Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) started working for a wealthy businesswoman named Khadijah in his early 20s. Khadijah was 15 years older than Muhammad.
She was attracted to this young, accomplished man right away and made a marriage proposal.
He agreed, and the happy pair had numerous children over time.
Although not all survived to adulthood, one, Fatima, would wed Ali ibn Abi Talib, Prophet Muhammad's cousin.
According to Islamic history, his wife Khadija and his close companion Abu Bakr were the first people to believe (regarded as the successor to Muhammad by Sunni Muslims).
Muhammad soon started to amass a tiny following and at first faced little pushback.
He was mostly disregarded or scorned at Mecca by locals who saw him as simply another prophet.
However, many of Mecca's tribal elders started to view Muhammad and his message as a danger when it denounced idolatry and polytheism.
Along with going against long-held beliefs, the condemnation of idolatry had financial repercussions for businesses that served to the tens of thousands of pilgrims who visited Mecca annually.
Those belonging to Muhammad's own clan, the Quraysh, who served as the protectors of the Kaaba. Mecca's officials and businesspeople gave Muhammad incentives to stop preaching when they sensed a threat, but he refused.