The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
Loved by 1.8 billion people, misunderstood by many more. A short account of his life, and the facts of his story.
First, the essential point
Muslims do not worship Muhammad ﷺ. He is not Islam's God, nor its founder; he is God's final messenger, in the same line as Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. The ﷺ you see after his name stands for “peace and blessings be upon him”, a phrase of respect Muslims say whenever he is mentioned.
With that cleared up, here is his story in brief.
Key moments
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570 CE, Makkah
An orphan's beginning
Muhammad ﷺ is born in Makkah, Arabia. His father dies before his birth, his mother when he is six. Raised by his grandfather and then his uncle, he grows up tending sheep and later working caravans as a trader.
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~595 CE
“The Trustworthy”
Long before any claim to prophethood, the people of Makkah nickname him al-Amin, the Trustworthy, and use him to arbitrate disputes and safeguard valuables. He marries Khadijah, a businesswoman fifteen years his senior, and lives quietly for another fifteen years.
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610 CE, Cave of Hira
The first revelation
At forty, during one of his regular retreats to a mountain cave, he was visited by the Angel Gabriel with a single command: “Read.” The verses revealed that night become the first of the Quran. Shaken, he confides first in his wife, who believes him immediately.
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613–622 CE
Persecution in Makkah
His message, one God, equal human dignity, care for the poor, threatens Makkah's idol-centred economy and tribal hierarchy. Early Muslims, many of them slaves and the poor, are boycotted, tortured and killed. He preaches patience and forbids retaliation.
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622 CE, Madinah
The migration (Hijrah)
Invited by the feuding tribes of Yathrib (later Madinah) to lead their city, he migrates with his followers. The Islamic calendar begins from this year. In Madinah he drafts a charter recognising Jews, Christians and pagans as one community with protected rights.
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622–630 CE, Madinah
An Islamic state and a spreading message
In Madinah the Prophet ﷺ established the first Islamic state, governed by justice, consultation and a written constitution that protected people of every faith. He sent letters and envoys to the rulers of Persia, Byzantium, Egypt and Abyssinia, and signed treaties with neighbouring tribes, among them the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. Through his preaching and the character of those who followed him, Islam spread widely across Arabia, largely by invitation and example rather than force.
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630 CE, Return to Makkah
Conquest without vengeance
After years of conflict with Makkah, he enters the city at the head of ten thousand, and declares a general amnesty for the people who had persecuted him for two decades. The idols are cleared from the Kaaba, the worship of one God alone is established there, and peace spreads through the city without anyone being harmed.
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632 CE, Madinah
The farewell
He dies at 63, having delivered a farewell sermon that still reads startlingly modern: “No Arab is superior to a non-Arab, nor a white person to a black person, except in piety.” He leaves behind no palace and no fortune, his armour is pawned to a merchant for grain.
What he was like
The historical record, preserved in unusual detail, describes a man who was strong yet merciful, forgiving of those who wronged him, easy-going in daily life and deeply empathetic to the suffering of others. He mended his own sandals, raced his wife for fun, stood up when a Jewish funeral passed, and told his companions that “the best of you are those best to their families.” He laughed often, wept easily, and slept on a palm-fibre mat that left marks on his side.
“And We have not sent you, O Muhammad, except as a mercy to all the worlds.”
Quran 21:107
Why Muslims follow his example
The Quran tells us what to do, and Muhammad's ﷺ recorded example, the Sunnah, shows us how. How he prayed, traded, resolved conflict and treated strangers is studied and imitated. Love for him runs deep, but Muslims are careful about the line: he is honoured as the best of creation, never worshipped as the Creator.
Want the full story?
Our free booklet “Who is Muhammad ﷺ?” tells his story from the earliest sources, posted to you at no cost.