The Prophet Muhammad is the most important human in Islamic history, second only to Allah in terms of respect. For Muslims, he was the final prophet, delivering God's final message, and is therefore often called the Prophet or Messenger, the initial capital letters differentiating him from other prophets and messengers. Muslims see him as the restorer of monotheism in a world that was returning to polytheism and idolatry; Monotheism is the main belief of Muslims and constitutes the first pillar of Islam, along with the acceptance that Muhammad is its messenger. He is also known as a diplomat, philosopher, military general and orator. His name is written alternately Muhammed or Mohammed. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Mohammed was born in Mecca (now Saudi Arabia) in 570 CE. Orphaned at a young age, he was raised by his uncle, Ibn Talib, head of the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe which dominated Mecca. He was therefore born into a powerful and influential society. He worked as a merchant and shepherd and married at age 25. By age 40, he had become disillusioned with Meccan life and had taken to retiring to a cave every year to meditate. During his retreat in 610 CE, during the month of Ramadan, he received his first revelation from God, via his messenger, the Angel Gabriel. The message declared that there was only one God and that Muhammad must submit to Him (the Arabic word for surrender is Islam). Gabriel also said that Muhammad was a prophet and he had to spread the message. This was the first of many revelations that Muhammad received during his life, and these revelations form the basis of the Quran. On his subsequent return to Mecca, Muhammad gained few followers in the city, his first followers being his wife Khadija and his cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib. He was treated with suspicion and hostility by the rest of Meccan society and was persecuted. To escape this persecution, he sent some of his followers to Abyssinia (roughly the equivalent of today's Ethiopia), while he and his followers left for Yathrib (later called al-Madinah l- Munawwarah, "The Radiant City" by Mohammed; it is currently known simply as Medina) in 622 CE. It is this event, known as Hijrah, which forms the starting point of the Islamic Hijri calendar. At that time, the Arabian Peninsula was a rather inhospitable place and cities could only develop near oases. However, Mecca and Yathrib were the two most important settlements, each with a relatively large population. While Mecca was a commercial and tribal center, Yathrib was an important agricultural town..