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570
Birth of Muhammad
Muhammad was a great prophet of the Islamic time, and the start of the spread of Islam. Muhammad was born in Mecca. His father, Abdullah, died before Muhammad was born. His mother, Aamenah, died before Muhammad was even seven years old. Futher on in Muhammad's life, it is believed that he was visited by an angel Gabriel inform him that he, Muhammad, is God's prophet and recites him the first revelations of the Qur'an. http://meccastars.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/quran11.jpg -
Jan 1, 632
Muhammad's death
After Muhammad's death, people began to quoestion how a sucessor was to be chosen and what authority they should have. http://www.bible-archaeology.info/Copy_of_OCR0006.gif -
Jan 1, 632
The First Four Caliphs
After Muhammad's death there were questions about who was in power. The first four caliphs were (1) Abu Bakr, (2) Umar 634-644, (3) Uthman Affan 644-656, (4) Ali Abi Talib 656-661. Ali Abi made attempts to discover and punish the assasins of Uthman but his attempts led to an outbreak of violence and outrage. http://zombietime.com/mohammed_image_archive/islamic_mo_face_hidden/ -
Period: Jan 1, 632 to Jan 1, 661
Creation of an Empire
Islam expanded greatly during this time period. In 636, the Muslims gained control of the Byzantine province of Syria. On the east side, the Arabs conquered the Sassanids empire in 650. The Arabs went on to bring Egypt and parts of North Africa under their authority. -
Period: Jan 1, 656 to Jan 1, 717
Umayyads
The Umayyad calipahte remained in power for almost a century. It's capital was at Damscus. In the eight century, Arab armies conquered the Berbers, who were living in the mountains. Around 710 the Arab forces crossed the Strait of Gilbraltar, and got situated in southern Spain. -
Jan 1, 762
The Abbasids
In 762, the Abbasids created a new capital city located at Baghdad, far from the Umayyad capital of Damascus. The new capital of Baghdad was chosen strategically for the advantage of river traffic. 786-809 is often reffered to as the golden age of the Abbasid caliphate. This time period was also important for growing economic prosperity. Baghdad became the center of a huge commercial market. http://mapwalk2013.clevelandhistory.org/files/2013/07/abbasid_bagdad_artwork-spl.jpg -
Work Cited
"Concerned United States Citizen: The First Four Caliphs to Rule after the Death of Muhammad." Concerned United States Citizen: The First Four Caliphs to Rule after the Death of Muhammad. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014. "Deen-Al-Islam." Deen-Al-Islam. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014. Duiker, William J., and Jackson J. Spielvogel. The Essential World History. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2005. Print. -
Shi'ites
Hussein found fault in the legitimacy of the Umayyads and convinced his supports, known as Shi'ites, to rise up against the Umayyads in 680. The Shi'ites were unsucesssful and Hussein was killed in the battle. The Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims later divided and this still continues today. http://static.theglobalmail.org/cache/e7/c8/e7c86082dac28a066ac1b8dd5ba03c3d.jpg
