As a boy he herded sheep for the people of Makkah for a small wage, work he later said every prophet had done. As a young man he travelled with Abu Talib’s caravans to Syria and learned trade.

He took part in Hilf al-Fudul, a pact among Makkan clans to stand up for anyone wronged in the city, regardless of their tribe. Even after prophethood he said he would still answer such a call.

His honesty and reliability were so well known that Quraysh called him al-Sadiq al-Amin — the truthful, the trustworthy — and left their valuables with him. Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, a noble and wealthy merchant, hired him to lead her caravan to Syria. Impressed by his character, she proposed marriage, and they married when he was about twenty-five. Theirs was a marriage of deep love and support.

When he was about thirty-five, Quraysh rebuilt the Kaʿbah. The clans nearly came to blows over who would have the honour of setting the Black Stone back in place. They agreed to let the next man to enter decide, and it was Muhammad ﷺ. He placed the stone on a cloth, had a leader from each clan lift a corner, and set it in place with his own hands — a wise solution that kept the peace.

In the years before prophethood he increasingly sought solitude, retreating to the Cave of Hira on Jabal al-Nur to reflect and worship.