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Jan 1, 612
The Recieving of the Revelations
Muhammad was concerned about the gap between Bedouin tradititons of honesty and generosity and the horrid behavior of the city's elites. In 612, he meditated in isolation in the hills. There, Gabriel, the angel, gave him the revelations and told him to preach them. Muhammad believed that Allah had partially revealed himself through Moses and Jesus and had given him the final revelation. In 622, he fled to Medina to convert people, in a journey called Hegira. -
Jan 1, 622
Hegira
Muhammad fled Mecca due to the persecution of his followers and went to Medina. At Medina, Muhammad failed to convert the Jews but he did win support from th city's residents and neigboring Bedouins. From this, he formed the first Muslim community, the Umma. He then returned to Mecca to convert its people.
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Jan 1, 630
Muhammad takes Mecca
In 630, Muhammad returned to Mecca, his birthplace, conquered the city and converted the people of Mecca to the new faith, Islam. He then made a sybolic visit to Ka'aba and declared it to be a sacred shrine of Islam. He also ordered the destruction of idols of the old faith. His teachings became known all over the region.
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Jan 1, 631
Muhammad's Teachings
The Qur'anis the holy book of Islam. Its basic message is that Allah is the only God and Muhammad is his only prophet. It states that to obey the will of Allah, you must follow an ethical code known as the Five Pillars of Islam. Believers follow strict behioral requirements. The death of Muhammad brought about the problem of succesion.
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Jan 1, 632
Muhammad's Successor and his expansion
Muhammad left no clear successor, so after his death, Abu Bakr was selected as the caliph. Muhammad and his succesors used the tribal custom of the razzia or raid to defeat his enemies. By 650, the Muslims had defeated the Byzantine and Persian army and had taken control of Syria and the empire of the Sassanids. Rapid expansion is thought to be due to a drought in the region or a way to increase trade and production. Bakr was part of a group known as the Rightly Guided Caliphs. -
Period: Jan 1, 632 to Jan 1, 661
The Rightly Guided Caliphs
The first caliph after Muhammad, Abu Bakr, focused on expanding the region. The Caliphs after him were in a constant state of disputation over the rightful heir. These disputes led to many assassinations which set up weaknesses in the empire, that the self serving leaders of the Umayyad Dynasty never adressed. -
Jan 1, 661
The Umayyads
Abu Bakr's his successor was Umar, then came Uthman, followed by Ali, who was killed by Mu'awiya, who then made the caliphate hereditary in his own family of the Umayyads. The capital was changed to Damascus. Under the Umayyads, the Arabs conquered the Berbers in North Africa, Southern Spain, and by 725 most of the Iberian peninsula had become a Muslim state. During the Umayyad Dynasty, factional disputes arose.
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Jan 1, 750
The Abbasids
The Abbasids fought to replace the impious leaders of the Umayyad dynasty. Under the Abbasids, the capital was moved to Baghdad. In this dynasty, the caliphs became more king-like. They were also advised by a council headed by the prime minister. The Abbasid caliphs brought many changes to the Islamic world by allowing all Muslims to hold office, which opened the culture to other influences. The golden age also occured under the Abbasids. http://www.historyandcivilization.com/Abbasid_Baghdad.jpg -
Period: Jan 1, 750 to Jan 1, 1258
Abbasid Dynasty
The new capital, Baghdad became the center of a huge trade market that extended into Europe, Central Asia, and Africa. Under the Abbasids, rather than extending their land boundaries, Muslim cultural ideas were cultivated and spread throughout the empire and its neighboring states. -
Jan 1, 1037
Spread of Philosophy and Science
Philosophy was spread because Spaniards were aroused by the philisophical ideas of Islamic intellectuals. Islamic science spread because a physician compiled an encyclopedia that Westerners translated and used as a textbook in European universities. Italians also replaced their Roman numerals with Arabic numerals, spreading the Arabic's numerical system. In this time of cultural growth, came threats from the Turks.
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Jan 1, 1055
The Seljuk Turks
In 1055, the Seljuk Turks captured the city of Baghdad and the leader took control of the Islamic empire with the title of Sultan. The Abbasid caliph was still the chief representative of religious authority, but political and military power resided in the hands of the Seljuk Turks. Though the Muslims were defeated, their culture continued to spread.
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Jan 1, 1100
Spread of Islamic Literature
Many western civilizations were enthralled with Islamic folklore for its settings, which were in places exotic and foreign the to the westerners.
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Works Cited
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Mohammed_receiving_revelation_from_the_angel_Gabriel.jpg (pic 1) http://www.drhistory.net/XMOSLEM EXPANSION ABU BAKR.jpg (pic 5)
"Umayyad Dynasty." Brittanica Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
Shackleford, Rusty. "The Abbasid Empire." Yahoo Voices. Yahoo, 9 Feb. 2014. Web. 1 Apr. 2014. -
Dome of the Rock
Muhammad once had a night vision of his ascent to heaven through the Dome of the Rock. In 691, the dome was built to honor the new religion, Islam. It was built in Jerusalem and touched the Western Wall of the Jews and the Christian Church. This allowed other civilizations to learn about the religion, art, and architecture. It was built by the Umayyads, who were overthrown by the Abbasids.
http://www.biblewalks.com/Photohttp://www.biblewalks.com/Photos54/DomeRock9.jpgs54/DomeRock9.jpg -
Harun al-Rashid and his sons
Harun al-Rashid(786-809) was the fifth Abbasid caliph, whose reign is described as the golden age of the Abbasid caliphate. But his death proved to be a major issue. He had two sons who both wanted the caliphate. This dispute led to a civil war and the destruction of Baghdad. Also, the spread of culture was highly cultivated in this dynasty.
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Factional Disputes
The two factions were the Shi'ites and the Sunni. The Shi'ites doubted the Umayyads and wanted the caliphs to be Muhammad's descendants. The Sunnis thought that the caliphate belonged to those who were best suited for the position. In 680, the Shi'ites rose against the Ummayyads and were defeated. The Dome of the Rock was built following this defeat. http://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/world/2013/09/06/sunnishia_split_the_mideasts_new_great_divide/fomiddleeastsunnishia064c.jpg
