Prophet Muhammad: Biography

The prophet and father of Islam were Muhammad. Most of his youth was spent working as a dealer. When Muhammad was 40 years old, he began to receive revelations from Allah that later served as the foundation for the Koran and the teachings of Islam. He had brought most of Arabia under one religious rule by 630. As of 2015, more than 1.8 billion Muslims believed that Muhammad was Allah's prophet and that there was no other god.

In Mecca, Muhammad was born somewhere about 570 AD. He came from an honorable but modest Quraysh family. He was reared first by his grandfather and later by his uncle after his father passed away before he was born. The family was involved in trade and politics in Mecca.

Many tribes that inhabited the Arabian Peninsula at the time were nomadic, traveling the desert and selling products. The majority of tribes were polytheistic, and each one had its own set of deities. Mecca was a significant economic and religious hub with many temples and places of worship where followers of these gods offered prayers to their statues. The most well-known place was the Kaaba (meaning cube in Arabic). It is said to have been built by Abraham (also known as Ibrahim to Muslims) and his son Ismail. The inhabitants of Mecca began to practice idolatry and polytheism over time. It is thought that Allah was the only deity without an idol among those who were worshipped and that he was also the greatest.

Muhammad spent his early adolescence working in a camel caravan, like many of his age who was born into modest means. While traveling through Syria and subsequently from the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean while working for his uncle, he got knowledge in commercial trading. Muhammad soon developed a reputation for being true and truthful, which led to the attribution of the name "al-Amin," meaning reliable or devoted.

Muhammad started working for wealthy merchant Khadijah, who was 15 years older than him, in his early 20s. This young, man quickly get the marriage proposal. He married to Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, and many more, and  Fatimah bint Muhammad, Ibrahim ibn Muhammad, and many more was the children of Muhammad. 

Muhammad, the Prophet

In addition to being deeply religious, Muhammad occasionally traveled to holy locations close to Mecca. He meditated in a cave on Mount Jabal aI-Nour in the year 610 while on one of his pilgrimages. The angel Gabriel, a representative of God, drew near and commanded, "Recite in the name of your Lord who creates, creates man from a clot! Say, "For your Lord is exceedingly gracious. Chapter 96's opening verses in the Qur'an are derived from these words. Most Islamic historians hold that Muhammad was originally troubled by the revelations and delayed making them public for a number of years, but according to Shi'a tradition, he welcomed the angel Gabriel's message and was greatly moved to tell other prospective believers about his encounter.

According to Islamic tradition, his wife Khadija and his close companion Abu Bakr were the first to accept (regarded as the successor to Muhammad by Sunni Muslims). Muhammad faced no opposition initially and eventually began to gather a modest following, but since Muhammad's preaching forbade worship of idols and polytheism, many of Mecca's tribe leaders started to view him and his message as dangerous. Most Meccans either disregarded him or derided him for being yet another prophet. Condemning idolatry went against long-held beliefs and had an adverse economic impact on businesses that catered to the tens of thousands of pilgrims who visited Mecca each year.

This was particularly true for Muhammad's clan, the Quraysh, guarding the Kaaba. Mecca's merchants and authorities attempted to persuade Muhammad to stop preaching after sensing a threat, but he refused.

Muhammad and his followers faced increasing hostility; as a result, they were forced to flee Mecca in 622 and travel 260 kilometres to Medina. The Muslim calendar year officially begins with this occasion. A civil war raging among several of the city's tribes has been stopped, thanks largely to Muhammad. Muhammad established himself in Medina, growing the Muslim population there while slowly winning over more adherents.

The Muslims fought several conflicts between 624 and 628 to ensure their survival. Muhammad and his adherents triumphed in the final significant conflict, The Battle of the Trench and Siege of Medina, and peace was struck. The Meccan allies violated the treaty a year later. Muhammad had a sizable force by this point, tipping the scales of power from the Meccan leaders to him. In 630, a Muslim army entered Mecca and took it with few deaths. Muhammad pardoned many Meccan leaders who opposed Muhammad, and many more also received amnesty. The majority of Meccans adopted Islam. The statues of pagans were destroyed by Muhammad and his supporters in and around the Kaaba after that.

The Demise of Muhammad

When the conflict with that city was finally over, Muhammad made his first sincere trip to Mecca. He also delivered his final sermon at Mount Arafat in March of 632. He became ill for a few days after arriving back at his wife's house in Medina. He passed away on June 8, 632, at 62, and was buried at al-Masjid an-Nabawi (the Mosque of the Prophet), one of the first mosques that Muhammad had constructed in Medina.