Muhammad

Birth of Muhammad

570

Muhammad was born in 570 AD, in Mecca or present day Saudi Arabia. He was raised by his grandfather and then by his uncle due to his father's death before he was born. He was part of the Quraysh tribe in Mecca. His family was poor yet respected and was active in Meccan trade and politics.

Pope Gregory

590

Saint Gregory or Saint Gregory the Great became pope in 590. He was well educated which was uncommon in this time. During his time as pope he paid daily expenses of Rome, funded soldiers, supported refugees, secured grain supply, and repaired aqueducts. He did everything for the greater good of his people. Saint Gregory became the founder of the medieval papacy which exercised both secular and spiritual power. All of his achievements granted him with the honor of becoming a saint.

Empress Suiko

592

In 592 Empress Suiko became the first female ruler of Japan.She refused the offer of this title three times before she agreed to becoming empress. She was able to hold her reign for thirty- five years until she died in 629 AD. Within this time she established Buddhism as the official religion of Japan. She did this by issuing the Flourishing Three Treasures Edict. Suiko also introduced the Chinese calendar which present day people still follow.

Marriage to Khadija

595

Muhammad married a widowed woman named Khadija in 595 AD. She was fifteen years older than Muhammad when they married. They met when he began working for her. She was a wealthy merchant woman who admired his accomplishments. Khadija proposed to him and he accepted.

Grand Canal

605

The Grand Canal is a series of waterways in eastern and northern China. This is the world's largest man made waterway being 1,100 miles in length. The Huai River passage was built in 605 during the Sui dynasty. These waterways enabled the success of Chines regimes to transport surpluses of grain to different areas of China.

Harsha Becomes Emperor

606

Emperor Harsha was the ruler of the Pushyabhuti Empire also known as the Vardhana Empire in present day India. He was the third emperor of Vardhana. His reign lasted from 606- 647 AD. After his death the Vardhana dynasty came to an end and the empire as a whole dissolved.

First Revelation

610

Muhammad being very religious took many religious based journeys to holy sites. Upon one of his pilgrimages Muhammad was meditating in the cave on mount Jabal al- Nour when an angel appeared. The angel Gabriel said, "Recite in the name of your lord who creates man from a clot! Recite for your lord is most generous." This saying became a verse in chapter ninety- six of the Qur'an. Many believe he was disturbed and confused by this message, however others argue that he welcomed this message.

Heraclius

610

Born in 575 AD in Cappadocia, Heraclius was a Byzantine emperor. He began his reign in October of 610 and this ended when he died in February of 641. He reorganized and strengthened the imperial armies. However, he lost many of his territories due to him being crowned emperor of a crumbling state occupied by invaders.

Ministry

Period: 610 to 613

These years marked the first three years of Muhammad's ministry. Within this time he began preaching. At first he preached Islam privately mainly amongst family and close acquaintances. After his meeting with Gabrial, his wife Khadija was the first to believe he was a prophet of Allah.

Publicly Speaking

613

In 613 Muhammad began to take the message publicly. He started by spreading the word of the lord with only family and close friends. This later becomes known as Islam's sacred scripture.

Tang Dynasty

618

The Tang Dynasty in China began in 618 and lasted for three hundred years. Within this time period they prospered and mad many technological advances. The revolutionary inventions included printing, gunpowder, an the compass. None of these achievements would have been possible if Tang Taizong hadn't become emperor.

Mecca to Medina

622

In 622 Muhammad and his increasing growth of followers were forced to leave Mecca. The ever growing resistance to him and his followers made them leave. When they arrived in Medina they helped bring an end to the many civil wars taking place . This also marks the beginning of the muslim calendar.

Battles with the Meccans

Period: 624 to 627

624 marked the beginning of three major battles against the Meccans. Muhammad and his army/ followers fought and were victorious in the Battle of Badr. However in 625 they were defeated by Mecca in the battle of Uhud. They didn't share the same fate in 627 in the Battle of the Trench which they were once again victorious in.

March to Mecca

630

In 630 the balance of power went from the Meccan leaders to Muhammad. He decided that him and his army will march to Mecca to win it back. They arrived and gained power with little casualties. During this time they destroyed all statues of pagan gods in and around the Kaaba. Because of this the majority of Meccas population converted to Islam.

Death of Muhammad

632

The death of Muhammad occured on June 8th 632 AD. He was returning to his wife in Medina when he became ill. He died at the age of sixty two. Muhammad was buried at al- Masjid an- Nabawi (the Mosque of the Prophet). A mosque he built himself in Medina.

Final Pilgrimage

632

Muhammad's last pilgrimage was in 632 AD. During this pilgrimage he gave his last sermon and said," I have been called back by the lord, and I have submitted to his orders...". He left his followers with the Qur'an and his progeny. He ordered these two to never be separated. Shortly after this Muhammad fell ill and died.