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Ghana was one of the many kingdoms formed in Sub-Sahara Africa, rising to power through the taxation of gold and salt, key trading items in sub-Sahara Africa. In the 10th century, its rulers were converted to Islam, being one of the first African states to accept this newly arrived religion.
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Due to its varied geography, no single large civilization had emerged in Africa, instead there were several smaller tribal societies with no cultural unifying factor. The arrival of Islam changed this, and several large kingdoms formed.
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In 610, Muhammad, a caravan trader living in the city of Mecca on the Arabian penisula, was meditating on the hills near the outskirts of the city. While there, he recieved a religious epiphany, seemingly sent by God through the angel Gabriel. I have chosen this as a guidepost because this was the event that truly sparked the rise of Islamic civilization.
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The Hijria is the name of the pilgrimage Muhammad and his followers took to th city Medina after being exiled from Mecca. Medina was undergoing revolt due to the different religous sects in the city, and its rulers hoped Muhammad could unite the warring factions. He did, and soon the city fell under Muslim control.
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The Meccan rulers now viewed Muhammad as a threat due to his growing influence and the raids the Muslims conducted on Meccan caravans. This led to a war between the two parties, with a treaty being signed in 628 that permitted Muhammad and his followers to enter Mecca.
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In 630, the Muslims entered Mecca, and proceeded to take control of the city, tearing down the pagan icons in the Ka'ba and turning it into a temple for their God.
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The death of Muhammad fractured his followers; debates about the identity of his heir arose, resulting in civil wars, and several of his former followers left the religion.
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The Byzantine empire did not intially view the Muslims as a serious threat, thus they were taken by suprise and unable to mount an effective defense. Furthermore, several of their citizens were tired of high taxes and an insecure life, and welcomed the Muslim invaders.
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The Sassanian empire fell to the Muslims rather quicky; its leader had been under the control of the aristocratic class for several decades, and the official religion of the empire, Zorostranism, was fairly unpopular.
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The Umayyads were the original rulers of Mecca and the first Islamic caliphate. With their capital city of Damascus, the Umayyads expanded Muslim trade and territory, but became lazy and corrupt, eventually being overthrown.
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The Abbasids overthrew the Umayyads with the help of the Shiites and Mawali. While they encouraged conversion and brought many advances, they discarded their allies and became as corrupt as the Umayyads.
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This event led to the founding of the Ottoman empire, the longest lasting Islamic empire.
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The first crusade led to to many long wars between the Christian Europeans and the Muslims, causing much damage and a long hatred of each other for both sides
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The Almoravids were Islamic reformists who waged Jihad(holy war) on several of the African tribes who remained pagan, such as the Berbers.
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The empire Mali formed after the decline of the Ghana, brought to greatness by the emperor Sundiata, who created much of the empire's laws and government.
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The Delhi sultanate was the last Islamic dynasty in India. India was the least effected by Islam of all the areas the religion spread, likely due to the prescence of Hinduism and control it had on daily life in India. Indeed, most converts in this area were of the low castes who wanted an escape.
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This event marked the true end of the Abassid dynasty, and saw Baghad, which had previously been a huge center for trade, culture, and education, be sacked and raided.
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Sundiata was the founder of the Mali empire; he created most of its laws and brought the empire to greatness. After his death, unlike many other empires, new rulers emerged and kept the empire alive.
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On the coast of Swahili, several trading ports emerged, engaging in trade with Southeast Asia, strengthened by the Islamic presence in India.The Swahili language, a mix of Bantu and Arabic, also formed in this region.
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The Songhay emerged in the Niger valley as a successor to the collapsing Mali empire. They were primarily an agricultural society with a mix of Islam and Paganism.
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From here on out, the Abbasid caliphs had zero power and control over their land and subjects,and were simply puppets for the Buyid rule.
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During his reign, al-Ma'mum recruited an army of personal bodyguards. This army later seized control of the caliphate, turning the Abbasid rulers into puppet kings, leading to the further decline of the Abbasids.
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Under the Abbasids, several scientific advances were made, One of the chief scientists of this era was Al-Biruni; he was one of the first to use the scientfic method, created a method for measuring the cicrumference of the Earth, and was one of the first anthropologists.
