Muhammad
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Muhammad
Representation of Muhammad, in a manuscript from
the 14th century.
Muḥammad ibn `Abd Allāh
c. 570 CE
Born
Mecca, Makkah, Arabia
8 June 632 CE (aged 61 or 62)
Died
Medina, Hejaz, Arabia
Cause of death fever
Abu Qasim (Nick Name)
Other names rasul
the prophet
Years active 609 – 632 CE
Notable work sunnah
As leader of the ummah: Abu bakr
(according to Sunnis)
Successor
As Imam: Ali (according to Shias)
Redeemer of Islam: Mahdi
Muhammad (Arabic: ‫; دمحم‬AD 570 – 12 July 632 )[1] was an Arabian religious and political
leader. Muslims and Baha'is believe he was a messenger and a prophet of Allah (God). He is
believed to be a descendant of Ishmael, a son of Abraham, and a seal to all prophets. He is seen
as an example for all Muslims to follow.
Contents
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1 History
o 1.1 Childhood
o 1.2 Beginning of the Prophethood
2 The Hijra
3 His stay in Medina
4 The wars
5 The truce with Mecca
6 The capture of Mecca
7 His death
8 Relations
9 Images of Muhammad
10 His Wives
11 References
12 More reading
13 Other websites
History[change | change source]
Part of a series on
Muhammad
Life
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Migration to Medina
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Life in Mecca
Life in Medina
Conquest of Mecca
The Farewell Pilgrimage
Career
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Hadith
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Early Reforms Under Islam
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Diplomacy
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Military
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Persecution by Meccans
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Migration to Abyssinia
Attributed miracles
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Quran
Attributed miracles
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o
Isra and Mi'raj
Splitting of the Moon
Views
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Jews
Christians
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Slavery
Succession
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Farewell sermon
Hadith (Pen and Paper)
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Saqifah
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Ahl al-Bayt
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Companions
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History
Praise
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Durood
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Na'at
Mawlid
Perspectives
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Islamic
Islamic theories of Muhammad in the Bible
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Jewish
Medieval Christian
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Historicity
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Criticism
Related
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Mosque of the prophet
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Relics
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v
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Childhood[change | change source]
Muhammad was born about 570 AD in Mecca.[2] His father, whose name was Abdullah, died six
months before Muhammad's birth. His mother, Amina, died when he was six years old. So, his
grandfather, Abdul-Muttalib, took care of him after the death of Amina but unfortunately he too
died two years later when the prophet was eight. After his grandfather's death, his uncle Abu
Talib took care of him, and was a support to him for many years of his adult life.
Beginning of the Prophethood[change | change source]
In 610 AD, when Muhammad was forty years old, he went for a walk to the mountain of Hira
near Mecca. According to Muslims, the angel Jibrail (Gabriel) spoke with him in a cave on the
mountain. The story says that when Muhammad first saw the angel Gabriel, he fainted, because
Gabriel was so large. This is what Jibrail said to Muhammad:
According to Muslim tradition, the mountain of Hira was the place where Jibrail first spoke to
Muhammad
"Read... in the name of God Who made man from a drop of blood... God is Most
Rewarding... He Who taught man to write with pen... and taught man what he
knew not."[3]
Muhammad went back home to his wife Khadijah, and told her what had happened. New
revelations came to him commanding him to preach what was being sent down from God. When
Muhammad first started teaching, many of the people of Mecca, who worshipped idols, did not
like the things that Muhammad said. But there were also people who listened to his preaching
and obeyed his messages. These people were the first of the followers of Islam. Leaders of
Mecca punished and tortured the followers of Islam. Some followers of Islam were executed.
Muhammad resisted this and continued to teach Islam.
The Hijra[change | change source]
Main page: Hijra (Islam)
This article is part of a series on:
Islam
Beliefs and Practices

Oneness of God

Prophets
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
Angels
Profession of faith

Prayer
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Fasting
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Alms
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Pilgrimage
Texts and laws
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Qur'an
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Sunnah
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Hadith
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Fiqh
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Sharia
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Kalam
History and leaders
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Muhammad
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Abu Bakr
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Ali
Umar
Ahl al-Bayt
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Sahabah
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Rashidun
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Imamate
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Caliphate
Spread of Islam
Denominations
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Sunni
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Shia
Sufism
Muwahhidism
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Ibadi
Ahmadiyya
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Nondenominational
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Quranism
Nation of Islam
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Five-Percent Nation
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Mahdavia
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Academics
Culture and society
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Architecture
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Art
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Calendar
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Festivals
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Mosques
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Philosophy
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Science
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Women
Related topics
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Criticism
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Islamism
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Islamophobia
o
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Anti-Shi'ism
Terrorism
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v
 t
 e
After Muhammad finished in Mecca, he took his message to Medina, where some people learned
about him and his followers. They welcomed him into their city, and Muhammad wanted them to
convert to Islam. They agreed, and many of his followers went to Medina. This movement from
Mecca to Medina is called the Hijrah. The Hijra was also the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
Muhammad stayed behind until all of his people left Mecca safely.
As Muhammad stayed in Mecca, his uncle Abu Lahab trained seven men to kill Muhammad in
his sleep. According to the history, they did not see him leave Mecca. The men went into his
house and found his cousin, Ali. Abu Lahab and his horsemen went to the desert to look for him
and his friend, Abu Bakr.
His stay in Medina[change | change source]
Muhammad and Abu Bakr arrived in Medina. Some people welcomed Prophet Muhammad to
their homes. He used his camel to show everyone where he would build his house. Also, the first
mosque of Medina, a small place for prayer, was built in the back of this house.
The people in a strong Jewish tribe in Medina disagreed with the teachings and rules set by
Muhammad. This tribe told their allies in Mecca to sell of all the things and homes that Muslims
of Mecca left behind. The Muslims and those from Mecca were advised to fight for their
property. Prophet Muhammad told them not to do that.
Muslims were called all over Medina to gather at a mosque that Prophet Muhammad prayed in.
They were told to fight against the people of Mecca who burned down their homes and stole
their property.
The wars[change | change source]
The Quraysh pagans of Mecca heard about this, and they sent a larger army numbering 1000
warriors to fight the Muslims. They met in Badr, but the pagans were defeated and Abu Jahl, one
of the pagan leaders, was also killed.
But, the Muslims lost the second battle at Uhud. One year after the fight at Badr, the army of
Mecca had outside help. Muslim archers failed to listen to Muhammad's instructions and Khalid
ibn al-Walid cleverly took advantage of that. Hamza, Muhammad's last uncle, was killed when a
slave from Mecca threw a spear into his chest. Muhammad himself was injured.
Then in 627, Abu Sufyan led the Quraysh and its allies to attack Medina itself. However, they
could not pass the trench that the Muslims had dug around Medina. After several weeks, the
coalition broke up and went home. The Medinians were considered victors.
The truce with Mecca[change | change source]
After the pagans of Mecca failed to gain control of Medina, the Muslims became stronger. The
pagans then decided to sign a truce with the Muslims. This means that they would not fight each
other for ten years. The Muslims used this as a chance to talk to other people all over Arabia. In
three years, many people changed their religions to Islam.
But, this truce did not last for long. After three years of it, a small group of horsemen from
Mecca attacked a Muslim camp and killed a few of them. The Muslims in Medina heard of this,
and the truce was cancelled. Abu Sufyan, third leader of Mecca in Muhammad's lifetime, tried to
resume the truce, but Muhammad politely refused the offer. Muhammad told his followers to be
ready to capture Mecca. After Mecca was captured, they went on to capture the Torkan.
The capture of Mecca[change | change source]
In 630, most people in Arabia had become Muslims, and they became part of Muhammad's large
army to capture Mecca. Because of the big size of the army, the people of Mecca were afraid to
fight back. Abu Sufyan, who was feeling unhappy over the broken truce, went to Muhammad's
camp outside Mecca to ask for forgiveness. Muhammad did not say that he would forgive him,
so he returned back home. While he was with Muhammad, he changed his religion to Islam by
saying the Testimony (ash-Ashaada):
"I testify that there is no other god but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah."
The next day, the Muslim army walked towards Mecca. Everyone ran to their homes and closed
all doors and windows. They were afraid that the Muslims were going to kill them, because of
the bad things they did to the Muslims many years ago. But, the Muslims went towards the
Ka'aba, believed to be built by Abraham and his elder son, Ishmael. Bilal ibn Ribah, a former
Ethiopian slave, shouted out loud to the people of Mecca that they were all safe: "All those who
lay down arms are safe. All those in the house of Abu Sufyan are safe. All those behind closed
doors are safe."
Abu Sufyan heard this in his home. From this, he learns that Muhammad forgave him. At that
time, Muhammad and his followers removed and broke all idols from the Kaaba. The idols were
statues that were worshiped as gods. Muhammad forgave all citizens of Mecca. At the end, Bilal
climbed to the top of the Kaaba and called for prayer. This was Muhammad's victory in
spreading Islam all over Arabia. But, because he was old, he would not live for long.
His death[change | change source]
Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina. Muhammad is believed to be buried at the building with the green
dome. It used to be his home when he was alive.
In 632 AD, on June 8, Muhammad became very sick. Before he died, he told his followers about
his death. He is buried in the chamber of his wife Aisha (RA) in Medina, where the Masjid alNabawi (Mosque of the Prophet) is. In Medina, his friend Abu Bakr went to the Masjid alNabawi and shouted to the people:
"If any of you worship Muhammad, you should know that Muhammad is dead.
But those of you who worship Allah(swt) (God), let it be known that Allah(swt)
(God) is alive and cannot die."[4]
Although Muhammad died, Islam soon spread all over the Middle East. Then, centuries later, it
continued till it reached Africa, Asia and Europe. Islam has become one of the world's biggest
and fastest growing religions.
Relations[change | change source]
Calligraphic rendering of the phrase "peace be upon him", customarily added after Muhammad's
name in writing. The phrase is also encoded as a ligature at Unicode codepoint U+FDFA.[5] ‫ﷺ‬.
When Muslims say or write the name of Muhammad, they usually follow it with Peace and
Blessings be upon him (Arabic: sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam). For example, "Muhammad
(Peace and Blessings be upon him)".[6] In printed matter, a calligraphic symbol is frequently used
instead of printing the phrase. Sunnis believe that Abu Bakr succeeded Muhammad. Shias
believe that Ali should have succeeded.
Images of Muhammad[change | change source]
Most Muslims do not make or show images of Muhammad. The Qur'an does not state that
images of Muhammad must not ever be made, but it does contain passages that forbid the
creation of idols. There are also passages against the creation of images of God in the Hadith.
Muslims, especially Sunni Muslims, believe there should be no pictures of Muhammad. When
people create images of Muhammad, some Muslims may view this as disrespectful, offensive
and emotionally injurious.
In 2005, a Danish newspaper published political cartoons of Muhammad . This led to violent
protests in the entire Muslim world. More than 100 people died as a result of the protests. Johan
Galtung, a Norwegian mathematician and peace activist, tried to help both sides come together
and talk about this. According to Galtung, the attacks against Danish institutions ended after the
government had invited talks.[source?]
His Wives[change | change source]
A list of his wives' names in chronological order
1. Khadijah bint Khuwaylid
Abdullah ibn Jafar reported that he heard Sayyiduna Ali saying in Kufa that Allah's Messenger,
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "The best of the women of her time was
Maryam, daughter of Imran, and the best of women of her time was Khadijah, daughter of
Khuwaylid."
2. Sawda bint Zamʿa
Sawda bint Zam'a, may Allah be pleased with her had been the first woman to immigrate to
Abyssinia in the way of Allah. She was middle-aged, rather plump, with a jolly, kindly
disposition, and just the right person to take care of the Prophet's household and family.
3. Aisha
Aisha was a very intelligent and observant young girl with a very good memory. Aisha spent the
next nine years of her life with the Prophet, she remembered all that she saw and heard with
great clarity, and reported to us a great deal of the Prophets narrations.
4. Hafsa bint Umar
By marrying Hafsa the Prophet strengthened the ties between two of his closest Companions,
the two who would become the first two rightly guided khalifs after his death. He was now
married to the daughter of Abu Bakr, A'isha and to the daughter of Umar, Hafsa.
5. Zaynab bint Khuzayma
She offered herself in marriage to the Prophet who accepted her proposal and married her.
Zaynab bint Khuzayma was so generous to orphans and the poor that she came to be known as
the 'Mother of the Poor'. She died only eight months after.
6. Umm Salama
She was not the only wife to have been widowed as a result of the battle of Uhud, and thanks to
this marriage, many of the Companions followed the Prophet's example, marrying widows and
thereby bringing them and their children into the circle of their families, instead of leaving them
to struggle on their own.
7. Zaynab bint Jahsh
As with all the marriages of Muhammad, there was much for all the Muslims to learn from it.
This one was to show that Zayed ibn Haretha was not the Prophet's son and to demonstrate that
the social level matters when it comes to tieing the knot. She bragged about the fact that her
marriage had been arranged by Allah. It was at this point that the Prophet changed her name
from Barra to Zaynab.
8. Juwayriyya bint al-Harith
The Prophet was thinking of how to save her and all her tribe from an ignoble fate. By marrying
Juwayriyya, the Banu Mustaliq would be able to enter Islam with honor, and with the
humiliation of their recent defeat removed, so that it would no longer be felt necessary by them
to embark on a war of vengeance that would have continued until one of the two parties had been
annihilated.
9. Ramla bint Abi Sufyan
She has narrated that once the Prophet said to her, "A house will be built in Hevean for anyone
who, in the space of a day and a night, prays twelve voluntary prayers;" and she added, "I have
never stopped doing this since
10. Safiyya bint Huyayy
The only person who could save her from becoming a slave after having enjoyed such a high
position was the Prophet. Although her father had planned to assassinate Muhammad after the
battle of Uhud, and had conspired with the Banu Qurayza to exterminate all the Muslims during
the battle of al-Khandaq, it was characteristic of the Muhammad that he did not bear any
grudges.
11. Maymunah bint al-Harith
The Prophet gave her the name, Maymuna, meaning "blessed", and Maymuna lived with the
Prophet for just over three years, until his death. She was obviously very good natured and got
on well with everyone and no quarrel or disagreement with any of the Prophet's other wives has
been related to her. 'A'isha said, "Among us, she had the most fear of Allah and did the most to
maintain ties of kinship."
12. Maria al-Qibtiyya
Maria was honored and respected by the Prophet and his family and Companions. She spent
three years of her life with the Prophet, until his death, and died five years later. For the last five
years of her life, she remained a recluse and almost never went out except to visit the grave of
the Prophet or her son's grave. After her death, Umar ibn al Khattab led the prayer over her and
she was buried in al Baqi.
References[change | change source]
1. ↑ "Muhammad". Encyclopedia Britannica. http://original.britannica.com/eb/article9105853/Muhammad. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
2. ↑ http://www.nndb.com/people/673/000044541/
3. ↑ This saying can be found in the Qu'ran (Chapter 96:1 - 5)
4. ↑ Muhammad’s Biography, The Religion of Islam. Found January 23, 2007
5. ↑ "Arabic Presentation Forms-A" (PDF). The Unicode Standard, Version 5.2. Mountain
View, Ca.: Unicode, Inc.. 2009-10-01. http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/Unicode3.1/U31-FB50.pdf. Retrieved 2010-05-09.
6. ↑ Ann Goldman, Richard Hain, Stephen Liben (2006), p.212
More reading[change | change source]
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
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Adil Salahi (2002). Muhammad: Man and Prophet. Islamic Foundation (UK). ISBN 9781-86204-290-2.
Andrae, Tor (2000). Mohammed: The Man and His Faith. Dover. ISBN 978-0-48641136-1.
Armstrong, Karen (1993). Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet. San Francisco:
Harper. ISBN 978-0-06-250886-7.
Berg, Herbert, ed. (2003). Method and Theory in the Study of Islamic Origins. E. J. Brill.
ISBN 978-90-04-12602-2.
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Cook, Michael (1983). Muhammad. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-287605-8
(reissue 1996).
Dashti, Ali (1994). Twenty-Three Years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Mohammad.
Mazda. ISBN 978-1-56859-029-5.
Hamidullah, Muhammad (1998). The Life and Work of the Prophet of Islam.
(s.n.)(Islamabad: Islamic Research Institute). ISBN 978-969-8413-00-2.
Motzki, Harald, ed. (2000). The Biography of Muhammad: The Issue of the Sources
(Islamic History and Civilization: Studies and Texts, Vol. 32). Brill. ISBN 978-90-0411513-2.
Rodinson, Maxime (1961). Muhammad. New Publishers. ISBN 978-1-56584-752-1.
Rodinson, Maxime (2002). Muhammad: Prophet of Islam. Tauris Parke Paperbacks.
ISBN 978-1-86064-827-4.
Rubin, Uri (1995). The Eye of the Beholder: The Life of Muhammad as Viewed by the
Early Muslims (A Textual Analysis). Darwin Press. ISBN 978-0-87850-110-6.
Schimmel, Annemarie (1985). And Muhammad is His Messenger: The Veneration of the
Prophet in Islamic Piety. The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-80784128-0.
Stillman, Norman (1975). The Jews of Arab Lands: a History and Source Book. Jewish
Publication Society of America. ISBN 978-0-8276-0198-7.
Warraq, Ibn (2000). The Quest for the Historical Muhammad. Prometheus Books.
ISBN 978-1-57392-787-1.
Other websites[change | change source]
Find more about
Muhammad
at Wikipedia's sister projects
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
News stories from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Source texts from Wikisource
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Learning resources from Wikiversity
Non-sectarian biographies
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Muhammad, article on Enyclopaedia Britannica Online
Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet - PBS Site
Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet - UPF (Producer's Site)
Encarta Encyclopedia
1911 Encyclopedia article on Mahomet
William Muir: The Life of Mahomet
The Hero as Prophet A passionate championship of Prophet Muhammad as a Hegelian
agent of reform. by Carlyle, Thomas (1795-1881) On Heroes and the Heroic in History.
Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1966.
Muslim biographies
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Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar)
PDF version of Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum
The Life of Muhammad by Muhammad Husayn Haykal
About the Prophet Muhammad (University of Southern California)
Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Muhammad&oldid=5725631"
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