Islam - History

Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)

Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was born in a city called Mecca, in the Year of The Elephant, or about 570 or 571 AD. He was orphaned when he was young, and raised by his uncle Abu Talib. He then became a trader and married a wealthy widow.
When Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was forty years old, he was meditating in a cave when he had a divine revelation, and then he began to preach to his kinfolk and the public. He claimed that he was not preaching a new religion, he was only reinforcing an old one. He also claimed that he was chosen by Allah to preach and teach Muslim.
As he gained followers, he also gained enemies, so he and his followers fled to the neighboring city of Medina. This migration was called the Hijra. Many historians agree this was the start of the Muslim calendar.

Then, Mecca and Medina went to war, and there was a battle. This battle, which Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and his followers won, was called the Battle of Badr. And then there was another, called the Battle of the Trench, which was stalemating a Meccan attack. Then Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) united the surrounding tribes, then acted liked he was going to attack Mecca, but the Meccan warriors gave up at seeing the massive army.
When Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) died, he had managed to unite the entire Arabian Peninsula.

Anyone who met Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) at any time of his life, for how ever short a time, and died a Muslim, was called a Companion.
Many of the Companions were fearless, brave, devoted, with severe self-discipline, and extreme generosity. Many of the Companions were wives, servants, or close friends. One Companion even offered to take his place when he was being planned to be assassinated in his sleep by the Quraysh, who were the ruling tribe in Makkah. The Quraysh made the early Muslims suffer terribly. The Companions recorded the verses of the Qur’an as Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) received them. They also handed down the history of Muhammad’s (peace and blessings be upon him) life, and these are called the Hadiths and are included in the Sunnah. The Sunnah is the second basis of law after the Qur’an.

Anytime I say, "Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)," I am doing it out of respect for the people of Islam who use those words.