The story in short
- Arabic name
- محمد
- English name
- Muhammad ﷺ
- Named in the Quran
- 4 times, and once as Ahmad (61:6)
- Sent to
- All of humanity and the jinn, as the final messenger
- In the list of 25
- 25 of 25 · one of the Ulul Azm
In short: Muhammad ﷺ, son of Abdullah, was born in Makkah around 570 CE, the Year of the Elephant. He received the first revelation at forty, in the cave of Hira, around 610 CE. After thirteen years of calling people in Makkah he emigrated to Madinah in 622 CE, the start of the Hijri calendar. Over ten years in Madinah Islam spread across Arabia, and he returned to Makkah in 8 AH. He performed the Farewell Hajj in 10 AH and passed away in Madinah in Rabi al-Awwal 11 AH (632 CE), aged 63.
Timeline of his life
| When | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| About 570 CE Year of the Elephant | Born in Makkah on a Monday in Rabi al-Awwal, to Aminah bint Wahb. His father, Abdullah, had died before he was born. The 12th of Rabi al-Awwal is the best-known date; other dates are also reported. | Sahih Muslim 1162 (Monday); Ibn Hisham |
| Childhood | Nursed in the desert among Banu Sad by Halimah. As a boy, Jibril opened and cleansed his chest. His mother died when he was six, then his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib when he was eight, and his uncle Abu Talib raised him. | Sahih Muslim 162; Ibn Hisham |
| Youth | Herded sheep for the people of Makkah and later traded to Syria. He was known as al-Amin, the trustworthy. | Sahih al-Bukhari 2262 |
| About 595 CE Age 25 | Married Khadijah bint Khuwaylid. | Ibn Hisham |
| About 605 CE Age 35 | Quraysh rebuilt the Kaaba, and he settled the clans' dispute over who would place the Black Stone. | Ibn Hisham |
| 610 CE Age 40 | The first revelation in the cave of Hira, in Ramadan: "Recite in the name of your Lord who created" (96:1-5). | Sahih al-Bukhari 3 |
| About 613 CE | The open call begins after about three years of private dawah: "And warn your closest kindred" (26:214). | Ibn Hisham |
| 615 CE | Some Muslims emigrate to Abyssinia under the protection of its king, al-Najashi. | Ibn Hisham |
| About 619 CE 10th year of prophethood | The Year of Sorrow: Khadijah and Abu Talib die. He travels to Taif to call its people and is rejected. | Ibn Hisham |
| About 620 CE | The Isra and Miraj: the Night Journey to al-Masjid al-Aqsa and the ascent through the heavens, when the five daily prayers were made obligatory (17:1). Its exact date is disputed. | Sahih al-Bukhari 349; Sahih Muslim 162 |
| 621 to 622 CE | The first and second pledges of al-Aqabah with people from Yathrib (Madinah). | Ibn Hisham |
| 622 CE 1 AH | The Hijrah to Madinah with Abu Bakr, hiding three nights in the cave of Thawr (9:40). Masjid Quba and the Prophet's Masjid are built, and the Muhajirun and Ansar are made brothers. | Sahih al-Bukhari 3905; Ibn Hisham |
| 624 CE 2 AH | The qibla turns to the Kaaba (2:144), the fast of Ramadan is made obligatory, and the Battle of Badr is fought on 17 Ramadan (3:123). | Ibn Hisham |
| 625 CE 3 AH | The Battle of Uhud. | Ibn Hisham |
| 627 CE 5 AH | The Battle of the Trench (al-Khandaq) (33:9-27). | Ibn Hisham |
| 628 CE 6 AH | The Treaty of al-Hudaybiyyah, called "a clear conquest" (48:1). | Sahih al-Bukhari 2731 |
| 628 to 629 CE 7 AH | Khaybar, letters to the rulers of the time inviting them to Islam, and the Umrah of fulfilment. | Ibn Hisham |
| 630 CE 8 AH | The conquest of Makkah in Ramadan with a general pardon, the idols removed from the Kaaba, and the Battle of Hunayn. | Ibn Hisham |
| 630 CE 9 AH | The expedition to Tabuk, and the Year of Delegations as tribes across Arabia came to accept Islam. | Ibn Hisham |
| 632 CE 10 AH | The Farewell Hajj and its sermon. "This day I have perfected for you your religion" (5:3) was revealed on the day of Arafah. | Sahih al-Bukhari 45; Sahih Muslim 3017 |
| 632 CE 11 AH | He passed away in Madinah on a Monday in Rabi al-Awwal, aged 63, in the room of Aishah, where he is buried. | Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from Aishah |
Years in CE are approximate for the Makkan period. The Hijri years are the standard dating in the books of sirah.
His character
Allah says: "And indeed, you are of a great moral character" (68:4). When Aishah was asked about his character, she said: "His character was the Quran".1 Allah sent him "as a mercy to the worlds" (21:107) and made him the seal of the prophets (33:40). He described himself as the final brick in a house built by the prophets before him: "I am that brick, and I am the seal of the prophets".2 Allah and His angels send blessings on him, and the believers are told to do the same (33:56).
He mended his own clothes, helped with the work of the house, ate with the poor and visited the sick. He forgave the people of Makkah who had driven him out, and the people of Taif who had stoned him. His sayings and practice, the Sunnah, are preserved in the hadith collections and are the second source of Islam after the Quran.
Key verses
مَّا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَآ أَحَدٍۢ مِّن رِّجَالِكُمْ وَلَٰكِن رَّسُولَ ٱللَّهِ وَخَاتَمَ ٱلنَّبِيِّۦنَ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمًۭا ﴿٤٠﴾
Maa kaana Muhammmadun abaaa ahadim mir rijaalikum wa laakir Rasoolal laahi wa Khaataman Nabiyyeen; wa kaanal laahu bikulli shai'in 'Aleema
Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and last of the prophets. And ever is Allah, of all things, Knowing.
Quran 33:40 · Sahih International · Read in Surah Al-Ahzab
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَٰكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةًۭ لِّلْعَٰلَمِينَ ﴿١٠٧﴾
Wa maaa arsalnaaka illaa rahmatal lil'aalameen
And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.
Quran 21:107 · Sahih International · Read in Surah Al-Anbiya
وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍۢ ﴿٤﴾
Wa innaka la'alaa khuluqin 'azeem
And indeed, you are of a great moral character.
Quran 68:4 · Sahih International · Read in Surah Al-Qalam
ٱقْرَأْ بِٱسْمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ﴿١﴾ خَلَقَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ ﴿٢﴾ ٱقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ ٱلْأَكْرَمُ ﴿٣﴾ ٱلَّذِى عَلَّمَ بِٱلْقَلَمِ ﴿٤﴾ عَلَّمَ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ ﴿٥﴾
Iqra bismi rab bikal lazee khalaq Khalaqal insaana min 'alaq Iqra wa rab bukal akram Al lazee 'allama bil qalam 'Al lamal insaana ma lam y'alam
(1) Recite in the name of your Lord who created - (2) Created man from a clinging substance. (3) Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous - (4) Who taught by the pen - (5) Taught man that which he knew not.
Quran 96:1-5 · Sahih International · Read in Surah Al-Alaq
Where it is in the Quran
The main passages about the Prophet ﷺ by name, with links to read and listen to each surah:
- Surah Al-Ahzab 33:40
- Surah Al-Fath 48:29
- Surah Muhammad 47:2
- Surah Al-Imran 3:144
- Surah As-Saff 61:6
- Surah Al-Alaq 96:1-5
Questions
When was Prophet Muhammad ﷺ born?
In Makkah in the Year of the Elephant, about 570 CE, on a Monday in Rabi al-Awwal (Muslim 1162). The 12th of Rabi al-Awwal is the best-known date, but scholars report others too.
How old was the Prophet ﷺ when the revelation began?
Forty years old, in about 610 CE, in the cave of Hira (Bukhari 3).
When was the Hijrah?
In 622 CE. Under Umar the Hijri calendar was later counted from that year.
How old was the Prophet ﷺ when he died, and where is he buried?
He was 63. He died in Madinah in Rabi al-Awwal 11 AH (632 CE) and is buried in the room of Aishah, now inside the Prophet's Masjid.
How many times is Muhammad mentioned in the Quran?
By the name Muhammad 4 times (3:144, 33:40, 47:2, 48:29), and once as Ahmad (61:6). Many more verses address him directly.
Sources
- Sahih Muslim 746, from Aishah.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 3535; Sahih Muslim 2286.
- Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, from the sirah of Ibn Ishaq.
- Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, al-Raheeq al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar).
- Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah wa'l-Nihayah, the volumes on the sirah.
- Hadith sources for each event are given in the timeline.
- Quran: Arabic from the Tanzil Uthmani text, English by Sahih International. In quotations within the text, the prophets' names are given in their Arabic form (Musa for Moses, Ibrahim for Abraham).
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.