Sirah Atlas
Seerah Timeline: The Life of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (570–632 CE)
The Seerah is the recorded biography of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, from his birth in Mecca around 570 CE to his death in Medina in 632 CE (11 AH). This timeline lists the key events of his life in chronological order, each dated in both the Islamic (Hijri) and Gregorian calendars.
Last updated: 27 April 2026
Explore the interactive atlasJahiliyya53 Before Hijra – 11 After Hijra
The Carved Mountains
5000 BCE
The jahiliyya period is the era before the revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The term "jahiliyya" literally means "ignorance" and refers to the period when Arab society lived without divine guidance.
Read the full article →The Origin of the House
2000 BCE
The origin of the House (also known as the Ka'bah) is inseparably connected to the origin of the Arabised Arabs. To understand this, we tell the story of Ibrahim ﵇.
Read the full article →The People of the Book
700 BCE
How did the other religions end up on the Arabian Peninsula?
Read the full article →The Great Flood
550 BCE
The Arabian Peninsula is enclosed by the Red Sea and Sinai to the west, the Arabian Gulf to the east, the Arabian Sea to the south, and Al-Sham and part of Iraq to the north. Because of its location, it has always been an important region.
Read the full article →The Bringer of the Idols
If Ibrahim ﵇ and Ismail ﵇ built the Ka'bah and taught the people about Islam and tawhid, how is it that by the time the Prophet ﷺ began proclaiming Islam there was so much polytheism among the Arabs?
Read the full article →The Union of the Valley
The Prophet ﷺ and his Companions ﵃ stood up against the mighty Quraysh, the rulers of Makkah and the Hijaz (the western part of the Arabian Peninsula). Most people know this, but do we also know how the Quraysh acquired their position?
Read the full article →The Poets of 'Ukaz
The market of Ukaz (سوق عكاظ) was one of the most important markets in the jahiliyya era (the period of ignorance before Islam). It was located near Ta'if.
Read the full article →The Year of the Elephant
In the article The People of the Book we discussed how the Abyssinians returned to Yemen in the year 525 in retaliation against the injustice of Dhu Nawas. Dhu Nawas, the last Jewish king of Himyar, had burned thousands of Christians in Najran alive in fire pits.
Read the full article →The Birth of the Prophet ﷺ and the Years of Purity
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born in Makkah on a Monday morning on the 9th day of Rabi al-Awwal, the Year of the Elephant, corresponding to approximately 570 CE. His father Abdullah had already passed away before his birth, so he ﷺ came into the world as an orphan.
Read the full article →Hilf al-Fudul: The Pact of Virtue
Hilf Al Fudul
Read the full article →The Dispute and the Solution
When the Prophet ﷺ was thirty-five years old, the Quraysh had begun the renovation of the Ka'bah. It was a low structure, no taller than nine arm-lengths since the time of Isma'il ﵇.
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The Mecca Period610–622 CE
The beginning of the message of Islam
The First Words: "Iqra!"
The Prophet ﷺ would regularly go to the cave of Hira to engage in contemplation. The Prophet ﷺ, with his pure character in the midst of an impure environment where all kinds of dark practices and idolatry took place, felt the need to reflect deeply on these matters.
Read the full article →The Beginning of the Cultivation Phase
When the Prophet ﷺ was commanded, he began inviting people to Islam. Some believed in him, others expressed their disbelief, until everyone in Makkah knew about it and people were talking about it.
Read the full article →Dar al-Arqam: The Hidden Centre
In the first days of Islam, when the revelation was still fresh and the number of Muslims could be counted on one hand, the house of Khadijah رضي الله عنها served as the first centre for the young Islamic da'wah.
Read the full article →The Warning on the Mountain
During the cultivation phase, the Quraysh were aware of the da'wah of the Prophet ﷺ, but paid little attention to it. The message posed no threat at that time to their religion, their position or their trade interests.
Read the full article →The Period of Trials
At the beginning of the 4th year of the Prophetic Mission and for a period of several months, the Quraysh limited their intimidation to ridiculing and distorting the message. When they realised that this would not be enough to halt the stream of converts to Islam, they resorted to more extreme measures.
Read the full article →The Migration to the Righteous King
The persecution of the Muslims in Makkah intensified as the message of Islam gained more ground. Despite the protection that figures like Hamza and 'Umar ﵄ offered, life remained unbearable for many Muslims, especially those without strong tribal connections.
Read the full article →Quraysh Pressure Abu Talib
A number of the prominent men of Quraysh visited Abu Talib and said:
Read the full article →The Turning Point: The Conversion of the Two Giants
One day, the Prophet ﷺ was sitting on a hill near Safa when Abu Jahl happened to pass by and began to insult him ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ remained silent and said not a word.
Read the full article →The Offer of Quraysh to the Prophet ﷺ
The Quraysh had tried everything: they had slandered the Muslims, expelled them from their homes and even tortured them. Despite all this, two great heroes like Hamza and Umar ﵄ had become Muslim.
Read the full article →The Years of Hunger in the Valley
After the failed attempts at compromise and the offer of Quraysh to the Prophet ﷺ, and the steadfast pledge of Banu Hashim and Banu Al-Muttalib to protect the Prophet ﷺ, the desperation of the Quraysh was near. The Quraysh knew they had to break the commitment of Banu Hashim and Banu Al-Muttalib.
Read the full article →The Year of Sorrow
Just six months after Banu Hashim and Banu Al-Muttalib had left the valley of Abu Talib following three years of starvation and isolation, the Prophet ﷺ was struck by two losses that weighed heavier than anything he had experienced up to that point: the death of his uncle Abu Talib and the death of his beloved wife Khadijah ﵂.
Read the full article →From Jerusalem to the Throne
After the passing of Abu Talib and Khadijah ﵂, the two pillars of support in the life of the Prophet ﷺ, the da'wah found itself in its darkest hour. The protection had fallen away, the persecution increased, and the city he ﷺ considered his home had turned completely against him.
Read the full article →The Trial in Ta'if
After the loss of Abu Talib and Khadijah ﵂ in the Year of Sorrow, the Prophet ﷺ now stood alone in Makkah. Without tribal protection and without his most trusted confidant, he had to search for support elsewhere. His gaze turned to At-Ta'if, the prosperous sister city of Makkah.
Read the full article →The Search for Support
After the loss of his protectors, the Prophet ﷺ began actively performing talab al-nusra (طلب النصرة). That is, he ﷺ sought physical support.
Read the full article →The Oath of the Twelve
After three years of trials, the loss of Abu Talib and Khadijah ﵂, the humiliation in At-Ta'if and months of searching for support among the Arab tribes, the Prophet ﷺ was still searching for nusra. Tribe after tribe had rejected him, some out of fear, others out of indifference, yet others with mockery.
Read the full article →Mus'ab: The First Ambassador
After the First Pledge of 'Aqabah, in which twelve men from Madinah pledged their loyalty to the Prophet ﷺ, a crucial next step was needed. How was this fledgling community of believers in Madinah to grow?
Read the full article →The Oath of Blood and Allegiance
The work of Mus'ab ibn 'Umair ﵁ in Madinah had borne fruits that no one had dared to dream of. In less than a year, this lone envoy of the Prophet ﷺ had spread the message of Islam to the majority of the houses in the city.
Read the full article →The Order to Depart
With the Second Pledge of Aqaba, the path to Madinah had been opened. The Ansar had pledged their blood and their honor to the protection of the Prophet ﷺ. Now the question remained: how would the migration unfold, and at what cost?
Read the full article →The Plot in Dar al-Nadwa
While one Muslim after another left Makkah heading for Madinah, panic grew among the leaders of the Quraysh. What had begun as a handful of departures quickly became a stream, an exodus that seemed unstoppable.
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The Medina Period
The establishment of Islam's Base
The Beginning of the Islamic Calendar (Hijra)
After three nights in the Cave of Thawr, protected by the spider's web and the care of Allah ﷻ, the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr ﵁ left their hiding place. The Quraysh had largely given up the search.
Read the full article →The Reception of the Prophet ﷺ
After the dramatic Hijrah journey from Makkah, the stay in the cave of Thawr, the pursuit by Suraqah, and the stay in Quba, the Prophet ﷺ was finally approaching his destination. The Muslims of Madinah had long awaited this moment.
Read the full article →Building the State
After the joyful arrival in Madinah and the warm welcome by the Ansar, the Prophet ﷺ faced an immense challenge: building an entirely new society from scratch.
Read the full article →The Charter of Madinah
After the construction of the mosque and the establishment of the bonds of brotherhood between the Muhajirun and the Ansar, the next step was to formalize the relationships between all inhabitants of Madinah: Muslims, Jews, and polytheists.
Read the full article →The First Expeditions from Madinah
We previously discussed how the Quraysh tried at all costs to prevent the Prophet ﷺ from departing to Madinah. When this failed, they secretly reached out to Abdullah ibn Ubai ibn Salul, a leader of the Khazraj who had been nominated to become king after the Bu'ath War.
Read the full article →The Battle of Badr
The early expeditions from Madinah had put pressure on the trade routes of the Quraysh and established the military presence of the Muslims. Now the tension would escalate into a full-scale confrontation. When word came that a large Qurayshi trade caravan was on its way from Al-Shaam, the Prophet ﷺ took the next step.
Read the full article →The Aftermath of the Battle of Badr
The Battle of Badr was a turning point in the history of Islam. With only 316 men against nearly 1,000 Qurayshi warriors, the Muslims, with the help of Allah ﷻ and His angels, had achieved an overwhelming victory.
Read the full article →Fire Beneath the Ashes
The victory at Badr had put the Muslims on the map. Madinah was no longer a small city-state struggling to defend its own existence; it was now a power to be reckoned with.
Read the full article →The Battle of Uhud
The Battle of Uhud was no surprise. It was the inevitable consequence of what had happened at Badr. The Quraysh had lost their best men: their leaders, their poets, their warriors. The shame burned. And shame, in the Arab culture of the time, could only be wiped away by blood.
Read the full article →The Years of Trial
After Uhud the situation of the Muslims was precarious. Seventy of their best had fallen.
Read the full article →The Battle of the Trench
Of all the trials that struck the early Islamic community, Al-Khandaq was the most existential. Not because the fighting was the bloodiest, but because the coalition that had formed against Madinah was large enough to destroy the city completely.
Read the full article →The Turning Point
The words the Prophet ﷺ spoke while the dust of Al-Khandaq was still settling were short and unmistakable: from now on the Muslims would march on their enemies, not the other way around. It was not the announcement of a new strategy but the recognition of a new reality.
Read the full article →The Treaty of Hudaybiyya
There are moments in the Seerah where the outward events and their true meaning lie so far apart that only time makes the difference visible. Hudaybiyya is the clearest example.
Read the full article →Da'wah to the Kings
The peace of Hudaybiyya had given the Islamic state something no military victory could buy: time and space to look outward. As long as the threat of the Quraysh demanded attention each year, the horizon of the community remained limited to the Arabian Peninsula.
Read the full article →The Prelude to the Conquest
The peace of Hudaybiyya was not an end point. It was a breathing space, and the Prophet ﷺ used it with a precision that only became fully visible in hindsight.
Read the full article →The Battle of Mu'tah
Mu'tah was no battle of the kind the Muslims had fought before. At Badr, Uhud and Al-Khandaq, the community of Madinah had stood against the tribes of Arabia, men who spoke the same tongue, knew the same traditions and lived on the same peninsula.
Read the full article →The Conquest of Makkah
There are conquests that go down in history as bloody turning points: cities that burned, peoples enslaved, and victors establishing their power through the violence they displayed. The opening of Makkah was none of these.
Read the full article →The Battle of Hunayn
Makkah had fallen without any fighting worth the name. Ten thousand men had taken a city that for twenty years had been the heart of the opposition to Islam.
Read the full article →The Expedition of Tabuk
There are expeditions in the Seerah that are remembered for what happened during the fighting. Tabuk is remembered for what happened before the fighting, on the road and in Madinah while the army was on its way.
Read the full article →The Farewell Sermon
In the tenth year after the Hijrah the Prophet ﷺ announced that he would perform the Hajj. The word spread across the Arabian Peninsula and people streamed from every direction to Madinah.
Read the full article →
Sources
The events in this timeline are based on the classical sources of the Seerah and early Islamic historiography, including at-Tabari's Tarikh and Ibn Kathir's al-Bidaya wa'n-Nihaya.