The Timeline

Forty-nine events across three eras, from 571 to 632 CE.

Before the Light

قبل البعثة

52 BH – 12 BH · 571 CE – 610 CE

Historical context

The Year of the Elephant

عام الفيل

Muharram, 52 BH (571 CE)

Abraha, the Abyssinian ruler of Yemen, marched upon Makkah with an army including war elephants to...

Makkah

Birth

The Birth of the Prophet ﷺ

مولد النبي ﷺ

Rabi' al-Awwal, 52 BH (571 CE)

Muhammad ﷺ was born on a Monday in Rabi' al-Awwal, approximately 50-55 days after the Incident of...

Makkah

Childhood

Nursing by Halimah al-Sa'diyyah

رضاعة حليمة السعدية

52-48 BH (571-575 CE)

Following Arab custom, the infant Muhammad ﷺ was entrusted to Halimah bint Abi Dhu'ayb of the Banu...

Desert of Banu Sa'd

Miracle

The Opening of the Chest

شق الصدر

48 BH (~575 CE)

When Muhammad ﷺ was approximately four years old, while playing with other children, two men in...

Desert of Banu Sa'd

Loss

Death of His Mother Aminah

وفاة أمه آمنة

46 BH (~577 CE)

When Muhammad ﷺ was approximately six years old, his mother Aminah bint Wahb passed away at...

Al-Abwa'

Childhood

Under the Care of Abdul Muttalib

كفالة عبد المطلب

46-44 BH (577-579 CE)

After the death of his mother, Muhammad ﷺ was taken into the care of his grandfather Abdul...

Makkah

Loss

Death of Abdul Muttalib

وفاة عبد المطلب

44 BH (~579 CE)

Abdul Muttalib passed away when Muhammad ﷺ was approximately eight years old. Before his death, he...

Makkah

Childhood

Under the Care of Abu Talib

كفالة أبي طالب

44 BH onwards (579 CE onwards)

Abu Talib took Muhammad ﷺ into his household and raised him alongside his own children. Despite...

Makkah

Journey

Journey to Syria with Abu Talib

الرحلة إلى الشام مع أبي طالب

40 BH (~583 CE)

At the age of twelve, Muhammad ﷺ accompanied Abu Talib on a trade caravan to Syria. During the...

Busra, Syria

Society

The Pact of Al-Fudul (Hilf al-Fudul)

حلف الفضول

31 BH (~590 CE)

Muhammad ﷺ participated in the Hilf al-Fudul, a pact formed in the house of Abdullah ibn Jud'an...

Makkah

Livelihood

Working as a Shepherd

رعي الغنم

39-27 BH (~583-596 CE)

Muhammad ﷺ worked as a shepherd in Makkah, tending sheep for the people of Makkah in return for...

Makkah and its surroundings

Marriage

Marriage to Khadijah bint Khuwaylid

زواجه من خديجة بنت خويلد

Safar, 28 BH (~595 CE)

At the age of twenty-five, Muhammad ﷺ married Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, a noble and wealthy...

Makkah

Historical context

Rebuilding of the Ka'bah

بناء الكعبة

17 BH (~605 CE)

When Muhammad ﷺ was thirty-five years old, the Quraysh undertook the rebuilding of the Ka'bah after...

Makkah – The Ka'bah

Devotion

Retreat to Cave Hira

التحنث في غار حراء

13-12 BH (~609-610 CE)

In the years preceding his prophethood, Muhammad ﷺ began retreating to the Cave of Hira on Jabal...

Cave of Hira, Jabal an-Nur

The Light in the Darkness

العهد المكي

12 BH – 1 AH · 610 CE – 622 CE

Revelation

The First Revelation

نزول الوحي

Ramadan (17th or 21st), 12 BH (610 CE)

While in seclusion in the Cave of Hira during Ramadan, the Angel Jibril appeared to Muhammad ﷺ at...

Cave of Hira, Jabal an-Nur

Confirmation

Khadijah Consults Waraqah ibn Nawfal

خديجة تستشير ورقة بن نوفل

Ramadan, 12 BH (610 CE)

After Muhammad ﷺ returned home terrified from Cave Hira, Khadijah comforted him and took him to her...

Makkah

Revelation

The Pause in Revelation (Fatrah)

فترة انقطاع الوحي

12 BH (610 CE)

After the first revelation, there was a pause (fatrah) in the coming of revelation. During this...

Makkah

Da'wah

The Secret Call to Islam

الدعوة السرية

12-9 BH (610-613 CE)

For approximately three years, the Prophet ﷺ called people to Islam privately. The first to accept...

Makkah

Education

Dar al-Arqam: The First School of Islam

دار الأرقم

10-9 BH (~612-613 CE)

The house of al-Arqam ibn Abi al-Arqam near Mount Safa became the secret gathering place for the...

Dar al-Arqam, near Mount Safa, Makkah

Da'wah

The Public Call from Mount Safa

الجهر بالدعوة على الصفا

9 BH (~613 CE)

After the command from Allah to warn his closest relatives, the Prophet ﷺ climbed Mount Safa and...

Mount Safa, Makkah

Persecution

Intensification of Persecution

اشتداد الاضطهاد

9-7 BH (613-615 CE)

As the public call to Islam grew, the Quraysh intensified their persecution of Muslims. Bilal ibn...

Makkah

Migration

The First Migration to Abyssinia

الهجرة الأولى إلى الحبشة

Rajab, 7 BH (615 CE)

When persecution became unbearable, the Prophet ﷺ instructed a group of Muslims to migrate to...

From Makkah to Abyssinia (Ethiopia)

Migration

The Second Migration to Abyssinia

الهجرة الثانية إلى الحبشة

Shawwal, 7 BH (615 CE)

A larger group of approximately 83 men and 18-19 women undertook the second migration to Abyssinia....

Abyssinia (Ethiopia)

Acceptance of Islam

The Islam of Hamza and Umar

إسلام حمزة وعمر

Dhul Hijjah, 6 BH (~616 CE)

Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib, the Prophet's ﷺ uncle and a fierce warrior, accepted Islam after...

Makkah

Persecution

The Boycott of Banu Hashim

مقاطعة بني هاشم

5-3 BH (617-619 CE)

The Quraysh imposed a total economic and social boycott on Banu Hashim and Banu Muttalib, confining...

Shi'b Abi Talib (Valley of Abu Talib), Makkah

Loss

The Year of Sorrow ('Am al-Huzn)

عام الحزن

Sha'ban/Ramadan, 3 BH (619 CE)

Within a short period, the Prophet ﷺ lost both Abu Talib — his uncle and protector — and Khadijah —...

Makkah

Da'wah

The Journey to Ta'if

الرحلة إلى الطائف

Shawwal, 3 BH (619 CE)

Seeking support after the death of Abu Talib, the Prophet ﷺ traveled to Ta'if with Zayd ibn...

Ta'if

Miracle

The Night Journey and Ascension (Isra wal Mi'raj)

الإسراء والمعراج

Rajab (according to many scholars), 1.5-2 BH (~620-621 CE)

In one night, the Prophet ﷺ was transported from Masjid al-Haram in Makkah to Masjid al-Aqsa in...

From Makkah to Jerusalem to the Heavens

Pledge of allegiance

The First Pledge of Aqaba

بيعة العقبة الأولى

Dhul Hijjah, 1 BH (621 CE)

During the Hajj season, twelve men from Madinah (six from the Aws and six from the Khazraj) met the...

Aqaba, near Mina

Pledge of allegiance

The Second Pledge of Aqaba

بيعة العقبة الثانية

Dhul Hijjah, 13th year of Prophethood (622 CE)

Seventy-three men and two women from Madinah met the Prophet ﷺ secretly at Aqaba during the Hajj...

Aqaba, near Mina

Plot against Islam

The Conspiracy at Dar al-Nadwa

مؤامرة دار الندوة

Safar, 1 AH (622 CE)

Learning of the Prophet's ﷺ plan to migrate, the Quraysh convened an emergency council at Dar...

Dar al-Nadwa, Makkah

Migration

The Hijrah — Migration to Madinah

الهجرة إلى المدينة

Rabi' al-Awwal, 1 AH (622 CE)

The Prophet ﷺ departed Makkah with Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, heading south to the Cave of Thawr to evade...

From Makkah to Cave Thawr to Quba to Madinah

The Dawn of a Civilisation

العهد المدني

1 AH – 11 AH · 622 CE – 632 CE

Establishment

Building of Masjid Quba

بناء مسجد قباء

Rabi' al-Awwal, 1 AH (622 CE)

Upon arriving in the area of Quba on the outskirts of Madinah, the Prophet ﷺ stayed with the Banu...

Quba, outskirts of Madinah

Establishment

Building of Masjid al-Nabawi

بناء المسجد النبوي

Rabi' al-Awwal, 1 AH (622 CE)

The Prophet ﷺ entered Madinah and his camel knelt at a plot of land belonging to two orphan boys....

Madinah

Community building

Brotherhood Between Muhajirun and Ansar

المؤاخاة بين المهاجرين والأنصار

1 AH (622 CE)

The Prophet ﷺ established a unique bond of brotherhood (mu'akhah) between the Muhajirun (the...

Madinah

Legislation

The Constitution of Madinah

صحيفة المدينة

1 AH (622 CE)

The Prophet ﷺ drafted the Constitution of Madinah (Sahifat al-Madinah), a formal agreement between...

Madinah

Legislation

The Legislation of Adhan

تشريع الأذان

1 AH (622 CE)

The Muslims needed a way to call people to prayer. Abdullah ibn Zayd saw a vision in his dream of a...

Madinah

Legislation

The Change of Qiblah

تحويل القبلة

Rajab or Sha'ban, 2 AH (624 CE)

Approximately sixteen or seventeen months after the Hijrah, the direction of prayer (Qiblah) was...

Masjid al-Qiblatayn, Madinah

Expedition

The Battle of Badr

غزوة بدر الكبرى

17 Ramadan, 2 AH (624 CE)

The first major military engagement in Islam. 313 Muslims faced approximately 1,000 well-armed...

Badr, southwest of Madinah

Expedition

The Battle of Uhud

غزوة أحد

Shawwal, 3 AH (625 CE)

The Quraysh marched on Madinah with 3,000 warriors seeking revenge for Badr. The battle took place...

Mount Uhud, north of Madinah

Expedition

The Battle of the Trench (Al-Khandaq / Al-Ahzab)

غزوة الخندق / الأحزاب

Shawwal, 5 AH (627 CE)

A massive coalition of 10,000 warriors from the Quraysh, Ghatafan, and other tribes marched on...

Northern approach to Madinah

Treaty

The Treaty of Hudaybiyah

صلح الحديبية

Dhul Qa'dah, 6 AH (628 CE)

The Prophet ﷺ set out with 1,400 Muslims for Umrah, not for war. The Quraysh blocked them at...

Hudaybiyah, near Makkah

Da'wah

Letters to the Kings and Leaders

رسائل إلى الملوك والزعماء

Muharram and after, 7 AH (628 CE)

The Prophet ﷺ sent letters to the rulers of the known world inviting them to Islam, including:...

Letters sent from Madinah to various kingdoms

Expedition

The Battle of Khaybar

غزوة خيبر

Muharram/Rabi' al-Awwal, 7 AH (628 CE)

The Prophet ﷺ marched with 1,420 warriors against the Jewish fortress complex of Khaybar, whose...

Khaybar, north of Madinah

Conquest

The Conquest of Makkah (Fath Makkah)

فتح مكة

Ramadan (20th), 8 AH (630 CE)

After the Quraysh violated the Treaty of Hudaybiyah by supporting an attack on the Prophet's ﷺ...

Makkah

Expedition

The Battle of Hunayn

غزوة حنين

Shawwal, 8 AH (630 CE)

Shortly after the conquest of Makkah, the tribes of Hawazin and Thaqif gathered 20,000 warriors to...

Valley of Hunayn, between Makkah and Ta'if

Expedition

The Battle of Tabuk

غزوة تبوك

Rajab, 9 AH (630 CE)

Learning that the Byzantine Empire was gathering forces near the northern border, the Prophet ﷺ...

Tabuk, northern Arabia

Pilgrimage

The Farewell Pilgrimage (Hajjat al-Wada')

حجة الوداع

Dhul Hijjah, 10 AH (632 CE)

In the tenth year after Hijrah, the Prophet ﷺ performed Hajj — the only Hajj of his life — with...

Arafat, Mina, and Makkah

Passing

The Death of the Prophet ﷺ

وفاة النبي ﷺ

12 Rabi' al-Awwal (Monday), 11 AH (632 CE)

The Prophet ﷺ fell ill and his condition worsened over several days. During his illness, he...

The room of Aisha, adjacent to Masjid al-Nabawi, Madinah