The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born in Makkah around 570 CE and died in Medina on 8 June 632. Muslims believe he was the final messenger of God, who received the Quran through the angel Gabriel over about 23 years, beginning in 610. He united Arabia under one faith and founded a community that today numbers nearly two billion people.
His life is known from the Quran, the hadith collections and early biographies called the sira. This guide follows it in order, then looks at his character, what historians have said about him, and why Muslims send blessings on him.
Key takeaways
- The Prophet was born in Makkah, traditionally in the Year of the Elephant (c. 570 CE), and Sahih Muslim 1162 records that he was born on a Monday.
- His first revelation came in the Cave of Hira in 610 with the words "Recite in the name of your Lord who created" (Quran 96:1), as described by his wife Aisha in Sahih al-Bukhari 3.
- In 622 he migrated from Makkah to Medina, the Hijrah, which marks year one of the Islamic calendar.
- He returned to Makkah in 630 and pardoned most of his former enemies, declaring that whoever entered the house of Abu Sufyan would be safe (Sahih Muslim 1780).
- Aisha reported that he died at the age of sixty-three (Sahih al-Bukhari 3536), and the Quran calls him "the Messenger of Allah and last of the prophets" (Quran 33:40).
Timeline of the Prophet Muhammad's life
Dates before the Hijrah are approximate, and ages follow the traditional lunar reckoning.
| Year (CE) | Age (approx.) | Event |
|---|---|---|
| c. 570 | 0 | Born in Makkah in the Year of the Elephant; his father Abdullah had already died |
| c. 595 | 25 | Marries Khadijah, a respected merchant |
| 610 | 40 | First revelation in the Cave of Hira |
| c. 613 | 43 | Begins preaching publicly in Makkah |
| c. 615 | 45 | Some Muslims migrate to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) to escape persecution |
| 619 | 49 | The "Year of Sorrow": Khadijah and Abu Talib die; journey to Ta'if |
| c. 620–621 | 50–51 | The Night Journey and Ascension (al-Isra' wa al-Mi'raj) |
| 622 | 52 | The Hijrah to Medina; the Islamic calendar begins |
| 624 | 54 | Battle of Badr |
| 625 | 55 | Battle of Uhud |
| 627 | 57 | Battle of the Trench |
| 628 | 58 | Treaty of al-Hudaybiyyah with the Quraysh |
| 630 | 60 | Conquest of Makkah |
| 632 | 62–63 | Farewell Pilgrimage and sermon; death in Medina on 8 June |
Explore these events alongside the earlier prophets on the Quran Universe timeline.
Makkah before Islam
Makkah in the 6th century was a trading town in western Arabia, led by the tribe of Quraysh. Its wealth came from caravans and from pilgrims visiting the Kaaba, which by then was surrounded by idols. There was no central government; protection depended on family and tribe.
His birth year was remembered for Abraha's failed attack on the Kaaba, told in Abraha's journey; see also what is the Kaaba.
Early life and character: al-Amin
Muhammad ibn Abdullah, of the clan of Hashim, was born an orphan, lost his mother at about six and was raised by his grandfather and then his uncle Abu Talib. The Quran later reminded him: "Did He not find you an orphan and give [you] refuge?" (Quran 93:6).
As a young man he worked in the caravan trade and became known as al-Amin, "the trustworthy." Khadijah, a widow with her own trading business, was impressed by his honesty and proposed marriage. They were married for about 25 years, until her death.
How did the Prophet receive revelation?
As he approached 40, Muhammad began to spend time alone in prayer in the Cave of Hira, on a mountain outside Makkah. There, in 610, the angel Gabriel (Jibril) came to him and commanded him to recite. Aisha later related that he replied, "I do not know how to read," and that the angel pressed him tightly three times before revealing the first verses (Sahih al-Bukhari 3):
Recite in the name of your Lord who created - Created man from a clinging substance. Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous - Who taught by the pen - Taught man that which he knew not.
He returned home trembling, and Khadijah comforted him. Revelation then continued in portions for about 23 years, memorized and written down by companions. Our articles on who wrote the Quran and Meccan and Medinan surahs explain how the Quran was recorded and how its style changed between the two periods.
Persecution in Makkah and the journey to Ta'if
When the Prophet began preaching openly, calling people to worship one God and care for the poor, the Quraysh leaders saw a threat to their gods and the pilgrimage trade. Muslims without tribal protection, such as the enslaved Bilal, were tortured, and around 615 some fled to the Christian king of Abyssinia, who gave them refuge.
In 619 Khadijah and Abu Talib died. The Prophet sought support in Ta'if but was driven out. He later told Aisha that the angel of the mountains offered to crush the people who had wronged him. He replied: "No but I hope that Allah will let them beget children who will worship Allah Alone" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3231).
The Hijrah to Medina
Help came from Yathrib, an oasis town more than 300 kilometers to the north, whose people pledged to protect him.
In 622, as the Quraysh plotted to kill him, he left Makkah at night with Abu Bakr, hiding for three days in a cave on Mount Thawr. The Quran recalls him telling Abu Bakr, "Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us" (Quran 9:40). Yathrib became known as Madinat al-Nabi, "the City of the Prophet," or simply Medina.
Medina and the Charter
In Medina the Prophet led a mixed community of Muslim emigrants, the Muslim Ansar ("helpers") of Medina, Jewish tribes and others. He issued a written agreement now known as the Charter or Constitution of Medina, setting out mutual obligations among the believers and their allies, including Jewish groups, as one community for defense. R.B. Serjeant argued it combined several documents from different years. Even the skeptical historian Patricia Crone accepted its early date, writing that "it sticks out like a piece of solid rock in an accumulation of rubble."
The Medina years saw war with the Quraysh and conflicts with some of Medina's Jewish tribes. In 628 the Treaty of al-Hudaybiyyah brought a truce that allowed Islam to spread peacefully.
The conquest of Makkah and its amnesty
When allies of the Quraysh broke the truce, the Prophet took Makkah in 630 with very little fighting. He announced that anyone who entered the house of the Quraysh leader Abu Sufyan, stayed in their own home, or entered the Sacred Mosque would be safe (Sahih Muslim 1780). He then cleared the 360 idols from around the Kaaba (Sahih al-Bukhari 4287).
The early biographies add that he told the gathered Quraysh they were free to go, a famous scene narrated through weaker chains. Either way, his former persecutors were largely pardoned, and most of Makkah accepted Islam.
The Farewell Sermon
In 632 the Prophet performed his only Hajj and addressed the pilgrims. Hadith collections preserve parts of his words:
- "Your blood, your properties, and your honor are sacred to one another" (Sahih al-Bukhari 1739).
- "I have left among you the Book of Allah, and if you hold fast to it, you would never go astray" (Sahih Muslim 1218).
- No Arab is superior to a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab to an Arab, nor one skin color over another, except by righteousness (Musnad Ahmad 23489, graded sahih by Shu'ayb al-Arna'ut).
Umar ibn al-Khattab reported that the verse "This day I have perfected for you your religion" (Quran 5:3) was revealed while the Prophet stood at Arafat on that Friday (Sahih al-Bukhari 45).
The Prophet's death
A few months later, the Prophet fell ill and died in the room of his wife Aisha on 8 June 632. He was buried there, now part of the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.
As companions struggled to accept it, Abu Bakr said: "whoever amongst you worshipped Muhammad, then Muhammad is dead, but whoever worshipped Allah, Allah is alive and will never die" (Sahih al-Bukhari 1241). He then recited, "Muhammad is not but a messenger. [Other] messengers have passed on before him" (Quran 3:144). Abu Bakr became the first caliph.
His character in the hadith
The Quran says to him, "And indeed, you are of a great moral character" (Quran 68:4). Asked about his character, Aisha replied that it was the Quran (Sahih Muslim 746). The hadith paint a consistent picture:
- Gentle at home. "He used to keep himself busy serving his family" (Sahih al-Bukhari 676).
- Never violent toward the weak. He "never beat anyone with his hand, neither a woman nor a servant" (Sahih Muslim 2328).
- Focused on character. "The best among you are the best in character" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6035), and "The best of you is the best to his wives" (Jami' al-Tirmidhi 3895).
- Humble. "Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians praised the son of Mary, for I am only a Slave" of God (Sahih al-Bukhari 3445).
Why do Muslims believe in Muhammad?
Muslims believe in Muhammad because they accept the Quran as God's word, and it names him as God's messenger; belief in him is half of the declaration of faith. They also point to his honesty, his steadiness under persecution and the Quran itself, brought by a man who did not read or write.
The Quran also says Jesus foretold "a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad" (Quran 61:6). Muslim scholars often connect this with the "prophet like you" promised to Moses in Deuteronomy 18:18 and the "Comforter" in John 14:16, while Jewish and Christian scholars generally read those passages as referring to other figures or to the Holy Spirit.
What have non-Muslim historians said about Muhammad?
Western views have shifted from medieval hostility toward more balanced study. Three widely cited voices:
- Michael H. Hart, an American astrophysicist and writer, ranked Muhammad first in The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History (1978), explaining that he was the only man in history who was "supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels."
- W. Montgomery Watt, a Scottish historian of Islam at the University of Edinburgh, argued in Muhammad at Mecca (1953) that the Prophet's readiness to endure persecution, the character of his followers and the scale of his achievement all pointed to his sincerity: "To suppose Muhammad an impostor raises more problems than it solves."
- Karen Armstrong, a British writer on religion, in Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet (1991) and Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time (2006), argues that Western images of the Prophet were long distorted by prejudice and calls for a balanced reading of his life.
Historians also debate the sources. The earliest full biography, by Ibn Ishaq (d. 767), survives mainly in a later edition by Ibn Hisham, and Patricia Crone and Michael Cook's Hagarism (1977) questioned how much of the traditional account can be confirmed. Most historians accept the main outline of his life while debating details.
Why do Muslims say "peace be upon him"?
Muslims say "peace be upon him" after the Prophet's name because the Quran commands it:
Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.
The Arabic phrase is sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, "may God bless him and grant him peace," abbreviated in English as "PBUH" or written as ﷺ.
Can the Prophet Muhammad be depicted?
Most Muslims hold that the Prophet should not be depicted, based on hadith warning against image-making and, above all, the concern that images could lead to the veneration he warned against. Some Persian, Turkish and Mughal manuscripts did show him, often with a veiled face, but mainstream opinion today strongly opposes depictions. Muslims instead describe him in words, through a classical genre called shama'il.
Read the Quran's verses about the Prophet on Quran Universe
Begin with Surah al-Alaq, the first revelation, and Surah ad-Duha, revealed to comfort him. Every verse on Quran Universe has the Arabic text, word-by-word meaning and Tafsir Ibn Kathir. To see how his teachings were preserved alongside the Quran, read what is hadith.
Frequently asked questions
When was Prophet Muhammad born?
The Prophet Muhammad was born in Makkah around 570 CE, in the year the Arabs called the Year of the Elephant. Sahih Muslim 1162 records that he was born on a Monday. The exact date is uncertain; many Muslims mark it on 12 Rabi' al-Awwal, though early sources give several different dates.
How did the Prophet receive revelation?
The Prophet received the Quran through the angel Gabriel, beginning in 610 CE in the Cave of Hira near Makkah, when he was about 40. The first words revealed were "Recite in the name of your Lord who created" (Quran 96:1). Revelation continued in portions over about 23 years until shortly before his death in 632.
Why do Muslims say peace be upon him?
Muslims say "peace be upon him" because Quran 33:56 commands believers to ask God to bless the Prophet and grant him peace. The Arabic phrase is sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, often abbreviated as PBUH or written as ﷺ. The Prophet said that whoever blesses him once is blessed by God ten times (Sahih Muslim 408).
Why do Muslims believe in Muhammad?
Muslims believe Muhammad was God's final messenger because the Quran, which they accept as God's word, names him as such. They also point to his lifelong honesty, his perseverance through persecution, his character and the Quran he brought. Declaring belief in him is part of the shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith.
Can the Prophet Muhammad be depicted?
Most Muslims today believe the Prophet should not be depicted, out of respect and to prevent excessive veneration, drawing on hadith that warn against image-making and exaggerated praise. Some historical Persian, Turkish and Mughal manuscripts did depict him, often with a veiled face, but mainstream Muslim opinion now strongly opposes images of him.
Is Prophet Muhammad mentioned in the Bible?
The Quran says Jesus foretold a messenger named Ahmad (61:6) and that the Prophet is described in the Torah and the Gospel (7:157). Muslims often cite Deuteronomy 18:18 and the "Comforter" in John 14:16 as references to him. Jewish and Christian scholars generally interpret these passages differently.