Muhammad is born into the clan of Hāshim and the tribe of Quraysh. The Kaʿbah, a well-known and historic pilgrimage shrine, is located in his hometown of Mecca. Despite being established by Abraham, polytheism and idolatry have gradually taken over as the predominant forms of devotion. A dramatic crisis precedes Muhammad's conception: his grandfather, ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, almost fulfils a vow to sacrifice Muhammad's future father, ʿAbd Allāh, in a clear parody of the biblical account of Isaac's bound (Genesis 22). Muhammad was born in 570, the year that South Arabian King Abraha seeks to take Mecca but is prevented by divine intervention, a reference to which is later found in Surah 105 of the Qur'an.

      Muhammad is raised by his paternal grandpa, ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, when his father dies before he is born. Muhammad also loses his mother, ŀminah, when he is six years old, and his grandfather when he is eight. After that, Muhammad's uncle Abū Ṭālib takes over as the new leader of the Hāshim clan. As Muhammad travels with his uncle to Syria for trade, a Christian monk acknowledges Muhammad as a prophet to come.

        Muhammad, who is twenty-five years old, works for Khadījah, a wealthy woman, supervising the shipment of her goods to Syria. She proposes him marriage since she is so impressed. Though Khadījah is supposed to have been over forty, she bears Muhammad four girls and at least two young sons who also die. The most well-known of the latter is Fāṭimah, who is considered by Shiſi Muslims to be Muhammad's divinely appointed successor and who would later marry ſAlī, Muhammad's cousin. Despite the widespread practice of polygamy, Muhammad did not take another wife until around three years before to his relocation (hijrah) to Medina in 622, following the passing of Khadījah.

        Muhammad is initiated into prophetic ministry at the age of forty. He is taught the first verses of Surah 96 of the Qurʾān, "Recite in the name of your Lord who creates, / creates man from a clot! / Recite for your lord is most generous," by the angel Gabriel during a time of intense devotional withdrawal atop a mountain near Mecca. It is an incredible encounter. After this initial revelation, Muhammad is quite disturbed, but Khadījah and her cousin Waraqah ibn Nawfal, a knowledgeable Christian who affirms Muhammad's prophetic status, reassure him. Muhammad keeps receiving revelations, but he only speaks about them in private for three years.