The periods and stages of the Prophet's call

Al-Rahiq al-Makhtum divides the period of the Prophetic call into two phases that are wholly distinct from one another: the Meccan phase of about thirteen years, and the Medinan phase of ten full years. ¹

The author divides the Meccan phase into three stages: the stage of the secret call, which lasted three years; the stage of announcing the call to the people of Mecca, from the beginning of the fourth year of prophethood to the end of the tenth year; and the stage of calling outside Mecca and its spread, from the end of the tenth year until the Hijra to Medina. ¹ He promises to detail the stages of the Medinan phase in their place. ¹

The author says that each phase includes stages, each with characteristics that distinguish it, and that this becomes clear on careful consideration of the circumstances through which the call passed. ¹

• The division is the author's own, and it is the frame of the whole book from here to the Hijra. The event cards use it for linking, not as an independent historical fact.