The tribe's power kept growing until they had become the masters and acknowledged guardians of Kaaba, a sacred place within the town of Mecca. Kaaba was a place where heathen Arabs, with all their offerings and tributes, made annual pilgrimages to. Because of this, it was fairly easy for Mohammed to establish his political and religious campaigns, which in turn eventually led to the conquest of all Arabia and the merging of the numerous Arab tribes into one nation with one religion, one law, and one sanctuary.
Mohammed was the son of Abdallah, born into the family of Hashim. Abdallah soon died after his son's birth. At the age of six, Mohammed also lost his mother and was taken in by his uncle Abu-Talib, who took care of him. Mohammed spent his early years as a shepherd and a caravan attendant. He married a rich widow when he was twenty-five and Khadeejah, the rich widow, fifteen years his senior. To him she bore six children, all of which died young except Mohammed's beloved daughter Fatima.
On his journeys with caravans to Syria and Palestine he became acquainted with Jews and Christians. He formed an imperfect understanding of their religions and traditions. He, being a man of reserved temperament and an addict to prayer and fasting, was subject to epilepsy. When he was forty, he claimed to have received a calling from the Lord's angel Gabriel himself, and this is how he began his active career as a prophet of Allah and the apostle of Arabia. His converts numbered about forty in all: which included his wife, daughter, father-in-law, adopted son, and his slave. Through his preaching he attacked heathenism. These attacks led to persecution and his flight from Mecca to Medina in 622 A.D. This flight marked the beginning of the Mohammedan Era and is known as the year of the Hejira (or flight). At medina he was recognized almost immediately as a prophet of god, and his followers increased.