Muhammad was the founder of Islam, one of the world's major religions, born around 570 CE in the Arabian city of Mecca. Muslims believe that when Muhammad was about 40 years old, he began receiving revelations from God (called Allah in Arabic) through the angel Gabriel. These revelations, which continued for about 23 years, were later compiled into Islam's holy book, the Quran.

Today, Muhammad is considered the final prophet by Muslims, who number about 1.8 billion people worldwide. Many Muslims say “peace be upon him” after mentioning his name as a sign of respect.