- A 16th-century Ottoman illustration depicting Muhammad at the Kaaba. Muhammad's face is veiled, a practice followed in the Islamic art since the 16th century.
Prophet
(570-632 AD)
According to Muslim historians, Muhammad was born around 570 AD within the Quaraish family, which was the chief tribe of the city of Mecca. He was orphaned at a very young age and raised first by his grandfather Abd al Mutallib and then by his uncle Abu Talib. Initially Muhammad was a shepherd, but later he became a merchant and married Khaidja by the age of 26. Islamic tradition tells us that during the month of Ramadan, Muhammad often left Mecca to live in a cave at the top of Mount Hira, where he spent time praying while he fasted. It was there that Muhammad had his first revelation from God (Allah) at around the age of 40. According to Islamic belief, Muhammad was visited by Archangel Gabriel. These revelations continued for many years, and the verses that he wrote down are known as the Qur’an.
At first Muhammad was largely met with hostility from the people of Mecca, and his followers were treated with much opposition. As a result, they were allegedly driven out of Mecca to Yathrib (Medina) in 622 AD, an event (Hijara) that marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. In Medina, Muhammad was able to gain more followers, and by the time he died in 632 AD, most of Arabia had converted to Islam.
Information from Wikipedia
