The man
Muhammad ﷺ was born in Mecca around 570 CE, into the respected tribe of Quraysh. Orphaned young, he grew up to be known among his people as al-Amin — "the trustworthy." For Muslims he is not the founder of a new religion so much as the final prophet sent to renew the one message of all the prophets before him.678
The call to prophethood
At about the age of forty, while in seclusion in the cave of Hira near Mecca, Muhammad ﷺ received the first revelation of the Quran through the angel Jibril (Gabriel), beginning with the command to "Read":
The revelation began with the angel coming to him and commanding, "Read!", conveying the first verses of the Quran.
— Sahih al-Bukhari 35
From around 610 CE, over roughly twenty-three years, he called people to worship the one God, gathered a community of believers, migrated to Medina in 622 CE (an event called the Hijra, which marks the start of the Islamic calendar), and died in Medina in 632 CE.678
The final prophet
Muslims believe Muhammad ﷺ is the last of the prophets — the seal of a long line that includes Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus (peace be upon them all):
"Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and last of the prophets."
— Quran 33:40 (Saheeh International)1
A mercy to the worlds
The Quran describes the purpose of his mission as mercy — not for one tribe or nation, but for all of creation:
"And We have not sent you [O Muhammad] except as a mercy to the worlds."
— Quran 21:107 (Saheeh International)2
His character and example
The Quran praises Muhammad ﷺ for his moral character, and holds him up as the model believers should follow in their own lives:
"And indeed, you are of a great moral character."
— Quran 68:4 (Saheeh International)3
"There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day."
— Quran 33:21 (Saheeh International)4
This is why the Prophet's recorded sayings and actions — the Sunnah, preserved in the hadith — are, alongside the Quran, a primary source of guidance in Islam.
In short
Muhammad ﷺ is, for Muslims, the final prophet of God: born in Mecca around 570 CE, called to prophethood around 610 CE, and the human messenger through whom the Quran was revealed. Muslims revere him as a mercy to the worlds and strive to follow his example of character and devotion.