Muhammad was born in approximately **570 CE** into the clan of **Banu Hashim**, a respected but financially poorer branch of the ruling Quraysh tribe of Mecca. His young father, ‘Abdullah, died while away on a trading expedition before Muhammad was born. His mother, Aminah, and an African maidservant named Barakah, moved to the home of his paternal grandfather, marking the beginning of a life defined by loss and resilience.

The Desert Upbringing

Following the custom of Meccan mothers, Muhammad was sent into the countryside to live with a foster family when he was less than a year old. This practice, lasting about five years, was intended to instill the pure Arabic language, hardy disposition, and strong morality of the desert into the child’s personality. In the care of his Bedouin foster mother and her eldest daughter, the boy grew into a healthy, well-groomed, and remarkably **articulate** individual. When he was finally returned to his mother, he had truly absorbed the character of the desert—a trait highly valued by the town-dwellers, who feared losing touch with their ancestral ways.

Double Orphanage and Devastating Loss

Muhammad enjoyed the favor of his elderly grandfather, ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib, who loved him dearly and treated him like his own lost son, ‘Abdullah. The young boy was often permitted to sit beside his grandfather during city council meetings and even to perch in his lap. Tragedy struck again when Muhammad was about six years old. His mother, Aminah, took him and Barakah on a long journey to the northern city of Yathrib (later Madinah) to visit the grave of her departed husband.

On the arduous return journey, Aminah fell desperately ill with a debilitating fever. The trio abandoned the caravan, and Barakah pitched a tent by the trail where the boy watched his mother slowly pass away. Before her death, Aminah extracted a solemn promise from Barakah: never to leave Muhammad and always to care for him. After burying his mother by the side of the trail, the small boy, now doubly orphaned, returned somberly to Mecca with his devoted maidservant.

A Shepherd in the Wilderness

Muhammad’s frail grandfather felt deeply for the boy, but knowing his own time was short, he secured a pledge from his son, **Abu Talib**, to take the boy in and look after him should he pass away. A year later, the grandfather died, and Muhammad, a boy of about eight years old, found himself in his uncle’s poor and crowded house.

With many mouths to feed, Muhammad was given the difficult chore of minding **Abu Talib’s flock of sheep** in the hardscrabble hills outside the city. Thus, Muhammad spent over a decade as a full-time shepherd, often alone in the wilderness. This solitude and responsibility likely contributed to the development of his contemplative and introspective character.

The First Glimpse of the World

The only significant adventure that interrupted this hard life was when Muhammad, at the age of twelve, was permitted (after much begging) to accompany his uncle on a trading expedition to the city of **Bosra in Syria**. He was assigned the arduous task of minding the caravan animals. In the exotic lands of the north, the twelve-year-old boy saw the wider world for the first time—the advanced civilizations, the settled Christian communities, and the varied cultures. This experience made an impression on him that would last a lifetime.