The Prophet Muhammad was born on 20 April 571, on a Monday, in Mecca. The Hashim family he was born into was a branch of the noble and powerful Quraysh tribe. His father, Abd Allah, was a tradesman, and he died before he was born. His mother, Amina, lived until he was six. The orphan Muhammad was taken care of first by his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib for two years, and later by his uncle Abu Talib upon the grandfather's will.

The last Prophet was the fruit of Prophet Abraham's prayer, Jesus' glad tidings, and his mother Amina's dream. After building the Ka'ba, the Prophet Abraham prayed to God "Our Lord! Raise up among that community a Messenger of their own, reciting to them Your Revelations, and instructing them in the Book (You will send to him) and the Wisdom, and purifying them (of false beliefs and doctrines, and sins, and all kinds of filth.) Surely, You are the All-Honored with irresistible might, the All-Wise" (Baqara 2:129). Jesus told those around him of the Prophet who would follow him called "Ahmad." Muhammad's mother, Amina, had a dream in which she was told the following:

"You carry in your womb the lord of this people; and when he is born say: 'I place him beneath the protection of the One, from the evil of every envier'; then name him Muhammad."

The Prophet's birth was a sign of the acceptance of this prayer, the manifestation of these glad tidings, and the realization of this dream.

The Prophet's father, before the Prophet had even come into the world, had departed for another city for reasons of trade, became ill and died, and was buried in Medina. Thus, the Prophet Muhammad never saw his father. From the time of his birth until he was four years old, he stayed with his wet-nurse, Halima. He then stayed for another two years with his mother Amina. When he was six, his mother took him to Medina to meet his relatives and to visit his father's grave. Because Salma, the mother of the Prophet's grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib, was from Medina, they had relatives in this city. The grave of the Prophet Muhammad's father was in the garden of his uncles' house in Nabiga. Amina visited the grave of her husband, Abdullah, and the Prophet became acquainted with his relatives from the Najjar tribe. On the return journey, Amina became ill and died in a place called Abwa. She was buried there. Umm Ayman brought the Prophet to Mecca and gave him into his grandfather's care. He stayed with his grandfather from the age of six until he was eight. When the Prophet's grandfather died, according to his will, Muhammad went to stay with his paternal uncle, Abu Talib. Abu Talib was a respected person in Mecca, and he was known as the most esteemed of Abd al-Muttalib's sons.

The Prophet Muhammad experienced all this loss when he was a child. Yet it did not destroy his fortitude. He herded his uncle's sheep to pasture in Mecca. He carried every task at home with great joy and contributed to the family budget. His aunt, Fatima, treated him as her own and he never upset her. In those years, wherever the Prophet was living, even the house of his wet-nurse, found itself in plenty. As a matter of fact, although Abu Talib was not a wealthy person in those years, after the Prophet came to stay, it became apparent that he was a source of blessings for the household.

When he turned 13 he began to work, joining his uncles in trade. He was involved in trade for many years, and became known for his honesty and principles. When he was only 20, he joined an institution called Hilf al-Fudl (the alliance of the virtuous) set up by some Meccan people to combat thieves, robbers, brigands, oppression, and injustice; he was a very effective member. When he was 25, he married Khadija. Khadija was forty at that time and her decision to marry him was influenced primarily by his reputation as "al-Amin" (the trustworthy, the honest). When he was 35, he arbitrated in the reconstruction of the Ka'ba; there was a disagreement when it came time to place the Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad) back in the Ka'ba, concerning which tribe should have the honor of performing this task. The Prophet put the stone on a ground cloth and had each tribe hold one corner, thus preventing certain conflict from arising among the tribes.

When the Prophet approached the age of forty, he experienced a desire to distance himself from people and to go out into the country to seek seclusion and to contemplate nature. He had lived an untainted childhood and youth. Now, looking back, he was deeply saddened by the corruption and amorality in the lives of the people around him. Because of this, he began to stay for certain periods in a cave called Hira on Mount Nur, near Mecca. He would stay for a while and then return to the city. Once, on the return journey, he heard a voice call out "O, Muhammad!" from among the rocks and trees. It was subsequent to this that he started to have dreams that would be realized the next day.

When he was 40, in 610, during the month of Ramadan, the Archangel Gabriel came to him and the period of his revelations began. The first revelation was the verse that begins "Read, in the name of the Creator, God…" This is how Almighty God gave the duty of Prophethood to Muhammad.

The first people to accept the Prophet's invitation to Islam were Khadija, Ali, Zayd ibn Haritha and Abu Bakr. They were followed by Uthman, Abdurrahman ibn Awf, Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, Talha and Zubayr. Those first Muslims, in particular the Prophet, underwent great torment at the hands of the idol worshippers. In fact, many Muslims, like Yasir and his wife, Sumayya, were murdered after unbearable tortures. Bilal al-Habashi, Abu Fukayha, Hab­bab ibn Arat, and Umm Abis, Nahdiyya and Zinnira also underwent great torment. These were people who were held in low esteem by the idolaters; even the slaves and servants of these Muslims underwent many hardships.

The resistance of these first Muslims greatly affected the spread of Islam. As a matter of fact, during the first six years of the Prophethood, strong and brave men like Hamza and Umar embraced Islam and found their place among the Companions of the Prophet. As the number of those who believed in Islam increased, so did the number of obstacles placed by the idolaters to prevent the spread of this new faith. In the fifth and sixth year of the Prophethood, some Muslims were forced by the situation to attain permission from the Prophet to emigrate to Abyssinia. In the seventh year the unbelievers isolated the Muslims in one area and boycotted them. They were banned from trade, travel, and interrelations with other people. This situation lasted for three years. In the tenth year of the Prophethood, with the successive deaths of Khadija and Abu Talib, the torment and suffering caused by the enemies of Islam increased yet again. Khadija and Abu Talib were respected people in the community and this respect had, to some extent, provided a degree of protection for the Prophet. At this time, the Prophet Muhammad went to Taif to try to gain some outside support. But the people of Taif not only did not accept Islam or give support to the Prophet, they stoned him, and he was only able to save himself by sheltering in an orchard outside Taif, covered in his own blood. In his supplication after having undergone this horrible treatment, the Prophet said that if he were truly fulfilling his mission then such torture meant nothing to him. It is without a doubt that he acted correctly and that he fulfilled his responsibilities.

At this time, those who ruled Mecca reached a decision that he should not be allowed back into the city. For this reason, he turned to Mut'im ibn Adiyy to attain protection to enter Mecca. It was a commonly observed tradition at those times among the prominent people of the Quraysh tribe that one could ensure security by attaining their protection.

While these successive torments were raining down on his head, the Prophet Muhammad was taken by God on the heavenly journey, Mi'raj; this took him to the presence of Almighty God and he was blessed to receive divine commandments without a mediator. It was on this night that the Prophet brought down many of the rules that are found in sura Isra, the seventeenth chapter of the Qur'an; 12 of the commandments found between the 22 and 39 verses of sura Isra were revealed on this night. It is possible to list them below in the following way:

1. Be a servant to no one but God.
2. Treat your parents well.
3. Ensure the rights of your relatives, the poor, and travelers.
4. Be neither mean nor wasteful.
5. Do not kill your children due to a fear of poverty.
6. Do not approach adultery or fornication.
7. Do not kill.
8. Do not abuse the property of orphans (do not use it in an incorrect manner).
9. Keep your promises.
10. Take care to use correct measurements and weights.
11. Do not pursue things of which you have no knowledge.
12. Avoid pride and conceit.

The bestowal of such a wonderful miracle through the Prophet Muhammad was a sign that, sooner or later, Islam would flourish.

Despite all the difficulties, the Prophet Muhammad's efforts to spread the message of Islam continued. He intensified most of his efforts on the crossroads where travelers from outside the city might pass. Finally, a group of six people who had come from Medina (then Yathrib) for pilgrimage testified the truth of the message he brought and promised to fulfill the conditions of Islam. The following year, five of this group came together with seven other people from Medina and gave their pledge to the Prophet at Aqaba. A second pledge took place with seventy-five people the next year, who promised to protect the Prophet as they protected their women and children. In the time that followed this, with the permission of Allah and that of the Prophet, the Muslims who were suffering in Mecca emigrated to Medina. This is known as the Hijra in Islamic literature. The last to emigrate were the Prophet and Abu Bakr. This was a very difficult emigration, with the idolators of Mecca chasing them from the Thawr caves to the south of Mecca, and continuing pursuit until they had almost reached Medina. The Prophet and Abu Bakr traveled in great danger, but in the end, they managed to reach Medina. The Medinan people, in contrast to the Meccans, took the Prophet to their bosoms. They united around him. The people of Medina supported those who had abandoned their homes in Mecca for the glory of God. It is for this reason that Almighty God calls the people of Medina the Ansar (the helpers) in the Qur'an. As a matter of fact, brother and sisterhood was established between the emigrants and the Ansar immediately after the emigration of the Prophet. In this way, the action of helping people gained a spiritual dimension. This support helped to waylay psychological problems. The emigrants found the opportunity to share their experience of Islam with the people of Medina. The emigrants established shops and markets, and they were able to support themselves in a very short time. In this way, the Muslims benefited the economic life of the city.

All of these events frightened the idolators in Mecca. They wanted to destroy the Muslims before they became any stronger. The result was battles between the Muslims and the idolaters, like Badr, Uhud, the Battle of the Trench, and Muraysi. In the year 630, Mecca was conquered. The Prophet returned in triumph to the city from which he had been driven. The purpose behind this return was to cleanse the Ka'ba from idols, and to revert the Ka'ba, built by Prophet Abraham, and the surrounding areas, to as it was intended to be. The Prophet did not act in revenge; he did not act with resentment. Rather, he issued a general pardon. He showed his greatness by forgiving when he was strong. He was planning unification, a celebration, and he had no time to waste on trivial matters. As a matter of fact, the muezzin of the Prophet, Bilal al-Habashi, by calling noon prayer from the roof of the Ka'ba, announced the superiority of unity and of one God to the skies of Mecca.

The proud and haughty tribe of Hawazin, who could not stomach these new developments, laid plans to prevent the development of the Muslims; these plans were unsuccessful. They were defeated in their war against the Muslims. As a result, Islam resounded throughout the region, starting from the Hijaz region, and stretching throughout the Arabian Peninsula. Within one year after the Prophet had returned to Medina he hosted the representatives from hundreds of tribes.

In 632, during the time of the Hajj, the Prophet spoke before more than one hundred thousand Muslims. Known as the Farewell Sermon, this speech was a summary of Islamic thought and presented the most perfect principles in human rights.

The beloved Prophet, who was able to communicate the message entrusted to him thanks to his patience, determination, and bravery, closed his eyes to this world on June 8, 632, a Monday.

The period in which the Prophet lived is known as the Age of Happiness, and the Blessed Era. During this Blessed Era, a generation known as the Companions came into being, made up, for the most part, of Emigrants (muhajirun) and the Helpers (ansar). This generation was made up of people who were firm in their faith, knowledgeable, well-mannered, masterful, hardworking, patient, and skilled, and they became role models to guide future generations.