-
In 570 (year of the elephant), Muhammad was born in Mecca. His birthday is believed to be in the month of Rabi' al-awwal. He belonged to the Banu Hashim clan, part of the Quraysh tribe, and was one of Mecca's prominent families.
-
In 576, Muhammad's mother, Amina, passed away because she was very sick. Muhammad became an orphan because his father died before he was born and his mother just passed away. Then who is going to be Muhammad's guardian?
-
After his mother's death, Muhammad was under the guardianship of his paternal grandfather Abd al-Muttalib until he was eight years old. He then came under the care of his uncle Abu Talib, the new leader of the Banu Hashim
-
Muhammad accompanied his uncle on Syrian trading journeys. Through this, he was able to gain experiences in commercial trades. Also, during the trip, he met a Christian monk whose name is Bahira. Muhammad became a merchant and was involved in trade between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
-
When Muhammad was 25 years old, he got married with a woman named Khadijah. She was a 40-year-old wealthy widow merchant. They eventually had total of six children (four daughters and two sons).
-
When Muhammad was 40 years old, he started to pray alone in the cave called Hira on Mout Jabal al-Nour, near Mecca. The angel Gabriel appeared to him and commanded Muhammad to recite verses that would be included in the Quran. He was deeply distressed upon receiving his first revelations.
-
Muhammad started to preach revelations to public people living in Mecca, saying that "God is One." He mentioned that complete "surrender" to him is the right course of action. He is a prophet and messenger of God.
-
Even though Muhammad did preaching, he only gained few followers and Mecca people got mad at Muhammad. Muhammad and his followers decided to migrate from Mecca to Medina in order to escape persecution. This is known as the Hijra, which is the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
-
In 630, Muhammad marched on Mecca with 10000 Muslim converts. This was very successful. They only had minimal casualties, and Muhammad gained control of Mecca. Most Meccan people were converted to Islam, and Muhammad destroyed all statues that are related to Arabian God.
-
Muhammed suffered with fever, head pain, and weakness. Few days later, he died on 8 June 632 in Medina at the age of 62. This was Muhammad's final words: "O Allah, to Ar-Rafiq Al-A'la."
