Prophet Muhammad
c. 570–632; preaching from 610· Person· Middle East & Africa
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
Merchant of Mecca who, Muslims believe, received God's revelations, and who became prophet, statesman and founder of Islam.
See it on the History map →What happened
Orphaned young, Muhammad worked in the caravan trade and married Khadija, a wealthy widow and merchant. At about 40, while meditating in a cave near Mecca, he reported revelations from the angel Gabriel. His message of one God angered Mecca's leaders, whose shrine drew profitable pilgrims. In 622 he and his followers moved to Medina, where he led a community and fought Mecca. He took Mecca in 630, and by his death in 632 most of Arabia had accepted Islam.
Why it matters
Muslims regard him as the final prophet. He united Arabia's tribes into a state whose successors built one of history's largest empires within a century.
Legacy and how we know
The Quran, plus biographies (sira) and collected sayings (hadith) written down a century or more after his death; few non-Muslim sources from his lifetime survive.
Still debated
Because the detailed biographies came later, historians debate how precisely they record events; Muslim scholars developed careful methods to verify them.
Connections (2)
▸Prophet Muhammad preached IslamWell documented
The connection
Over about 23 years Muhammad recited what Muslims believe were revelations from God; followers memorized and wrote them down, forming the Quran. His sayings and example, the Sunna, became the second source of Islamic law and practice. He also built the first Muslim community at Medina, with rules for worship, family, trade and war.
When and how
Mecca and Medina, Arabia, 610–632; early followers included his wife Khadija, his cousin Ali and his friend Abu Bakr.
How we know
The Quran, early manuscripts, and later biographies and hadith; Muslim and non-Muslim scholars agree the faith took shape through his preaching and leadership.
Debates and open questions
How the Quran was compiled into one book after his death, under the caliph Uthman around 650, is studied in detail by historians.
▸Prophet Muhammad stood, in Muslim belief, in the line of Hebrew prophets and the Hebrew BibleWell documented
The connection
Islam teaches that God sent a long line of prophets, including Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Elijah, Jonah and Jesus, each bringing the same core message of one God. The Quran names many figures from the Hebrew Bible and retells their stories. Muslims believe Muhammad is the final prophet, the 'Seal of the Prophets', completing that line.
When and how
Mecca and Medina in Arabia, 610–632, where Muhammad preached in a region that had Jewish and Christian communities.
How we know
The Quran names about 25 prophets, most also found in the Bible, and calls Muhammad 'the Seal of the Prophets' (Quran 33:40).
Debates and open questions
Historians discuss how biblical and later Jewish and Christian stories reached Arabia; Muslims see the Quran as direct revelation rather than borrowing.