Who were the earliest Muslims in early Islamic history?

Between 613 and 619 CE, the Islamic prophet Muhammad gathered a small following of early converts in Mecca who embraced his message of Islam. Khadija, Muhammad's wife, was the first person to profess Islam. While the identities of the earliest Muslims are known with some certainty, the exact chronological order and the identity of the first male Muslim remain subjects of discussion among different branches of Islam.

What we know

• From 613 to 619 CE, Muhammad gathered a small following of individuals in Mecca who embraced Islam and became known as early Muslims. [2]
• Muhammad's wife, Khadija, was the very first person to profess Islam. [2]
• Abu Bakr was among the earliest converts to Islam, preaching dawah to polytheists and acting as the first Muslim missionary. [3]

Still open

• The identity of the first male Muslim after Muhammad is disputed between Shia and Sunni branches.

Where to go next

• whoWho was Abu Bakr and what was his role?
• what caused itHow did the conflict between early Muslims and the Quraysh unfold?
• what followedWhat events defined the caliphate of Abu Bakr?
• the bigger pictureWhat are the wider lists of early Muslims?
• whenHow does the timeline of early Islamic expansion connect to these converts?
• an unexpected connectionHow did trade route raids shape early Islamic military conflicts?The sources show that early Muslims under Muhammad moved from a small persecuted religious group in Mecca to conducting frequent raids on Quraysh trade caravans from Medina.

Sources

• [1]Early Muslims (Wikidata Q4808320) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Early Muslims · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Abu Bakr · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Muslim–Quraysh War · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Caliphate of Abu Bakr · CC BY-SA 4.0