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pictureThe life of Muhammad is important because he is considered to be the founder and prophet of Islam. His first revelation is most important because it's believed to be the moment when Muhammad was visited by the archangel Gabriel.
After preaching, he was forced to flee after many threats of violence to Medina (The flight to Medina). There in Medina, Muhammad gathered a large following. Eventually he was able to go back to Mecca.In 632 C.E Muhammad suddenly died. -
Shortly after Muhammad's death, four caliphs (known as the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs) took over Islam.
The first caliph was Abu Bakr, who unified the Arabian peninsula. After Abu Bakr's death, Umar ibn al-Khattab took over in 634. After his assassination, then came Uthman ibn-Affian, and then Ali ibn Abu Talib. This led to the beginning of the Shia/Sunni split. picture[caliphs](Era of Rightly Guided Caliphs) -
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The Quran was compiled around the 650's. Though Muhammad was apparently illiterate, Muhammad wrote down the Quran with the assistance of other people. It was finished after Muhammad's death. The Quran is incredibly important, as it is the Holy Book for Muslims.
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The emergence of the Sunni/Shi'a split began after the death of Muhammad and the question of who would take
over. Some Muslims (Sunnis) believed that whoever is most capable of leading should rule. The Shi'as believed that ruling should stay in the family. This would be the beginning of a split that still divides Muslims today.
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After Muhammad's death in 632 C.E., the Umayyad Caliphate was the second of four Islamic caliphates established shortly after. It lasted from 657 to around 750 C.E.. The Umayyad dynasty was responsible for establishing Damascus as the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate, expansion through North Africa, and began raiding the Byzantines.
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The conquest of Spain (711 - 788) occurred during the Umayyad Caliphate. During the conquest, the Umayyad Caliphate rid of the Visigothic kingdom and take over most of Spain. As a result many Christians and Jews were forced to accept Islamic power and also pay a tax (Jizya), and deal with other restrictions.
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The Abbasid dynasty (750-833) was another impressive dynasty of the Muslim Empire that overthew the Umayyad Caliphate in 750. After the fall, the Abbasid dynasty allowed Mawali to become full members of the muslim community, getting rid of the tax on non-Arab muslims and established a new capital in modern Iraq (Baghdad).
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In 756, the Abbasid Caliphate changed the capital from Damascus to a new city called Baghdad. Shortly after, Baghdad flourished after being released from Umayyad's grip. Literature and science began to thrive, and the Chinese way of papermaking was quickly adopted.
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(also known as the First Crusade). In an attempt to capture the Holy Land, Christians from Europe made their way to Jerusalem and after seven weeks of siege and poor planning, were finally able to make their way into the city and proceeded to slaughter thousands of Muslims and Jewish people. Their ruling in Jerusalem lasted around 90 years.
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In 1192, Muslim general Muhammad Ghor captured Delhi which slowly began the spread of Islam in India and started the dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate (Muslim rulers who ruled in India). Later on he established a dynasty known as the slave dynasty, the rulers being military slaves.
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The siege of Baghdad was an invasion of the Mongols commanded by Mongke (Genghis Khan's grandson). During the invasion libraries, palaces, and other important buildings were destroyed as well as thousands of people slaughtered in Baghdad. As the Mongols destroyed Baghdad, they executed Caliph Al-Musta'sim, ending the Abbasid dynasty.
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Mansa Musa was the emperor of the Mali Empire, and also the first Muslim ruler in West Africa. The pilgrimage to Mecca was Mansa Musa's deicison to attempt the hajj, bringing thousands of escorts and massive amounts of gold. Being incredibly generous, he donated much of his riches to other people and lowered the value of gold.
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The conquest of Constantinople was an invasion of the Ottoman Army, commanded by Sultan Mehmed II. Mehmed defeated the Byzantine Emperor and marked the end of the Roman Empire. Mehmed renamed the city Istanbul and the city was ruled under Islam.
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Also called The Reconquista, was a series of wars to recapture the Iberian Peninsula between Christians and Muslims. The Reconquista began in 711 when the Muslim Moors conquered the Iberian Peninsula. In 1492 Ferdinand and Queen Isabella (of Aragon and Castile, respectively) united and took back Grenada, which ended the Reconquista.
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The Mughal Empire (a Muslim empire) began with a Chagatai Turkic prince named Babur, who was responsible for the conquest of northern India, establishing a base in Kabul, and conquering a majority of the Indian subcontinent. The Mughal Empire brought much Persian influence to India and Pakistan. During the Mughal empire, the Taj Mahal was constructed by one of the emperors, Shah Jahan.
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The emergence of Sufism (mystical Islam) began at around 800 C.E. under the Umayyad Dynasty. It's said that Sufism gained popularity in the 8th - 9th centuries as a self-discipline movement during the spread of Islam, stressing certain parts of the Qur'an. It was formed so that people may try and reach God on a more personal and emotional level.
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