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Muhammad, the founder of the religion of Islam, was born in Mecca as the son of a poor merchant. He was orphaned young and was raised by his uncle. Later he married a wealthy widow and began a succesful caravan buisiness.
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The total lifespan of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam.
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According to legend Muhammad was visted by the angel Gabriel at age 40. He was told that he was that last of gods prophets, and he began to spread the religion that comes to be called Islam, which worships Allah. The word Islam means submission, and the religion is about submission to God (or Allah).
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Muhammad tried to spread Islam in his home city of Mecca, but he met much hostility and persecution due to his rejection of the traditional polytheistic gods. He and his followers fled to Yathrib, which was later renamed Medina, and began spreading Islam and gaining followers. It comes to be called the 'hijra', and the year, year 622, became the first year on the Muslim calendar.
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Muhammad entered Mecca with a large group of his followers. They took over the city peacfully, though they had attacked many Meccan caravans in order to defeat the city. Muhammad went to the Kaaba, a large black building that housed all the idols of the gods, and destroyed every one save the one of Allah. Eventually all the citizens of Mecca accept Islam.
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Muhammad died after prolonged illness and a fight over his succesor caused a split into two types of Islam: Sunnis and Shiites. Sunnis beleive that the closest follower of Muhammad should succed him, while the Shiites beleive that his adopted son should be the one to lead them. Ali Ibn Abu Talib, the first Imam, is chosen as the new leader or the Muslims.
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Muslims enter Egypt and cause the Byzantine Army to retreat, freeing Byzantine people from oppressive rule.
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Islam begins to spread through Northern Africa.
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Muhammad's succesor, Imam Ali, is killed, which begins the Mugal Empire.
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The Umayyads ruled the Muslims during this time. The Umayyad had to learn to rule across a large area made up mostly of deserts. Due to conquests they became wealthy, but unrest was brewing in the Empire.
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The Muslims Arabs and Spaniards enter North Africa and begin to spread Islam. Eventually many of the Northern African Muslims were pushed into Spain due to Spanish Christians. The religion remained strong there until 1492, the same year that Columbus set sail.
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Muslims push past the Strait of Gilbraltar, the entrance to the Meditteranean, and conquer modern-day Spain and a small part of France. On the other side of the Empire, the Muslims beseiged Constantinopole, the capitol of the Byzantine empire, and conquered the Indus River Valley of India.
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The Muslims are defeated in France at the battle of Tours. This prevented further spread of Islam into Europe, but they had invaded enough to be feared by the Christians, starting the paranoia that causes the Crusades.
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On this date the Umayyad dynasty ended. The Umayyad had to learn to rule across a large area made up mostly of deserts. Due to conquests they became wealthy, but unrest was brewing in the Empire.
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Abu al-Abbas became restless and conquered the Umayyads in 750 C.E. Soon after that, one of his generals invited the royal family to dinner and killed them all, thus starting his dynasty. This dynasty made Islam a powerful and almost universal religion. It was the golden age of Islam when the most wealth and power was under Muslim control. The capitol was Baghdad.
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Islam spreads throughout the African continent.
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The First Crusade lasted from 1096 to 1099. During the crusade, Christian Crusaders take Jeruselum, the holy land, away from the Muslims. The Muslims regain control after much fighting and bloodshed. Control of the city bounced back and forth for 200 years until it settled under control of the Christians.
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The Christians take Jerusalem (see 'First Crusades')
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Muslim invaders take over the Northern Plains of India after breaking through their mountainous defenses, the Himalayas.
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Islam spreads through Asia and into Malaysia with traveling merchants and traders.
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The Ottoman Empire began as a small group of nomadic Muslim people in Turkey. During 1300, however, they expanded their territory across Asia Minor and the Balkans, threatening the weakened Byzantine Empire.
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The total length of the expansion and reign of the Ottoman Empire.
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In 1398 Tamerlane led the Mongols on a rampage on India's Northern Plateau. This destoyed the sultans of India and fragmented Indias empire once again into smaller independent states, either Hindu or Muslim.
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The Ottoman General Muhammad II conquered the Byzantine capital Constantinople and renamed it Istanbul.
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On this date the Spanish seized the last Muslim stronghold in Spain and officially ended the period of Islamic flourishing within its borders. Coincidentally, this is the same year that Columbus set sail for the "New World".
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The Safavid Empire reigned from the 1500's to 1722, when its ruling ruler was forced to give up his throne. This Empire, however, spread Islam widely and fourished during its centuries in power.
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The ruling period of Sultan Suleiman 'The Magnificent'. He held absolute power but ruled with a grand council. He provided a system of justice for the Ottoman Empire. He was a brilliant general and conquered many new lands for the empire.
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Mongol invaders poured into India for a second time, lead by Babar, a military genius. He began a dynasty in India that lasted from 1526 to 1857.
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The Ottoman empire lays their first seige on Vienna, Italy, causing terror throughout Eurpoe. They held a second seige in 1683, but neither seige gained them Vienna, and they had to grow their empire without it.
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Akbar the great, grandson of Babar, held a large role in the building of thr Mughal empire. He opened jobs to Hindu's of any caste and ended the tax on non-Muslims under his policy of tolerance, winning over the Hindu population.
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In the 1700's there was a dramatic leap in trade, commerce, and military technology in Europe that did not reach the Ottoman empire. The Europeans and Russia slowly took away the empire while the African rulers broke away for their own freedom, weakening the Empire. This spelled the end for the once mighty Ottoman Empire around WWI.
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The Safavid Empire ended after a rebellion defeated the imperial army. They captured the current ruler, Isfahan, and forced him to give up his right to rule, destroying the Safavid Empire.
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As of 1800, 30% of the African slaves sold into slavery were Muslims. That means that Islam was being shipped into the United States.
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the Mughal (Mongal) Empire ended on this date due to economic hardships due to heavy taxation, which lead to discontent and eventually to rebellion, overthrowing the empire.
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The end of WWI, or the 'Great War' ends with the total collapse of the Ottoman empire, thogh Islam has gained a strong enough foothold in Europe, Asia, and Africa to stay strong and quickly growing to this day.
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Islam enters north Arabia, which included Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq.
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The Muslims abandon their seige on Constantinople. The city didn't fall to the Muslim people until 1453, another 735 years into the future.
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Baghdad became a large trading city under Abbassid rule. It was highly influenced by Persians, though Arab culture still reigned supreme. It reached its peak under Harun al-Rashid.
