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{{Short description|First 52 years of his life before migrating to Medina}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox historical era
| name      = Muhammad in Mecca
| location  = [[Hejaz]], [[Arabian Peninsula]]
| start     = ''c.'' 570
| end       = 622 AD
| image     =
| alt       = 
| caption   =
| before    = [[Year of the Elephant]]
| including = {{plainlist|
*''[[Mawlid]]''
*Marriage with [[Khadija bint Khuwaylid|Khadija]]
*[[Muhammad's first revelation|First revelation]]
*[[Year of Sorrow]]
*''[[Isra and Mi'raj]]''
*''[[Hijrah|Hijra]]''
}}
| after     = [[First Islamic state]]
| key_events = [[Spread of Islam|Emergence of Islam]]
}}
[[Muhammad]], the final [[Islam]]ic [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|prophet]], was born and lived in Mecca for the first 53 years of his life (''c.''&nbsp;570–622 CE) until the [[Hegira|Hijra]]. This period of his life is characterized by his proclamation of [[prophethood]]. Muhammad's father, [[Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib]], died before he was born. His mother would raise him until he was six years old, before her death around 577 CE at [[Abwa|Abwa']]. Subsequently raised by his grandfather, [[Abd al-Muttalib]], and then his uncle, [[Abu Talib ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib]], Muhammad's early career involved being a shepherd and merchant. Muhammad married [[Khadija bint Khuwaylid]] after a successful trading endeavour in [[Syria]]. After the death of Khadija and Abu Talib in the [[Year of Sorrow]], Muhammad married [[Sawda bint Zamʿa|Sawdah bint Zam'a]] and [[Aisha]].

Muslims believe Muhammad [[Muhammad's first revelation|began receiving revelation]] sometime in the year 610 CE. Initially, the ranks of the Muslims only included Muhammad and some of his close friends and relatives. However, as more members of the [[Quraysh]] and other [[Tribes of Arabia|Arab tribes]] respected his words and [[Timing of Sahabah becoming Muslims|accepted his message]], the vast majority of them, including tribal leaders and some of his relatives, such as [[Abū Lahab]], opposed, ridiculed and eventually boycotted his clan, the [[Banu Hashim]], and Muhammad and his followers were harassed, assaulted and forced into exile in Abyssinia. After experiencing the [[Isra and Mi'raj|''Isra'' and ''Mi'raj'']] in 620 and receiving delegations from Medina and pledges of protection from the two Arab tribes that lived in the city at al-'Aqabah, Muhammad instructed his companions to gradually migrate to the city, before [[Hegira|doing so himself]] in 622.

The [[Quran]], early biographies of Muhammad (''[[seerah]]''), and [[hadith]] literature are some of the primary sources used by both early and modern historians in portraying this period of Muhammad's life. While questions have been raised regarding the certainty of some of these sources, most academics have come to accept these along with some of their revisions as the definitive sources for Muhammad's early life in [[Mecca]].

==Background==
{{further|Pre-Islamic Arabia}}
The central and northern parts of the [[Arabian Peninsula]] were largely arid and volcanic, making agriculture difficult except near oases or springs. Thus the Arabian landscape was dotted with towns and cities near those oases, and in fertile Southern Arabia and in coastal areas such as [[Tihamah]]. Two prominent cities of the era were Mecca and Medina (then known as Yathrib).<ref name="Muhammad-Mecca-12">Watt (1953), pp.1–2</ref> Communal life was essential for survival in desert conditions, as people needed support against the harsh environment and lifestyle. The tribal grouping was thus encouraged by the need to act as a unit. This unity was based on the bond of kinship by blood.<ref>Watt (1953), pp. 16–18</ref> People of Arabia were either nomadic or sedentary, the nomadic element constantly traveling from one place to another seeking water and pasture for their flocks, while the sedentary inhabitants settled and focused on trade and agriculture. The survival of nomads (or [[bedouins]]) was also partially dependent on raiding caravans or oases; thus they saw this as no crime.<ref name="Rue">Loyal Rue, ''Religion Is Not about God: How Spiritual Traditions Nurture Our Biological'',2005, p.224</ref><ref name="Esposito4">John Esposito, ''Islam'', Expanded edition, Oxford University Press, p.4-5</ref> Medina was a large flourishing agricultural settlement, while Mecca was an important financial center for many of the surrounding tribes.<ref name="Muhammad-Mecca-12" />
{{Muhammad timeline in Mecca}}
[[File:Map of Arabia 600 AD.svg|thumb|254x254px|Approximate locations of prominent [[tribes of Arabia]] in 600 AD.|alt=|left]]
In [[pre-Islamic Arabia]] gods or goddesses were viewed as protectors of individual tribes and their spirits were associated with sacred trees, stones, springs and wells. There was an important shrine in Mecca (called the [[Kaaba]]) that housed statues of 360 idols of tribal patron-deities and was the site of an annual pilgrimage. Aside from these tribal gods, Arabs shared a common belief in a [[supreme deity]] Allah (akin to "God" in English, as opposed to "god") who was however remote from their everyday concerns and thus not the object of cult or ritual. Three goddesses were associated with Allah as his daughters: [[Al-lāt|al-Lat]], [[Manāt|Manat]] and [[al-Uzza]]. Some [[Monotheism in pre-Islamic Arabia | monotheistic communities also existed in Arabia]], including [[Christianity in pre-Islamic Arabia | Christians]] and [[Judaism in pre-Islamic Arabia | Jews]].<ref>See:
*Esposito, ''Islam'', Extended Edition, Oxford University Press, pp.5–7
*Qur'an 3:95</ref><ref>[[Hanif]]s – native pre-Islamic Arab monotheists – are also sometimes listed alongside Jews and Christians in pre-Islamic Arabia, although scholars dispute their historicity - cf. Uri Rubin, "Hanif", ''[[Encyclopedia of the Qur'an]]''{{qn|date=May 2025}}
</ref>

According to tradition, Muhammad himself was a descendant of [[Ishmael]], son of [[Abraham]].<ref>Louis Jacobs (1995), p.272</ref>

==Genealogy, birth and childhood==
{{main|Year of the Elephant}}
{{see also|Family tree of Muhammad}}
[[File:Site of the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, Mecca, Saudi Arabia.jpg|thumb|right|[[Makkah Al Mukarramah Library]] is believed to stand on the spot where Muhammad was [[mawlid|born]], so it is also known as ''[[Bayt al-Mawlid]]'']]

Muhammad was born in the month of [[Rabi' al-awwal|Rabi' al-Awwal]]. Islamic historians place the year of Muhammad's birth as ''c.'' 570, corresponding with the [[Year of the Elephant]]. However, recent scholarship has suggested earlier dates for this event, including 568 and 569.<ref name="Watt7">Watt (1974), p. 7.</ref> The precise date of Muhammad's birth varies between different [[Islamic schools and branches|Islamic sects]], with most [[Sunni Islam|Sunnis]] accepting the 12th of Rabi'-ul-Awwal as the date of his birth as posited by [[Ibn Ishaq]]. Other opinions claim dates like the 2nd, 8th, or the 10th of Rabi'-ul-Awwal<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.darulkautsar.com/pemurniansyariat/rabiulawal.htm|title=By Mufti Taqi Usmani}}</ref> while [[Shia Islam|Shi'a Muslims]] believe it to have been the dawn of 17th day of same month.<ref>[[Allameh Tabatabaei]], ''A glance at the life of the holy prophet of Islam'', p. 20</ref> Muhammad was born into the family of [[Banu Hashim]],<ref name="ka">{{cite book |last= Armstrong|first=Karen |author-link= Karen Armstrong| orig-date=2006|date=2013 |title=[[Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time]] |url= |location= |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |page= |isbn= 9780062316837}} p. 34</ref> one of the prominent clans forming the [[Quraysh]] tribe of [[Mecca]], although the family seems to have not been as prosperous during Muhammad's early lifetime.<ref name="EoI-Muhammad" /><ref name="ReferenceB">See also {{Quran-usc|43|31}} cited in EoI; Muhammad</ref> His parents were [[Abd Allah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib|'Abdullah ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib]] of the Banu Hashim and [[Aminah bint Wahb]], the sister of the then-chief of the [[Banu Zuhrah]].<ref>Lings (1983), p. 17</ref> Muhammad's paternal great-grandmother, [[Salma bint 'Amr]], was an influential Jewish lady from the [[Banu Khazraj|Khazraj]] tribe of [[Medina]], thus Muhammad had mixed Arab-Jewish ancestry.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Interfaith Institute of the Islamic Center of Long Island {{!}} The Prophet Muhammad and The Children of Israel By Dr. John Andrew Morrow|url=https://www.interfaithny.com/ICLIoct3.php|access-date=2020-07-09|website=interfaithny.com}}</ref> According to [[Ibn Ishaq]], an early biographer of Muhammad, '[[Abd al-Muttalib]], Muhammad's grandfather, came up with the child's name, which was quite unknown at the time in the [[Arabian peninsula|Arabian Peninsula]].

Muhammad's father, [[Abd-Allah ibn Abd-al-Muttalib|Abdullah]], died almost six month before he was born.<ref>Recep Senturk, ''Muhammad, the Prophet'', Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia</ref> Muhammad was sent to live with a [[Bedouin]] family in the desert soon after his birth, as the desert life was considered healthier for infants.<ref name="Amina-EoI" /> Because he was fatherless, [[wet nurse]]s refused to take him, fearing that it would not be profitable to take care of an orphan. However, he was accepted by [[Halimah bint Abi Dhuayb|Halimah bint Abi Dhuayb al-Sa'diyyah]], who had found no child to take care of.<ref name="R10">Ramadan (2007), p. 10-12</ref> Muhammad stayed with Halimah and her husband until he was two or three years old.<ref name="Amina-EoI">William Montgomery Watt, "Halimah bint Abi Dhuayb", [[Encyclopaedia of Islam]]</ref><ref name="P38">Peterson (2006), p. 38</ref> He lived with his mother in Mecca for the next three years until she took him to [[Yathrib|Medina]] (then known as Yathrib) to visit his maternal relatives, and died on the way back around [[Al-Abwa'|Abwa']]. Having lost both his parents, Muhammad's grandfather, [[Shaiba ibn Hashim|'Abd al-Muttalib]], took over custodianship of the child. Two years later, his grandfather died and Muhammad was raised under the care of his uncle [[Abu Talib ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib|Abu Talib]], the leader of the [[Hashim ibn Abd al-Manaf|Banu Hashim]].<ref name="Watt7" /><ref>Peterson (2006), pp. 38 and 39</ref> While living with his uncle, Muhammad began tending flocks of sheep on the outskirts of [[Mecca]] to earn his living. He also accompanied his uncle on several of his commercial journeys. These journeys exposed Muhammad to [[cultural diversity]] and varying [[religious tradition]]s.<ref>Peterson (2006), p. 40</ref> At the age of 9, he went with his uncle [[Abu Talib ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib|Abu Talib]] on a business journey to [[Syria]], where Muslims believe he met [[Bahira]] in the town of [[Bosra]], who foretold his prophecy.<ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia|last=Nasr |first=Seyyed Hossein | author-link=Seyyed Hossein Nasr | title=Muhammad | encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online | access-date=2008-03-20 |publisher= Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9105853/Muhammad}}</ref><ref name="Bahira">Abel, A. "Baḥīrā". ''[[Encyclopaedia of Islam]]''. Brill. Brill Online, 2007</ref>

==Adulthood prior to revelation==
Later in his life, influenced by the commercial journeys with his uncle, Muhammad worked as a merchant and was involved in trade between the [[Indian Ocean]] and the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]].<ref name="Watt8">William Montgomery Watt(1974), p.8</ref><ref>Ramadan (2007), p. 19</ref><ref name="BerkWorldHistory">''Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History'' (2005), v.3, p.1025</ref> During his career as a merchant, Muhammad became known as "the Trustworthy" ({{Langx|ar|الأمين}}) and was sought out as an impartial arbitrator of disputes.<ref name="EoI-Muhammad" /><ref name="EncWorldHistory">''Encyclopedia of World History'' (1998), p.452</ref><ref>Esposito(1998), p.6</ref>

After parts of the [[Kaaba]] were destroyed in [[flash flood]]s, with the reconstruction almost complete, disagreements arose among the leaders of the different clans of the [[Quraysh]] as to which one should put the [[Black Stone]] into place. These disagreements led to an escalation in tensions, and war seemed imminent before they agreed to take the advice of the next person entering the [[Haram (site)|Haram]]. Muslims believe Muhammad was this person, and that he spread out his cloak, put the stone in the middle and had the members of the four major clans raise it to its destined position, before ensuring its secure placement with his own hands.<ref>F.E.Peters(2003), p. 54</ref><ref>Jonathan M. Bloom, Sheila S. Blair (2002), p. 28-29</ref>

===Marriage to Khadija bint Khuwaylid and adoption of Zayd ibn Haritha===
[[File:Khadijah.svg|thumb|Seal depicting the name of [[Khadija bint Khuwaylid]] in [[Naskh (script)|Naskh calligraphy]], with the honorifics "[[Mother of the Believers]]" and "[[Companions of the Prophet|May Allah be pleased with her]]"]]
[[Khadijah bint Khuwaylid|Khadija bint Khuwaylid]], a female merchant and widow, asked Muhammad to manage her commercial operations in Syria after hearing of his trustworthiness. Impressed with the extraordinary success of Muhammad's leadership, Khadija sent a [[marriage proposal]] to Muhammad through her friend Nafisa.<ref name="BerkWorldHistory" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Chapter 4: The Prophet's first Marriage|url=https://www.al-islam.org/glance-life-holy-prophet-islam-dar-rah-haqq/chapter-4-prophet%E2%80%99s-first-marriage|access-date=2018-10-17|website=Al-Islam.org|language=en|archive-date=26 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926052100/https://www.al-islam.org/glance-life-holy-prophet-islam-dar-rah-haqq/chapter-4-prophet%E2%80%99s-first-marriage|url-status=dead}}</ref> Muhammad accepted the proposal and married Khadija. Khadija gave Muhammad the slave boy [[Zayd ibn Harithah]], whom Muhammad would adopt later.<ref>Peterson (2006), p. 45</ref> [[Ibn Ishaq]] records that Khadija bore Muhammad six children: a boy named [[Qasim ibn Muhammad|Al Qasim]] (who would die at the age of two), then four girls, [[Zainab bint Muhammad|Zaynab]], [[Ruqayyah bint Muhammad|Ruqayyah]], [[Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad|Umm Kulthum]], [[Fatima Zahra|Fatimah]], and another boy, [[Abdullah ibn Muhammad|Abdullah]] (who also died at two).<ref name="R22">Ramadan (2007), p. 22-4</ref>

Due to the death of Abdullah, Muhammad's desire to relieve his uncle Abu Talib of the burden of providing for a large family, and Abu Talib's financial situation, Muhammad took Abu Talib's son and his cousin, [[Ali]], into his own home. Muhammad also adopted Zayd, giving him the name Zayd ibn Muhammad. Muslims believe that this renaming was rendered invalid by the revelation of some verses in [[Surah]] 33 of the Qur'an, [[Al-Aḥzāb|Al Aḥzāb]], wherein it is stated that an adopted child could not be treated as a natural son by marriage or inheritance. Consequently, the adopted child had to retain the name of his or her biological father. Therefore, Zayd's name was reverted to Zayd ibn Haritha.<ref name="R22" />{{Cite quran|33|40}}

==Early revelations and opposition==
{{Quran|expanded=translations}}
{{main|Muhammad's first revelation}}
{{see also|Wahy}}
At some point, Muhammad adopted the practice of meditating alone for several weeks every year in a cave on [[Cave of Hira|Mount Hira]] near Mecca.<ref>Emory C. Bogle(1998), p.6</ref><ref>John Henry Haaren, Addison B. Poland(1904), p.83</ref> Islamic belief holds that in one of his visits to Mount Hira in the year 610, 13 years before the [[Hegira|Hijra]], the angel [[Gabriel]] began communicating with and commanded Muhammad to recite the following verses of the 96th [[Surah]] of the [[Quran]], [[Al-Alaq|Al 'Alaq]]:<ref>Brown (2003), pp. 72–73</ref>
<blockquote>Proclaim! (or read!) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created- Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood: Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful,- He Who taught (the use of) the pen,- Taught man that which he knew not. (Qur'an {{cite quran|96|1–5|style=nosup|expand=no}})</blockquote>

Most [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] traditions believe that upon receiving his first revelations Muhammad was deeply distressed, but the spirit moved closer and told him that he had been chosen as a messenger of God, and that Muhammad returned home and was consoled and reassured by Khadija and her [[Christianity|Christian]] cousin, [[Waraqah ibn Nawfal]]. [[Shia Islam|Shiite Muslims]] maintain that Muhammad was neither surprised nor frightened at the appearance of Gabriel but rather welcomed him as if he had been expecting him.<ref>*Emory C. Bogle (1998), p.7
*Razwy (1996), ch. 9
*Rodinson (2002), p. 71.</ref> The initial revelation was followed by a pause of three years during which Muhammad gave himself up further to prayers and [[spiritual practice]]s. When the revelations resumed he was reassured and commanded to begin preaching:<ref>Brown (2003), pp. 73–74</ref><ref>Uri Rubin, ''Muhammad'', [[Encyclopedia of the Quran]]</ref> <blockquote>Your lord has not forsaken you nor does he hate [you] (Qur'an {{cite quran|93|3|style=nosup|expand=no}})</blockquote>According to [[Alford T. Welch|Welch]], these revelations were accompanied by mysterious [[Epileptic seizure|seizures]], and the reports are unlikely to have been forged by later Muslims.<ref name="EoI-Muhammad" /> [[W. Montgomery Watt]] further adds that Muhammad was confident that he could distinguish his own thoughts from these messages.<ref>Watt, ''The Cambridge History of Islam'' (1977), p. 31.</ref>

===Mission and early efforts===
Muhammad's early efforts in preaching the new faith focused on the preaching of a single ideal: [[monotheism]]. [[Surah]]s of the Quran believed to have been revealed during this period, known as the [[Meccan surah]]s ({{Langx|ar|السور المكّيّة}}), command Muhammad to proclaim and praise the name of [[Allah]], instruct him not to worship idols or associate other deities with Allah and to worship Him alone,<ref name="EoQ-Muhammad" /> warn the [[Paganism|pagans]] of their eschatological punishment,{{Cite Quran|38|70}}{{Cite quran|6|19}} sometimes referring to the [[Day of Judgement]] indirectly, while providing examples from the history of some extinct communities.{{Cite quran|43|13|end=16}}<ref name="EoQ-Muhammad">Uri Rubin, ''Muhammad'', [[Encyclopedia of the Qur'an]]</ref> Early converts to Islam included Muhammad's wife, [[Khadija bint Khuwaylid|Khadija]], his cousin [[Ali]], his adopted son [[Zayd ibn Harithah|Zayd]], his nursemaid [[Umm Ayman]], and his friend [[Abu Bakr]].

Very few of the [[Quraysh]] gave weight to Muhammad's message; most ignored it and a few mocked him.<ref name="P36">''The Cambridge History of Islam'' (1977), p.36</ref> According to [[Alford T. Welch|Welch]], early Qur'anic verses were not "based on a [[dogma]]tic conception of [[monotheism]] but on a strong general moral and religious appeal," further adding that the key themes of these [[Meccan surah]]s include the [[moral responsibility]] of man towards his creator: the resurrection of the dead, the Day of Judgement supplemented with vivid descriptions of the tortures in hell and pleasures in paradise, the wonders of nature and everyday life, the signs of God, and the proof of the existence of a greater power who will take into account the greed of people and their suppression of the poor.<ref name="ReferenceC">Welch, Muhammad, Encyclopedia of Islam</ref> The foundations of early religious duties were also laid and included [[Tawhid|belief in God]], asking for forgiveness of sins, offering [[Salah|frequent prayers]], assisting others with emphasis on those in need, ejecting cheating and the love of wealth, chastity, and the prevention of [[femicide]] which was prevalent in early [[Arabian Peninsula|Arabia]].<ref name="ReferenceC" />

There were three main groups of early converts to [[Islam]]: younger brothers and sons of great merchants, people who had fallen out of the first rank in their tribe or failed to attain it, and the weak, mostly unprotected, foreigners.<ref name="P36" /> Abu Bakr, who used to purchase slaves to set them free in accordance with Muhammad's principle of equality, attracted a large number of converts. Nevertheless, the number of these early converts remained small, and Muhammad concentrated on quietly building a small, but spiritually strong, community.<ref name="R37">Ramadan (2007), p. 37-9</ref> Around 613, the Quran commanded Muhammad to "admonish your nearest kinsmen,"{{cite quran|26|214}} initiating the phase of public preaching. One day, Muhammad climbed the [[Safa and Marwa|As Safa]] mountain, and called out the tribal chiefs. After receiving assurances that the chiefs, who reportedly never heard Muhammad tell lies, would believe him, he declared the [[Tawhid|Oneness of God]]. Later Muhammad [[Hadith of warning|organized dinners]] in which he conveyed and advocated the substance of his message. At these events, Muhammad met fierce opposition from one of his uncles, [[Abu Lahab]].<ref name="R37" /><ref name="P26">Peterson (2006), p. 26-7</ref>

===Opposition and persecution of early Muslims===
{{main|Persecution of Muslims by the Meccans|Migration to Abyssinia|Second migration to Abyssinia}}
Conservative opposition arose to Muhammad's speeches. According to [[Ibn Sa'd]], the opposition in Mecca began with Muhammad delivering verses that "spoke shamefully of the idols [the Meccans] worshiped other than [<nowiki/>[[Allah]]] and mentioned the perdition of their fathers who died in disbelief."<ref>Francis Edwards Peters,Muhammad and the Origins of Islam, SUNY Press, p.169</ref> According to Watt, as Muhammad's followers gained traction in [[Mecca]], they posed a new, internal threat to the local tribes and the rulers of the city, whose wealth rested upon the annual pilgrimage to the Kaaba, the focal point of Meccan religious life, which Muhammad threatened to overthrow; his denunciation of the Meccan traditional religion was especially offensive to his own tribe, the Quraysh, as they were the guardians of the Ka'aba.<ref name="P36" /> Some of the ranking and influential leaders of the Quraysh tried and failed to come to arrangements with Muhammad in exchange for abandoning his preaching. They offered him admission into the inner circle of merchants and establishing his position in the circle by an advantageous marriage, but Muhammad refused.<ref name="P36" /> During this period, Muhammad urged his followers to be [[Pacifism|pacifist]]; according to [[Daniel C. Peterson|Peterson]], to "deal gently with the infidels".<ref name="P70">Peterson (2006), p. 70-1</ref>

Relations between Muhammad's Islamic faction and the other members of the [[Quraysh]] rapidly deteriorated. Muhammad's open denunciation of the Meccan idols provoked hostile reactions, and he was mainly protected from physical harm for he belonged to the [[Banu Hashim]]; injuring Muhammad threatened to open up a blood feud between the Banu Hashim and the rest of the Quraysh, undermining the legitimacy and morality of the tribal leaders, thus, the Quraysh were reluctant to hurt or kill Muhammad.<ref name="P70" /> Regardless, several attempts were made at Muhammad's life.<ref name="Sirat Ibn Hisham, vol. 1, p. 298">Sirat Ibn Hisham, vol. 1, p. 298</ref><ref name="ReferenceA">[[Sahih Bukhari]]: Volume 6, Book 60, Number 339</ref> Traditional Islamic accounts maintain that the Quraysh first taunted Muslims by interrupting their prayers. Western scholars have accepted records of persecution and ill-treatment of Muhammad's followers. Many of Muhammad's followers were harassed, assaulted and forced into exile—and two, [[Yasir ibn Amir|Yasir bin 'Amir]] and [[Sumayyah bint Khabbat|Sumayya bint Khabbat]], were tortured and killed.<ref>*Watt (1964) p. 76;
*Peters (1999) p. 172
*Michael Cook, ''Muhammad''. In ''Founders of Faith,'' Oxford University Press, 1986, page 309.</ref>
[[File:Hijra Abyssinia (Rashid ad-Din).jpg|thumb|339x339px|Depiction of the [[Negus]] of Axum, [[Najashi|Ashamah al-Negashi]] (also spelled Najashi), rejecting the Meccans' demands of surrendering the Muslims in [[Rashid ad-Din Sinan]]'s World History.]]
In 615, at a time of heightened violence against the Muslims, Muhammad arranged for his followers to emigrate to the [[Kingdom of Aksum]] and found a small colony there under the protection of the Christian king, [[Najashi|al-Negashi]].<ref name="EoI-Muhammad" /> While the traditions view the persecutions of Meccans to have played the major role in the emigration, [[William Montgomery Watt]], a professor of Islamic studies, states "there is reason to believe that some sort of division within the embryonic Muslim community played a role and that some of the emigrants may have gone to Abyssinia to engage in trade, possibly in competition with prominent merchant families in Mecca."<ref name="EoI-Muhammad" /> The Meccans sent [[Amr ibn al-As]] and Abdullah ibn Rabi'ah to negotiate the surrender of the Muslims to the Quraysh, however, the [[Negus]] refused their request.<ref>{{Cite book|last=van Donzel|first=Emeri|title=[[Encyclopaedia of Islam]]|year=2007}}</ref>

===Umar's acceptance of Islam and banishment of the Hashemites===
[[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] Muslims believe Muhammad prayed for the strengthening of the cause of Islam through the conversion of either [[Umar ibn al-Khattab]] or [[Amr ibn Hishām]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=at-Tirmidhī|first=Abū ʿĪsā Muḥammad|title=Jami' al-Tirmidhi|pages=Hadith 3681|no-pp=y}}</ref> Umar initially reacted to Muhammad's preaching by ardently opposing it. Angered by Muhammad's preaching which had led to divisions within Meccan society, he eventually decided to kill Muhammad, whom he held responsible for the divisions.<ref name="P72">Peterson (2006), p. 72-3</ref> While en route to assassinate Muhammad, Umar was informed of his sister's conversion to Islam. Approaching his sister's house, he heard her reciting the [[Qur'an|Quran]]. Eventually considering the words beautiful and noble, Umar converted to Islam, making his conversion public instantly. Tempered by Umar's conversion, Muslims could now pray openly at the [[Ka'ba|Kaaba]], as the pagans were reluctant to confront Umar, known for his forceful character.<ref name="P72" />

Two important clans of Quraysh declared a public banishment against the clan of Banu Hashim in order to put pressure on the clan to withdraw their protection of Muhammad.<ref>Francis E. Peters, ''The Monotheists: Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Conflict and Competition'', p.96</ref><ref name="Momen" /> The terms imposed on Banu Hashim, as reported by [[Ibn Ishaq]], were that "no one should marry their women nor give women for them to marry; and that no one should either buy from them or sell to them."<ref>Francis E. Peters, ''Mecca: A Literary History of the Muslim Holy Land'', Princeton University Press, 1994, {{ISBN|0-691-03267-X}}, p.54</ref> The banishment lasted for two or three years but eventually collapsed mainly because it was not achieving its purpose and sympathizers of the Hashemites within the Quraysh finally united to annul the agreement.<ref name="Momen">Moojan Momen, ''An Introduction to Shi'i Islam: The History and Doctrines of Twelver Shiʻism'', Yale University Press, p.4</ref><ref>Daniel W. Brown,''A New Introduction to Islam'', Blackwell Publishing, p.76, 2004, {{ISBN|0-631-21604-9}}</ref>

==Events leading up to the Hijra==
[[File:Taifroad.jpg|thumb|right|313x313px|Modern road from Mecca to Ta'if]]

===Deaths of Khadija and Abu Talib and Muhammad's visit to Ta'if===
{{main|Year of Sorrow}}
{{see also|Muhammad's visit to Ta'if}}
9 years into Muhammad's claim to prophethood, two of the most committed defenders of Muhammad's message, his wife [[Khadija bint Khuwaylid|Khadija]] and his uncle [[Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib|Abu Talib]], died. With the death of Abu Talib, the leadership of the clan of Banu Hashim was passed to another uncle of Muhammad, [[Abū Lahab|Abu Lahab]], an inveterate enemy of Muhammad and Islam. Abu Lahab soon withdrew the clan's protection from Muhammad, placing Muhammad in mortal danger since the withdrawal of clan protection implied that the blood revenge for his killing would not be exacted. Muhammad then tried to find a protector for himself in another important Arabian city close to Mecca, [[Ta'if]], but his effort failed as he was pelted with stones in the city.<ref name="EoI-Muhammad" /><ref name="Momen" />

===Marriages to Sawda bint Zam'a and Aisha===
{{Main|Sawda bint Zamʿa|Aisha}}
Sometime in 620, the year following the Year of Sorrow, Muhammad sent a proposal of marriage to Sawda bint Zam'a, an early convert to Islam. The proposal was accepted by both her and her father, Zam'a ibn Qays. Muhammad and Sawda were married in Ramadan of that year. Muhammad also married Aisha, a daughter of his friend and companion [[Abu Bakr]], when she was somewhere between 6 and 9 years old, which has caused controversy in modern scholarly discussion. Both Sawda and Aisha would outlive Muhammad, dying around sometime between 642–672 and in 678, respectively. Aisha would narrate more than 2,200 hadiths in the 44 years she lived after Muhammad, covering several diverse topics, including [[inheritance]], [[pilgrimage]], [[Islamic eschatology|eschatology]] and Muhammad's private life.

===''Isra'', ''Mi'raj,'' and pledges at al-'Aqabah===
{{Main|Isra and Mi'raj}}
[[File:Temple Mount (Aerial view, 2007) 05.jpg|thumb|right|320x320px|The [[Temple Mount|Masjid Al Aqsa]], the site from which Muhammad is believed by Muslims to have ascended to heaven in the ''Mi'raj.'']]
Some time in 620, Muhammad told his followers that he had experienced the ''[[Isra and Miraj|Isra and Mi'raj]]'', a supernatural journey to [[Jerusalem]] (''Isra'') and ascension to the [[Seven Heavens]] (''Mi'raj''), said to have been accomplished in one night along with the angel [[Gabriel]]. Muhammad is said to have toured [[heaven]] and [[hell]], and spoken with earlier prophets, including [[Adam and Eve|Adam]], [[Abraham in Islam|Ibrahim]], [[Moses|Musa]], and [[Jesus|Isa]]. [[Ibn Ishaq]], author of first [[Sirah Rasul Allah|biography]] of Muhammad, presents this event as a spiritual experience while later historians like [[Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari|al-Tabari]] and [[Ibn Kathir]] present it as a physical journey.<ref name="EoIMW">''Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World'' (2003), p. 482</ref> Some western scholars of Islam hold that the oldest Muslim tradition identified as a journey traveled through the heavens from the [[sacred enclosure]] at Mecca to the ''Bayt al-Ma'mur'' (a celestial recreation of the Kaaba); others identify it as Muhammad's journey from Mecca to the ''Bayt al-Maqdis'' in [[Jerusalem]].<ref>Sells, Michael. ''Ascension'', [[Encyclopaedia of the Quran]].</ref>

Since the Quraysh gave little weight to Muhammad's message, Muhammad took to spreading his message to the merchants and pilgrims that frequented Mecca. After several unsuccessful negotiations, he found hope with some men from Medina.<ref name="EoI-Muhammad">''Muhammad'', Encyclopedia of Islam.</ref> The Arab population of Yathrib were somewhat familiar with monotheism because a [[Jews|Jewish]] community existed in that city. Muhammad met with a few members of the two tribes of Medina, the [[Banu Aws|Aws]] and [[Khazraj]], twice, at a hill known as al-'Aqabah near [[Mina, Saudi Arabia|Mina]], where they pledged their allegiance to Muhammad and agreed to protect Muhammad if he were to migrate to Medina. Following the pledges at al-'Aqabah, Muhammad encouraged his followers to emigrate to Medina. The Quraysh attempted to stop the Muslims from emigrating to the city, however, almost all Muslims managed to leave.<ref name="P87">Peterson (2006), pg. 86-9</ref>

==Hijra==
{{see also|Hegira}}

Muslims believe Muhammad waited until he was commanded by Allah to migrate to Medina. Upon receiving this divine direction, Muhammad planned to leave Mecca the same night. The Quraysh had besieged his house hearing of the large numbers of Muslims who had emigrated prior to him. Muhammad slipped from his home the night of the planned assassination. Due to his possession of several articles that belonged to members of the Quraysh, Muhammad asked Ali to stay behind to settle his outstanding financial obligations. Ali had worn Muhammad's cloak, leading the assassins to think Muhammad had not yet departed. By the time the assassins realised this, Muhammad had already left the city with Abu Bakr. Ali survived the plot, but risked his life again by staying in Mecca to carry out Muhammed's instructions: to restore to their owners all the goods and properties that had been entrusted to Muhammad for safekeeping. Ali then went to Medina with his mother, [[Fatima bint Asad]], and Muhammed's daughters, [[Fatimah bint Muhammad|Fatimah]] and [[Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad|Umm Kulthum]] as well as two other women, Muhammad's wife, [[Sawda bint Zamʿa|Sawda]], and wetnurse, [[Umm Ayman]].<ref>Tabatabaei (1979), p.191</ref><ref name="Iranica">{{cite encyclopedia|title=Ali ibn Abitalib|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Iranica|access-date=2007-10-25|url=http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v1f8/v1f8a043.html|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070812205939/http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v1f8/v1f8a043.html|archive-date=12 August 2007}}</ref> Muhammad and Abu Bakr took refuge in a cave atop the [[Jabal Thawr|Thawr mountain]] outside Mecca before continuing their journey. To further delude the Quraysh, Muhammad travelled south for the first few days of his journey, in the opposite direction to Medina. Later, Muhammad and Abu Bakr turned to the Red Sea, following the coastline up to Medina, arriving at [[Quba Mosque|Quba']] on Monday, 27 September 622.<ref name="P87" />

==Conquest of Mecca and return==
{{see|Conquest of Mecca}}
Muhammad returned to Mecca not long before his death, following the victory of his forces in the [[Muslim–Quraysh War]] ({{langx|ar|فتح مكة}} {{Transliteration|ar|Fatḥ Makkah}}). The date Muhammad set out for Mecca is variously given as 2, 6 or 10 Ramadan 8 AH<ref name="date"/> (December 629 or January 630).<ref name="date">F.R. Shaikh, ''Chronology of Prophetic Events'', Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd., London, 2001 pp 3, 72, 134-6. Shaikh places the departure on Wednesday, 29 November. This is apparently calculated using the [[tabular Islamic calendar]] and then substituting Ramadan for Sha'ban in an (ineffective) attempt to allow for intercalation.</ref><ref>{{citation |last1=Gabriel |first1=Richard A. |title=Muhammad: Islam's First Great General |date=22 October 2014 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0HQCBQAAQBAJ&q=11+January&pg=PR4 |pages=167, 176 |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |isbn=9780806182506}}</ref> (10–20 [[Ramadan]], 8 [[Islamic calendar|AH]]).<ref name="date" /> The date of his entry into Mecca is variously given as 8–12 days later (10, 17/18, 19 or 20 Ramadan 8 AH).<ref name="date"/> While in Mecca, Muhammad prayed in the direction of the Kaaba and addressed the Quraysh, destroyed pagan idols, while his  army destroyed pre-Islamic influences and punished Quraysh stragglers.

==Historiography and sources==
{{see also|Historiography of early Islam}}
The [[Quran]] is the only [[primary source]] for the life of Muhammad in Mecca.<ref>Welch, ''Muhammad'', Encyclopedia of Islam</ref> The text of the Quran is generally considered by university scholars to record the words spoken by Muhammad as the search for variants in Western academia has not yielded any differences of great significance.<ref>F. E. Peters, ''The Quest for Historical Muhammad'', [[International Journal of Middle East Studies]] (1991) pp. 291–315.</ref> The Quran, however, mainly records the ideological and spiritual considerations of Muhammad, and only fragmentarily references to the details of his life in the city, which makes it difficult to reconstruct the chronological order of the incidents in his or his followers' lives in Mecca.<ref name="Watt-Mecca-xv">William Montgomery Watt, Muhammad in Mecca, p.xv</ref> Modern biographers of Muhammad try to reconstruct the socioeconomic and sociopolitical aspects of Mecca and read the ideological aspects of the Quran in that context.<ref name="Watt-Mecca-xv" />
[[File:Fathul Bari bisyarhi Shahih al-Bukhari Imam Khairul Annas.JPG|thumb|384x384px|''[[Fath al-Bari]]'', a commentary on the ''[[Sahih al-Bukhari]]'' by [[Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani]]]]
Other later historical works, particularly those of the 3rd and 4th century of the Islamic calendar, are also of considerable importance in mapping Muhammad's life in the city.<ref name="Watt-Mecca-xi">William Montgomery Watt, ''Muhammad in Mecca'', Oxford University Press, p.xi</ref> These include the early biographies of Muhammad (''[[Prophetic biography|seerah]]''), particularly those written by [[Ibn Ishaq]] ({{Circa|704}}–767 CE) and [[Ibn Sa'd]] ({{Circa|784}}–845 CE), and quotes attributed to Muhammad in [[hadith]] literature, compiled by Islamic scholars such as [[Al-Bukhari|Al Bukhari]] ({{Circa|810}}–870 CE) and [[Muslim ibn Hajjaj]] ({{Circa|815}}–875 CE) which provide further information on his life.<ref name="Reeves">Reeves (2003), pp. 6–7</ref> The earliest surviving ''seerah'' is the "''Sīrah Rasūl Allah''" by Ibn Ishaq.<ref>Robinson (2003), p. xv</ref> Although the original is lost, portions of it survive in the recensions of [[Ibn Hisham]] and [[Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari|al-Tabari]].<ref>Donner (1998), p. 132</ref> Many historians accept the accuracy of these biographies, though their accuracy is unascertainable.<ref name="Nigosian6">''Islam'', S. A. Nigosian, p. 6, [[Indiana University|Indiana University Press]]</ref> According to [[William Montgomery Watt]], in the legal sphere, it would seem that sheer invention could have very well happened. In the historical sphere, however, aside from exceptional cases, the material may have been subject to "tendential shaping" rather than being completely fabricated.<ref name="Watt-Mecca-xv" />

Hadiths are the record of the traditions or sayings of Muhammad, defined as the biography of Muhammad perpetuated by the long memory of his companions and community for their exemplification and obedience.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Cragg|first=Albert Kenneth|author-link=Albert Kenneth Cragg|title=Hadith|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online|access-date=2008-03-30|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9105855/Hadith}}</ref> The development of hadiths is a vital contributive element to the biography of Muhammad in early Islamic history. There had been a common tendency among earlier western scholars against these narrations and reports gathered in later periods, who regarded them as fabrications. [[Leone Caetani]] considered the attribution of historical reports to [[Ibn Abbas|Abdullah ibn 'Abbas]] and [[Aysha|'Aisha]] as mostly fictitious while examining accounts reported without ''[[isnad|sanad]]'' by the early compilers of ''seerah'' such as [[Ibn Ishaq]]. [[Wilferd Madelung]] has rejected the stance of indiscriminately dismissing everything. Madelung and some later historians do not reject the narrations which have been compiled in later periods and try to judge them in the context of history and on the basis of their compatibility with the events and figures.<ref>Madelung (1997), pp.xi, 19 and 20</ref>

[[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] Muslims consider the [[Sahih al-Bukhari]] and [[Sahih Muslim]], the collection of hadiths made by Al Bukhari and Muslim ibn Hajjaj, to be the most authoritative hadith collections. Al Bukhari is said to have spent over 16 years gathering over 1,600,000 hadiths and finding the best 7,397 of them. Most of these traditions deal with the life of Muhammad.<ref>Jonathan Bloom, Sheila Blair, ''Islam: A Thousand Years of Faith and Power'', Yale University Press, p.55</ref> For [[Shiites]], the words and deeds of their [[Imamate in Shia doctrine|Imams]], the progeny of Muhammad, are given that authority. Originally transmitted from generation to generation orally before being compiled, some of these sayings, according to their chain of transmission, are sayings of Muhammad.<ref>Moojan Momen, An Introduction to Shi`i Islam: The History and Doctrines of Twelver, Yale University Press, 1985, {{ISBN|0-300-03531-4}}, p.174</ref>

==See also==
* [[History of Islam]]
* [[Religion in pre-Islamic Arabia]]
* [[Timeline of the history of Islam]]

==References==

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
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*{{cite book | author = Lings, Martin  | title = Muhammad: his life based on the earliest sources| publisher = Inner traditions international |year=1983 | author-link = Martin Lings}}
* {{cite book | last = Razwi | first =  Ali Asgher | title =A Restatement of the History of Islam and Muslims | publisher = World Federation of K S I Muslim Communities Islamic Centre | year = 1997 | isbn = 0-9509879-1-3}}
* {{cite book | last = Robinson | first = Chase F. | title =Islamic Historiography  | publisher = Cambridge University Press | year = 2003 | isbn = 0-521-62936-5}}
*{{cite book | author = Nomani, Shibli  | title = Sirat al-Nabi| publisher = Pakistan Historical Society |year=1970 | location = Karachi | author-link = Shibli Nomani }}
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* {{cite book | last = Tabatabae | first = Sayyid Mohammad Hosayn |translator=[[Seyyed Hossein Nasr]] | author-link = Allameh Tabatabaei | title = Shi'ite Islam | publisher = SUNY press| year = 1979 | isbn = 0-87395-272-3}}
*{{cite book | author = Ramadan, Tariq  | title = In the Footsteps of the Prophet|url=https://archive.org/details/infootstepsofpro00rama | url-access = registration | publisher = [[Oxford University Press]] |year=2007 | location = New York | isbn = 978-0-19-530880-8| author-link = Tariq Ramadan }}
*[[Maxime Rodinson|Rodinson, Maxime]], ''Muhammad: Prophet of Islam'', Tauris Parke Paperbacks, 2002. {{ISBN|1-86064-827-4}}
*{{cite book | last=Reeves | first=Minou | title=Muhammad in Europe: A Thousand Years of Western Myth-Making | year=2003 | publisher=NYU Press | isbn=978-0-8147-7564-6}}
*{{cite book | author = Watt, Montgomery | title = Muhammad in Mecca| publisher = Clarendon Press |year=1953 | author-link = Montgomery Watt}}
*{{cite book | author = Watt, Montgomery | title = Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman| publisher = [[Oxford University Press]] |year=1961 | author-link = Montgomery Watt}}
*{{cite book | author = Ibn Ishaq / A. Guillaume | title = The Life of Muhammad| publisher = [[Oxford University Press]] | year=1967 | orig-year= 1955 | isbn = 0-19-636033-1}}

====Encyclopediae====
*{{cite encyclopedia | publisher = Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.|title=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Online]]}}
*{{cite encyclopedia |editor1=P.J. Bearman |editor2=Th. Bianquis |editor3=C.E. Bosworth |editor4=E. van Donzel |editor5=W.P. Heinrichs | publisher=Brill Academic Publishers | issn=1573-3912|title=[[Encyclopaedia of Islam]]}}
*{{cite encyclopedia | editor=Jane Dammen McAuliffe | publisher=Brill Academic Publishers | year=2005 | isbn=978-90-04-12356-4|title=[[Encyclopedia of the Qur'an]]}}
*{{cite encyclopedia | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=1998 | isbn=0-19-860223-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780198602231 |title=Encyclopedia of World History}}
*{{cite encyclopedia | publisher = Center for Iranian Studies, Columbia University| isbn = 1-56859-050-4|title=[[Encyclopædia Iranica]]| date = 1983}}
*{{cite encyclopedia | editor=Meri, Josef W. | publisher=Taylor & Francis | isbn=0-415-96691-4|title=Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia| date=2006 }}
{{Islam topics|state=}}

[[Category:Life of Muhammad|Mecca]]
[[Category:History of Mecca]]