Islamic prophet Muhammad مُحَمَّد |
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"Muhammad the Apostle of God"
inscribed on the gates of the Prophet´s Mosque in Medina |
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Born |
Muḥammad ibn `Abdullāh (Arabic: مُحَمَّد بِن عَبد الله) c. 570 Mecca, Hejaz, Arabia
(present-day Saudi Arabia) |
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Died | 8 June 632 (aged c. 62) Medina, Hejaz, Arabia
(present-day Saudi Arabia) |
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Cause of death | Fever | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Resting place |
Coordinates: 24°28′03.22″N 039°36′41.18″E / 24.4675611°N 39.6114389°E |
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Other names |
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Years active |
583–609 CE as merchant
609–632 CE as religious leader |
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Notable work | Constitution of Medina | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Successor | Succession to Muhammad | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spouse(s) |
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Children | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Parent(s) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Relatives | Family tree of Muhammad, Ahl al-Bayt ("Family of the House") | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal (Ism) | Muhammad | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Patronymic (Nasab) | Muḥammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abdul-Muttalib ibn Hashim ibn 'Abd Manaf ibn Qusai ibn Kilab | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Teknonymic (Kunya) | Abu al-Qasim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Epithet (Laqab) | Khātim an-Nâbîyīn | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Signature | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Seal of Muhammad |
Muhammad (Arabic: محمد; pronounced [muħammad]; c. 570 CE – 8 June 632 CE) is the prophet of Islam and widely identified as its founder by non-Muslims. According to Islamic doctrine, he was God's Messenger (rasūl Allāh) sent to confirm the essential teachings of monotheism preached previously by Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets. He is viewed as the final prophet of God in all branches of Islam, except some modern denominations. Muhammad united Arabia into a single Muslim polity and ensured that his teachings, practices, and the Quran, formed the basis of Islamic religious belief.
Born approximately 570 CE (Year of the Elephant) in the Arabian city of Mecca, Muhammad was orphaned at an early age; he was raised under the care of his paternal uncle Abu Talib. Periodically, he would seclude himself in a mountain cave named Hira for several nights of prayer; later, at age 40, he reported being visited by Gabriel in the cave, where he stated he received his first revelation from God. Three years later, in 610, Muhammad started preaching these revelations publicly, proclaiming that "God is One", that complete "surrender" (lit. islām) to him is the right course of action (dīn), and that he was a prophet and messenger of God, similar to the other prophets in Islam.