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He was orphaned at a young age and raised by his uncle, who taught him how to be a merchant. Muhammad later on married his wealthy, widow employer named Khadija.
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Muhammad's LIfe.
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At the age of 40, Muhammad recieved his first revelation from the Angel Gabriel while he was on a retreat in a cave near Mecca. The angel recites to him the first revelations of the Quran and informs him that he is God's prophet. The revelations continue over a 22 year period, until his death.
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After enduring persecution in Mecca, Muhammad and his followers migrate to the nearby town of Yathrib (later to be known as Medina),This marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. Muhammad establishes an Islamic state: Medina. Muhammad created a Muslim community based on faith not kinship, which was called Umma.
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Muhammad returns to Mecca with a large number of his followers. He showed generosity to the people of Mecca by sparing their lives. The prophet clears the idols and images out of the Kaaba and rededicates it to the worship of God alone. The Muslims believe that Kaaba was built by Abraham and his son Ishmael.
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Muhammad dies after an illness in Medina. The Muslim community elects his father-in-law and close associate, Abu Bakr, as caliph. Abu Bakr is one of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.
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The four caliphs to succeed Muhammad as the leader of the Islamic community were all important companions of the Prophet, and they are known as the "Rightly Guided Caliphs," making up the Rashidun Caliphate. This time is considered the golden age of Islam, when its leaders adhered closely to the practices established by Muhammad.
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After the death of Abu Bakr, Umar succeeds him as caliph of Islam. During his reign, the Islamic empire undergoes an enormous military expansion. He is one of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.
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Muslim armies conquer Syria, Persia, Alexandria, and Jerusalem.
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Uthman succeeds Umar as Islam's leader. He is one of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. (644-656 C.E.)
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Muhammad’s orally transmitted revelations are collected and recorded in a single authorized version of the Quran.
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Uthman is assassinated by dissenting Muslims and succeeded by ‘Ali, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law. He is one of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.
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'Ali encounters opposition to his rule. He defeats opposing armies, but the factions involved in the conflict later split into two distinct sects, Sunni Muslims and Shi'ite Muslims.
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'Ali faces an army led by Mu'awiyah, a relative of Uthman who felt that 'Ali had not made sufficient attempts to find and punish those responsible for the death of the previous caliph. 'Ali's army was on the point of victory when Mu'awiyah instructed his army to fasten pages of the Quran to the points of their spears. Unwilling to attack under such circumstances, 'Ali agreed to have the conflict settled by arbitration, a decision that angered many of his followers and ultimately led to his death
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The Umayyad dynasty established by Mu'awiyah rules for nearly a century from their capital at Damascus. The Islamic Empire continues to expand through military conquests to Spain and parts of the Byzantine Empire.
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See Timespan.
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'Ali is assassinated by dissenting Muslims, and Mu'awiyah seizes power, ending the Rashidun Caliphate and establishes the Umayyad Caliphate.
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Berbers and Arabs invade Spain from North Africa, crossing the Strait of Gilraltar.
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Dissenting Muslims claiming familial ties to Muhammad challenge the ruling Umayyads. Skirmishes lead to a full military rebellion and the eventual defeat of the Umayyad Caliphate.
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See Timespan.
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Abbasids become rulers of Muslim Empire with Baghdad as its capital; the Golden Age of Islam begins. Under the Abbasid caliphates, the Muslims build the first astronomical observatory, translate ancient Greek texts into Arabic, perfect and spread the Arabic alphabet and Arab numerals, develop the astrolabe for navigation, develop a body of Arabic literature and history, make advances in agriculture, improve water distribution, make advances in medicine and health care and more.
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See Timespan.
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The Umayyad Emirate takes power in Cordova, Spain. Trade and Muslim culture prospered in the Iberian peninsula during this period.
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In Arabic, Swahili means coaster. During the 10th century, there was regular trade between the Bantu East Africans and the Muslim merchants. Swahili was the language blending of Bantu and Arabic. They traded gold, ivory, and slaves for pottery, glass and textiles.
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West Africa was the centre of the gold trade and Ghana controlled this trade. They converted to Islam in the 10th century. The kingdom lasted until the 13th century.
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Pope Urban II of Rome calls for all Christians to expel Muslims from Jerusalem and its surrounding region and from the
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Christians engage in the first crusade against the Muslims. The Christians eventually accomplish their goal and recapture Jerusalem for Christendom.
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Christian Crusaders capture Jerusalem.
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The second crusade is launched. The Muslims win by resisting a Christian siege of Damascus.
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Fatimid power ends in Egypt with the conquests of Saladin.
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The Saladin and the Muslims recapture Jerusalem from the Christians. The third crusade is launched.
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Muslim invaders from Central Asia invaded Northerm India. This firmly established Islam in Northern India. Islam came to Southern India through trade. There was a lot of conflict between the monotheism of Islam and the polytheism of Hinduism, which led to the partition of India in 1947. India was for the Hindus and Pakistan for the Muslims.
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Mongols capture Baghdad, the city is sacked and the Caliph and many other Muslims are killed. This is the end of Abbasid caliphate.
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The Ottoman dynasty is founded under Osman I in Asia Minor (Turkey).
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Mansa Musa made the pilgrimage to Mecca (the Hajj) with 60, 000 followers, it is reported that 12,000 of them were slaves and he brought a lot of gold with him on the journey. When he returned to Mali, he built many mosques and Islamic schools.
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Ottoman Turks conquer Constantinople under the rule of Muhammad II, ending the Byzantine Empire. The city is renamed Istanbul, and becomes the capital of the Ottoman Empire.
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Husayn, 'Ali's son and Muhammad's grandson, challenges the rule of Yazid I, accusing the caliph of corruption and insisting that proper leadership of Islam belongs to the descendents of Muhammad. He and his small band of followers are massacred near Karbala (present-day Iraq), further dividing the factions that would later become Sunni Muslims and Shi'ites Muslims.
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The first written biography of Muhammad is recorded by Muhammad Ibn Ishaq. This first written record of the Prophet's life was followed by numerous biographical accounts.
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The North African city-states lost their independence after the Fatimid Dynasty, claimed to be Shi'ite Imans descended from Ali, established itself in Tunisia. They conquered Egypt and it became a major cultural, intellectual, and political center of Islam. The Fatimids ruled from Cairo, the city they founded.
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Islam came to came to Sub-Sahara Africa via trans-Saharan trade route on which the merchants traveled. Gold and Salt came from Islamic North Africa. People in Sub-Saharan Africa learned Arabic to facilitate trade. Islam was adapted into the local conditions (syncretism).
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Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari and Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, important scholars of the accounts of Muhammad's sayings and actions, collect, and compile hadith into the first two collections.
