Islamic Empire

By J Runkle
  • Period: 570 to 632

    Life of Muhammad

    Muhammad was the religious prophet of Islam. He had a spiritual experience in 610 that convinced him that there was one true god, Allah, who ruled the universe. He shared his faith with only those closest to him, but soon others showed interest. His preaching caused conflict in Mecca, so he moved his followers to a new town named Medina. Muhammad eventually led them in a pilgrimage back to Mecca to conquer the city, and eventually much of Arabia.
  • 622

    The Hijra

    Because of conflicts between Muhammad and the ruling elites and religious leaders of Mecca, the Islamic community moved to Medina. This was the hijra, or migration, and it serves as the official starting point of the Islamic calendar.
  • 632

    Muhammad's hajj

    Muhammad eventually led his followers back to Mecca in a pilgrimage, and they attacked and conquered the city. The destroyed pagan shrines and replaced them with mosques. They gave new meaning to the Ka'ba. Muhammad established the hajj, or pilgrimage, as an example for all Muslims.
  • Period: 650 to 659

    Compilation of the Quran

    Muhammad originally presented oral recitations of the revelations he received during his visions. As the religion grew, his followers prepared written texts of his teachings. These texts were compiled into the Quran, or "recitation", and it became the holy book of Islam.
  • Period: 661 to 750

    Umayyad Dynasty

    The Umayyad dynasty lasted from 661 CE to 750 CE. They started as a group of prominent Meccan merchant clans who brought stability to the Islam. They established a capital at Damascus, whose central location allowed them to maintain communications with the empire. They ruled the dar al-Islam. They appointed elite members of society as governors and administrators. This caused discontent in other religious and ethnic groups. The Umayyad fell into decline when the Shia began to resist them.
  • Period: 750 to 1258

    Abbasid Dynasty

    The Abbasid dynasty lasted from 750 CE to 1258 CE. They clashed frequently with the Byzantine empire and nomadic people from central Asia. The Abbasid concerned themselves with the administering their empire rather than expanding it. They relied on Persian techniques of statecraft. Ulama and qadis set moral standards and resolved disputes. A civil war between an emperor's sons and disputes over succession rights led to Abbasid decline.
  • Period: 786 to 809

    Reign of Harun al-Rashid

    Under the reign of the caliph Harun al-Rashid, the Abbasid dyansty reached its high point. They lost control in some parts of the empire, but they remained strong enough to collect taxes from most of the empire. Baghdad became a center of banking, commerce, crafts, and industrial production. The empire was extremely wealthy during his reign. After his death in 809, the Abbasid empire fell into decline due to disputes over succession.
  • Period: 1050 to 1059

    Establishment of Saljuq control over the Abbasid dynasty

    Imperial authorities in Baghdad fell under the control of the Saljuq Turks, a nomadic people from central Asia. In response to rebellions of peasants and provincial governors, authorities in Baghdad allied with the Saljuqs. By mid eleventh century, the Saljuqs effectively controlled the Abbasid empire. They took over Baghdad, Syria, Palestine, and Anatolia.
  • Period: 1058 to 1111

    Life of al-Ghazali

    Al-Ghazali was an important sufi who was also a Perisna theologian. He argued that human reason was too frail to understand the nature of Allah and could not explain the mysteries of the world. Only through devotion and guidance from the Quran could human beings begin to appreciate the uniqueness and power of Allah. He believed that philosophy and human reasoning were vain pursuits that would inevitably lead to confusion rather than understanding.
  • Period: 1126 to 1198

    Life of Ibn Rashud

    Ibn Rashud was a qadi who followed Aristotle in seeking to articulate a purely rational understanding of the world. His work helped to shape Islamic philosophy and found its way to western Europe. His reliance on natural reason was too much for some Muslims, who placed more value on the revelations of the Quran than on human logic. Greek influences eventually lost favor in official seats of learning and fell under the shadow of teaching from the Quran and Sufi mystics.