When and Where Did Islam Begin? The Origins and History of Islam

Islam began in the early 7th century CE, on the Arabian Peninsula, in and around the cities of Mecca and Medina in the region of the Hijaz — today part of Saudi Arabia. Its starting point is traditionally dated to the year 610 CE, when Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ received the first revelation of the Quran. This article explains when and where Islam began, who Muslims believe brought it, and how it grew from a single city into one of the world's major religions.

What Does the Word "Islam" Mean?

The word Islam comes from the Arabic root s-l-m, which carries the meanings of peace, safety and submission. Islam means the willing submission or surrender to the one God, and a Muslim is simply "one who submits" to God. Understanding this helps explain the faith's central idea: that true peace comes through devoting oneself to the Creator. It also clears up a common confusion — "Islam" is the name of the religion, while "Muslim" is the word for a person who follows it.

Where Did Islam Begin?

Islam began in western Arabia, in the trade-connected region of the Hijaz. Two cities are central to its origin. The first is Mecca (Makkah), the birthplace of Muhammad ﷺ and home to the Kaaba — an ancient house of worship that Muslims believe was raised by the Prophets Abraham (Ibrahim) and Ishmael (Ismail). The second is Medina (originally called Yathrib), the city to which the early Muslims migrated and where the first Muslim community was established. Both cities lie in present-day Saudi Arabia, and both remain the two holiest places in Islam.

When Did Islam Begin?

Two dates matter. Muslims trace the beginning of Islam to 610 CE, the year of the first revelation, when Muhammad ﷺ was about forty years old. The second key date is 622 CE, the year of the Hijra — the migration from Mecca to Medina — which was later chosen as the start of the Islamic (Hijri) calendar. Counting from the first revelation, Islam is more than 1,400 years old. Historians likewise place the emergence of Islam as a distinct faith in this same early-7th-century period.

Who Founded Islam? The Muslim Understanding

From a historical standpoint, Islam as a distinct religion emerged through the mission of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (approximately 570–632 CE). Muslims themselves, however, do not regard Muhammad ﷺ as the founder or inventor of a new religion. They believe that Islam — submission to the one God — is the original faith of all the prophets, from Adam through Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, and that Muhammad ﷺ was the final prophet sent to renew and complete that same message. In this view, Muhammad ﷺ did not create Islam but delivered its final revelation to humanity.

The Beginning in Mecca

According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad ﷺ would withdraw to meditate in the Cave of Hira, on a mountain outside Mecca. There, in 610 CE, the angel Gabriel (Jibril) appeared and brought the first words of the Quran, opening with the command "Read!" (Iqra). Over roughly the next thirteen years he called the people of Mecca to the worship of one God. This message challenged the city's idol-worship and social hierarchy, and the early Muslims — many of them poor, enslaved or without tribal protection — faced growing persecution.

The Hijra: The Turning Point

In 622 CE, facing severe hostility in Mecca, Muhammad ﷺ and his followers migrated north to Medina. This event, the Hijra, was so pivotal that it — rather than the first revelation or the Prophet's birth — was later chosen as year one of the Islamic calendar. In Medina, Muhammad ﷺ became both a spiritual and a civic leader: he drew up an agreement organising the city's tribes and its Jewish and Muslim communities, and established the first society ordered by the teachings of Islam.

The Return to Mecca and the Prophet's Passing

Over the following years the community in Medina grew in numbers and strength. In 630 CE Muhammad ﷺ returned to Mecca, which came under Muslim control largely without bloodshed; the Kaaba was cleared of its idols and rededicated to the worship of the one God. Muhammad ﷺ died in 632 CE in Medina, by which time much of the Arabian Peninsula had embraced Islam. In little more than two decades, a small, persecuted group had become the foundation of a lasting faith and civilisation.

How Did Islam Spread So Quickly?

After the Prophet's death, the community was led by a succession of leaders known as the Rashidun (Rightly Guided) Caliphs. Within about a century, Muslim rule reached from Spain in the west, across North Africa and the Middle East, to Persia and Central Asia. Its spread came through several channels at once: the expansion of Muslim states, far-reaching trade networks that carried the faith into Africa and Asia, and the influence of scholars and mystics (Sufis). Religious conversion, however, was often gradual — unfolding over generations through contact, commerce and administration rather than sudden mass conversion — in keeping with the Quranic principle, "There is no compulsion in religion" (Quran 2:256). In the centuries that followed, this expansion gave rise to a flourishing civilisation with major centres of learning in cities such as Baghdad, Córdoba and Cairo, where scholars preserved and advanced knowledge in mathematics, astronomy, medicine and philosophy — work that would later shape the wider world.

How Old Is Islam Today?

Measured from the first revelation in 610 CE, Islam is more than 1,400 years old. Today it is the world's second-largest religion, with close to two billion followers — roughly a quarter of the global population — living on every continent. Notably, the largest Muslim populations today are found not in the Arab world where the faith began, but in South and Southeast Asia, in countries such as Indonesia, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

A Short Timeline of Islam's Beginnings

• c. 570 CE — Muhammad ﷺ is born in Mecca.
• 610 CE — The first revelation in the Cave of Hira; Islam begins.
• 622 CE — The Hijra to Medina; year one of the Islamic calendar.
• 630 CE — Mecca comes under Muslim control; the Kaaba is rededicated.
• 632 CE — The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ passes away in Medina.
• 632 CE onward — The Rashidun Caliphs lead a rapid expansion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who founded Islam?

Historically, Islam emerged through the mission of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the 7th century. Muslims, however, regard him as the final prophet who renewed the original monotheism taught by earlier prophets, not as the inventor of a new religion.

When exactly did Islam begin?

Muslims date its beginning to 610 CE, the year of the first revelation. The Islamic calendar, however, counts its years from 622 CE, the year of the migration (Hijra) to Medina.

Where did Islam originate?

In western Arabia, in the cities of Mecca and Medina, in the region known as the Hijaz — today part of Saudi Arabia.

How did Islam spread so far?

Through the expansion of Muslim states, wide trade networks, and the influence of scholars and Sufis, with conversion usually taking place gradually over generations rather than all at once.