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.”
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim
BORN: c. 570
BIRTHPLACE: Makkah, Saudi Arabia
DEATH: June 8, 623
The Life of Muhammad
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.
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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.
The Prophet Muhammad
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.
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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.
The Death of Muhammad
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.
