Reading this introduction
This essay distinguishes between academic history and beliefs held within Islam. Those viewpoints answer different questions: historians study records and context, while Muslims understand Islam through revelation, prophecy and continuity with earlier monotheistic faith.
Origins and restoration
The word Islam is connected with an Arabic root associated with peace, wholeness and submission. In religious use, Islam refers to submission to the will of God. A Muslim is a person who follows Islam and seeks to live in that relationship with God.
Allah is the Arabic word for God. It is used by Arabic-speaking Muslims and also by Arabic-speaking Christians. It does not identify a separate Muslim deity.
In conventional historical chronology, Muhammad began preaching in Mecca during the early seventh century CE. The migration from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE, known as the Hijra or Hegira, marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar and an important stage in the formation of the Muslim community.
A Muslim understanding of continuity
Many Muslims do not regard Islam as a religion that began with Muhammad. They understand it as the original monotheistic faith taught by prophets including Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. In this view, Muhammad is the final prophet, sent to restore and clarify the same essential message of devotion to one God.
Muslims commonly show respect when naming Muhammad and other prophets by adding a phrase meaning “peace be upon him.” Usage varies by language, community and context.
About Muhammad
Muhammad was born in Mecca around 570 CE and was orphaned in childhood. Traditional accounts describe him working as a shepherd and later participating in caravan trade. Travel and commerce placed him in contact with the religious and cultural diversity of Arabia and neighboring regions.
Islamic tradition holds that, at about age forty, Muhammad received the first revelation through the angel Jibril while engaged in spiritual retreat near Mecca. He then called his community to worship one God and emphasized moral responsibility, care for vulnerable people, prayer and accountability before God.
Accounts of Muhammad’s early life include devotional narratives about signs surrounding his birth and childhood. Muslims may understand these accounts as testimony to his prophetic role. Historians evaluate them as parts of the later biographical and religious tradition rather than as independently verifiable events.
Mecca, Medina and community
Muhammad and his followers encountered significant opposition in Mecca. In 622 CE, they migrated north to Medina. There Muhammad served as a religious teacher, community leader and political negotiator. The period included agreements, disputes and armed conflicts among groups in western Arabia.
By the time of Muhammad’s death in 632 CE, Islam was firmly established across much of Arabia. Muslim belief does not regard Muhammad as divine; he is honored as a prophet and messenger of God.
Language matters
Older Western writing sometimes used labels that implied Muslims worship Muhammad. That description is inaccurate and objectionable to Muslims. This page uses Islam and Muslim, the standard contemporary terms. It also avoids defining an entire religion by violence committed by individuals or movements.
Historical growth of Islam
After Muhammad’s death, Muslim-ruled states expanded rapidly beyond Arabia. By the eighth century, Islamic rule extended through parts of western and central Asia, North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. Expansion involved military campaigns, political agreements, trade, migration and gradual religious change; the pattern differed greatly by region.
Muslim communities later developed across a broad area from West Africa to Southeast Asia. Trade networks were especially important around the Indian Ocean, across the Sahara and along Asian land routes. Indonesia became home to the world’s largest Muslim population.
Islam is not culturally or institutionally uniform. Muslims belong to many nations, languages, schools of thought and local traditions. Sunni and Shi’a Islam are the largest broad branches, but each contains considerable internal diversity.
Terms and context
- CE means Common Era and is used here for historical dates. More information appears on the date terminology page.
- Jihad means struggle or striving and has several religious and historical uses. The term should not be reduced to one political or military meaning. See the overview of jihad.
- Islamic and Muslim are not always interchangeable. Islamic usually describes ideas, institutions or traditions; Muslim generally describes people or communities. Further context appears in terminology associated with Islam.
Part 2 expands on beliefs and the diversity of Muslim life.
Sources and further reading
This revised overview preserves the source page’s distinction between historical study and Muslim belief while paraphrasing devotional and attributed material. The older essay consulted an educational explanation of jihad, Abdur Rahman I. Doi’s 1984 book on Islamic law, historical religious commentary, and traditional biographies of Muhammad. Some external references listed in the archived source are no longer available and have therefore been omitted.
For broader orientation, return to the Islamic menu or compare Islam with other traditions through Comparing Religions.