How did he become a prophet and messenger of God?
At the age of 40, while engaged in a meditative retreat, Muhammad received his first revelation from God through the Archangel Gabriel. This revelation, which continued to descend over a period of twenty-three years, is known as the Quran. Muhammad began to share the revelations he received from God with the people of Makkah. Being idol worshippers, the general populace rejected Muhammad’s call to worship only one God. They opposed him and his small group of followers in every way possible, some suffering bitter forms of persecution and even torture. In 622 CE, God gave the community of believers the command to emigrate. This event, known as the hijrah, or migration, in which they left Makkah for the blessed city of Madinah (some 260 miles to the north), marks the beginning of the official Muslim calendar. The city of Madinah provided the new community of Muslims a safe and nurturing abode in which they could practice their faith without the spite of persecution. After several years, t
