Main Events in The Life of Holy Prophet (SAW):

570; Muhammad’s Birth:

Mohammad (saw) was born in 571 AD in Makkah in the family of Banu Hashim of the
tribe of Quresh. This year was also known as the year of elephants because in this year
the king of Yemen, Abraha, attacked Makkah with the intention to destroy the holy Kaaba
along with an army of elephants. He failed because Allah sent small birds with stones in
their feet and beaks which destroyed the army. It was a very historic event in the history
of Arabs. Quran reminds this event in “Surah Al Feel” (elephants).

His father’s name was Abdullah and his mother were Amina. His grandfather was Abdul
Muttalib who was a highly respected person of Makkah. He had ten sons. Abdullah was
the youngest son and a very handsome man. He married to Amina who was from Yathrib,
later known as Medina. Like other Makkans, Abdullah was also a merchant. Two months
before the birth of the Prophet (SAW), he went to a trade journey to Syria. When he was
coming back from there and he was close to Yathrib, he got ill and died. He was buried
there.

570; Muhammad’s Infancy:

According to the tradition of Makkah, Mohammad (saw) was given to a lady Halima in
order to learn language skills and living in a natural atmosphere of villages in order to
get strong body and good health. He lived with her for four years. He was taken for two
years only but as soon as Halima took him, a continuous flow of good started coming to
the family. Halima was so happy with the child that she extended two more years and
kept him until he was four. These were the days when two angels came to him, opened
his chest and washed his chest with some blessed water.

575; Muhammad Becomes an Orphan:

When Muhammad was five or six years of age, his mother took him to Yathrib, an oasis
town a few hundred miles North of Mecca, to stay with relatives and visit the father’s
grave there. On the return journey, Amina took ill and died. Halima, his nurse, returned
to Makkah with the orphaned boy and placed him in the protection of his paternal father,
Abdul Al Mutalib. In this man’s care, Muhammad learned the rudiments of statecraft.
578; Muhammad in Makkah in Care Of his Uncle:
Now, his uncle, Abu Talib took his responsibility. Abu Talib had a large family with
twelve children, but he loved his nephew very much. Mohammad (SAW) used to
sleep in his bed. In the age of twelve, he went to a trade journey with Abu Talib. It
was the journey when a monk saw Mohammad (SAW) and felt some strange
events and asked Abu Talib not to take the child on journeys as his life could be in
danger.

580-584; Muhammad’s Teens:

When he was a young boy, Muhammad worked as a shepherd, to help pay his keep (his
uncle was of modest means). In his teens, he sometimes travelled with Abu Talib, who
was a merchant, accompanying caravans to trade canters. On at least one occasion, he
is said to have travelled as far North as Syria, other merchants recognized his character
and nicknamed as Al-Amin, the one who can be trusted.

590; Muhammad acts as caravan agent for wealthy trade woman,

Khadija:
In the early twenties, Muhammad entered the service of a wealthy Meccan merchant, a
widow named Khadija. The two were distant cousins. Muhammad carried her goods to
the North and returned with profits.

Participation in Battles:
He also took part in battles between tribes. One battle which took place between the
Quresh and Banu Qais is known as Battle of Fujjar. He took part in the battle, but he
did not kill anyone. His duty was to pick up arrows for his people. He started taking
more interest in business and soon he was known as an honest businessman but due
to lack of investment, he could not develop himself as a rich merchant though he was a
very skilled merchant. Until the age of twenty-five, he spent a life of extreme poverty.
Only for a few coins, he used to graze the animals of the people of Makkah. Surah Al
Duha says:

“And we found you poor and made you rich”.

595-609; Muhammad’s Marriage and Family Life:

In the age of twenty-five, he married to Khadija (RA). Khadija was a rich widow of
forty years. She was known in Makkah for her wealth, beauty and good character.
Her title was “Tahira”. She sent Mohammad (SAW) to a trade journey and sent
her slave Maisara along with him. Mohammad (SAW) came back with a good profit
and the slave also gave a positive report about his character. She sent her
proposal of marriage to Mohammad (SAW). After taking consent from his family,
he married Khadija (RA). The marriage was a success. The Prophet (saw) had six
children. Four daughters survived but both the sons died in infancy.

Investing the finance from Khadija (RA), Mohammad (SAW) became a rich and a
very respectable person of Makkah. He was known for his good nature and honest
personality and Makkans called him “Sadiq and Ameen”, truthful and trustworthy.

Half-ul-Fuzul:
He also took part in a peace agreement known as “Half –ul-Fuzul” which took
place in Makkah between the tribes in which they decided to have peace among
themselves and to help the poor and needy. The Prophet (SAW) says that he
was so happy when the agreement took place that if he gets other chances to
take part in such agreements, he would take part. This shows his peace-loving
nature.

Restoration of Kaaba:
When he was about thirty-five years old, he took part in another event. Due to a
flood, the building of the holy Kaaba fell. The building was constructed but the
placement of the black stone became a point of conflict. Every family of Quresh
wanted to take the honour. Mohammad (SAW) solved this problem. He placed
the stone on a sheet of cloth and every tribe took the stone to the right place and
finally, Mohammad (SAW) placed it in the right place. This event shows that by
nature Mohammad (SAW) loved peace.
610; Muhammad Receives first Revelation:
Makkah’s new materialism and its traditional idolatry disturbed Muhammad. He became
making long retreats to a mountain cave outside down. There he fasted and meditated.
On one occasion after several indistinct, visionary experiences, Muhammad was visited
by an overpowering presence and instructed to recite verses of such beauty and force
that he and others gradually attributed them to God. This experience shook Muhammad
to the core. It was several years before he dared to talk about it outside his family.
When he was forty years old, he developed the tendency to seclude himself and
stay in a cave called “Hira” for some days. Soon he received his first revelation
there.

Muhammad’s Timeline in Makkah before Revelation:

Main Events and Dates in life of Holy Prophet (SAW) uptill

Revelation

(from birth to prophethood)

Timeline

569 Death of Abdullah, his father

Possible Death of Birth, 12 or 17 Rabi

570
al Awal, Makkah, Arabia

577 Death of his mother Amina

583 His grandfather transfers him to Syria

595 Meets and marries Khadija

597 Birth of his first daughter, Zainab

Quranic revelation begins in the cave

610 of Hira on the Jabal al Noor (the
mountain of light) near Makkah

Revelation of first message from Allah

610
and called “Prophet of Allah”
Main Events in Prophet (SAW) life after revelation onwards:

Timeline of Muhammad's Life

Important dates and locations in the life of Muhammad

613 Begins preaching message of Islam publicly to all Meccans

614 Heavy persecution of Muslims begins

615 Emigration of group of Muslims to Ethiopia

616 Banu Hashim clan boycott begins

619 The year of sorrows (Khadija and Abu Talib died)

620 Isra and Miraj

622 Emigration to Madina

623 Battle of Badar

625 Battle of Uhad

627 Battle of Trench (The siege of Madina)

628 Treaty of Hudaybiyah

629 Conquest of Makkah

632 Farewell Pilgrimage and Death