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555
Khadijah, the first Muslim is born!
Khadijah, the first wife of Muhammad, was influential in mentoring and providing Muhammad with money. When Muhammad married her, he stopped working and could focus on spiritual tasks -- which allowed to him meet the Angel Gabriel in a cave. Khadijah's business allowed Muhammad to see people from many walks of life and countries, helping him spread his ideas, and shaping his ideas. -
570
The final Prophet is born!
Muhammad, founder and prophet of Islam, is born into a noble family in the Quraysh tribe in Mecca. He would later become a successful merchant before being visited by the angel Gabriel who told him to spread the message of Allah. Islam would unite the Arabic world under one rule, first by Muhammad, then later by caliphs. He is considered to be the final messenger and prophet of Allah. -
573
Abu Bakr, the first Caliph is born!
Abu Bakr was a wealthy merchant known for honesty and kindness. He is considered the first adult male Muslim. He is significant for accompanying Muhammad during the hijra, as well as chosen by Muhammad to pray before his death -- this is marked as the sign of being a successor. After Muhammad's death, Abu Bakr becomes the first caliph and unites the Arabic world under the rule of Islam. -
Oct 7, 601
Ali, Muhammad's right hand man, is born!
Ali is often regarded as the first male Muslim (first Muslim being Khadijah) and Muhammad's aide and most loyal friend. Ali was raised by Muhammad's uncle and became a Muslim after Muhammad had visions. He is attributed to helping Muhammad escape Mecca and leading Muhmmad's armies in my battles, including the invasion of Mecca. He would become the 4th caliph and the last of the rightly guided caliphs. His caliphate is still the topic of debate today and has started the Sunni-Shia split. -
Oct 7, 622
The Hijra
Hijra: As Islam started to gain traction, Muhammad determined to be dangerous by the local powers. Thus, they carried out a plot to assasinate him. Hearing about the plot, Muhmmad escaoed the city to Yathrib (later named Medina meaning City of the Prophet). This emigration would later be known as the Hijra and would mark the beginning of the Islamic calendar (anno hegirae for the year of the hijra). -
Oct 7, 632
The Quran
The Quran is the Muslim religious text considered the be the word of God given to Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel. The Quran was compiled by his followers after his death and today. The Quran has narrative about Islamic historical events as well as teachings. Muslims believe that the original Arabic version in the only uncorrupted version. -
Oct 7, 632
The Ridda Wars
The Ridda Wars/The Wars of Apostasy were a serious of battles conducted by Caliph Abu Bakr. After Muhammad's death, many people claimed prophethood and rebelled the rule of Bakr, so Bakr attacked them, and reunited those areas under the Caliphate rule. The Ridda Wars are very controversial because some consider it as forcing faith on others, while others claimed that it created prosperity and stability through unity, under one caliphate. -
Oct 7, 656
The Assasination of Caliph Uthman
Caliph Uthman was the third ever caliph. Because the first two, Bakr and Umar did not have heirs, he was chosen over Ali because of concerns of the caliphate becoming hereditary (Ali was Muhmmad's son-in-law). Uthman was known for creating a written Quran but was hated for favoring the Ummayads -- which led to him being stoned in the mosque and killed in his house. -
Oct 7, 661
The Ummayad Caliphs
The Ummayad Caliphs rose to power after a Ummayad, Uthman became caliph. He appointed various Ummayad people to key positions, notably Muawiya as governor of Syria. Muawiya would set up his own caliphate, convince that Ali assasinated Uthman, and moved into Baghdad and took over. This ended the rule of the four righteous caliphs and became the rule of the Ummayad caliphs. -
Oct 7, 722
Abul al Abbas
Abul al Abbas was an Abassid and took over the caliphate from the Ummayads who had infighting and lost popular support. The Abassid revolt by Abul al Abbas was won at the Battle of Zab and Abul became the new caliphate. He killed all opposition and made Iraq the new capital instead of Damascus -
Oct 7, 732
Charles Martel and the Battle of Tours
Charles Martel was the ruler of the Franks and the champion of Europe. He is often credited with stopping the spread of Islam into Western Europe, notably with the Battle of Tours. His army was able to beat the never before beaten Muslim army without the use of cavalry. This battle turned the tide for the Christians, and marked the decline of the Muslims' influence. -
Oct 7, 750
The Abbasid caliphate
The Abbasid Caliphate was established by Abu al-Abbas and marked the end of the caliphs' political power. Because they were primarily backed by Persians, they lost support of the Arabs, leading to internal unrest. Thus, Abbasid caliphs began to have private armies and never had the same respect and following again. Various people claimed caliphate and schisms were everywhere.The caliphate ended with the invasion of Hulagu Khan -
Oct 7, 1058
Al-Ghazali
Al-Ghazali was a philosopher and was considered the most important man in Islam since Muhammad. This is because of his contribution to the religion, modernizing it to allow scientific progress. He also combined with Sufism, allowing more personal control of the religion -- one can worship as they wish. -
Oct 7, 1090
The Crusades
The Crusades were the inevitable result of the rivalry between Europe and the Arabic world, masked by religous goals. When the Seljuk Turks attacked some Christian land, Pope Urban II declared holy war and an army was amassed to go attack the Holy Land. There would be many Crusades after this, each becoming less and less about religion and more about power and wealth. -
Oct 7, 1187
Saladin
Saladin was a Muslim who liberated the Holy Land from the Christians. He led an army which chased out the Christian armies occupying Jerusalem which led to Pope Gregory declaring the Third Crusade. The Third Crusade dragged on for years, until finally, Richard and Saladin came to a truce, where Christians were allowed to pilgrimage to the Holy Land safely. -
Oct 7, 1312
Mansa Musa
Mansa Musa was the king of Mali, and is considered the wealthiest man of all time. He had an elaborate pilgrimage to Mecca and on the way, gave away a lot of gold -- so much that the Egyption currency was affected. He influenced Europe and the Muslim world by showing African prosperity and invited Muslim scholars to his capital. -
Oct 7, 1464
Sonni Ali
Sonny Ali was the ruler of the Songhai Kingdom. He is known for mixing Islam with African religions and was a man of the people. He had fleets patrol the Niger River. Ohter accounts states that he was cruel and killed hundreds who opposed him and plundered the City of Timbuktu. -
Harun al-Rashid becomes caliph
Harun was the fifth and last power caliph of the Abbasid caliphate and after his death, caliphs would never hold the same prestige and power again. Under Harun, Baghdad was incredibly prosperous, making Charlemange of Europe extremely jealous. He was a patron of the arts and under him, Islamic art reached new heights. However, he gave some control to local rulers and weakened the caliphate. -
The Conquest of Mecca
After the hijra, Muhmmad gained many followers and Medina was attacked by Meccans. After successfully defending many times, he decided to liberate Mecca. After his return to Mecca, he destroyed the false idols and used the Kaba for Islam. This started the tradition of the pilgrimage to Mecca. -
Muhammad bin Qasim
Muhammad bin Qasim was a young Ummayad general who was an excellent soldier. Under him, the Muslims conquered the Sind and Punjab regions in India, establishing and spreading Islam there. He was later made governor of Persia, where is stomped out a rebellion. Under the new caliph, he was deemed dangerous and was killed.
