It is difficult to separate myth from history in the early life of Muhammad. However, there appear to have been two main reasons why he was rejected in his hometown of Mecca. One is simply that he was not taken seriously. He was illiterate and owed what status he had to the wealth of his wife, Khadija.

Those who did take Muhammad seriously, however, found much in his preaching to which they objected. Polytheism and idol worship both had long traditions in Mecca, and Muhammad's condemnation of these practices inevitably aroused hostility. After the death of both Khadija and Abu Talib in 619 CE, Muhammad was forced to recognize how vulnerable his position was, and by the time he embarked on the Hegira, his life was under immediate threat.

In Medina, Muhammad was unknown, a holy man with a large number of followers. He found a deeply divided city, in which both major factions had been fighting for a hundred years and were willing to welcome any arbitrator who could bring them peace. Muhammad's arrival at this opportune moment laid the foundation for his power. His first attempt at governing, drafting the Constitution of Medina, proved successful, and he quickly gained a reputation for wisdom and tolerance within the city.