The short answer
The seerah is the life story of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, from his birth to his death in Madinah. For the word's meaning, Ibn Faris, in a classical Arabic dictionary, gives sirah as the way. This timeline sets each stage against its source and marks the dates the books disagree on.
What does seerah mean?
Ibn Faris, in his dictionary Mu'jam Maqayis al-Lughah, says the root s-y-r points to going on, as in travelling by night or by day, and that al-sirah is the way 20. Books on his life carry it in their titles: Ibn Hisham's is called al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, the Prophet's sirah.
Say a cousin asks at dinner whether Hudaybiyyah came before the conquest of Makkah. The Madinah table below answers it: the end of year six, then Ramadan of year eight.
How do the dates on this timeline work?
AH after a year means after the Hijrah, his arrival in Madinah, which the companions made the start of the count (Sahih al-Bukhari 3934, graded sahih). The classical books give no Common Era years. The three used here, 570, 622 and 632, come from one modern reference 31. The right-hand column says how firm each row is.
What happened before the first revelation?
His birth, the loss of his father, mother and grandfather, and his marriage are the events our sources date.
| When | What happened | How sure |
|---|---|---|
| Year of the Elephant | Born on a Monday: he said it was the day he was born (Sahih Muslim 1162, graded sahih). Ibn Ishaq, in Ibn Hisham's al-Sirah, gives the 12th night of Rabi' al-Awwal 21. Ibn Kathir, in al-Bidayah, lists the 2nd, 8th and 10th as well, and reports a view that the Elephant came ten years before the birth 22. A modern reference gives 570 CE 31. | Uncertain: the night, and on one view the year |
| Before or soon after his birth | His father, 'Abdullah, dies. Ibn Ishaq says this was while his mother Aminah was pregnant; the edition's editors note that most scholars place it when he was an infant of two months or more 21. | Uncertain: when |
| Ages 6 and 8 | Aminah dies at al-Abwa' when he is six, and his grandfather 'Abd al-Muttalib when he is eight, says Ibn Ishaq 23. | One source |
| Age 25 | He marries Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, may Allah be pleased with her. Ibn Hisham gives twenty-five, on the word of more than one scholar, through Abu 'Amr al-Madani; the editors list other ages, among them 21, 30 and 37 24. Her life: Khadijah bint Khuwaylid. | Uncertain: his age |
What happened in Makkah after the revelation began?
Revelation came to him when he was forty. Our sources date little of the Makkan years, so several rows say so.
| When | What happened | How sure |
|---|---|---|
| Age 40 | Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, says revelation came to the Prophet at forty (Sahih al-Bukhari 3851, graded sahih); Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, says the same (Sahih Muslim 2347, graded sahih). 'Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, says it began with true dreams, and that the Truth came to him in the cave of Hira (Sahih al-Bukhari 3, graded sahih). | Age agreed in the reports used; no day or month given |
| Year not given | When "And warn your tribe of near kindred" (Ash-Shu'ara 26:214) came down, he climbed as-Safa and called the clans of Quraysh together to warn them (Sahih al-Bukhari 4770, graded sahih). | No date in our sources |
| Year not given | When the Muslims were put under trial, Muslims emigrated to Abyssinia, 'Aisha says (Sahih al-Bukhari 3905, graded sahih). | No date in our sources |
| Three years before the Hijrah | Khadijah dies, says 'Urwa ibn al-Zubayr, a successor (of the generation after the companions) (Sahih al-Bukhari 3896, graded sahih). Al-Mubarakpuri puts it in Ramadan of the tenth year of the prophethood 25; al-Dhahabi, in Siyar a'lam al-nubala', lists further accounts, which the Ilmwell team finds disagree with one another 26. | Uncertain: the date |
| The Makkan years | Ibn Abbas gives 13 years in Makkah (Sahih Muslim 2351) after the revelation (Sahih al-Bukhari 3851 and Sahih Muslim 2351, both graded sahih) and 15 in another report (Sahih Muslim 2353a, graded sahih). Anas gives 10 (Sahih Muslim 2347). | Uncertain: 13, 10 or 15 |
The opening of Surah Al-Alaq, which 'Aisha says the angel recited in Sahih al-Bukhari 3, is below.
ٱقْرَأْ بِٱسْمِ رَبِّكَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ خَلَقَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ ٱقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ ٱلْأَكْرَمُ
What happened in Madinah?
The Hijrah starts the Islamic calendar. The rows run from it to the Farewell Pilgrimage.
| When | What happened | How sure |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 AH (622 CE) | The Hijrah. He leaves Makkah with Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, and the two hide three nights in a cave on Mount Thawr (Sahih al-Bukhari 3905, graded sahih). A modern reference gives 622 CE 31. The journey in full: The Hijrah. | Year agreed; the CE year is from a modern reference |
| A Monday in Rabi' al-Awwal, year 1 | He reaches Banu 'Amr ibn 'Awf, where he stays more than ten nights (Sahih al-Bukhari 3906, graded sahih). Years are counted from this arrival, said Sahl ibn Sa'd, may Allah be pleased with him (Sahih al-Bukhari 3934, graded sahih). Ibn Ishaq gives the 12th, at the age of 53, for his arrival in Madinah 27; al-Mubarakpuri gives the 8th for his arrival at Quba 28. | Uncertain: which arrival |
| After more than ten nights | He builds his mosque in Madinah where his camel knelt (Sahih al-Bukhari 3906). | No calendar date |
| Year not given | Badr. The Quran names it: "Allah had already given you the victory at Badr" (Al-Imran 3:123). | No year in our sources; its place in this list is not a date |
| End of year 6 | Hudaybiyyah. Ibn Hisham dates it to the end of year six, when he set out in Dhu al-Qa'dah for 'umrah (the lesser pilgrimage), not intending war 29. | One source |
| Ramadan, year 8 | The conquest of Makkah, dated by Ibn Hisham 29. | One source |
| Year 10 | The Farewell Pilgrimage. Jabir ibn 'Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, says the Prophet went nine years without Hajj, then announced it in the tenth (Sahih Muslim 1218, graded sahih). Ibn Ishaq says he left with five nights of Dhu al-Qa'dah remaining 29. 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, says Al-Maidah 5:3 came down at 'Arafah, on a Friday (Sahih al-Bukhari 45, graded sahih). | Year from one report |
Other events of these years are not in this table because no checked record of ours covers them yet. The life in prose: The Prophet Muhammad.
How did the Prophet's life end?
He died in Madinah in year eleven, on a Monday. The day of the month and his age are where the sources differ.
| When | What happened | How sure |
|---|---|---|
| Year 11 AH (632 CE) | He dies in 'Aisha's house (Sahih al-Bukhari 4449, graded sahih), on a Monday (Sahih al-Bukhari 1387, graded sahih), and is buried in that house (Sahih al-Bukhari 1389, graded sahih). A modern reference gives 632 CE 31. Ibn Kathir calls the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal the well-known date, and lists the 1st and the 2nd 30. | Monday and year agreed; the day of the month is not |
| Aged 63 | 'Aisha, Anas and Ibn Abbas say 63 (Sahih al-Bukhari 3536, Sahih Muslim 2348 and 2351, all graded sahih). Anas also says 60 (Sahih Muslim 2347) and Ibn Abbas 65 (Sahih Muslim 2353, graded sahih). Ibn Kathir says the Arabs often drop the fraction, so Anas's sixty does not contradict 63 30. | Uncertain: 63, 60 or 65 |
Which dates are firm, and which are uncertain?
Agreed in the reports used
- He was born on a Monday (Sahih Muslim 1162, graded sahih).
- Revelation came at forty (Sahih al-Bukhari 3851).
- He reached Madinah on a Monday in Rabi' al-Awwal (Sahih al-Bukhari 3906).
- He died on a Monday (Sahih al-Bukhari 1387), in year eleven 30.
Differing in the sources
- The night of his birth and when his father died.
- His age at marriage, and the date of Khadijah's death.
- The length of the Makkan years: 13, 10 or 15.
- The day of the arrival in Madinah, and of his death.
- His age at death: 63, 60 or 65.
Al-Suhayli objected that the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal cannot have been a Monday in year eleven, since 'Arafah in year ten was a Friday. Ibn Kathir answers that the moon may have been sighted a day apart in Makkah and Madinah 30. The full set of views is in Where do the sources differ on dates and his age?
Which books does this timeline use?
These are the books the timeline cites. Each fact above names the one it came from.
- Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim: hadith collections, each report with its grade in the sources list.
- Ibn Hisham's al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah: Ibn Hisham (died 213 AH) abridging the work of Ibn Ishaq (died 151 AH) 27.
- Ibn Kathir's al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah (Ibn Kathir died 774 AH), which lists the reported dates of birth and death 30.
- Al-Mubarakpuri's al-Rahiq al-Makhtum, a modern seerah (al-Mubarakpuri died 1427 AH) 28.
- Ibn Faris, Mu'jam Maqayis al-Lughah (died 395 AH), on the root of sirah 20.
- Al-Dhahabi's Siyar a'lam al-nubala' (al-Dhahabi died 748 AH), for the dates and reports he gives 26.
- The BBC Religions guide to the Prophet's dates, for the three Common Era years (570, 622 and 632) 31.
For years I knew the Prophet's life as separate stories: the cave, the Hijrah, Badr. The first time I saw it in order was on a long roll of paper a teacher stuck along the classroom wall. Walking along it, I realised how much I had out of sequence.
Try it: three questions
Pick an answer; each one explains itself.
1In which report does the Prophet say Monday was the day he was born?
Answer: Sahih Muslim 1162. Asked about fasting on Mondays, he said it was the day he was born. The other two reports are about the arrival in Madinah and his death. Source 1
2How long before the Hijrah did Khadijah die, according to 'Urwa in Sahih al-Bukhari 3896?
Answer: Three years. 'Urwa ibn al-Zubayr says three years before the Prophet left for Madinah. Other books give other dates, so this row is marked uncertain. Source 12
3Which came first, Hudaybiyyah or the conquest of Makkah?
Answer: Hudaybiyyah. Ibn Hisham dates Hudaybiyyah to the end of year six and the conquest of Makkah to Ramadan of year eight.
Sources
Every claim on this page comes from one of these. Gradings are reported with the scholar's name; we do not grade hadith ourselves.
- 1
Asked about fasting on Monday, the Prophet said it was the day he was born and the day he was sent, or revelation came down to him.
Sahih Muslim 1162 Book 13, Hadith 253
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 2
'Aisha described how revelation began: true dreams, then worship alone in the cave of Hira, where the angel came, told him to read three times, and gave him the opening verses of Surah Al-Alaq; he returned to Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her, who took him to Waraqa ibn Nawfal.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3 Book 1, Hadith 3
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 3
Ibn Abbas said revelation came to the Prophet when he was forty; he stayed thirteen years, was then commanded to emigrate, emigrated to Madinah, stayed there ten years and then died.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3851 Book 63, Hadith 76
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 4
Anas ibn Malik said Allah sent the Prophet at the head of forty years; he stayed ten years in Makkah and ten in Madinah, and Allah took him at the head of sixty years.
Sahih Muslim 2347 Book 43, Hadith 147
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 5
Ibn Abbas said the Prophet stayed in Makkah thirteen years and died aged sixty-three.
Sahih Muslim 2351 Book 43, Hadith 154
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 6
Ibn Abbas counted the Prophet's life as forty years before he was sent, fifteen in Makkah 'in safety and in fear', and ten after his emigration to Madinah.
Sahih Muslim 2353a Book 43, Hadith 158
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 7
Ibn Abbas said the Prophet died aged sixty-five.
Sahih Muslim 2353 Book 43, Hadith 160
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 8
Anas ibn Malik said the Prophet died aged sixty-three, as did Abu Bakr and 'Umar.
Sahih Muslim 2348 Book 43, Hadith 149
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 9
'Aisha said the Prophet died aged sixty-three.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3536 Book 61, Hadith 45
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 10
Ibn Abbas said that when Ash-Shu'ara 26:214, on warning his nearest kindred, was revealed, the Prophet climbed as-Safa, called the clans of Quraysh together and warned them of a severe punishment.
Sahih al-Bukhari 4770 Book 65, Hadith 292
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 11
'Aisha's account of the emigration: after the Prophet was given permission to emigrate, he and Abu Bakr left and hid in a cave on Mount Thawr for three nights before setting out with a hired guide.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3905 Book 63, Hadith 130
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 12
'Urwa ibn al-Zubayr said Khadijah died three years before the Prophet left for Madinah.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3896 Book 63, Hadith 121
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 13
'Urwa ibn al-Zubayr reported that the Prophet reached Banu 'Amr ibn 'Awf on a Monday in Rabi' al-Awwal, stayed more than ten nights while the mosque founded on piety was founded, then rode on until his camel knelt at the site of his mosque in Madinah, which he then built.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3906 Book 63, Hadith 131
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 14
Sahl ibn Sa'd said the companions counted the years neither from the Prophet's mission nor from his death, but from his arrival in Madinah.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3934 Book 63, Hadith 159
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 15
Jabir ibn 'Abdullah said the Prophet stayed nine years without making Hajj, then announced in the tenth year that he would make Hajj, and a great many people came to Madinah to follow him.
Sahih Muslim 1218 Book 15, Hadith 159
Authentic: in Sahih Muslim
- 16
'Umar ibn al-Khattab said the verse of Al-Maidah 5:3 on the perfecting of the religion was revealed to the Prophet while he stood at 'Arafah, on a Friday.
Sahih al-Bukhari 45 Book 2, Hadith 38
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 17
'Aisha said the Prophet died in her house, on her day, resting against her chest; wiping his face with water he said 'There is no god but Allah; death has its agonies', then raised his hand saying 'with the highest companion' until he died.
Sahih al-Bukhari 4449 Book 64, Hadith 469
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 18
'Aisha told Abu Bakr that the Prophet died on a Monday.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1387 Book 23, Hadith 139
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 19
'Aisha said the Prophet died on her day, between her chest and throat, and was buried in her house.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1389 Book 23, Hadith 141
Authentic: in Sahih al-Bukhari
- 20
The root s-y-r as going on, travelling by night or by day, and al-sirah as the way.
Ahmad ibn Faris (d. 395 AH), Mu'jam Maqayis al-Lughah, vol. 3, p. 120, entry 'syr' (shamela.ws book 21710, page id 1189) Read on 27 October 2026. Record: scholarly-ibnfaris-sayr-root.
- 21
Ibn Ishaq's date of birth (Monday, 12 Rabi' al-Awwal, Year of the Elephant) and his father's death before the birth, with the editors' note on that death.
'Abd al-Malik ibn Hisham (d. 213 AH), abridging Muhammad ibn Ishaq (d. 151 AH), al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah (Sirat Ibn Hisham), vol. 1, p. 158 (birth date; death of 'Abdullah) and p. 159 (Qays ibn Makhramah's report) Read on 21 October 2026. Record: scholarly-ibnhisham-birth. Footnotes are the edition's editors', not the author's.
- 22
Ibn Kathir's list of the reported nights and years of the birth, with Monday agreed.
Isma'il ibn Kathir (d. 774 AH), al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, vol. 2, pp. 319 to 321 (Bab mawlid Rasul Allah) Read on 21 October 2026. Record: scholarly-ibnkathir-birth-date.
- 23
The deaths of his mother Aminah (at six) and his grandfather 'Abd al-Muttalib (at eight).
'Abd al-Malik ibn Hisham (d. 213 AH), abridging Muhammad ibn Ishaq (d. 151 AH), al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah (Sirat Ibn Hisham), vol. 1, p. 168 (death of Aminah) and p. 169 (death of 'Abd al-Muttalib) Read on 21 October 2026. Record: scholarly-ibnhisham-childhood. Footnotes are the edition's editors', not the author's.
- 24
The marriage to Khadijah at twenty-five, with the editors' notes on other ages.
'Abd al-Malik ibn Hisham (d. 213 AH), abridging Muhammad ibn Ishaq (d. 151 AH), al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah (Sirat Ibn Hisham), vol. 1, pp. 187 and 190, with the editors' footnotes on pp. 187, 189 and 190 Read on 26 October 2026. Record: scholarly-ibnhisham-khadijah-marriage. Footnotes are the edition's editors', not the author's.
- 25
Khadijah's death in Ramadan of the tenth year of the prophethood.
Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri (d. 1427 AH), al-Rahiq al-Makhtum, p. 104 (section on Khadijah's death), footnotes 1 to 3 Read on 26 October 2026. Record: scholarly-mubarakpuri-khadijah-death.
- 26
The accounts of when Khadijah died, which the Ilmwell team finds disagree with one another.
Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Dhahabi (d. 748 AH), Siyar a'lam al-nubala', vol. 2, pp. 111 to 112 Read on 26 October 2026. Record: scholarly-dhahabi-khadijah-death.
- 27
Ibn Ishaq's date for the arrival in Madinah: Monday, 12 Rabi' al-Awwal, aged 53.
'Abd al-Malik ibn Hisham (d. 213 AH), abridging Muhammad ibn Ishaq (d. 151 AH), al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah (Sirat Ibn Hisham), vol. 1, p. 590 (section 'Tarikh al-Hijrah') Read on 21 October 2026. Record: scholarly-ibnhisham-hijrah.
- 28
The arrival at Quba on Monday, 8 Rabi' al-Awwal, the first year of the Hijrah.
Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri (d. 1427 AH), al-Rahiq al-Makhtum, p. 154 (section 'al-Nuzul bi-Quba'), footnote 4 citing Rahmatan lil-'Alamin 1/102 Read on 24 October 2026. Record: scholarly-mubarakpuri-quba-arrival.
- 29
Hudaybiyyah (end of year six), the conquest of Makkah (Ramadan, year eight) and the departure for the Farewell Pilgrimage.
'Abd al-Malik ibn Hisham (d. 213 AH), abridging Muhammad ibn Ishaq (d. 151 AH), al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah (Sirat Ibn Hisham), vol. 2, p. 308 (Hudaybiyyah), p. 389 (conquest of Makkah), p. 601 (Farewell Pilgrimage) Read on 21 October 2026. Record: scholarly-ibnhisham-madinah-dates.
- 30
The reported dates of his death in Rabi' al-Awwal, year eleven, al-Suhayli's objection, and the sixty and sixty-three.
Isma'il ibn Kathir (d. 774 AH), al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, vol. 5, pp. 276 to 278 (fi dhikr al-waqt alladhi tuwuffiya fihi) Read on 21 October 2026. Record: scholarly-ibnkathir-death-date.
- 31
The Common Era years: born 570, the Hijrah 622, death 632.
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), BBC Religions, Page last updated 2011-07-08 (archived religion guide, still online) Read on 21 October 2026. Record: reference-bbc-prophet-dates.
- Q
Quran Arabic and English for Al-Alaq 96:1 to 3, and the English phrases quoted from Ash-Shu'ara 26:214 and Al Imran 3:123.
Tanzil Project Uthmani text, CC BY 3.0. English: adapted from Marmaduke Pickthall's translation (1930), modernised and checked against modern translations.
Next
- The Prophet Muhammad: his life and familyBiography
- The Hijrah: what happened and why it mattersBiography
- Khadijah bint Khuwaylid: her lifeBiography
- Bilal ibn Rabah: life and lessonsGuide
- The farewell sermon: words, sources and themesGuide
- Surah Fatah (Al-Fath): meaning, themes and contextQuran lesson
- The Prophets and Islamic historyThe hub
- The Battle of Badr: the account and its sourcesExplainer
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