TIME

Birth of Islam

c. 610 CE

Two leaves of the Birmingham Qur’an manuscript, with brown ink in an early Hijazi script on pale, worn parchment.

Recorded HistoryBirth of Islam

The first revelation, by tradition.

According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad of Mecca received the first revelations of the Qur’an around 610 CE in a cave on Mount Hira. Islam begins with his preaching.

The date is traditional, since the earliest biographies came generations later. The manuscript shown dates to 568 to 645.

c. 610 CE, placed on the scale of its era on a line leading toward now.

Era
Recorded History
Period
c. 610 CE
Edition
1/1
Status
Not Released
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Background artwork

Cinematic background showing a mountain near Mecca at dawn. An illustration generated with an AI image tool for TIME. It is an artistic depiction, not a photograph or a record of the moment. No people are shown. The scene is imagined.