Before I Get Started 1: A little history of Mohammed

I enter into this study of the Koran and Islam as a complete novice, a learner. I know so very little about the religion and the prophet and the sacred writings.

I should start this process by saying that I am reading the following version of the Koran - The Koran. More about this version later.

From the timeline given in the version I am reading, this is some history of the prophet Mohammed.

Born in the year 570, his father died a few months prior to his birth, thus he never met his father. His mother died when he was age 6.

In the year 595, at the age of 25, he married Khadijah.

In the year 610 began his call.

In the 619, Khadijah died. Lots of loss in this guy's life. The people closest to him were taken by untimely deaths.

The next year was Mohammed's"Night Journey" (Don't know what this means) that apparently took him from Mecca to Jerusalem and then to the 7th Heaven. Brings up thoughts of the apostle Paul taking a trip to, what was it, the 3rd Heaven? I don't understand what these many Heaven's means. Almost sounds like the inverse of levels of Hell found in Eastern religions and Dante's writings.

Following this are several references to war and treaties and people put to the sword and so on that I will not enumerate here.

Mohammed took a trip to mecca in 632. It was his farewell pilgrimmage. One of the main diciplines for muslims is a pilgrimmage to Mecca in their lifetime.

Mohammed died in that same year, 3 months after a trip to Medina.