This article was accepted into the corpus but its outbound wikilinks were never NER-processed — typical at the deepest BFS hop or when the run's entity cap was reached. No expansion funnel to show.
| Islamic prophet Muhammad | |
|---|---|
| Name | Muhammad |
| Birth date | c. 570 CE |
| Birth place | Mecca |
| Death date | 8 June 632 CE |
| Death place | Medina |
| Resting place | Al-Masjid an-Nabawi |
| Spouse | Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, Aisha, Hafsa bint Umar, Zaynab bint Jahsh, others |
| Children | Fatimah, Qasim ibn Muhammad, Zainab bint Muhammad, Ruqayyah bint Muhammad, Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad |
| Parents | Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib, Aminah bint Wahb |
| Dynasty | Hashim |
Islamic prophet Muhammad Muhammad is the central figure of Islam, regarded by Muslims as the last prophet who received the Qur'an. Born in Mecca in the 6th century (c. 570 CE), he became a merchant, husband of Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, and later a religious and political leader whose life intersected with tribes, cities, and empires across the Arabian Peninsula. His teachings led to the formation of a community that transformed regional politics, culture, and law.
Muhammad was born into the Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe in Mecca, son of Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib and Aminah bint Wahb. Orphaned early, he was raised by his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib and later by his uncle Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib, whose patronage linked him to networks of trade with the Ghassanids, Lakhmids, and caravan routes to Syria and Yemen. As a young man he worked for and later married Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, developing ties with merchant houses and encountering Hanifs and monotheistic communities such as Jewish tribes of Yathrib and Christian communities in Najran and Aksum. The social context included contests among clans like the Banu Hashim and Banu Umayya, and institutions such as the Kaaba, which functioned as a pilgrimage and commercial hub.
At about age forty Muhammad reported receiving revelations through the angel Gabriel in the cave of Hira, initiating his role as a prophet who proclaimed monotheism and social reforms, later compiled as the Qur'an. His message challenged the elite Quraysh leadership including figures like Abu Lahab and fostered alliances with early converts such as Ali ibn Abi Talib, Bilal ibn Rabah, and Uthman ibn Affan. Opposition from Qurayshi leaders led to social sanctions, boycotts, and persecutions involving families of prominent Quraysh clans and interactions with neighboring communities like the Aws and Khazraj of Yathrib.
Facing escalating tensions, Muhammad undertook the Hijra from Mecca to Yathrib (later called Medina), an event that inaugurated the Islamic calendar and reshaped alliances among tribes including Aws and Khazraj. In Medina he drafted the Constitution of Medina which addressed relations among Muslims, Jewish tribes such as the Banu Qaynuqa, Banu Nadir, and Banu Qurayza, and migrants known as Muhajirun. His leadership involved institutions like the mosque at Al-Masjid an-Nabawi and relationships with leaders including Sa'd ibn Mu'adh and Abu Bakr.
From Medina Muhammad directed military expeditions such as the Battle of Badr, Battle of Uhud, and Battle of the Trench against Qurayshi forces and allied tribes; commanders and participants included Khalid ibn al-Walid (before his conversion), Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib, and Abu Sufyan ibn Harb. He negotiated treaties and raided caravan routes, culminating in the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and the Conquest of Mecca. Campaigns extended to confrontations with the Ghassanids and diplomatic contacts with the Byzantine Empire and Sassanian Empire through envoys such as letters to Heraclius and Khosrow II; internal incidents involved the Expulsion of Banu Nadir and the siege of Banu Qurayza.
Muhammad taught monotheistic doctrine rooted in the revelations of the Qur'an and exemplified in the Hadith literature collected later by scholars such as Al-Bukhari and Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj. Central practices he promulgated include the Five Pillars associated with prayer led in mosques like Al-Masjid al-Haram and Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, almsgiving practiced by companions such as Umar ibn al-Khattab, fasting exemplified during Ramadan, and pilgrimage to the Hajj. His teachings influenced legal traditions later codified by jurists in schools such as Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali, and engaged theological debates with Mu'tazila and Ash'ari thinkers as Islamic theology developed.
Muhammad's household included wives known as the Mothers of the Believers, including Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, Aisha, Hafsa bint Umar, and Zaynab bint Jahsh, and his children such as Fatimah who married Ali ibn Abi Talib. His kinship ties linked him to the Banu Hashim and affected leadership contests leading to the Rashidun Caliphate and later schisms like the Sunni–Shia split involving figures such as Muawiya I and Hasan ibn Ali. Relations with companions like Abu Bakr, Umar ibn al-Khattab, and Uthman ibn Affan shaped communal memory, and his household's descendants became central in dynasties like the Umayyad Caliphate and Abbasid Caliphate.
Muhammad died in Medina in 632 CE and was buried in Al-Masjid an-Nabawi; his death precipitated debates over succession resulting in the election of Abu Bakr and the establishment of the Rashidun Caliphate. Disputes about leadership contributed to the formation of communities such as Sunni Islam and Shia Islam, with contested claims involving Ali ibn Abi Talib and events like the Battle of Karbala. His legacy encompasses the spread of Islam across regions including the Levant, Iberian Peninsula, North Africa, and Central Asia through caliphates, interactions with empires such as the Byzantine Empire and Sassanian Empire, and enduring influence on law, literature, art, and institutions like Madrasa and Zakat administration.
Category:Prophets in Islam