TIMELINEOFMUHAMMADSLIFE

570Muhammad'sBirthandInfancy

Muhammadwasbornintheyear570inthetownofMecca,amountaintowninthehighdesert
plateauofwesternArabia.HisnamederivesfromtheArabicverbhamada,meaning"topraise,
toglorify."HewasthefirstandonlysonofAbdAllahbinAlMuttalibandAminabintWahb.Abd
AllahdiedbeforeMuhammad'sbirthandMuhammadwasraisedbyhismotherAmina,whoin
keepingwithMeccantraditionentrustedhersonatanearlyagetoawetnursenamedHalima
fromthenomadictribeoftheSa'dibnBakr.Hegrewupinthehillcountry,learningtheirpure
Arabic.

575MuhammadBecomesanOrphan

WhenMuhammadwasfiveorsixhismothertookhimtoYathrib,anoasistownafewhundred
milesnorthofMecca,tostaywithrelativesandvisithisfather'sgravethere.Onthereturn
journey,Aminatookillanddied.ShewasburiedinthevillageofAbwaontheMeccaMedina
Road.Halima,hisnurse,returnedtoMeccawiththeorphanedboyandplacedhiminthe
protectionofhispaternalgrandfather,AbdulAlMuttalib.Inthisman'scare,Muhammadlearned
therudimentsofstatecraft.MeccawasArabia'smostimportantpilgrimagecenterandAbdul
AlMuttalibitsmostrespectedleader.Hecontrolledimportantpilgrimageconcessionsand
frequentlypresidedoverMecca'sCouncilofElders.

578MuhammadinMeccainCareofanUncle

Uponhisgrandfather'sdeathin578,Muhammad,agedabouteight,passedintothecareofa
paternaluncle,AbuTalib.Muhammadgrewupintheolderman'shomeandremainedunderAbu
Talib'sprotectionformanyyears.ChroniclershaveunderscoredMuhammad'sdisrupted
childhood.SodoestheQur'an:"DidGodnotfindyouanorphanandgiveyoushelterandcare?
AndHefoundyouwandering,andgaveyouguidance.Andhefoundyouinneed,andmadeyou
independent"(93:68).

580594Muhammad'sTeens

Whenyoungboy,Muhammadworkedasashepherdtohelppayhiskeep(hisunclewasof
modestmeans).InhisteenshesometimestraveledwithAbuTalib,whowasamerchant,
accompanyingcaravanstotradecenters.Onatleastoneoccasion,heissaidtohavetraveled
asfarnorthasSyria.OldermerchantsrecognizedhischaracterandnicknamedhimElAmin,
theoneyoucantrust.

594MuhammadActsasCaravanAgentforWealthyTradeswoman,Khadija

Inhisearlytwenties,MuhammadenteredtheserviceofawealthyMeccanmerchant,awidow
namedKhadijabintKhawalayd.Thetwoweredistantcousins.Muhammadcarriedhergoodsto
thenorthandreturnedwithaprofit.

595609Muhammad'sMarriageandFamilyLife

ImpressedbyMuhammad'shonestyandcharacter,Khadijaeventuallyproposedmarriage.They
werewedinabout595.Hewastwentyfive.Shewasnearlyforty.

MuhammadcontinuedtomanageKhadija'sbusinessaffairs,andtheirnextyearswerepleasant
andprosperous.Sixchildrenwereborntothem,twosonswhobothdiedininfancy,andfour
daughters.Meccaprosperedtoo,becomingawellofftradingcenterinthehandsofanelite
groupofclanleaderswhoweremostlysuccessfultraders.

610MuhammadReceivesFirstRevelation

Mecca'snewmaterialismanditstraditionalidolatrydisturbedMuhammad.Hebeganmaking
longretreatstoamountaincaveoutsidetown.There,hefastedandmeditated.Onone
occasion,afteranumberofindistinctvisionaryexperiences,Muhammadwasvisitedbyan
overpoweringpresenceandinstructedtorecitewordsofsuchbeautyandforcethatheand
othersgraduallyattributedthemtoGod.ThisexperienceshookMuhammadtothecore.Itwas
severalyearsbeforehedaredtotalkaboutitoutsidehisfamily.

613MuhammadTakeshisMessagePublic

Afterseveralsimilarexperiences,Muhammadfinallybegantorevealthemessageshewas
receivingtohistribe.TheseweregatheredversebyverseandlaterwouldbecometheQur'an,
Islam'ssacredscripture.Inthenextdecade,Muhammadandhisfollowerswerefirstbelittled
andridiculed,thenpersecutedandphysicallyattackedfordepartingfromtraditionalMecca's
tribalways.Muhammad'smessagewasresolutelymonotheistic.Forseveralyears,thethe
Quraysh,Mecca'sdominanttribe,leviedabanontradewithMuhammad'speople,subjecting
themtonearfamineconditions.Towardtheendofthedecade,Muhammad'swifeanduncle
bothdied.Finally,theleadersofMeccaattemptedtoassassinateMuhammad.

622MuhammadandtheMuslimsEmigratetoMedina

In622,MuhammadandhisfewhundredfollowersleftMeccaandtraveledtoYathrib,theoasis
townwherehisfatherwasburied.Theleadersthereweresufferingthroughaviciouscivilwar,
andtheyhadinvitedthismanwellknownforhiswisdomtoactastheirmediator.Yathribsoon
becameknownasMedina,theCityoftheProphet.Muhammadremainedhereforthenextsix
years,buildingthefirstMuslimcommunityandgraduallygatheringmoreandmorepeopletohis
side.

625628TheMilitaryPeriod

TheMeccansdidnottakeMuhammad'snewsuccesslightly.Earlyskirmishesledtothreemajor
battlesinthenextthreeyears.OfthesetheMuslimswonthefirst(theBattleofBadr,March,
624),lostthesecond(theBattleofUhud,March,625),andoutlastedthethird,(TheBattleofthe
TrenchandtheSiegeofMedina,April,627).InMarch,628,atreatywassignedbetweenthetwo
sides,whichrecognizedtheMuslimsasanewforceinArabiaandgavethemfreedomtomove
unmolestedthroughoutArabia.Meccanalliesbreachedthetreatyayearlater.

630TheConquestofMecca

Bynow,thebalanceofpowerhadshiftedradicallyawayfromoncepowerfulMecca,toward
MuhammadandtheMuslims.InJanuary,630,theymarchedonMeccaandwerejoinedbytribe
aftertribealongtheway.TheyenteredMeccawithoutbloodshedandtheMeccans,seeingthe
tidehadturned,joinedthem.

630632Muhammad'sFinalYears

MuhammadreturnedtoliveinMedina.Inthenextthreeyears,heconsolidatedmostofthe
ArabianPeninsulaunderIslam.InMarch,632,hereturnedtoMeccaonelasttimetoperforma
pilgrimage,andtensofthousandsofMuslimsjoinedhim.

Afterthepilgrimage,hereturnedtoMedina.ThreemonthslateronJune8,632hediedthere,
afterabriefillness.HeisburiedinthemosqueinMedina.WithinahundredyearsMuhammad's
teachingandwayoflifehadspreadfromtheremotecornersofArabiaasfareastasIndoChina
andasfarwestasMorocco,FranceandSpain.