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Mohammed ibn Abd Allah is born in the Middle Eastern city of Mecca. He was born in a poor clan and was orphaned at a young age, later raised by his grandparents.
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Mohammed receives his first revelation near Mt. Hira, a mountain near the city of Mecca. He begins his career as a prophet for Islam.
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Muhammad is believed to have received his first revelations and his calling as God’s messenger in a cave near Mecca. These revelations would continue throughout his life and eventually be recorded in the Quran, Islam’s sacred scripture.
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In the year of Hijra, Mohammed and the Muslims migrate from Mecca to the city of Medina. This marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar.
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In 630, Mohammed returned to Mecca with 10,000 troops and conquered the city. He destroyed the god statues in the Ka'aba leaving only the statue for Allah.
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In the year 632, Mohammed dies.
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After Muhammed's death, Abu Bakr, an early convent to Islam, was elected the first caliph. A caliph was a successor to Muhammed. The message of Islam quickly spread far beyond Arabia.
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Abu Bakr's most important contribution was to reunify the Arabs on a firmer base to loyalty Islam itself. Arab forces marched from victory to victory, but unfortunately, in 634, Abu Bakr died.
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Under the first four caliphs, Arab armies marched from victory to victory. They conquered many chunks of the Byzantine empire, including Syria and Palestine, with the cities of Damascus and Jerusalem.
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The Arab armies conquered many land. The army conquered Syria and Jerusalem, leading to the fall of Syria and the conquest of Jerusalem, both part of the Byzantine empire.
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The Arab army rapidly demolished the weak Persian Empire, their rivals. After conquering the Persian empire, they brought the people under Muslim rule.
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The Arab army conquested Egypt and founded the Fustat, later becoming a part of Cairo.
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The third caliph, (a successor of Muhammad), Uthmana authorizes collection and official establishment of the text of the Quran, the Holy book of Islam.
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Uthman was assassinated at the end of a siege upon his house. Initially a protest, the siege escalated following an apparently wrongly attributed threat as well as the death of a protester. The protesters turned rebels had demanded a new caliph to which demands Uthman had refused and on July 17, 656 C.E., as his house was set alight, he died.
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After caliph Ali is murdered, Mu'awiya becomes caliph. This begins the Umayyad Caliphate from 661 C.E. to 750 C.E.
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Around the 700s, groups of ascetics and mystics begin to form.
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Arab armies enter Spain from North Africa. Prior to this, Arab armies had taken over the entire Byzantine empire and Egypt.
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In 732, the Muslim empire reaches its furthest extent. Battle of Tours prevents further advance northwards.
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Abu I'Abbas becomes caliph in Iraq.
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1095-1099: 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 take Jerusalem in what could be known as the Crusades.
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In the 1100's to the 1200's, Sufi orders or "turud" are founded.
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Life of Averroes, a Muslim philosopherfrom Cordoba who sought to integrate Islam with Greek thought.
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The second crusade is launched. The Muslims win by resisting a Christian siege of Damascus.
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The Muslims recapture Jerusalem from the Christians. The third crusade is launched.
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Assassins wipesout byt the Mongols, Indian rulers in Delhi take title of Sultan. Spanish mystic Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-Arabi (1165-1240) flourishes.
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The Reign of Uthman (Osman), who founds the Ottoman Empire. Muslim merchants and missionary Sufis settle in Southeast Asia.
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Uthman becomes the first leader of the Ottoman state.
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In the 1300s, Ottomans capture Bursa and Iznik and move into Europe.
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Mehmet Fatih (rules 1451-81) conquers Constantinople. The two halves of the Ottoman Empire are united and the sultan becomes Byzantine emperor.
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1501-1723: The Safavid Empire is founded in Persia by Shah Ismail I. The Twelver school of Shi’ite Islam is declared its official religion.
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1520-1566 begins the Reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. Ottoman Empire reaches its zenith. Hungary and coastlands of Algeria and Tunisia come under Ottoman rule.
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Babur (Mongolian) seizes the Delhi sultanate and takes control of Northern India.
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Akbar founds the Mughal dynasty in Northern India.
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The Ottomans recapture Iraq from the Safavids.
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Muhammad Abd al-Wahhab rejects Sufism and all innovation (bid'a). Founds what becomes the Saudi Arabian kingdom. Hindus regain power from Mughals in northern India.
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The last Mughal in India is deposed and India comes under British rule.
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The Ottoman Empire officially ends. Two years later, the office of caliph is abolished. Islam has no collective, official political identity, but Muslims dominate many secular states in northern Africa, the Near and Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Central and Southeast Asia.
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The Ottoman Empire enters World War I. By this point, it controls Anatolia, most of the Arabian peninsula, Egypt, and the Sudan.
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The Reign of Ma'mun. Theological controversy over whether the Qur'an is created or uncreated and eternal. Center of translation of texts from Greek to Arabic found in Baghdad.
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Starting in 786 all the way through to 809, it's the Reign of Harun ar-Rashid, best known through the stories of "The Thousand and One Nights".
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Umayyad Abd ar-Rahman III declares himself caliph in Cordoba.
