Muhammad was born in the city of Mecca. Because the climate of Mecca was considered to be unhealthful, he was given as an infant to a wet nurse from a nomadic tribe and spent some time in the desert as a wanderer. By the time he was eight he lost both his mother and his grandfather. Muhammad came under the care of a famous trader named Abu Talib, and is reputed to have accompanied him on trading journeys to Syria. About 595, on such a journey, he was in charge of the merchandise of a rich woman, Khadijah , and so impressed her that she offered marriage. She is said to have been about 40, but she bore Muhammad a