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  Muhammad's Call to Prophecy and the First Revelation; Leaf from a copy of the Majma^c al-tawarikh (Compendium of Histories), ca. 1425; Timurid
  Herat, Afghanistan
  Colors, silver, and gilt on brownish paper; 16 7/8 x 13 1/4 in. (42.8 x 33.7 cm)
  Cora Timken Burnett Collection of Persian Miniatures and Other Persian Art Objects, Bequest of Cora Timken Burnett, 1956 (57.51.37.3)
  
• 
  Journey of the Prophet Muhammad; Leaf from a copy of the Majma^c al-tawarikh (Compendium of Histories), ca. 1425; Timurid
  Herat, Afghanistan
  Colors, silver, and gilt on brownish paper; 16 7/8 x 13 in. (42.8 x 33 cm)
  Cora Timken Burnett Collection of Persian Miniatures and Other Persian Art Objects, Bequest of Cora Timken Burnett, 1956 (57.51.9)
  
• 
  The Mi'raj, or, The Night Flight of Muhammad on his Steed Buraq: Folio from a Bustan of Sa'di, Safavid period (1501–1722), ca. 1525–35
  Calligrapher: Sultan Muhammad Nur (ca. 1472–ca. 1536)
  Present-day Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, probably Bukhara and Herat
  Ink, gold, and colors on paper; page: H. 11 in. (27.9 cm), W. 7 1/4 in. (18.4 cm)
  Purchase, Louis V. Bell Fund and The Vincent Astor Foundation Gift, 1974 (1974.294.2)
  
• 
  Leaf from Futuh al-Haramain (Description of the Two Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina), mid-16th century; Ottoman
  Probably Turkey
  Ink, colors, and gold on paper; 8 3/8 x 5 1/4 in. (21.3 x 13.3 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1932 (32.131)
  
• 
  Prophet Muhammad Preaching: Folio from the Maqtal-i Al-i Rasul of Lami'i Chelebi, Ottoman period (ca. 1299–1923), late 16th century
  Turkey or Iraq
  Ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper; H. 7 13/16 in. (19.8 cm), W. 6 1/16 in. (15.4 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1955 (55.121.40)
  

Born in Mecca, in western Arabia, Muhammad (ca. 570–632), last in the line of Judeo-Christian prophets, received his first revelation in 610. Muslims believe that the word of God was revealed to him by the archangel Gabriel in Arabic, who said, "Recite in the name of thy Lord …" (Sura 96). These revelations were subsequently collected and codified as the Qur’an (literally "recitation" in Arabic), the Muslim holy book. As the source of Muslim faith and practice, the Qur’an describes the relationship between an almighty and all-knowing God and his creations. The Qur’an also maintains that all individuals are responsible for their actions, for which they will be judged by God, and so it provides guidelines for proper behavior within the framework of a just and equitable society.

Because it is through writing that the Qur'an is transmitted, the Arabic script was first transformed and beautified in order that it might be worthy of divine revelation.

Related

Timelines (29)

• Anatolia and the Caucasus, 1000–1400 a.d.
• Arabian Peninsula, 1000–1400 a.d.
• Arabian Peninsula, 500–1000 a.d.
• Central and North Asia, 1000–1400 a.d.
• Central and North Asia, 500–1000 a.d.
• China, 500–1000 a.d.
• Eastern and Southern Africa, 500–1000 a.d.
• Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, 500–1000 a.d.
• Egypt, 1000–1400 a.d.
• Egypt, 500–1000 a.d.
• Himalayan Region, 1000–1400 a.d.
• Himalayan Region, 500–1000 a.d.
• Iberian Peninsula, 1000–1400 a.d.
• Iberian Peninsula, 500–1000 a.d.
• Iran, 1–500 a.d.
• Iran, 500–1000 a.d.
• Iraq (Mesopotamia) 500–1000 a.d.
• Iraq, 1000–1400 a.d.
• Italian Peninsula, 1000–1400 a.d.
• Italian Peninsula, 500–1000 a.d.
• South Asia: North, 1000–1400 a.d.
• South Asia: North, 500–1000 a.d.
• South Asia: South, 1000–1400 a.d.
• South Asia: South, 500–1000 a.d.
• Southeast Asia, 1400–1600 a.d.
• The Eastern Mediterranean, 1000–1400 a.d.
• The Eastern Mediterranean, 500–1000 a.d.
• Western North Africa (The Maghrib), 1000–1400 a.d.
• Western North Africa (The Maghrib), 500–1000 a.d.

Primary Thematic Essays (3)

• Calligraphy in Islamic Art
• The Nature of Islamic Art
• Trade and the Spread of Islam in Africa

Other Thematic Essays (37)

• Astronomy and Astrology in the Medieval Islamic World
• Byzantine Art under Islam
• Commercial Exchange, Diplomacy, and Religious Difference between Venice and the Islamic world
• Constantinople after 1261
• Figural Representation in Islamic Art
• Gandhara
• Geometric Patterns in Islamic Art
• Icons and Iconoclasm in Byzantium
• Inland Niger Delta
• Islamic Arms and Armor
• List of Rulers of the Islamic World
• Medieval Aquamanilia
• Modern Art in West and East Pakistan
• The Mantiq al-Tayr of 1487
• The Age of Süleyman "the Magnificent"
• The Art of the Almoravid and Almohad Periods (ca. 1062–1269)
• The Art of the Fatimid Period (909–1171)
• The Art of the Ilkhanid Period (1256–1353)
• The Art of the Mughals after 1600 A.D.
• The Art of the Mughals before 1600 A.D.
• The Art of the Nasrid Period (1232–1492)
• The Art of the Ottomans before 1600
• The Art of the Safavids before 1600
• The Art of the Seljuq Period in Anatolia (1081–1307)
• The Art of the Timurid Period (ca. 1370–1507)
• The Art of the Umayyad Period (661–750)
• The Crusades (1095–1291)
• The Damascus Room
• The Empires of the Western Sudan: Songhai Empire
• The Lute
• The Metropolitan Museum's Excavations at Nishapur
• The Religious Arts under the Ilkhanids
• The Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp
• The Year One
• Trade and Commercial Activity in the Byzantine and early Islamic Middle East
• Turkmen Jewelry
• Vegetal Patterns in Islamic Art

Maps (1)

• World, 500-1000 A.D.

Index Terms (19)

Art Movement/Style

• Sasanian Empire of the Ancient Near East

Artist

• Sultan Muhammad Nur (Uzbekistani, active first half of 16th century)
• Sultan Muhammad Nur (Uzbekistani, active first half of 16th century)

Geography/Place

• Islamic World
• Arabian Peninsula
• The Eastern Mediterranean
• Iraq

Material and Technique

• Calligraphy from Central and North Asia
• Calligraphy from West Asia
• Gilt Silver
• Gold Leaf
• Miniature Painting from Central and North Asia
• Miniature Painting from West Asia

Object

• Mosque Architecture
• Islamic Manuscript

Subject Matter/Theme

• Muhammad
• Liturgical Books
• Islamic Book
• Islamic Calligraphy

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At this time, Mecca was a prosperous city whose wealth and influence were based on the caravan trade and on the Ka^cba, a shrine and a place of pilgrimage housing the pagan deities then being worshipped by the Arabs. Muhammad's message, heralding a new socio-religious order based on allegiance to one god—Allah—was unpopular among the leaders of Mecca, and they forced Muhammad and his followers to emigrate north to the oasis town Yathrib (Medina). This occurred in 622, the year of the hijra, or "emigration," which marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. In Medina, Muhammad continued to attract followers and, within a few years, Mecca had also largely embraced Islam. Upon his return to Mecca, one of the Prophet's first acts was to cleanse the Ka^cba of its idols and rededicate the shrine to Allah.

Although Muhammad died in 632, his followers, led by a series of four caliphs (Arabic: khalifa, "successor") known as the Rightly Guided, continued to spread the message of Islam. Under their command, the Arab armies carried the new faith and leadership from the Arabian Peninsula to the shores of the Mediterranean and to the eastern reaches of Iran. The Arabs conquered Syria, Palestine, and Egypt from the Byzantine empire, while Iraq and Iran, the heart of the Sasanian empire, succumbed to their forces. Here in these lands, Islam fostered the development of a religious, political, and cultural commonwealth and the creation of a global empire.

While the full formation of a distinctive Islamic artistic language took several centuries, the seeds were sown during the Prophet's time. Because it is through writing that the Qur'an is transmitted, the Arabic script was first transformed and beautified in order that it might be worthy of divine revelation. Thus, calligraphy started to gain prominence, becoming essential also to Islamic ornament. In architecture, following the hijra, Muhammad's house in Medina developed into a center for the Muslim community and became the prototype for the mosque, the Muslim sanctuary for God. The early structure, known as the hypostyle mosque, included a columned hall oriented toward Mecca and an adjacent courtyard surrounded by a colonnade. The call to prayer was given from a rooftop (later the minaret was developed for this purpose). Essential elements of the mosque were a minbar (pulpit) for the Friday sermon and a mihrab (prayer niche) set in the wall oriented toward Mecca.

Citation Yalman, Suzan. "The Birth of Islam". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/isla/hd_isla.htm (October 2001) Further Reading Grabar, Oleg The Formation of Islamic Art. Rev. and enl. ed. . New Haven: Yale University Press, 1987. Hodgson, Marshall G. S. The Venture of Islam. 3 vols.. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1974. Related exhibitions and online features Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions)

These related Museum Bulletin or Journal articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship. Ettinghausen, Richard, and Marie Lukens Swietochowski "Islamic Painting." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 36, no. 2 (Autumn, 1978). JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs "Director’s Note" PDF "Introduction" PDF