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In the year 570 Muhammad was born in the town of Mecca. A high desert plateau of western Arabia. He was son of Abd Allah bin Al- Muttalib and Amina bint Wah even though Abd Allah died before Muhammad's birth.
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When Muhammad was five or six his mother Amina bint Wahb took Muhammad to Yathrib, an oasis town a few hundred miles north of Mecca. He went to stay with relatives and visit his father's grave there.
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While Muhammad and his mother are returning to Mecca, Amina drops ill and dies...
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Halima, Muhammad's mother's nurse, takes Muhammad and puts him in the paternal guidance of his grandfather Abdul Al- Muttalib.
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Muhammad made frequent trips to a mountain cave outside town where he fasted and meditated. On one of these occasions a powerful presence came before Muhammad and told him to recite words of such beauty and force that he and other would eventually assign them to god.
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Until 613 Muhammad hadn't shared the experience in the cave to anyone outside of his family but when he did it was taken word- for- word and put into the Qur' an. It became Islam's sacred scripture.
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Muhammad's uncle and wife both died near the end of the 610's and to make it better the leaders of Mecca attempted to assisinate Muhammad.
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Throughout the decade of 620, the Meccans didn't appreciate Muhammad's sucess and they began war. The Muslims won the first (the Battle of Badr, March, 624), lost the second (the Battle of Uhud, March, 625), and won the third (The Battle of the Trench and the Siege of Medina, April, 627) ending the wars. The two sides signed a treay showing that the Muslims were an important aspect of Arabia. Later Meccan allies breached the treaty.
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Muhammad and his followers went to Yathrib to visit Muhammad's fathers burial ground. Muhammad and his followers stay for a while until more and more people came and joined Muhammad building the first Muslim community.
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Muhammad and his followers marched through Mecca in January, 630 without any bloodshed and Meccans joined them. Muhammad then moved back to Medina.
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Muhammad returns to Mecca for pilgrimage and more followers. He succeeded, tens of throusands of Muslims joined him.
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Muhammad returned to Medina after the pilgrimage. There he died after a brief illness. He is buried in the mosqe in Medina. Within a hundred years Muhammad's teaching and way of life has spread from the remote corners of Arabia as far east as Indo- China and as far west as Morocco, France, and Spain.
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Upon Muhammad's grandafather's death, Muhammad was sent to be under the paternal care of his uncle, Abu Talib.
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From 580- 594 Muhammad and his uncle Abu Talib traveled a lot because Abu was a merchant accompanying caravans to trade centers.
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When Muhammad was in his twenties he became employed by a wealthy merchant in Mecca named Khadija bent Khwalayd. Muhammad and Khadija were distant cousins.
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Whilst Khadija was being impressed by Muhammad's strong work and good character she dedcided to propose to the prophet. Khadija was 40 years of age over Muhammad's 25, but the duration of their marraige were pleasant and prosperous. Muhammad still worked for Khadija and they had 6 kids, 2 boys dying at infancy and four girls that lived healthy lives.
