Beginning of Essay
Muhammad was born in the city of Mecca. Because the climate of Mecca was considered to be unhealthful, he was given as an infant to a wet nurse from a nomadic tribe and spent some time in the desert as a wanderer. By the time he was eight he lost both his mother ....

Middle of Essay
.... with the angel Gabriel) and heard a voice saying to him, "You are the Messenger of God." This marked the beginning of his career as messenger of God ( or Allah), or Prophet. From this time, at frequent intervals until his death, he received "revelations". Sometimes these were kept in memory by Muhammad and his followers, and sometimes they were written down. About 650 they were collected and written in the Qur'an (or Koran, the sacred scriptures of Islam), in the form that has endured through time. Muslims believed the Qur'an is divine revelation, written in the words of God himself. ....