The story of the Prophet's life is called the seerah, and it is — after the Quran and the recorded sayings (hadith) — one of the most studied subjects in Islam. This is a brief overview; see also Who is Muhammad ﷺ?.
Birth and early life
Muhammad ﷺ was born in Mecca around 570 CE. Orphaned young — his father died before his birth and his mother in his childhood — he was raised by his grandfather and then his uncle. As a young man he worked as a merchant and earned a reputation for honesty that gave him the nickname al-Amin, "the trustworthy." He married Khadija, a respected merchant, some years before his prophethood began.568
The first revelation
At about the age of forty, while in retreat in the cave of Hira, he received the first revelation of the Quran through the angel Jibril (Gabriel):
The angel came to him and commanded, "Read!", conveying the opening verses of the Quran; the Prophet ﷺ returned home shaken, and was reassured by Khadija.
— Sahih al-Bukhari 31
The Meccan years and persecution
He began calling the people of Mecca to abandon idol-worship and turn to the one God. As the message spread, he and his followers faced mounting persecution from the city's leaders, which they endured for about thirteen years.65
The Hijra to Medina (622 CE)
In 622 CE the Prophet ﷺ and his followers migrated to the city of Yathrib — thereafter called Medina — an event known as the Hijra. It was so pivotal that the Islamic calendar counts its years from it.567 The Quran recalls the moment of the migration, when the Prophet ﷺ and his companion Abu Bakr sheltered in a cave:
"...when the two were in the cave and he said to his companion, 'Do not grieve; indeed Allah is with us.'"
— Quran 9:40 (Saheeh International)2
Building a community in Medina
In Medina the Prophet ﷺ established the first Muslim community, drawing up agreements among its groups and leading it in worship and governance. The young community also faced a series of armed confrontations with Mecca, most notably the battles of Badr (624), Uhud (625), and the Trench (Khandaq, 627).678
The return to Mecca (630 CE)
After the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah (628) brought a truce with Mecca, the balance shifted, and in 630 CE the Muslims entered Mecca largely without bloodshed. The Prophet ﷺ cleared the Kaaba of its idols and rededicated it to the worship of the one God.56 A short chapter of the Quran is traditionally linked to this victory:
"When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest, and you see the people entering into the religion of Allah in multitudes — then exalt [Him] with praise of your Lord and ask forgiveness of Him."
— Quran 110:1-3 (Saheeh International)3
The Farewell Pilgrimage and death (632 CE)
In 632 CE the Prophet ﷺ led what became known as the Farewell Pilgrimage, delivering a final sermon on justice, the sanctity of life and property, and the equality of believers. It was around this time that the Quran declared the religion complete:
"This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you."
— Quran 5:3 (Saheeh International)4
He died in Medina later that same year.57
In short
In roughly six decades, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ went from an orphaned merchant in Mecca to the founder of a community that would reshape world history — guided, in the Muslim understanding, by the revelation of the Quran across the final twenty-three years of his life. What happened next is the story of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs.