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Muhammad is born in Mecca. He was likely born on April 26th in the year 570 CE. He comes from a noble family and is well-known for his honesty and upright character.
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Muhammad dies after a prolonged illness. The Muslim community elects his Father-in-law and close associate, Abu Bakr, as caliph or successor.
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The four Caliphs to succeed Muhammad as the leader of the Islamic community were all important companions of the Prophet. 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. Umar ibn al-Khattab (r. 634-644 CE) was the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate (632-661 CE, as the first four caliphs are referred to by the Sunni Muslims). He was an early convert of Islam and one of the close companions of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.
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Muslim armies conquer Syria, Persia, Alexandria, and Jerusalem.
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Muslims enter the area of North Arabia, known as "Sham", including Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq.
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Muslims enter Egypt and rout out the Byzantine army. Muslims consider their conquest as the liberation of subjugated people, since in most instances they were under oppressive rule.
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Uthman ibn Affan's reign (644–656) was undoubtedly one of the most formative in this tumultuous period. He revitalized the administrative structures of his provinces and reorganized caliphal territories, or junds, often based on Byzantine provincial divisions. Uthman also introduced economic reforms. One of the most notable was striking new coinage which included the addition of Arabic, such as Sasanian-type dirhams inscribed with the word bismallah, meaning "In the name of Allah."
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Islam is beginning to spread throughout parts of North Africa. It is growing rapidly. This is before the Umayyad role, and the end of the “righteous caliphs.”
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Ali was the caliph between 656 and 661 CE, one of the hardest periods in Muslim history, coinciding with the first Muslim civil war. He reigned over the Rashidun empire which extended from Central Asia in the east to North Africa in the west. He became known as a both just and fair ruler.
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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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The battle of Siffin started. Mu'awiya was governor of Syria. He claimed the caliphate. He was was the founder of the Umayyad dynasty of caliphs. His clan, which had resisted Mohammed and his message longest and most vehemently, eventually won political control over the Islamic community.
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Imam Ali is killed, bringing to an end the rule of the four "Righteous Caliphs": Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and ali. This also marks the beginning of the Umayyad rule.
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The Umayyad Dynasty established by Mu'awiyah rules for nearly a century from their capital at Damascus. The first great Muslim dynasty to rule the empire of the caliphate (661–750 CE), sometimes referred to as the Arab kingdom.
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Arab armies enter Spain from North Africa.
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Muslims are defeated at Potiers in France by Charles Martel.
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The Abbasid Caliphate had two major periods. The first period lasted from 750-1258 CE. During this period, the Abbasids were strong leaders who controlled a vast territory and created a culture that is often referred as the Golden Age of Islam. In 1258 CE, however, the capital city of Baghdad was sacked by the Mongols causing the Abbasids to flee to Egypt.
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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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The Umayyad Emirate takes power in Cordova, Spain. Trade and Muslim culture prospered in the Iberian peninsula during this period.
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The First Crusade (1095-1099 CE) was a military campaign by western European forces to recapture Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslim control. Conceived by Pope Urban II following an appeal from the Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos, around 60,000 soldiers and at least half again of non-combatants set off on their quest.
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European crusaders take Jerusalem from Muslims. Eventually Muslims defeat the Crusaders and regain control of the Holy Land.
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Islam continues to spread throughout Asia. Malaysian traders interact with Muslims who teach them about Islam.
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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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Ottoman Empire, empire created by Turkish tribes in Anatolia (Asia Minor) that grew to be one of the most powerful states in the world during the 15th and 16th centuries. The Ottoman period spanned more than 600 years and came to an end only in 1922, when it was replaced by the Turkish Republic and various successor states in southeastern Europe and the Middle East.
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The dwindling Byzantine Empire came to an end when the Ottomans breached Constantinople’s ancient land wall after besieging the city for 55 days. Mehmed surrounded Constantinople from land and sea while employing cannon to maintain a constant barrage of the city’s formidable walls. The fall of the city removed what was once a powerful defense for Christian Europe against Muslim invasion, allowing for uninterrupted Ottoman expansion into eastern Europe.
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Safavid dynasty, (1501–1736), ruling dynasty of Iran whose establishment of Twelver Shiʿism as the state religion of Iran was a major factor in the emergence of a unified national consciousness among the various ethnic and linguistic elements of the country. The Safavids were descended from Sheikh Ṣafī al-Dīn (1253–1334) of Ardabīl, head of the Sufi order of Ṣafaviyyeh (Ṣafawiyyah).
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The Mughal Empire at its zenith commanded resources unprecedented in Indian history and covered almost the entire subcontinent. From 1556 to 1707, during the heyday of its fabulous wealth and glory, the Mughal Empire was a fairly efficient and centralized organization, with a vast complex of personnel, money, and information dedicated to the service of the emperor and his nobility.
