The Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him):
[Taken from a brochure published by the Islamic Cultural Center in Tempe, AZ, USA]
Perhaps no prophet is so little known or understood by the West as the prophet of Islam, Muhammad ibn Abdullah, a direct descendent of Prophet Abraham and his son, Prophet Ishmael. This is due to a combination of ignorance by the masses, and intentional distortion by those who feel threatened by the magnitude and impact of Muhammad's message.
Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born in 570 C.E. ll in Makkah, which is located on the Arabian Peninsula.
Muhammad (peace be upon him) was orphaned at a young age. His father Abdullah died before Muhammad's birth, and his mother, Aminah died when her son was about six years old. Muhammad (peace be upon him) was raised first by his loving grandfather, 'Abdul Mutallib, and then by his caring and devoted uncle, Abu Talib.
At the time of Muhammad (peace be upon him), Arabia was steeped in idol worship, which Muhammad ardently rejected. In fact, when he was asked to act in the name of the idols al-Lat and al-Uzza, he retorted, "Do not ask me anything for the sake of these idols. I have never hated anything more''.l2
Muhammad (peace be upon him) worked as a shepherd in his early years. He later worked in business and trade where he gained a reputation for being honest and trustworthy, and was given the nickname "Al-Amin" (the Honest/Trustworthy .
At the age of 25 he married Khadijah. They lived happily together until her death 25 years later. They had four daughters and two sons.
Muhammad (peace be upon him) began receiving revelation from God at the age of 40. He was engaged in his yearly retreat to a cave on Mt. Hira outside of Makkah. He regularly spent extended periods of times in deep meditation and contemplation about the meaning of life and man's relationship to God. I t was while praying that Muhammad (peace be upon him) heard a voice commanding him to read. Muhammad (peace be upon him) responded that he could not read; he was illiterate. The voice was that of Angel Gabriel, the angel of revelation. This episode marked the beginning of Mohammed's mission as a prophet.
Muhammad (peace be upon him) received revelation and preached the message of belief in the oneness of God for 23 years. In the year 622 C.E., after 13 years of suffering and hardship in Makkah, he and his followers had an opportunity to emigrate to Medina (also located on the Arabian Peninsula). The year 622 C.E., known as the year of "Hijrah" (emigration), marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) died in Medina in the year 632 C.E. and was buried there.
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11" C.E." refers to "Christian Era". For Muslirns, this term is preferable to the cornmonly used "A.D", which refers to "anno domino", or "the year of our Lord (Jesus)". While
Muslirns believe in the prophethood of Jesus (peace be upon him), they do not believe that he is Lord.
12 The Life of The Prophet Muhammad, Abd al-Rahman 'Azzam, The Islamic Foundation, pg. 8-9.