Early Life and Prophetic Mission of Muhammad ﷺ – Key Vocabulary

Forty vocabulary flashcards summarizing essential people, events, and concepts from the Prophet Muhammad’s early life, Meccan hardship, and Medinan achievements, designed to aid exam revision.

Quraysh

The leading tribe of Mecca; Prophet Muhammad’s clan, Banu Hashim, belonged to it.

Banu Hashim

A noble sub-clan of Quraysh known for guardianship of the Kaʿbah; the Prophet’s immediate family line.

Zamzam Well

Sacred spring in Mecca rediscovered by ʿAbdul-Muṭṭalib; its water washed the Prophet’s heart in childhood.

Year of the Elephant

Approx. 570 CE, when Abraha’s elephant army failed to destroy the Kaʿbah; year of the Prophet’s birth.

ʿAbdul-Muṭṭalib

Prophet’s grandfather who rediscovered Zamzam and led Quraysh during the ‘Year of the Elephant’.

Ḥalīmah Saʿdiyyah

Bedouin foster-mother who nursed Muhammad ﷺ; her household was blessed with abundance.

Abū Ṭālib

Uncle and guardian who protected Muhammad ﷺ during early prophethood despite not embracing Islam.

Chest-Opening (Shaqq al-Ṣadr)

Angel Jibrīl removed a black clot from the young Prophet’s heart, symbolizing purification from Satan.

Baḥīrā

Christian monk in Busrā who recognized signs of prophethood on 12-year-old Muhammad.

Seal of Prophethood

A physical mark between the Prophet’s shoulders identified by Baḥīrā as a sign of his mission.

Shepherding

The Prophet’s humble early job that taught patience, leadership, and care for others.

Khadījah bint Khuwaylid

Wealthy Meccan businesswoman who employed and later married Muhammad; first believer in Islam.

Ḥanīfs

Monotheists who kept the faith of Abraham and avoided idolatry in pre-Islamic Arabia.

Cave of Ḥirāʾ

Retreat on Jabal al-Nūr where the first Qur’anic revelation descended.

Sūrah al-ʿAlaq

First revealed verses beginning with “Read in the name of your Lord who created.”

Waraka ibn Nawfal

Scholarly cousin of Khadījah who confirmed the revelation came from the same angel sent to Moses.

Early Muslim Persecution

Physical and social oppression faced by early believers in Mecca for accepting monotheism.

Yāsir and Sumayyah

Family of early converts; Sumayyah became Islam’s first martyr after torture by Abū Jahl.

Bilāl ibn Rabāḥ

Former Abyssinian slave tortured for his faith; later the Prophet’s chosen muʾadhdhin (caller to prayer).

Migration to Abyssinia

First hijrah where persecuted Muslims sought refuge under the just Christian king Najāshī.

King Najāshī (Negus)

Righteous ruler of Abyssinia who granted asylum to Muslim refugees after Jafar’s speech.

Boycott of Banu Hāshim

Three-year economic and social siege imposed by Quraysh to starve the Prophet’s clan.

Shiʿb Abī Ṭālib

Valley in Mecca where the Prophet and supporters endured the Quraysh boycott.

ʿĀm al-Ḥuzn

“Year of Sorrow” in which Khadījah and Abū Ṭālib died, intensifying the Prophet’s trials.

Al-Isrāʾ

Night journey from al-Masjid al-Ḥarām (Mecca) to al-Masjid al-Aqṣā (Jerusalem).

Al-Miʿrāj

Prophet’s ascension through the heavens after al-Isrāʾ, meeting earlier prophets.

Burāq

Heavenly steed that carried the Prophet during the Night Journey.

Sidrat al-Muntahā

Lote tree marking the utmost boundary in the heavens reached by the Prophet.

Five Daily Prayers

Obligatory worship prescribed to the Muslim community during the Miʿrāj.

Hijrah

Prophet’s emigration from Mecca to Yathrib (Medina) in 622 CE; start of the Islamic calendar.

Cave of Thawr

Hideout where the Prophet and Abū Bakr stayed three nights during the Hijrah.

Surāqah ibn Mālik

Quraysh tracker promised the Persian emperor’s bracelets; later embraced Islam.

Incident of Ṭāʾif

Journey where the Prophet was stoned and rejected; he prayed for the town’s future guidance.

Battle of Badr

First major battle (2 AH) where 313 Muslims, aided by angels, defeated a larger Quraysh force.

Battle of Uḥud

3 AH clash where Muslim archers’ disobedience led to a Quraysh counter-attack and heavy losses.

Ḥamzah ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib

Prophet’s courageous uncle martyred at Uḥud; body was mutilated by Hind bint ʿUtbah.

Constitution of Medina

Charter drafted by the Prophet establishing rights and obligations of Muslims, Jews, and pagans.

Anṣār

Collective name for the Aws and Khazraj tribes who welcomed and supported the Prophet in Medina.

Aws and Khazraj

Two rival Medinan tribes united by Islam; became the Anṣār after the Prophet’s arrival.

Battle of Khandaq (Trench)

5 AH siege where Muslims, advised by Salmān al-Fārsī, dug a trench that foiled a 10,000-strong coalition.

Salmān al-Fārsī

Persian companion who proposed the trench strategy that secured victory in the Battle of Khandaq.