[9] Reeceiving his first revelation at age 40 in a cave called Hira in Mecca,[10] he started to preach the oneness of God in order to stamp out idolatry of pre-Islamic Arabia.

As manifestation of God's guidance and example of renouncing idolatry, Muhammad is understood as an exemplary role-model in regards of virtue, spirituality, and moral excellence.

As an act of respect and a form of greetings, Muslims follow the name of Muhammad by the Arabic benediction "sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam", ("Peace be upon him"),[16] sometimes abbreviated as "SAW" or "PBUH".

They awaken every morning as he awakened; they eat as he ate; they wash as he washed; and they behave even in the minutest acts of daily life as he behaved.In Muslim legal and religious thought, Muhammad, inspired by God to act wisely and in accordance with his will, provides an example that complements God's revelation as expressed in the Quran; and his actions and sayings – known as Sunnah – are a model for Muslim conduct.

[62] The Sunnah, as recorded in the Hadith literature, encompasses everyday activities related to men's domestic, social, economic, and political life.

[61] It addresses a broad array of activities and Islamic beliefs ranging from the simple practices, like the proper way of entering a mosque and private cleanliness, to questions involving the love between God and humans.

[85] According to Arab custom, after his birth, infant Muhammad was sent to Banu Sa'ad clan, a neighboring Bedouin tribe, so that he could acquire the pure speech and free manners of the desert.

After the truce, an alliance named Hilf al-Fudul (The Pact of the Virtuous)[91] was formed to check further violence and injustice; and to stand on the side of the oppressed, an oath was taken by the descendants of Hashim and the kindred families, where Muhammad was also a member.

[99] This happened two more times after which the angel commanded Muhammad to recite the following verses:[94][95] Read, ˹O Prophet,˺ in the Name of your Lord Who created— created humans from a clinging clot.

[107] Muhammad's early teachings invited vehement opposition from the wealthy and leading clans of Mecca who feared the loss not only of their ancestral paganism but also of the lucrative pilgrimage business.

[108][110] Alarmed by mounting persecution on the newly converts, Muhammad in 615 CE directed some of his followers to migrate to neighboring Abyssinia (present day Ethiopia), a land ruled by king Aṣḥama ibn Abjar, famous for his justice and intelligence.

[115] Around this time, Muhammad visited Ta'if, a city some sixty kilometers east of Mecca, to preach Islam, but met with severe hostility from its inhabitants who pelted him with stones causing bleeding.

[116][117] At the pilgrimage season of 620, Muhammad met six men of Khazraj tribe from Yathrib (later named Medina), propounded to them the doctrines of Islam, and recited portions of Quran.

[125] According to Muslim tradition, after receiving divine direction to depart Mecca, Muhammad began taking preparation and informed Abu Bakr of his plan.

Around 5 AH (627 CE), a large combined force of at least 10,000 men from Quraysh, Ghatafan, Banu Asad, and other pagan tribes known as the confederacy was formed to attack the Muslims mainly at the instigation and efforts of Jewish leader Huyayy ibn Akhtab and it marched towards Medina.

[12] In 629 CE (7 AH), in accordance with the terms of the Hudaybiyyah treaty, Muhammad and the Muslims performed their lesser pilgrimage (Umrah) to Mecca and left the city after three days.

Umar ibn al-Khattab wanted the execution of Abu Sufyan for his past offenses, but Muhammad spared his life after he converted to Islam.

[157] After the Tabuk expedition, the Banu Thaqif tribe of Taif sent their representative team to Muhammad to inform their intention of accepting Islam on condition that they be allowed to retain their Lat idol with them and that they be exempted from prayers.

[34] On the 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah, from Mount Arafat, he delivered his Farewell Sermon in which he abolished old blood feuds and disputes based on the former tribal system, repudiated racial discrimination, and advised people to "be good to women".

[167] Abu Mansur al-Baghdadi writes that Muhammad came back to life after his death and continues to participate in his community, takes pleasure in their good deeds and is saddened by their sins.

[4][17][18] In speaking, Muslims attach the title "Prophet" to Muhammad's name, and always follow it with the greeting sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam (صَلّى الله عليه وسلّم‎, "Peace be upon him"),[16] sometimes in written form abbreviated ﷺ‎.

[178][179] According to Muslim beliefs, the companions (ṣaḥāba) of Muhammad took some of Prophet's hair before it fell to the ground when he shaved his beard and kept it, as it is believed to emanate Barakah.

"[187][188][189]Based on a hadith by Tirmidhi, ibn Arabi explains in al-Futuhat that Muhammad intercedes first for the angels, then for (other) prophets, then for the saints, then the believers, animals, plants, and inanimate objects last.

[199] The ibn ʿAbbās version was popular right up until the middle periods of Islamic history, and transmitted to the royal courts from Castille in al-Andalus, Zabid in Yemen, and Tabriz in Persia.

The ibn ʿAbbās versions are not to be understood as a unified narrative, but a corpus of variant texts with common aspects, often featuring otherworldly elements.

[204] However, the text quickly refers to Muhammad visiting hell, heaven, receiving the obligatory prayers, and choosing from different cups of liquid, indicating that the author was aware of more extensive material regarding the Night Journey, but chose to omit them.

[204] The absence of extensive details about Muhammad's travel through the heavens, while receiving the five obligatory prayers in Jerusalem instead, might be an indication that these two stories were originally thought to be separate events, but unified into one Night Journey by ibn ʾIsḥāq.

Abd al-Razzaq al-San'ani said that, based on Ikrima ibn Amr, there was a lunar eclipse observed by the non-Islamic Arabs of that time, which Muhammad interpreted as a sign of God to remember the transience of creation.

[226] He argues that both the Sunni schools of law and the Shia jurisprudence alike prohibit the figurative depiction of Muhammad,[227] and that occurrence of Muhammadin Arabic and Ottoman Turkish arts, flourishing during the Ilkhanate (1256–1353), Timurid (1370–1506), and Safavid (1501–1722) periods, are due to a secular attitude of the time and a religious deviance.

[229] Prior to the Turkic rulers, figurative arts were boasted by Arabic speaking caliphats of Baghdad, Cairo, and Cordova, as well and enjoyed prestige among both orthodox Sunni circles as well as Shia Muslims.