population converted to Islam. Muhammad and his followers then proceeded to destroy all of the statues of pagan gods in and around the Kaaba.

After the conflict with Mecca was finally settled, Muhammad took his first true Islamic pilgrimage to that city and in March, 632, he delivered his last sermon at Mount Arafat. Upon his return to Medina to his wife’s home, he fell ill for several days. He died on June 8, 632, at the age of 62, and was buried at al-Masjid an-Nabawi (the Mosque of the Prophet) one of the first mosques built by Muhammad in Medina.

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Prophet Muhammad – Biography, achievements and teachings

Prophet Muhammad (570–632) Founder of Islam. Whilst in seclusion in a mountain cave, Muhammad reported receiving a series of revelations from God; these revelations form the verses of the Qu’ran, regarded by Muslims as the “Word of God” and around which the Islamic religion is based. Muhammad was a significant religious, political and military leader who helped to unite Arabia under the new religion of Islam.

Cave of Hira – location of Muhammad’s first revelation.

In the year 610, at the age of 40, Muhammad was undertaking a retreat of pray and meditation in the desert. During his prayer, he began hearing a luminous voice who commanded him to write down the word of God. At first, Muhammad was very uncertain about his experience, but after sharing with his first wife Khadijah and her cousin, he gained confidence that it was a divine voice, which he later revealed to be Angel Jibreel (Gabriel). For quite a few years, Muhammad only shared these recitations with his close companions who later served as scribes, writing down the revelations. He was aware that preaching a new monotheistic religious teaching may incur the wrath of the existing authorities. An important feature of the teachings of the Qu’ran was that there was only one God, and the essential aspect of life was to submit to his will.

Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem where Muhammad is believed to have ascended to Heaven

In the beginning, he attracted a small number of followers, who were deeply moved by the teachings Muhammad imparted. This gave him the confidence to speak to other people in Mecca. However, the followers of Muhammad were viewed with hostility by other Meccan tribes who generally believed in a pantheistic world view (although there were small numbers of Christians and Jews). In 619, both his wife Khadijah and uncle (effective guardian Abu Talib) died. In this time, of personal difficulty, he had an important spiritual experience, where he felt his spirit transported to Jerusalem and then to Heaven where he saw himself with other prophets such as Moses and Jesus amidst the divine throne of God.

In 622 because of ongoing hostility, Muhammad with some of his followers, migrated to the city of Yathrib, now known as Medina. This migration is known as the Hijrah and marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.

In Medina, Muhammad succeeded in uniting various tribes. He used his skill as an arbiter to smooth over tensions, and increasingly he was viewed as an adept and inspirational leader – combining strength and military skill with a compassionate and devout nature. At the Battle of Badr, just 313 Muslims under Muhammad’s leadership defeated a force of 1,000 Meccans. After this victory, Muhammad negotiated a peace treaty with the Meccan tribes.

During the remainder of his life, he was able to unite most of Arabia under the new religion of Islam. In 632, he gave his final sermon to 20,000 people – showing the extent of his influence and popularity. He died later in the year after suffering from a fever that lasted several days. His last words were:

O Allah, to Ar-Rafiq Al-A’la (exalted friend, highest Friend or the uppermost, highest Friend in heaven)

After his death, he was succeeded by his father-in-law and close associate, Abu Bakr. For the next 100 years, Islam spread rapidly becoming the dominant religious and political force of the middle-east. By 750, Muslim influence stretched from India to Spain and was strongly established as a major world religion.

The Qu’ran

Early Quran manuscript

From his first experiences in the cave, Muhammad reported receiving messages from God throughout his life. These messages form The Qu’ran – which to Muslims is the word of God. Muslims believe Muhammad to be the final prophet in a tradition stretching back to Moses, Abraham and Jesus.

As well as the Qu’ran, Muslims study the Sira (Muhammad’s life) and traditions of the time (Sharia law).

The essential message of the Qu’ran is that there is no God but Allah, and followers should lead their lives in submission to the will of Allah as described in the Qu’ran.

Muhammad also believed religion was not just a private matter of conscience but something that affected the whole society. He instigated social reforms, which included the better treatment of all classes of people and the reduction of aristocratic privileges. The Qu’ran mentioning an alms tax. (zakat) which sought to reduce inequality in society. Muhammad insisted that new tribes who wished to ally with himself should apply this tax.

For his time, Muhammad instigating progressive reforms. He condemned some customs such as female infanticide and excessive privilege. He enhanced the rights of slaves, though did not abolish it completely

Muhammad taught the concept of Jihad. First and foremost ‘jihad is the internal struggle against man’s weaknesses such as lust, envy and hatred, and the struggle to become a better devout person. Jihad could also involve the outer battle against enemies who wished to prevent the devout from practising their faith.

“A strong person is not the person who throws his adversaries to the ground. A strong person is the person who contains himself when he is angry.” – Sunni Hadith

The name Muhammad means “Praiseworthy.” Muslims he was not a divine figure, but was close to a perfect man.

In the list of 100 most influential people in the world , Michael Hast chose Muhammad to be number one, arguing that Muhammad was influential in both the religious and secular world. Muhammad changed the course of history by creating a strong monotheistic religion amongst the Arab world and unifying the disparate tribes. The teachings of the Qu’ran act as a major influence on Islamic society. Like all religions, the teachings of Muhammad have often been misinterpreted and used in the justification of fanaticism – in particular the concept of Jihad is open to different interpretations as to what is meant by defending the faith. Also, quite a few Muslim practises, such as women wearing the veil came in – many years after he had died.

Citation:  Pettinger, Tejvan . “Biography of Muhammad”, Oxford, www.biographyonline.net, Last updated 14 March 2020. Originally published 23/05/2014.

Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources

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– The Second Muslim Caliph and confidant of Muhammad.

The Prophet Muhammad and the Origins of Islam

The rise of Islam is intrinsically linked with the Prophet Muhammad, believed by Muslims to be the last in a long line of prophets that includes Moses and Jesus. Because Muhammad was the chosen recipient and messenger of the word of God through the divine revelations, Muslims from all walks of life strive to follow his example. After the holy Qur'an, the sayings of the Prophet ( hadith ) and descriptions of his way of life ( sunna ) are the most important Muslim texts.

Early Life Muhammad was born into the most powerful tribe in Mecca, the Quraish, around 570 A.D. The power of the Quraish derived from their role as successful merchants. Several trade routes intersected at Mecca, allowing the Quraish to control trade along the west coast of Arabia, north to Syria, and south to Yemen.

Mecca was home to two widely venerated polytheistic cults whose gods were thought to protect its lucrative trade. After working for several years as a merchant, Muhammad was hired by Khadija, a wealthy widow, to ensure the safe passage of her caravans to Syria. They eventually married.

Divine Revelations When he was roughly forty, Muhammad began having visions and hearing voices. Searching for clarity, he would sometimes meditate at Mount Hira, near Mecca. On one of these occasions, the Archangel Gabriel ( Jibra'il in Arabic) appeared to him and instructed him to recite "in the name of [your] lord." This was the first of many revelations that became the basis of the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam. These early revelations pointed to the existence of a single God, contradicting the polytheistic beliefs of the pre-Islamic Arabian Peninsula.

Initially overwhelmed by the significance of what was being revealed to him, Muhammad found unflinching support in his wife and slowly began to attract followers. His strong monotheistic message angered many of the Meccan merchants. They were afraid that trade, which they believed was protected by the pagan gods, would suffer. From that point forward, Muhammad was ostracized in Mecca. For a time, the influence and status of his wife and his uncle, Abu Talib, the chief of the clan, protected Muhammad from persecution. After they died, however, Muhammad's situation in Mecca became dire.

The Hijra Emigration became the only hope for Muhammad and his followers' survival. In 622, they headed to Medina, another oasis town, where they were promised freedom to practice their religion. The move from Mecca to Medina is known as the hijra —the flight—and marks year 1 of the Islamic, or hijri , calendar.

Spreading the Message of Islam In Medina, Muhammad continued to receive divine revelations and built an ever-expanding community around the new faith. The conflict with the Quraish continued, but after several years of violent clashes, Mecca surrendered. Muhammad and his followers soon returned and took over the city, destroying all its pagan idols and spreading their belief in one God.

The Night Journey and Ascension of the Prophet Accounts of the ascension ( mi'raj  ) of Muhammad have captured the imaginations of writers and painters for centuries. One night, while the Prophet was sleeping, the Archangel Gabriel came and led him on a journey. Mounted on the heavenly steed Buraq , Muhammad traveled from the Ka'ba in Mecca to the "Farthest Mosque," which Muslims believe to be the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. There he prayed with other prophets such as Moses, Abraham, and Jesus, and ascended to the skies, where he was led by Gabriel through Paradise and Hell, and finally came face to face with God. He then returned to earth to continue spreading the message of Islam. According to Islamic belief, Muhammad was the only person to see Heaven and Hell while still alive.

After the Prophet's Death: Emergence of Shi'i and Sunni Sects of Islam When Muhammad died in 632, he had not named a successor. One faction, the Shi'a, believed that only individuals with direct lineage to the Prophet could guide the Muslim community righteously. They thought that 'Ali, Muhammad's closest surviving blood male relative, should be their next leader ( caliph ). The other faction, the Sunnis, believed that the Prophet's successor should be determined by consensus and successively elected three of his most trusted companions, commonly referred to as the Rightly Guided Caliphs (Abu Bakr, 'Umar, and 'Uthman), as leaders of the Muslim community; 'Ali succeeded them as the fourth caliph.

Today the Islamic community remains divided into Sunni and Shi'i branches. Sunnis revere all four caliphs, while Shi'is regard 'Ali as the first spiritual leader. The rift between these two factions has resulted in differences in worship as well as political and religious views. Sunnis are in the majority and occupy most of the Muslim world, while Shi'i populations are concentrated in Iran and Iraq, with sizeable numbers in Bahrain, Lebanon, Kuwait, Turkey, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

Depictions of the Prophet Muhammad Featured in this unit are several depictions of the Prophet Muhammad. These portrayals, while somewhat rare, are not unheard of as there were (and still are) many different attitudes toward depicting the Prophet, and humans in general, in the Islamic world. These attitudes varied dramatically from region to region and throughout history; the societies that produced the works discussed here are among those that allowed the depiction of the Prophet. Commissioned by Muslims for Muslims, these images appear in biographies of the Prophet and his family, world and local histories, and accounts of Muhammad's celestial journey ( mi'raj ), as well as in literary texts. In each context, they serve a distinct purpose. They illustrate a narrative in biographies and histories, while in literary texts they serve as visual analogues to written praises of the Prophet. An image of the Prophet Muhammad at the beginning of a book endows the volume with the highest form of blessing and sanctity. Thus, illustration of him was a common practice, particularly in the eastern regions of the Islamic world (see also Frequently Asked Questions ).

Biography of the Prophet Muhammad's Early Life

Timeline of the Prophet's Life Before the Call to Prophethood

Melissa Snell/Public Domain

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The Prophet Muhammad , peace be upon him , is a central figure in the life and faith of Muslims. The story of his life is filled with inspiration, trials, triumphs, and guidance for people of all ages and times.

Life in Makkah

Since ancient times, Makkah has been a central city on the trade route from Yemen to Syria. Traders from all over the region stopped through to buy and sell goods, and visit religious sites. The local Makkan tribes thus became quite wealthy, particularly the Quraish tribe.

Arabs had been exposed to monotheism, as a tradition passed down from the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), peace be upon him. The Ka’aba in Makkah, in fact, was originally built by Ibraham as a symbol of monotheism. However, over generations, most of the Arab people had reverted to polytheism and had begun using the Ka’aba to house their stone idols. The society was oppressive and dangerous. They indulged in alcohol, gambling, blood ​feuds, and trading of women and slaves.

Early Life: 570 C.E.

Muhammad was born in Makkah in the year 570 C.E. to a trader named ‘Abdullah and his wife Amina. The family was part of the respected Quraish tribe. Tragically, ‘Abdullah died before his son was born.  Amina was left to raise Muhammad with the help of her son’s paternal grandfather, ‘AbdulMuttalib.

When Muhammad was only six years old, his mother also passed away.  He was thus orphaned at a young age. Only two years after that, ‘AbdulMuttalib also died, leaving Muhammad at the age of eight in the care of his paternal uncle, Abu Talib.

In his early life, Muhammad was known as a calm and sincere boy and young man.  As he grew older, people called upon him to arbitrate in disputes, as he was known to be fair and truthful.

First Marriage: 595 C.E.

When he was 25 years old, Muhammad married Khadija bint Khuwailid, a widow who was fifteen years his senior. Muhammad once described his first wife as follows:  "She believed in me when no one else did; she accepted Islam when people rejected me, and she helped and comforted me when there was no one else to lend me a helping hand."  Muhammad and Khadija were married for 25 years until her death. It was only after her death that Muhammad married again. The wives of the Prophet Muhammad are known as the " Mothers of the Believers ."

Call to Prophethood: 610 C.E.

As a calm and sincere person, Muhammad was disturbed by the immoral behavior he observed around him.  He would often retreat to the hills surrounding Makkah in order to contemplate. During one of these retreats, in the year 610 C.E., the angel Gabriel appeared to Muhammad and called him to Prophethood.

The first verses of the Qur’an to be revealed were the words, “Read! In the name of your Lord who created, created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is Most Bountiful. He, Who taught by the pen, taught man what he knew not." (Qur’an 96:1-5).

Later Life (610-632 C.E.)

From humble roots, the Prophet Muhammad was able to transform a corrupt, tribal land into a well-disciplined state.

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World History Edu

• Prophet Muhammad

Life Story of Prophet Muhammad: the Last Messenger of God in Islam

by World History Edu · October 9, 2019

“There is no god except Allah and Prophet Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” | The Muslim profession of faith, inscribed on the Topkapi Palace (Turkey).

The Prophet Muhammad is widely regarded as the bedrock of the Islamic religion. Muslims across the world hold him in high regard and view him as a righteous messenger to whom God (Allah) revealed the Quran (Koran). Growing up in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Muhammad’s date of existence is usually quoted as roughly 570-632 CE. Below, we present the full life story of the Prophet Mohammad (Peace be on to Him):

The Prophet Muhammad’s Birth

The Islamic founder’s birth occurred in the year  570 CE, Mecca. He was born to Abdallah ibn Abd al-Muttalib and Aminah bint Wahb. Unfortunately, Muhammad never saw his father with his own eyes – his father died before he came into the world. His family background and tree can be traced to the Quraysh tribe.

After the Prophet’s birth, his mother immediately knew that she had given birth to a great son. Aminah shared memories of the day she put the baby Muhammad down on the floor. According to her, the child directed his head towards the sky and gazed at the horizons, prophesizing one God (Allah). A voice then spoke out to her – ” you have given birth to a great one, he shall be called Muhammad”.

Muhammad’s paternal grandfather was called to pay a visit to the newborn. When he arrived, Abdul-Mutalib took the baby to the Kaaba and said some prayers to Allah. The Kaaba is a cube-shaped stone building in Mecca. Upon Muttalib’s return from the Kaaba,  the great baby boy was named Muhammad.

Less than 7 years after his birth, Muhammad was fully orphaned when Aminah passed away. His grandfather Muttalib took care of him as a guardian. Fully aware of the child’s great religious future, Muttalib specially treated Muhammad with all the goodness he could afford. It has been said that Muttalib even cared for Muhammad better than his own wards. This was because he had high faith in him.

At about age 8, another disaster struck little Muhammad. His grandfather Muttalib was called to eternal rest. For the rest of his upbringing, Muhammad was then cared for by Abu Talib, Muhammad’s uncle. His uncle was very protective of Allah’s messenger – he stood by him during his trying times until death separated them.

Early Life in Mecca

Muhammad’s family lines had strong trade ties and political influence in Mecca. During Muhammad’s birth era, most of the Arabians were nomadic people who traded goods across the desert. Their religious beliefs were largely that of polytheism. They believed and worshiped all sorts of gods (idols).

Deep within the city of Mecca, idol worshiping was no exception. Dozens of temples and shrines served as worshiping grounds for devout worshipers who either had no idea or didn’t believe in one God.

Of all the worshiping sites, the Kaaba was the most famous ground.  Islam followers believe that the Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim) was the one who built the Kaaba. In Arabic, Kaaba means “a cube”. Though numerous gods were worshiped in Mecca, Allah stood tall among the rest. He was the only true God that was not affiliated with idols.

During his teenage days, Muhammad partook in the nomadic lifestyle of his people. They used camels and crisscrossed deserts to trade for their livelihood. To some extent, Muhammad came from a less privileged family background. He joined his uncle on commercial voyages to Syria, and across the Mediterranean and then the Indian Ocean. Muhammad’s trustworthiness earned him the name “al-Amin”.

Prophet Muhammad Marries Khadijah

When he reached his twenties, Muhammad worked with a rich businesses woman by name Khadijah. Muhammad was 15 years younger than her. Their merchant dealings soon progressed into a strong bond of affection.

Khadijah, a wealthy widow, was all in to having Muhammad as a spouse, so she proposed marriage to him. Muhammad welcomed the idea and their union was blessed with plenty of fruits. However, not all their children made it into adulthood. Some died prematurely.

Controversially, in his energetic youthful days, Khadija was Muhammad’s only wife. His monogamous marriage was very unusual at that time, given the widespread polygamy that characterized his immediate environment. However, he later remarried other women when his first wife Khadijah died.

One daughter of his (Fatima) lived on and married Ali ibn Talib, a cousin to Muhammad. An Islamic branch called the Shi’ite Muslims have long maintained that Ali was the true successor of Prophet Muhammad.

Life and Meditation in the Cave

Muhammad grew up and loved to explore religious realms. He was far advanced in seeking to know Allah and truly understanding Allah’s mercies. In one such journeys, Muhammad discovered a cave called Hira in the mountain Jabal al-Nour. He found the cave convenient for religious meditations. He frequently visited the isolated hideout and got himself lost in contemplation of the Almighty and Magnificent Allah.

It has been alleged that Angel Gabriel visited Muhammad at the cage. The cave in someway manifested Muhammad’s level of spiritual commitment. Seated at the north of the mountain’s top, the question of how Muhammad discovered that isolated world is one that can’t be answered by an ordinary mind. To discover such a wonderful cave, many Islamic scholars and religious authors believe that it definitely took divine guidance and mercy.

Prophet Muhammad’s Spiritual Encounter with the Divine

Once he entered the cave, Muhammad lived in a separate world of his own. Apart from the sky view and the mountain surroundings, nothing else was visible to the naked eye. Shielded from external acoustic interference, everything was between Muhammad and the Merciful Allah. This gave the Prophet Muhammad’s mind the right atmosphere to think about things beyond the materialistic world.

At 40 years old, Muhammad was still in the mysterious cage when he had a spiritual encounter with Allah. It was here that he was presented with verse 1 of the Qur’an. After this revelation, Muhammad didn’t remain the same. It was a turning point in Islamic history.

In the space of 2-3 years after the Quranic revelation, Muhammad preached monotheism to his people. At first, he preached privately to people he trusted.  He later mustered courage and took Allah’s messages to the streets. And bingo, the Islamic religion was birthed. More and more people slowly joined Muhammad in praising Allah. They embraced Allah as the ever Merciful and the ever Gracious.

Sanctions and Persecutions

Since his new religion was founded in the hearts of an idol-worshiping society, it didn’t exist without some sort of hindrance or persecutions. The expansion of Islam brought forth life-threatening hostilities towards the Prophet and his followers. Not everyone saw him as a God-sent messenger.

From the onset, Muhammad was an enemy to many sections of idol worshipers in Mecca. They abused him verbally, physically and in many other ways. But his uncle Abu Talib had his back and defended Muhammad. So he carried on with his evangelism ( Jihad ).

By choosing Allah against the will and traditions of the inhabitants of Mecca, things took a dangerous turn in the form of sanctions, persecutions, and wars, after the revelation. Some of the Islamic converts who were held as slaves were tortured or murdered.

The Prophet Muhammad flees to Abyssinia

The idol-worshipers rose up against the Prophet Muhammad’s followers. By 614 CE, the severity of the persecution forced Muhammad to direct his fellow Muslims to flee to Abyssinia for protection. Abyssinia was a Christian Kingdom in Ethiopia. They had a just king who was hospitable to the Muslims. The Quraysh people reportedly tried to bribe the Abyssinian king to sacking the Muslims, but their wicked efforts failed.

A year after the successful migration of some Muslims to Abyssinia, the Quraysh people put up sanctions and targeted Prophet Mohammed’s family, his activities, and his followers. As a result of the sanctions, Muslims moved and settled at the site of a Meccan mountain. The sanctions flopped in 618-619 CE, after 3 years.

More Troubles, plus the Loss of His Wife and Uncle

Soon afterward, Muhammad lost his dear wife Khadijah. More troubles set in when his uncle also passed away. The Prophet suffered more persecutions from the enemies who were hell-bent on eroding Islam. The intensified persecutions necessitated a pilgrimage in 622 CE. The Prophet met with elderly leaders from Yathrib City and they pledged their protective support to Muhammad.

When the plan leaked out to the Quraysh people, the Yathribs had to quickly move back to their home. Sensing the impending threat, the Prophet instructed his people to secretly emigrate to Yathrib. In response, the Qurayshites plotted to have him killed as soon as possible. The Quraysh tribes collectively planned to carry out the murder in the night time when the Prophet would be asleep.

The Prophet Muhammad’s Pilgrimage from Mecca to Medina

Fortunately, Allah saved Muhammad from death at the last minute.  On the night of the planned murder, Allah instructed him to leave Mecca immediately and make his way to Yathrib. The Prophet did as Allah had instructed. When he safely departed from Mecca to Yathrib, Yathrib was renamed as “al-Madina” or Medina.  This famous emigration of the Prophet is called the Hijra .

The date of this important event is given as 622 CE. It happened about 12 years after the revelation of the first Quranic verses. The Prophet’s escape to Medina has significant implications in the Islamic world. It helped the Islamic religion to establish a strong foundation. The prophet lived in Medina for up to 10 years, before he left the world.

Significant Battles and Treaties

In the following years (624-628 CE), many battles were fought by the Muslims for their lives. The most significant battles were the Battle of Badr and the Battle of the Trench. These were followed by the Siege of Medina, which resulted in a peace treaty between the Meccans and Muhammad’s followers.

When the Meccans broke the treaty, another war broke out.  In 630 CE, Muhammad’s Muslim army was able to counter and defeat the Meccans pagans without fighting to the extreme.

By this time,  Muslim numbers had grown significantly. Prophet Muhammad pardoned his oppressors. As a sign of good fate, or perhaps with Allah’s intervention, the Prophet’s former foes willingly converted to Islam. The Muslim community then collected and destroyed all pagan items (idols) close to the sacred Kaaba.

Death of Prophet Muhammad and His Burial Place

“Prophet Muhammad, the Messenger of God” inscribed at the entrance of the Prophet’s Mosque (Al-Masjid an Nawabi) in Medina, Saudi Arabia.

After resolving the conflicts with the pagans, Prophet Muhammad ( peace be unto him ) took his pilgrimage back to Mecca. In March of 632 CE, on Mount Arafat, the Prophet gave out his last sermon. He later went back to Medina. There, a deadly illness attacked him and he sadly never recovered.

On 8th June 632, the Prophet Muhammad (in his early 60s) took his last breath. There are conspiracy theories that the Prophet was poisoned. To date, there is no evidence to support such claims. Prophet Muhammad was buried at a mosque in Medina, the al-Masjid an Nawabi (present day Medina, Saudi Arabia).

He is regarded as the “Last Prophet”. Muhammad teachings are summarized as the Hadiths. With regard to the Sunnah, they talk about the prophet’s exemplary lifestyle. Muslims believe that Muhammad was the only Prophet who saw both heaven and hell before dying.

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Early Life of Mohammad (SAW)

Muhammad [saw] was born in Mecca ( Makkah), Arabia, on Monday, 12 Rabi’ Al-Awal (2 August A.D. 570). His mother, Aminah, was the daughter of Wahb Ibn Abdu Manaf of the Zahrah family. His father, ‘Abdullah, was the son of Abdul Muttalib. His genealogy has been traced to the noble house of Ishmael, the son of Prophet Abraham in about the fortieth descend. Muhammad’s father died before his birth.

Life of Prophet Muhammad(pbuh)- Early Life

It was the general custom of the Arabs that their young children were sent to the desert to be brought up with the Bedouins. The tough desert life gave the child a good start in life and the language of the Bedouins was a much purer Arabic. For a few year, they grew up in this harsh but health desert life before returning to their parents.

The Prophet was entrusted to Halima Sadia. She was a poor wet nurse. She and her husband only had a donkey and old she-camel. She did not even have enough milk to feed the other child in her care. It was also the year of famine and drought so they would constantly pray for rain.

None of the other Bedouin wet nurses wanted to take the child Muhammad because he was an orphan. When a child was returned to the family of the foster child, they would reward the wet nurse generously. They couldn’t expect to gain many riches from a child who was an orphan. Every woman got a child to bring up but Halima, who had arrived last and did not find a child to foster. She was ready to go back when she decided to return and collect the child Muhammad, even though he was an orphan.

as soon as she lifted Muhammad (PBUH), her fortunes turned right around and her life was filled with immense good fortune. Both Muhammad and the other foster child were fully fed, even though the previous night there was no milk for the other child. The old she-camel, which had not given a drop of milk, was soon overflowing with milk. Halima was at the very back of the group of women but now was at the front of the group. This was indeed a great blessing for this poor Bedouin family.

Halima knew that she had a blessed child with all the miracles and blessings she was seeing with her own eyes. Halima’s herd of goats used to come home full, and overflowing with milk. The rest of the Bedouins’ goats used to come home scraggy and empty. They used to complain to the shepherd to take the sheep and goats to the same place that Halima takes her flock! There were many more signs about how her life was turned around.

After two years, Muhammad was returned to His mother Amina, but soon Amina was persuaded by Halima to return the baby back with them for another two years. At this time, Halima told Amina about the great blessings that she had received when Muhammad was in her care. There was also an illness in Makkah and the child would be protected from it.

A strange incident took place in the prophet’s childhood. Once both Muhammad and his foster brother were playing in the yard with the goats when the Angel Jibrael appeared to them. The Angel came split open Muhammad’s chest, took out his heart, removed a blood clot, and washed it in Zamzam. The angel then returned the heart to Muhammad’s body before going away. The angel said this was the part of shaytan in you.

His foster brother ran to Halima and said that Muhammad has been murdered. She rushed out and found Muhammad standing with a pale white face. She checked over his body and found that he was fine.

Very shortly she returned him to Amina, his mother. Amina found out from Halima about the events that had taken place. Amina assured Halima that Muhammad was not under the influence of any devil or jinn but even when she was expecting him she had seen great marvels and miracles. Muhammad was returned to the care of his mother Amina and continued to live with her and Barakah.

Before he was six years old his mother died, and the doubly orphaned Muhammad was put under the charge of his grandfather Abdul Muttalib who took the most tender care of him. But the old chief died two years afterwards. On his deathbed he confided to his son Abu Talib the charge of the little orphan.

When Muhammad [saw] was twelve years old, he accompanied his uncle Abu Talib on a mercantile journey to Syria, and they proceeded as far as Busra. The journey lasted for some months. It was at Busra that the Christian monk Bahira met Muhammad. He is related to have said to Abu Talib: ‘Return with this boy and guard him against the hatred of the Jews, for a great career awaits your nephew.”

After this journey, the youth of Muhammad seems to have been passed uneventfully, but all authorities agree in ascribing to him such correctness of manners and purity of morals as were rare among the people of Mecca. The fair character and the honorable bearing of the unobtrusive youth won the approbation of the citizens of Mecca, and by common consent, he received the title of “Al Ameen,” The Faithful.

In his early years, Muhammad was not free from the cares of life. He had to watch the flocks of his uncle, who, like the rest of the Bani Hashim, had lost the greater part of his wealth.

From youth to manhood he led an almost solitary life. The lawlessness rife among the Meccans, the sudden outbursts of causeless and bloody quarrels among the tribes frequenting the Fair of Okadh (The Arabian Olympia), and the immorality and skepticism of the Quraish, naturally caused feelings of pity and sorrow in the heart of the sensitive youth. Such scenes of social misery and religious degradation were characteristic of a depraved age.

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[PDF] The Life of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)

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A Short Biography of Prophet Muhammad (SAW)

Name : The Full name of Prophet Muhammad SAW is   Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn Abd Allāh ibn Abd al-Muṭṭalib ibn Hāshim  . He is the last Prophet of Allah sent to humanity and he is the Prophet Muslim follow all over the world.

When was Prophet Muhaamad(SAW)  born and when did he die : Muhammad SAW   was  b orn  in the year 570 of the Gregorian calendar in Mecca [Saudi Arabia]He died  in the year 632 in  Medina (Saudi Arabia).

As his father had died shortly after marriage, his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib became his guardian. ‘Abd al-Muttalib was the respected head of the clan of Hashim and the tribe of Quraysh, to which his clan belonged.

The Prophet was only about five to six years old when he lost his mother,Amnah

Muhammad Saw  then lost his grandfather and custodian Abd al-Muttalib at the age of eight.

• When Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) was twenty five years old, he was hired by a woman called Khadija to take her merchandise to Syria. Khadija, a widow fifteen years Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w)’s senior, later proposed marriage to him, which he agreed to. They lived together for almost a quarter of a century, until the death of Khadija about 8-9 years after the revelation of the Qur’an. Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) did not get married to any other woman during Khadija’s life, despite the fact that polygamy was common practice in that society.
• It was in that cave in 610 CE, i.e. at the age of forty, that Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) received from Allah the first verses of the Qur’an.
• The Qur’an continued to be revealed in fragments to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) over the following twenty two years.
• “ Hijra ” (immigration), to Madina  occurred in 622 CE, about twelve years after the revelation of the first verses of the Qur’an. This flight was destined to have far-reaching consequences in establishing the Islamic community,
• The Prophet lived in al-Madina for about ten years. By the time of his departure from this world in 632 CE,

If you want to know more about the lineage of Prophet Muhammad SAW,you may like to View this rare lineage Chart  . And If you want to read the full biography of Prophet Muhammad SAW ,then you might like to check this book.

Let me share a more comprehensive Sirah  of Prophet Muhammad SAW  . I Recieved this  Seerah poster  of Prophet Muhammad SAW and found it very elaborate .This gives a Very nice introduction to the Life of our Prophet PBUH . Take a Look.

The sirah of Prophet Muhammad SAW – Please Click on the Image to View it Zoomed

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i want to contact Aafiya , if you read my text plz contact cause i need you so much

The Prophet Muhammad (Peace And Blessing be Upon Him) is a central figure in the life and faith of Muslims. The story of his life is filled with inspiration, trials, triumphs, and guidance for people of all ages and times.

Very good short Biography. What does the SAW stand for? Thanks.

It is Sallalahu alaihe Wassalam (Peace and blessings on our dear Prophet)

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Lesley Hazleton, writer with an eye on fast cars and faith, dies at 78

After training as a psychologist, she became a political journalist in Israel, penned automotive columns in the U.S., and wrote about religion and spirituality.

Lesley Hazleton, a psychologist turned author who cast her perceptive gaze on politics, cars, religion and faith, writing about Israeli society, the transgressive thrills of breaking the speed limit and the lives of the Virgin Mary as well as the prophet Muhammad, died April 29 at her home, a houseboat on Lake Union in Seattle. She was 78.

A husky-voiced writer who drank grappa from a flask, smoked Philip Morris cigarettes without interruption, earned her pilot’s license and flew as many hours as her savings would allow, Ms. Hazleton charted an independent course to the very end of her life. Her death was announced in a goodbye email that she sent to friends on a time delay, revealing that she had terminal cancer in her bladder and kidneys and had decided to die on her own terms, using a lethal dose of medication permitted under the state’s Death With Dignity Act.

“I’ve been a pro-choice feminist for over six decades,” she wrote, “so it should come as no surprise that I’ll be exercising choice in this too.”

“Now that it’s imminent,” she added, “I’m experiencing an unexpected but wonderfully bearable lightness of being. Not a sad feeling of saying goodbye to life, but one of joy and amazement at how great it’s been. And of immense gratitude.”

Ms. Hazleton grew up in England but started her professional life in Israel, where she trained as a psychologist, taught at an experimental school and gradually immersed herself in journalism, becoming a stringer for Time magazine and a reporter for the Jerusalem Post.

In the 1970s, she covered the Yom Kippur War, crisscrossed the Sinai Peninsula (a friend, Huw Price, remembered how “she blagged lifts on Israeli gunboats down to Sharm el-Sheikh”) and drove a Citroën 2CV (“a tin can on wheels,” Price said) through the desert to the Golan Heights, learning only later that she had passed right over a mine field.

“The car,” she recalled , “was too light to set off the mines.”

Ms. Hazleton lived in Israel for 13 years before moving to New York City, “exhausted by too much tension, too much excitement, too much passion.” She went on to write for publications including Harper’s and the New York Times, where she contributed to the long-running column Hers, as well as the Detroit Free Press, where she had a regular automotive column extolling “the transcendent joys of the internal combustion engine.”

Her fascination with fast cars began one day in 1988, she wrote in “Confessions of a Fast Woman,” a 1992 essay collection, “when I drove at twice the speed limit. I was in a Porsche 911, and I’d never been in one before. It was a revelation. It was a seduction.”

At the time, she was a rare woman covering the automotive industry, one of only three women in the International Motor Press Association, by her account. Men on the racing circuit would make bawdy come-ons, pointing out what they considered phallic machinery under the hood (she found the car more uterine than penile), or would appear flummoxed by the fact that she, a woman, was covering cars at all.

“ ‘You write about what?’ they’d say. ‘Cars,’ I’d repeat. And then seeing no diminution in incomprehension, I’d resort to kindergarten level: ‘You know, vroom vroom.’”

As part of her research, Ms. Hazleton apprenticed with master mechanics in Vermont, worked on a Saturn assembly line in Tennessee, crunched broken-down jalopies at a junkyard in Texas and learned to drive around a track at more than 200 mph.

She filled her books and articles with historical references and allusions to ancient myth (the tale of Icarus, the honors Nazi Germany bestowed on automaker Henry Ford), examined the environmental toll of gas-powered cars and explored the liberating effect of driving, which she believed had a special meaning for women.

“While men take for granted the independence that cars bring, women do not. Our own car means freedom. It means control of our own lives. It means, in short, far more to us than it does to most men,” she wrote in her 1995 automotive book, “Everything Women Always Wanted to Know about Cars — But Didn’t Know Who to Ask.”

By her late 50s, Ms. Hazleton had shifted gears once again, becoming an “accidental theologist,” as she put it, while returning to questions of faith and spirituality that she had been asking for years, including as “a Jew who once seriously considered becoming a rabbi, a former convent schoolgirl who daydreamed about being a nun, an agnostic with a deep sense of religious mystery though no affinity for organized religion.”

Ms. Hazleton began blogging about religion and writing books such as “Mary” (2004), in which she mixed historical research and psychological speculation while attempting to offer a “flesh-and-blood” version of Mary, the mother of Jesus, reflecting Mary’s varied identities as “a peasant, a healer, a nationalist, a mother, a teacher, a leader.”

She later explored the life of another biblical figure in “Jezebel” (2006), a revisionist portrait of the Phoenician princess whose name came to symbolize decadence and promiscuity, and wrote about the history of Islam in “After the Prophet” (2009), a study of the faith’s Shia-Sunni rift, and “The First Muslim” (2013), about the prophet Muhammad and the transcendent moments he experienced on a mountain cave, receiving a revelation from the angel Gabriel.

Coming from a British American woman who was not Muslim, more than a decade after the 9/11 terrorist attacks led to a spike in Islamophobia, the book was met with suspicion by many Muslim readers as well as curiosity by nonbelievers.

“Bigots looking to confirm their prejudices will, by and large, find ‘The First Muslim’ a disappointment: Hazleton approaches her subject with scrupulous respect,” British novelist Hari Kunzru wrote in a review for the New York Times. He added that Ms. Hazleton told the story “with a sort of jaunty immediacy,” describing bardic contests as “the sixth-century equivalents of poetry slams” and referring to theological and literary ideas as “memes” with the potential to go “viral.”

The book was more a “popular biography” than a work of scholarship. But “it makes its subject vivid and immediate,” Kunzru wrote. “It deserves to find readers.”

The older of two children, Lesley Adele Hazleton was born in Reading, England, on Sept. 20, 1945. Her grandparents had emigrated from Latvia to Ireland, where her parents lived before coming to England. Her father was a general practitioner, her mother a homemaker.

Her brother, Ian, is her sole immediate survivor.

Ms. Hazleton attended a Catholic convent school, where she said she was ostracized as “the Hebrew girl” because of her Jewish upbringing, and studied psychology at what is now the University of Manchester, receiving a bachelor’s degree in 1966. She moved to Israel later that year and received a master’s degree in psychology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1971.

With her first book, “Israeli Women: The Reality Behind the Myths” (1977), Ms. Hazleton offered a psychological portrait of the country’s women and their place in Israeli society. After immigrating to the United States, she returned to Israel for a second, much shorter stay that she chronicled in a memoir, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem” (1986).

Her other books included “The Right to Feel Bad: Coming to Terms with Normal Depression” (1984), inspired by her struggles with depression and her realization that the condition, “which made me feel horribly isolated,” was not uncommon. Her last published book, “Agnostic: A Spirited Manifesto” (2016), made the case for withholding judgment about existence’s murkiest questions, and making room for science as well as mystery.

“Real faith has no easy answers,” she declared at a TED Talk in 2013 . “It’s difficult, and stubborn. It involves an ongoing struggle, a continuing question of what we think we know, a wrestling with issues and ideas. It goes hand in hand with doubt, in a never-ending conversation with it, and sometimes in conscious defiance of it. And this conscious defiance is why I, as an agnostic, can still have faith” — including, she said, a faith in the possibility of lasting peace in the Middle East, even as she saw few immediate prospects for attaining it.

“Despair is self-fulfilling,” she added. “If we call something impossible, we act in such a way that we make it so. And I for one refuse to live that way.”