Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in Islam

Merchant, messenger, and final seal of the prophets — the life the Quran addresses more often than any other after the prophets of old.

Muhammad ibn Abdallah ﷺ was born in Makkah around 570 CE into the clan of Hashim of Quraysh, orphaned young, and raised by his grandfather and then his uncle. He worked as a merchant, became known in the city as al-Amin, 'the trustworthy,' and at forty began receiving revelation in the cave of Hira — the first words of what became the Quran. Over twenty-three years he called Makkah and then Madinah to the worship of one God, endured persecution and loss, led a community, and died in 632 CE with the message established. Muslims regard him as the final messenger of Allah and the living commentary on the Book he delivered. This page gathers the Quran's own words about him, a plain timeline of his life, and pointers for further reading.

Timeline

• Born in Makkah around 570 CE; his father died before the birth and his mother when he was six.
• Raised first by his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib, then by his uncle Abu Talib; worked as a shepherd and merchant.
• Known in Makkah as al-Amin, 'the trustworthy,' for his honesty in trade and in disputes.
• At about twenty-five he married Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, the merchant for whom he had led caravans.
• At forty, in the cave of Hira outside Makkah, he received the first revelation of the Quran.
• After years of persecution in Makkah, he migrated to Madinah in 622 CE — the Hijrah that opens the Islamic calendar.
• Makkah surrendered without battle in 630 CE and the Kaaba was cleared of the idols around it.
• He died in Madinah in 632 CE, shortly after the farewell pilgrimage, leaving the Quran and his recorded example.

Key Quranic passages

• Surah Al-Anbya (21:107) — The Quran describes the Prophet ﷺ as 'a mercy to the worlds.' Read at quran.com
• Surah Al-Ahzab (33:40) — He is called the seal of the prophets — the final one in the line of messengers. Read at quran.com
• Surah Al-A'raf (7:158) — People are called to believe in Allah and in 'the unlettered prophet,' who believes in Allah and His words. Read at quran.com
• Surah Al-Isra (17:1) — Al-Isra opens with the night journey from the sacred mosque to the farthest mosque, whose surroundings Allah blessed. Read at quran.com
• Surah Ali 'Imran (3:144) — The verse reminds believers that Muhammad ﷺ is a messenger; messengers before him passed away, and the call is to remain steadfast. Read at quran.com

Lessons readers draw

The value of these lives in the Quran is not ornament. Each narrative is framed as instruction — patience tested and kept, trust justified late, forgiveness extended from strength. Read the passages above in their full surahs through the links; a biography in the Quran is meant to change the reader, not only to inform them.

Related duas

The figures of the Quran prayed in nearly every scene above. Niyat's dua library collects source-cited supplications — including the prayer of Musa for an eased task and the dua of Yunus from the darknesses — with Arabic, transliteration, and translation.

More figures

• Khadijah bint Khuwaylid in Islam
• Aisha bint Abi Bakr in Islam
• All figures in Islam