Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the Prophet and Messenger through whom God sent the last divine revelation to humankind.
Muhammad was born around the year 570 C.E. in the Arabian city of Makkah (traditionally spelled Mecca). In the middle of the city stands an ancient house of worship called the Ka’bah, which was built by Abraham and his son Ishmael.
Muhammad was orphaned at age six and grew up in the care of relatives. When he was 40 years old, God called him to teach people to worship the One God and revealed to him the text of the Holy Qur’an. But Muhammad faced severe opposition and persecution from the population of Makkah, who believed in multiple pagan deities.
In the early fall of 622, Muhammad and his followers emigrated from Makkah, northward to the town of Yathrib (later renamed al-Madinah, or Medina). This emigration — historically known as the Hijrah — marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar, because it was in Yathrib that the followers of Muhammad developed a society organized along the teachings of the Qur’an. In 630 Muhammad peacefully re-entered Makkah, where he cleared the Ka’bah of idols. Two years later, he took ill, and died on June 8, 632 C.E.