Prophet Muhammad

Prophet Muhammad
بلال الدويك · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	Prophet Muhammad
Birth date	c. 570 CE
Birth place	Mecca, Hejaz, Arabian Peninsula
Death date	8 June 632 CE (aged c. 62)
Death place	Medina, Hejaz, Rashidun Caliphate
Resting place	Green Dome, Al-Masjid an-Nabawi
Known for	Founding Islam
Title	Seal of the Prophets
Spouse	Khadija bint Khuwaylid, Sawda bint Zamʿa, Aisha, Hafsa bint Umar, Zaynab bint Khuzayma, Hind bint Abi Umayya, Zaynab bint Jahsh, Juwayriyya bint al-Harith, Ramla bint Abi Sufyan, Rayhana bint Zayd, Safiyya bint Huyayy, Maymunah bint al-Harith, Maria al-Qibtiyya
Children	Qasim ibn Muhammad, Abd-Allah ibn Muhammad, Ibrahim ibn Muhammad, Zainab bint Muhammad, Ruqayyah bint Muhammad, Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad, Fatimah

Prophet Muhammad. He is revered as the final prophet in Islam and the founder of a major world religion that transformed the Arabian Peninsula and beyond. His life, marked by the reception of the Quran and the establishment of a new socio-political order, is documented in the Hadith and Sirah Rasul Allah. His teachings and actions form the basis of Islamic law and continue to influence over a billion Muslims worldwide.

Early life and background

He was born around 570 CE into the Banu Hashim clan of the powerful Quraysh tribe in the city of Mecca. Orphaned at a young age, he was raised first by his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib and later by his uncle Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib. As a youth, he earned a reputation for honesty, gaining the nickname Al-Amin, and worked as a merchant, often traveling along trade routes to places like Syria. In his mid-twenties, he entered the employ of a wealthy widow, Khadija bint Khuwaylid, whom he later married, and this union provided him with financial security and a devoted companion. The society of pre-Islamic Arabia was largely polytheistic, centered around the worship of idols housed within the Kaaba, and was characterized by tribal rivalries and endemic warfare.

Prophethood and revelation

At around the age of forty, while engaged in spiritual retreat in the cave of Hira on Jabal al-Nour, he received his first revelation from the angel Gabriel, an event commemorated during Laylat al-Qadr. These revelations, which continued for approximately 23 years, were later compiled into the Quran. His early preaching in Mecca focused on the absolute oneness of God (Tawhid), the rejection of idolatry, social justice, and the coming of a final Day of Judgment. His first converts included his wife Khadija bint Khuwaylid, his cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib, and his close companion Abu Bakr. The early Muslim community faced increasing persecution from the ruling Quraysh, who saw the new monotheistic faith as a threat to the socio-economic and religious status quo centered on the Kaaba.

Opposition and migration

Mounting hostility and economic sanctions from the Quraysh led to the emigration of some Muslims to the Christian kingdom of Abyssinia under the rule of the Negus. After the deaths of his protective uncle Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib and his wife Khadija bint Khuwaylid, the situation in Mecca became untenable. He was invited to Medina (then known as Yathrib) as a neutral arbitrator to end the inter-tribal conflicts between the Aws and Khazraj. This migration, known as the Hijrah in 622 CE, marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. He narrowly escaped an assassination plot by the Quraysh and, accompanied by Abu Bakr, completed the journey, where he was welcomed by the Ansar.

Leadership in Medina

In Medina, he established the first Muslim community (Ummah), governed by the Constitution of Medina, which created a pluralistic social contract between the Muhajirun, the Ansar, local Arab tribes, and Jewish tribes. Tensions with Mecca escalated into a series of military confrontations, including the Battle of Badr, the Battle of Uhud, and the Battle of the Trench. Following the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, a ten-year truce was negotiated, which was later broken by the Quraysh. This breach led to the peaceful Conquest of Mecca in 630 CE, after which he cleared the Kaaba of idols. Subsequent campaigns solidified Muslim influence across the Arabian Peninsula, including the Battle of Hunayn and the Expedition to Tabuk.

Later years and death

After the Conquest of Mecca, delegations from across Arabia came to Medina to pledge allegiance in what is known as the Year of Deputations. In 632 CE, he performed his only Farewell Pilgrimage to Mecca, delivering the Farewell Sermon at Mount Arafat, which emphasized core Islamic principles. He fell ill shortly after returning to Medina and died in the home of his wife Aisha in June 632 CE. He was buried where he died, a site now located within the confines of Al-Masjid an-Nabawi. His death precipitated a crisis of succession, resolved by the appointment of Abu Bakr as the first Caliph at the Saqifah event, initiating the Rashidun Caliphate.

Legacy and influence

His life and teachings, preserved in the Quran and Hadith, form the dual primary sources of Sharia. The rapid expansion of Islam after his death, under the Rashidun Caliphate and later the Umayyad Caliphate, created a major world civilization spanning from Al-Andalus to the Indus Valley. His legacy profoundly influenced Islamic art, Islamic architecture, Islamic philosophy, and Islamic science during the Islamic Golden Age. Veneration for him is expressed globally through daily prayers, the celebration of Mawlid, and the recitation of Durood. As the Seal of the Prophets, he is considered the final messenger in a line that includes Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, completing the monotheistic message believed to have been revealed to humanity.

Category:Prophets of Islam Category:Founders of religions Category:7th-century religious leaders