BBC - Religions - Islam: Prophet Muhammad (570-632) Prophet Muhammad (570-632) Last updated 2011-07-08 Muslims believe that the final and complete revelation of their faith was made through the Prophet Muhammad. On this page Introduction The Prophet Muhammad Muslims believe that Islam is a faith that has always existed and that it was gradually revealed to humanity by a number of prophets, but the final and complete revelation of the faith was made through the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century CE. Muhammad was born in Mecca in Saudi Arabia © Muhammad was born in Mecca in Saudi Arabia in 570. He was a deeply spiritual man, and often spent time in meditation on Mount Hira. The traditional story of the Qur'an tells how one night in 610 he was meditating in a cave on the mountain when he was visited by the angel Jibreel who ordered him to recite . Once Jibreel mentioned the name of Allah, Muhammad began to recite words which he came to believe were the words of God. The Qur'an During the rest of his life Muhammad continued to receive these revelations.

The words were remembered and recorded, and form the text of the Holy Qu'ran, the Muslim scripture. Preaching Believing that God had chosen him as his messenger Muhammad began to preach what God had revealed to him. The simple and clear-cut message of Islam, that there is no God but Allah, and that life should be lived in complete submission to the will of Allah, was attractive to many people, and they flocked to hear it. The Hijrah Muhammad's popularity was seen as threatening by the people in power in Mecca, and Muhammad took his followers on a journey from Mecca to Medina in 622. This journey is called the Hijrah (migration) and the event was seen as so important for Islam that 622 is the year in which the Islamic calendar begins. The return to Mecca Within ten years Muhammad had gained so many followers that he was able to return and conquer Mecca. From this time on he was generally accepted by the faithful as the true final Prophet of God. Muhammad continued to lead his community both spiritually and in earthly matters until his death in 632. Muhammad: an audio journey Desert landscape.

In the Footsteps of Muhammad, Edward Stourton traces the roots of Islam; the history of the prophet, and the impact this mystic and warrior has on international affairs today. Mecca In the year 610 a 40 year old illiterate trader in the deserts of Arabia received a revelation that would change the world. Islam is now the second most popular religion on the planet with more than a billion followers. In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions The Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem. Jerusalem Jerusalem is the third holiest site in Islam: the first Muslims didn't pray towards Mecca, but to Jerusalem. This episode explores the theory that Islam may have grown out of a cult of Judaism . It also explores the meaning of jihad and how the life of the prophet and the battles against the pagan Meccans have been used to justify suicide bombings. In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions Alhambra Palace.

Granada The Alhambra Palace is perhaps the finest surviving Muslim palace in the world and its symbolic of an episode that many Muslims believe has been all but written out of the history books by Europe's Christians: the flowering of Islam culture, philosophy and science, which meant that once the intellectual heart of Europe beat not in Paris, Rome or Athens, but in the great Muslim cities of Granada and Cordoba . The music in this episode is from a group called Joglaresa. In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions Indonesian with headscarf. Indonesia Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim nation and since it proclaimed its independence in 1945 it has often been plagued by religiously motivated violence. But Islamic reformers in the country are advocating a radical reinterpretation of the life of Muhammad as a way of leading the country to democracy. Could this be the start of an Islamic enlightenment that will lead the way for the rest of the Muslim world? In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed.

Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions Muhammad | prophet of Islam | Britannica.com prophet of Islam Alternative Titles: Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib ibn Hāshim, Aḥmad Muhammad Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib ibn Hāshim Aḥmad Isaiah Muhammad, in full Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib ibn Hāshim (born 570, Mecca, Arabia [now in Saudi Arabia]—died June 8, 632, Medina), founder of the religion of Islam , accepted by Muslims throughout the world as the last of the prophets of God . The Prophet’s Mosque, showing the green dome built above the tomb of Muhammad, Medina, Saudi Arabia.

Omar Chatriwala (CC-BY-2.0) (A Britannica Publishing Partner) Methodology and terminology Sources for the study of the Prophet The sources for the study of Muhammad are multifarious and include, first and foremost, the Qurʾān , the sacred scripture of Islam. Although the Qurʾān is considered by Muslims to be the word of God and not of Muhammad, it nevertheless reveals the most essential aspects associated with Muhammad. There are also the sayings of Muhammad himself ( Hadith ) and accounts of his actions ( Sunnah ). Furthermore, there are biographies ( sīrah ) of him going back to the works of Ibn Isḥāq (c. 704–767) in the 9th-century recensions of Ibn Hishām and Yūnus ibn Bukayr. Works of sacred history by later writers such as al-Ṭabarī and al-Thaʿālibī also contain extensive biographies of Muhammad. Then there are the accounts of the maghāzī (“battles”) that determined the fate of the early Islamic community .

The most important of these works is the Kitāb al-maghāzī of al-Wāqidī (747–823). The Kitāb al-ṭabaqāt al-kabīr of Ibn Saʿd (died 844/845) is another important source on the life of Muhammad, his companions, and later figures in Islamic history. Finally, there are oral traditions. Although usually discounted by positivist historians, oral tradition plays a major role in the Islamic understanding of Muhammad, just as it does in the Christian understanding of Jesus Christ or the Jewish understanding of Moses and the other ancient prophets of Israel. Islamic world: New social patterns among the Meccans and their neighbours Beyond these there are later Western works, many of which, from the 18th century onward, distanced themselves from the polemical histories of earlier Christian authors. These more historically oriented treatments, which generally reject the prophethood of Muhammad, are coloured by the Western philosophical and theological framework of their authors. Many of these studies reflect much historical research, and most pay more attention to human, social, economic, and political factors than to religious, theological, and spiritual matters.

It was not until the latter part of the 20th century that Western authors combined rigorous scholarship as understood in the modern West with empathy toward the subject at hand and, especially, awareness of the religious and spiritual realities involved in the study of the life of the founder of a major world religion. Names and titles of the Prophet Britannica Stories Cheetahs Face Extinction Risk The most common name of Muhammad of Islam, Muhammad (“the Glorified One”), is part of the daily call to prayer ( adhān ); following the attestation to the oneness of God, the believer proclaims, “Verily, I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God” (Ashhadu anna Muḥammadan rasūl Allāh). When this name is uttered among Muslims, it is always followed by the phrase ṣalla Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam (“may God’s blessings and peace be upon him”), just as, whenever Muslims mention the name of other prophets such as Abraham , Moses, or Jesus, they recite the words ʿalayhi al-salām (“upon him be [God’s] peace”).

Muhammad also became widely known in Europe by diverse forms of the name such as Mahon, Mahomés, Mahun, Mahum, and Mahumet (all French), Machmet (German), and Maúmet (Old Icelandic). Moreover, Muhammad is the most popular male name in the Islamic world either by itself or in combination with other names such as ʿAlī and Ḥusayn. Muhammad, however, has many other names, including “sacred names,” which Muslims believe were given to him by God and by which he is called in various contexts . Muslim tradition counts 99 names for Muhammad. Among the most often used and also central to the understanding of his nature is Aḥmad (“the Most Glorified”), which is considered an inner and celestial name for Muhammad. Over the centuries Muslim authorities have believed that, when Christ spoke of the coming reign of the Paraclete , he was referring to Aḥmad. Also of great importance are the names that identify Muhammad as the Prophet, including Nabī (“Prophet”) and Rasūl Allāh (“the Messenger of God”).

Other names of the Prophet are Ṭaha (“the Pure Purifier and Guide”), Yāsīn (“the Perfect Man”), Muṣṭafā (“the One Chosen”), ʿAbd Allāh (“the Perfect Servant of God”), Ḥabīb Allāh (“the Beloved of God”), Dhikr Allāh (“the Remembrance of God”), Amīn (“the Trusted One”), Sirāj (“the Torch Lighting the True Path”), Munīr (“the Illuminator of the Universe”), Hudā (“the Guide to the Truth”), Ghiyāth (“the Helper”), and Niʿmat Allāh (“the Gift of God”). These and his many other names play a major role in daily Muslim piety and in the practice of Sufism . An understanding of their meaning is essential to gaining any serious knowledge of the Islamic view of Muhammad or what some have called Islamic prophetology. The life of Muhammad Editor Picks: Exploring 10 Types of Basketball Movies Genealogical roots and early life Both before the rise of Islam and during the Islamic period, Arab tribes paid great attention to genealogy and guarded their knowledge of it with meticulous care.

In fact, during Islamic history a whole science of genealogy (ʿilm al-anṣāb) developed that is of much historical significance. In the pre-Islamic period, however, this knowledge remained unwritten, and for that very reason it has not been taken seriously by Western historians relying only on written records. For Muslims, however, the genealogy of Muhammad has always been certain. They trace his ancestry to Ismāʿīl (Ishmael) and hence to the prophet Abraham. This fact was accepted even by medieval European opponents of Islam but has been questioned by modern historians. Caliphs and Caliphates According to traditional Islamic sources, Muhammad was born in Mecca in “the Year of the Elephant,” which corresponds to the year ad 570, the date modern Western scholars cite as at least his approximate birth date. A single event gave the Year of the Elephant its name when Abrahah , the king of Abyssinia, sent an overwhelming force to Mecca to destroy the Kaʿbah , the sanctuary Muslims believe to have been built by Adam and reconstructed by Abraham and which Abrahah viewed as a rival to his newly constructed temple in Sanaa in Yemen.

According to tradition, the elephant that marched at the head of Abrahah’s army knelt as it approached Mecca, refusing to go farther. Soon the sky blackened with birds that pelted the army with pebbles, driving them off in disarray. Thus, the sanctuary that Muslims consider an earthly reflection of the celestial temple was saved, though at the time it served Arab tribes who (with the exception of the ḥanīfs, or primordialists) disregarded Abrahamic monotheism. Connect with Britannica Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Pinterest Soon after this momentous event in the history of Arabia , Muhammad was born in Mecca. His father, ʿAbd Allāh, and his mother, Āminah, belonged to the family of the Banū Hāshim , a branch of the powerful Quraysh , the ruling tribe of Mecca, that also guarded its most sacred shrine, the Kaʿbah. Because ʿAbd Allāh died before Muhammad’s birth, Āminah placed all her hopes in the newborn child.

Without a father, Muhammad experienced many hardships even though his grandfather ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib was a leader in the Meccan community. The emphasis in Islamic society on generosity to orphans is related to the childhood experiences of Muhammad as well as to his subsequent love for orphans and the Qurʾānic injunctions concerning their treatment. In order for Muhammad to master Arabic in its pure form and become well acquainted with Arab traditions, Āminah sent him as a baby into the desert, as was the custom of all great Arab families at that time. In the desert, it was believed, one learned the qualities of self-discipline, nobility, and freedom. A sojourn in the desert also offered escape from the domination of time and the corruption of the city. Moreover, it provided the opportunity to become a better speaker through exposure to the eloquent Arabic spoken by the Bedouin. In this way the bond with the desert and its purity and sobriety was renewed for city dwellers in every generation. Āminah chose a poor woman named Ḥalīmah from the tribe of Banū Saʿd, a branch of the Hawāzin, to suckle and nurture her son.

And so the young Muhammad spent several years in the desert. It was also at this time that, according to tradition, two angels appeared to Muhammad in the guise of men, opened his breast, and purified his heart with snow. This episode, which exemplifies the Islamic belief that God purified his prophet and protected him from sin, was also described by Muhammad: “There came unto me two men, clothed in white, with a gold basin full of snow. Then they laid upon me, and, splitting open my breast, they brought forth my heart. This likewise they split open and took from it a black clot which they cast away. Then they washed my heart and my breast with the snow” (Martin Lings, Muhammad: His Life, Based on the Earliest Sources, 1991). Muhammad then repeated the verse, found in the Hadith, “Satan toucheth every son of Adam the day his mother beareth him, save only Mary and her son.” Amazed by this event and also noticing a mole on Muhammad’s back (later identified in the traditional sources as the sign of prophecy), Ḥalīmah and her husband, Ḥārith, took the boy back to Mecca.

Trending Topics Opium Wars Muhammad’s mother died when he was six years old. Now completely orphaned, he was brought up by his grandfather ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib , who also died two years later. He was then placed in the care of Abū Ṭālib , Muhammad’s uncle and the father of ʿAlī, Muhammad’s cousin. Later in life Muhammad would repay this kindness by taking ʿAlī into his household and giving his daughter Fāṭimah to him in marriage. It is believed that Muhammad grew into a young man of unusual physical beauty as well as generosity of character. His sense of fairness and justice were so revered that the people of Mecca often went to him for arbitration and knew him as al-Amīn, “the Trusted One.” His striking appearance is the subject of countless poems in various Islamic languages. Muhammad, according to ʿAlī, was neither tall nor lanky nor short and stocky, but of medium height. His hair was neither crispy curled nor straight but moderately wavy. He was not overweight and his face was not plump. He had a round face. His complexion was white tinged with redness.

He had big black eyes with long lashes. His brows were heavy and his shoulders broad. He had soft skin, with fine hair covering the line from mid chest to navel. The palms of his hands and the soles of his feet were firmly padded. He walked with a firm gait, as if striding downhill. On his back between his shoulders lay the Seal of Prophethood [a mole], for he was the last of the prophets. (Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti, The Name & the Named: The Divine Attributes of God, 2000) Islamic sources indicate that others recognized the mole as the sign of prophethood, including the Christian monk Baḥīrā, who met Muhammad when the Prophet joined Abū Ṭālib on a caravan trip to Syria. When he was 25 years old, Muhammad received a marriage proposal from a wealthy Meccan woman, Khadījah bint Khuwaylid , whose affairs he was conducting. Despite the fact that she was 15 years older than he, Muhammad accepted the proposal, and he did not take another wife until after her death (though polygyny was permitted and common).

She bore him two sons, both of whom died young. It is from the first son, Qāsim, that one of the names of the Prophet, Abūʾ al-Qāsim (“the Father of Qāsim”), derives. She also bore him four daughters, Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthūm , and Fāṭimah . The youngest, Fāṭimah, who is called the second Mary, had the greatest impact on history of all his children. Shīʿite imams and sayyids or sharifs are thought to be descendants of Muhammad, from the lineage of Fāṭimah and ʿAlī. Khadījah herself is considered one of the foremost female saints in Islam and, along with Fāṭimah, plays a very important role in Islamic piety and in eschatological events connected with the souls of women. By age 35, Muhammad had become a very respected figure in Mecca and had taken ʿAlī into his household.

When he was asked, according to Islamic tradition, to arbitrate a dispute concerning which tribe should place the holy black stone in the corner of the newly built Kaʿbah , Muhammad resolved the conflict by putting his cloak on the ground with the stone in the middle and having a representative of each tribe lift a corner of it until the stone reached the appropriate height to be set in the wall. His reputation stemmed, in part, from his deep religiosity and attention to prayer. He often would leave the city and retire to the desert for prayer and meditation. Moreover, before the advent of his prophecy, he received visions that he described as being like “the breaking of the light of dawn.” It was during one of these periods of retreat, when he was 40 years old and meditating in a cave called al-Ḥirāʾ in the Mountain of Light (Jabal al-Nūr) near Mecca, that Muhammad experienced the presence of the archangel Gabriel and the process of the Qurʾānic revelation began.

The Mountain of Light (Jabal al-Nūr), near Mecca, Saudi Arabia, where Muhammad experienced … Adiput (A Britannica Publishing Partner) Page 1 of 5 Islam Guide: Who Is the Prophet Muhammad (Mohammed)? You are here: Islam Guide Home > Chapter 3, General Information on Islam > Who Is the Prophet Muhammad? Who Is the Prophet Muhammad ? Muhammad was born in Makkah in the year 570. Since his father died before his birth and his mother died shortly thereafter, he was raised by his uncle who was from the respected tribe of Quraysh. He was raised illiterate, unable to read or write, and remained so till his death. His people, before his mission as a prophet, were ignorant of science and most of them were illiterate. As he grew up, he became known to be truthful, honest, trustworthy, generous, and sincere. He was so trustworthy that they called him the Trustworthy. 1 Muhammad was very religious, and he had long detested the decadence and idolatry of his society. The Prophet Muhammadï¿½s Mosque in Madinah. At the age of forty, Muhammad received his first revelation from God through the Angel Gabriel.

The revelations continued for twenty-three years, and they are collectively known as the Quran. As soon as he began to recite the Quran and to preach the truth which God had revealed to him, he and his small group of followers suffered persecution from unbelievers. The persecution grew so fierce that in the year 622 God gave them the command to emigrate. This emigration from Makkah to the city of Madinah, some 260 miles to the north, marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. After several years, Muhammad and his followers were able to return to Makkah, where they forgave their enemies. Before Muhammad died, at the age of sixty-three, the greater part of the Arabian Peninsula had become Muslim, and within a century of his death, Islam had spread to Spain in the West and as far East as China. Among the reasons for the rapid and peaceful spread of Islam was the truth and clarity of its doctrine. Islam calls for faith in only one God, Who is the only one worthy of worship. The Prophet Muhammad was a perfect example of an honest, just, merciful, compassionate, truthful, and brave human being.

Though he was a man, he was far removed from all evil characteristics and strove solely for the sake of God and His reward in the Hereafter. Moreover, in all his actions and dealings, he was ever mindful and fearful of God. (For more information on the Prophet Muhammad , please refer to the links at More on the Prophet Muhammad .) Prophet's Birthday Home Calendar Holidays Prophet's Birthday Prophet's Birthday Sunni Muslims observe the Prophet Muhammed's (also known as Mohammed or Muhammad) birthday on the 12th day of the Islamic month of Rabi' al-awwal, while Shi'a Muslims mark it on the 17th of this month. Muhammed is believed to be the last prophet. The Prophet Muhammed was born in Mecca, a city in Saudi Arabia that is revered as holy by Muslims. The Prophet Muhammed was born in Mecca, a city in Saudi Arabia that is revered as holy by Muslims. ©iStockphoto.com/afby71 What Do People Do? There are mixed beliefs on how one observes Muhammed's birthday. Some people see the Prophet's birthday as an event worthy of praise. Others view the celebration of birthdays as contradictory to Islamic law.

Both sides cite the Hadith (narrations originating from the words and deeds of the Prophet Muhammed) and events from Muhammed's life to support their views. Mawlid, or Milad, is celebrated with large street parades in some countries. Homes and mosques are also decorated. Some people donate food and other goods for charity on or around this day. Others listen to their children read out poems about events that occurred in the Prophet Muhammed's life. Mawlid is celebrated in this way in many communities across the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, or Australia. However, many Muslims also do not participate in celebrations on this day. Instead, they may mark the occasion by spending more time to read the Koran. Muhammed is said to have been born on a Monday and some scholars see fasting during the hours of daylight on Mondays as another way to celebrate his birth. Public Life Mawlid is a public holiday in many Islamic countries but not in Australia , Canada , the United Kingdom and the United States . Many schools, stores, businesses and organizations are open. Islamic schools, stores, businesses and organizations may be closed for part of or all of the day. Public transit systems usually operate to their regular schedule.

Background Muhammed was born in Mecca, now in Saudi Arabia, in the year 570 of the Gregorian calendar. The precise date of his birth is unclear. However, Sunni Muslims observe Muhammed's birthday on the 12th day of the Islamic month of Rabi' al-awwal, while Shi'a Muslims mark it on the 17th day of this month. The 17th day of Rabi' al-awwal commemorates the birth of the sixth Shi'a iman, Ja'far al-Sadiq. The term Mawlid is used in Egypt and Sudan to refer to the birthdays of both Muhammed and local Sufi saints. The birthdays of about 3000 Sufi saints are marked or celebrated. Some of these birthdays are large celebrations that attract visitors from various countries. One of the most notable of these is the celebration of Ahmed el-Bedawi's birthday. Ahmed el-Bedawi lived about 700 years ago and is believed to be buried under the Mosque of Sheikh el-Said Ahmed el-Bedawi. The site attracts millions of visitors, including those who sleep in the mosque and in tents on the streets surrounding it.

The word Mawlid, or Milad, depending on the method of transliteration used, comes from the Arabic word for birth and usually refers to the anniversary of Muhammed's birth. This observance is also known as Mevlid Serif in Turkish, Mawlūd Sharīf in Urdu and Maulidur-Rasūl in Malay. Quick Facts Mawlid, or Milad, marks the birth of the Islamic prophet Muhammed, or Mohamed, in the year 570 of the Gregorian calendar. Prophet's Birthday 2016 The House of the Holy Prophet Muhammad pbuh-MAROOF PEER.mp4 - YouTube The House of the Holy Prophet Muhammad pbuh-MAROOF PEER.mp4 Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Uploaded on Oct 29, 2011 1. When was the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) born ? Ans.

He was born on Monday, 12th Rabi Al Awwal, April 22nd, 571 AC. 2. Where was the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) born ? Ans. In Makkah 3. What is the name of the Prophet's father ? Ans. Abdullah Ibn Abdul Muttalib. 4. What is the name of the Prophet's mother ? Ans. Aminah Bint Wahhab Ibn Abd Manaf Ibn Zahrah. 5. When and where did his (prophet's) father die ? Ans. He died in Madina before Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) was born. 6. What is the name of the Prophet's grandfather ? Ans. Abdul Muttalib. 7. What was his granfather's position ? Ans. He was the chief of his clan Bani Hashim. 8. What is the Prophet's (p.b.u.h.) lineage up to his fifth ancestor ? Ans. He is Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Muttalib Ibn Hashim Ibn Abd Manaf Ibn Qusai Ibn Kilab. 9. Who suckled the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) ? Ans.

First Thuyeba, the freed slave girl of his uncle Abdul Uzza known as Abu Lahab, then Haleema Bint Abu Dhuaib, best known as Haleema Al Sadiyah. 10. Who named the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) ? Ans. Abdul Muttalib. 11. What did Muhammad's (p.b.u.h.) mother name him ? Ans. Ahmad. 12. Why did she (the Prophet's mother) choose this name ? Ans. Because she saw an angel in a dream calling the new-born baby Ahmad. 13. How old was Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) when his mother died ? Ans. Six years old. 14. Where did his mother take him ? Ans. She took him to Yathrib (Madinah) to visit her relatives. 15. Where did his mother die ? Ans. On her way back to Makkah, she died at Abwa and was buried there. 16. Who brought Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) back to Makkah ? Ans. His father's slave girl, Umm Aiman (May Allah be pleased with her). 17. Who took the charge of his care ? Ans.

His grandfather Abdul Muttalib. 18. How long did The Prophet's grandfather take care of the Prophet Muhammad ? Ans. For two years. 19. How was his (Abdul Muttalib's) behavior with Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) ? Ans. He loved him very much and preferred him to his own sons. 20. What did Abdul Muttalib foretell about his grandson ? Ans. That he would hold a prestigious position. ..MORE... Muhammad Biography - death, mother, information, born, marriage, time, year Muhammad Biography Medina, Arabia Arabian prophet Muhammad was the founder of the religion of Islam and of a community at Medina that later developed into the Arab Empire. Call to be a prophet Muhammad was born after his father's death in Mecca, Arabia, around 570. His grandfather and mother both died when he was a child. As a child, he was unable by Arab custom to inherit anything. He was therefore relatively poor until about 595, when a wealthy woman, Khadija, asked him to go to Syria as a steward (protector, manager) of her trading supplies. After the successful accomplishment of the mission, she offered him marriage.

She was a rich widow fifteen years his senior. She and Muhammad had four daughters, and several infant sons who died. From this time onward Muhammad was wealthy, but he began to spend time in solitary reflection on the problems of Mecca, where religious principles were being degraded and general unrest was in the city. During a period of solitude around the year 610, Muhammad heard a voice as he meditated (focused his thoughts in a manner of prayer). The voice said, "You are the Messenger of God" (this being the title more frequently given to him by Muslims than that of prophet). Muhammad later decided he had heard the archangel Gabriel. He also found certain words "in his heart" (that is, his mind) as he meditated. Friends helped to convince him that he was called to convey messages from God to the Arabs as Moses (c. 1392– c. 1272 B.C.E. ) and Jesus Christ (c. 6 B.C.E. –c. 30 C.E. ) had done to the Jews and Christians. He continued to receive such messages from time to time until his death. They were collected into chapters and make up the Koran (Qur’an).

The Koran, though sent through Muhammad, is held by Muslims to come from God. Meccan preacher At first Muhammad told these messages only to sympathetic friends, but from 612 or 613 he stated them publicly. Many people in Mecca, especially younger men, became followers of Muhammad. These members of his new religion of Islam became known as Muslims. In the course of time, however, resistance to Muhammad appeared among the leading merchants of Mecca, and he and his followers were sometimes mistreated. Apparently to escape the mistreatment, approximately eighty of his followers traveled to Ethiopia. About 616, pressure in the form of a boycott (refusal to trade with) was placed on the clan of Hashim to make it cease protecting Muhammad. But until after the death of the head of the clan, Muhammad's uncle Abu-Talib, it was felt that to abandon him would be dishonorable. The new head, however, found a justified way to leave Muhammad behind, and it became virtually impossible for Muhammad to continue preaching in Mecca.

In September 622, after secret negotiations over the previous two years, he settled in the area of Medina, two hundred miles to the north, where seventy of his followers had already gone. This "emigration" (leaving one's living place for another) is the Hijra (Latin, hegira ), on which the Islamic era is based. First years at Medina The Arab clans of Medina mostly acknowledged Muhammad's prophethood and entered into association with him and the emigrants (those who leave their country) from Mecca. At first the emigrants depended on Medinese hospitality, but soon small groups of them began to attempt raids on Meccan caravans. Later the Muslims of Medina also joined in. At first the raids had little success, but in March 624 a larger band of just over three hundred, led by Muhammad himself, defeated a supporting force of perhaps eight hundred Meccans with heavy losses. This was a serious blow to Meccan reputation, and the Muslims felt that God was defending Muhammad. To teach Muhammad a lesson, the Meccans in March 625 invaded the Medinese area with about three thousand men. Many Muslims were killed before they could regain the safety of the hill.

Militarily this was not a serious loss for Muhammad, since the Meccans had also suffered casualties and retreated immediately; but the loss shook the belief that God was defending him. Confidence was only gradually restored. The next major event was the siege of Medina by ten thousand Meccans and allies in April 627. Muhammad protected the central part of the area by a trench that tricked the cavalry. After two weeks Meccans and their allies retreated. In March 628 the Meccans settled the Treaty of al-Hudaybiya with him. The treaty was a triumph for Muhammad. In the following months many nomadic (having to do with moving from area to area) tribesmen and a few leading Meccans joined Muhammad and became Muslims. When the treaty was criticized in January 630, Muhammad was able to march on Mecca with ten thousand men. Muhammad entered Mecca in triumph. Two weeks later two thousand joined Muhammad's army in opposing a concentration of tribesmen east of Mecca and shared in the victory of Hunayn. New religion By 630 the religion of Islam had become firmly rooted.

In the earliest parts of the Koran, it emphasized God's goodness and power and called on men to acknowledge this in worship. It also stated the reality of the Day of Judgment, when men would be assigned to paradise or hell depending on their attitude toward God, their generosity with their wealth, and similar points. These matters were significant to the tensions of Mecca, which were seen as arising from the merchants' overconfidence in their wealth and power. The Koran contained attacks on idols (symbols of objects to be worshipped) and a resolve that "there is no deity but God." The religious practices of the Muslims included communal worship or prayers several times a day touching the ground with the forehead in acknowledgement of God's majesty. They also gave alms (money to the poor). At Medina the fast (not eating any food) from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan (sacred ninth month of the Islamic calendar) was introduced; and when circumstances made it possible, some of the ceremonies of the traditional pilgrimage (holy journey) to Mecca became a duty for Muslims. Years of triumph Beyond Medina a system of alliances was gradually built up with the nomadic Arab tribes.

As Muhammad grew stronger, he came to insist that those wanting an association should become Muslims. After the conquest of Mecca and the victory at Hunayn in January 630, he was the strongest man in Arabia, and delegations came from tribes seeking alliance with him. When he died on Muhammad. dwight Feb 2, 2010 @ 11:11 am The next major event was the siege of Medina by ten thousand Meccans and allies in April 627. Muhammad protected the central part of the area by a trench that tricked the cavalry. After two weeks Meccans and their allies retreated. In March 628 the Meccans settled the Treaty of al-Hudaybiya with him. The treaty was a triumph for Muhammad. In the following months many nomadic (having to do with moving from area to area) tribesmen and a few leading Meccans joined Muhammad and became Muslims. When the treaty was criticized in January 630, Muhammad was able to march on Mecca with ten thousand men. Muhammad entered Mecca in triumph.

Two weeks later two thousand joined Muhammad's army in opposing a concentration of tribesmen east of Mecca and shared in the victory of Hunayn. New religion Brutus Apr 26, 2010 @ 3:15 pm On NPR today I heard an interview with someone who discussed the current controversy about the South Park TV comedy show. I did not see the episode in question. But I heard that the show may have displayed an image of Muhammad PBUH, which alledgedly is strictly prohibited by the Islam faith. The display supposedly was not too flattering, unlike your image above. The discussion reignited my recent (last few years) interest in learning more about Islam. I believe that all people world-wide should learn as much as possible about the other major religions. Like many Christians and Jews, it behooves us to know more about Islam, hopefully to dispel many incorrect notions about each others' religions and to increase tolerance for each others' beliefs. Your brief history of Muhammad PBUH, Islam's so-called "Messenger of God" (Prophet?) of Allah (God) was interesting and informative.

However, at the bottom of your short biography, you included an image of him, supposedly belonging to a painting at the U.S. Library of Congress. Is that refernce really correct? If so, doesn't their display of him violate Islam's famous prohibition? Or does Islam prohibit only Muslims (Moslems?) from doing so? I tend to feel it is or should be the latter. But I also believe that no one should show him in a disgustingly shameful way, like various cartoons have done recently. I would not want or certainly appreciate non-Christians doing the same thing with the image of my Lord Jesus Christ. But on the other hand, there is our beloved First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution too which I truly believe in. Therefore, I can not in good conscience deny those people their right to freely express themselves! PBS - Islam: Empire of Faith - Profiles - Muhammad Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, was born in Mecca around the year 570. Orphaned before he had reached the age of six, he was raised under the protection of his uncle Abu Talib. Muhammad began working as a merchant and became known for his trustworthiness.

When he was about twenty-five, he married Khadija, a wealthy widow whose status elevated Muhammad's position in Meccan society. Muhammad and Khadija had four daughters and two sons, both of whom died in infancy. About fifteen or twenty years after his marriage, he began to have visions and hear mysterious voices. He sought solitude in a cave on Mount Hira on the outskirts of Mecca. One night during Ramadan, the traditional month of spiritual retreat, when Muhammad was about forty years old, an angel appeared to him in the form of a man and ordered him to; Recite in the name of thy lord who created, Created man from a clot; Recite in the name of thy lord, Who taught by the pen, Taught man what he knew not. Muhammad, fearing that he was being attacked by an evil spirit, fled down the mountain in terror. The voice called after him, "O Muhammad, you are the messenger of God, and I am the angel Gabriel." This revelation was soon followed by others about the one true God. Eventually, the angel told Muhammad to begin proclaiming God's message.

Muhammad slowly began to attract some followers, most of them young and of modest social standing, including his cousin Ali, the son of his uncle and protector Abu Talib. When Muhammad began to impugn the traditional polytheism of his native town, the rich and powerful merchants of Mecca realized that the religious revolution taking place under their noses might be disastrous for business, which was protected by the Meccan pantheon of gods and goddesses. The ruling elite ganged up against Muhammad and his followers, and began to persecute them. A few Meccans began to accept Muhammad's message, while other members of his clan came to support their kinsman out of family loyalty, even if they did not yet believe in his cause. Muhammad's position in Mecca became hopeless when his wife Khadija and uncle Abu Talib died in quick succession. In 622 the local rulers of Mecca forced Muhammad and his small band of followers to leave the city. Muhammad accepted an invitation to settle in the oasis of Yathrib, located some eleven days (280 miles) north by camel, for the oasis had been nearly torn apart by wars between the clans, of which many were Jewish.

Muhammad's hegira from Mecca marks the beginning of a new polity. For the first time in Arabia members of a community were bound together not by the traditional ties of clan and tribe but by their shared belief in the one true God. Later believers, looking back on this event, recognized its seminal importance by designating it as the first year of their new era. In further recognition of this great event, the oasis of Yathrib came to be called Medina, "the city [of the Prophet]." Muhammad, surrounded by his followers, lived in Medina for ten years, slowly winning over converts. Muhammad made repeated attempts to attract the Jews to his cause, for example, he directed that believers worship like the Jews in the direction of Jerusalem. Ultimately these attempts failed, and henceforth Muslims prayed in the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca. Muhammad's native town, which had long been a center of paganism, thereby became the center of the true religion, the focal point of the believers' daily prayer, and eventually the object of their annual pilgrimage. Raiding and warfare were the primary economic activities of the new community in Medina, and the rich caravans organized by the Quraysh of Mecca were particularly attractive targets.

In 628, Muhammad finally negotiated a truce with the Meccans and in the following year returned as a pilgrim to the city's holy sites. The murder of one of his followers provoked him to attack the city, which soon surrendered. Muhammad acted generously to the Meccans, demanding only that the pagan idols around the Kaaba be destroyed. Muhammad's prestige grew after the surrender of the Meccans. Embassies from all over Arabia came to Medina to submit to him. Muhammad's extraordinary life and career were cut short by his sudden death on June 8, 632, aged about sixty, less than a decade since he had set off from Mecca with his small band of followers. Muslims to this day revere Muhammad as the embodiment of the perfect believer and take his actions and sayings as a model of ideal conduct. Unlike Jesus, who Christians believe was God's son, Muhammad was a mortal, albeit with extraordinary qualities. Today many Muslims believe that it is wrong to represent Muhammad, but this was not always the case. At various times and places pious Muslims represented Muhammad although they never worshipped these images.

Question: Where was the prophet Muhammad born?
Answer: Mecca