The Birth of Muhammad

570 CE. The birth of Muhammad, the founder of Islam, in Mecca. He was born to Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib and Amina bint Wahb in what is known in Islamic history as the "Year of the Elephant." His father died before his birth while returning from a trading journey, and he would later be raised by his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib and then his uncle Abu Talib after his mother died when he was six years old. Muhammad was born into the Banu Hashim clan of the influential Quraysh tribe, the guardians of the Kaaba in Mecca.