Timeline of Important milestones in Islamic history

Born of Muhammad

Mohammed born into the Quraysh tribe in Mecca.

Muhammad is believed to have received his first revelations and his calling as GOD’s messenger in a cave near Mecca. These revelations would continue throughout his life and after he passed away be recorded in the Quran, Islam’s final Holy Scripture.

622

Mohammed begins preaching monotheism and earns the trust of many followers, but still rejected by most of the polytheistic culture in Mecca.

Khadijah, Muhammad’s first wife, and his uncle Abu Talib die the same year. Both were significant figures in the prophet’s life and sources of protection from hostile Meccans.

The Hijra

As persecution in Mecca intensifies, Muhammad moves to Yathrib (modern-day Medina) with his followers. This move, referred to as Hijra, marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar and of Islam’s establishment as a major religious and political force in Medina.

Muhammad marries Aisha, daughter of Abu Bakr, the most prominent companion, closest advisor of the prophet. 
Following Muhammad’s death, Abu Bakr succeeded the leadership of the Muslim community as the first Rashidun Caliph.

Construction begins for a mosque at Muhammad’s home in Medina. This mosque expands throughout the years, eventually holds the tomb of Muhammad, and becomes one of Islam’s most sacred sites.

Construction begins for a mosque at Muhammad’s home in Medina. This mosque expands throughout the years, eventually holds the tomb of Muhammad, and becomes one of Islam’s most sacred sites.

Constitution of Medina

Shortly after Muhammad’s move to Medina, he drafted a charter that established Islam as a political entity as well as a religious body. This charter and various agreements made with surrounding tribes and existing religious groups become the Constitution of Medina, the foundation of Islam as a powerful religio-political body.

Muslims gain a significant military victory over a larger Meccan army, attributing their success to divine intervention.

A truce between Muslims and the Quraysh of Mecca grants permission for Muslims to visit the Ka’bah, a shrine located in Mecca and Islam’s holiest site.

Mecca Conquered

After violations of the Treaty of Hudaybiyah, the Muslims conquered Mecca (The treaty was between Mohammed, who represented the state of Medina, and the Qurayshi tribe of Mecca in January 628 and helped decrease tension between the two cities, establishing peace for a period of 10 years and authorized the prophet’s followers to return the following year on a peaceful pilgrimage, later known as the First Pilgrimage).
After taking Mecca, the Muslims purified the Ka’bah, a pre-Islamic-era religious shrine, of the polytheistic idols there and dedicated the site to the worship of the one GOD.

Death of Muhammad

Muhammad dies at his home in Medina and is buried there.

After Muhammad’s death, uncertainty and disagreement regarding his successor ends with the appointment of his close adviser Abu Bakr as caliph, the leader of the religio-political body of Islam.

661

The four caliphs to succeed Muhammad as the leader of the Islamic community were all important companions of the Prophet, and they are known as the “Rightly Guided Caliphs,” making up the Rashidun Caliphate. This time is considered the golden age of Islam, when its leaders adhered closely to the practices established by Muhammad.

After the death of Abu Bakr, ‘Umar (c. 591-644) succeeds him as caliph of Islam. During his reign, the Islamic empire undergoes an enormous military expansion.

641

Muslim armies conquer Syria, Persia, Alexandria, and Jerusalem.

‘Umar is assassinated by a Persian slave. Uthman succeeds him as Islam’s leader.

Compilation of the Quran

Muhammad’s orally transmitted revelations are collected and recorded in a single authorized version of the Quran.

Uthman is assassinated by dissenting Muslims and succeeded by ‘Ali, Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law.

‘Ali faces an opposing army led by Aisha, widow of Muhammad and daughter of the first caliph Abu Bakr. Aisha’s army is defeated, and she is allowed to return home. The battle is supposedly named for the camel upon which Aisha rode.

‘Ali faces an army led by Mu’awiyah, a relative of Uthman who felt that ‘Ali had not made sufficient attempts to find and punish those responsible for the death of the previous caliph. ‘Ali’s army was on the point of victory when Mu’awiyah instructed his army to fasten pages of the Quran to the points of their spears. Unwilling to attack under such circumstances, ‘Ali agreed to have the conflict settled by arbitration, a decision that angered many of his followers and ultimately led to his death and the end of the Rashudin Caliphate.

‘Ali is assassinated by dissenting Muslims, and Mu’awiyah seizes power, ending the Rashidun Caliphate and establishing a family dynasty.

750

The Umayyad Caliphate

The Umayyad dynasty established by Mu’awiyah rules for nearly a century from their capital at Damascus. The Islamic Empire continues to expand through military conquests during their reign.

Beginning of Sunni-Shia split

Death of Husayn

Husayn, ‘Ali’s son and Muhammad’s grandson, challenges the rule of Yazid I, accusing the caliph of corruption and insisting that proper leadership of Islam belongs to the descendents of Muhammad. He and his small band of followers are massacred near Karbala (present-day Iraq), further dividing the factions that would later become Sunni Muslims and Shi’i Muslims.

The Dome of the Rock

The Dome of the Rock is built in Jerusalem on the Foundation Stone of the World and site of the Holy Temple. It is the oldest Islamic monument, from where tradition holds that the Prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven on the day of his earthly death.

Muslim ascetics lay the foundations of Sufism, a mystical movement within Islam that focuses on personal experience with GOD.

715

The Umayyads convert the Christian Cathedral of St. John in Damascus into a Muslim mosque. Today the mosque is one of Islam’s oldest and most sacred sites.

Muslims cross the Strait of Gibraltar and invade the Iberian Peninsula. They control large portions of the peninsula for centuries, living with Jews and Christians and shaping Spanish history..

1258

The family of Abbasids, who take their name from Muhammad’s uncle al-‘Abbas, establish Baghdad as their capital after the overthrow of the Umayyads and appoint Abu al-‘Abbas al-Saffah as first caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate. They rule for over five centuries, bringing Islam to the height of its civilization.

850

Four major schools of Islamic law are established: Hanafi, Maliki, Sāfi’ī, and Hanbali These four schools are established by Muslim religious scholars rather than the caliphs. They become the most widely accepted interpretations of Islam by Sunni Muslims.

c. 768

First Written Biography of Muhammad

The first written biography of Muhammad is recorded by Muhammad Ibn Ishaq. This first written record of the Prophet’s life was followed by numerous biographical accounts.

The Umayyad Emirate constructs the Great Mosque of Cordova (in present-day Spain) under the direction of ‘Abd al-Rahman I.

875

Collection of Hadith

Muhammad ibn Isma’il al-Bukhari and Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, important scholars of the accounts of Muhammad’s sayings and actions, collect, authenticate, and compile hadith7 into the first two authentic collections.

A Shi’ite band invades Baghdad undermining the Abbasid caliphs, who have become little more than figureheads. Until the 16th century, the rule of Islam is decentralized with different sects, regions, and rulers.

Mahmoud of Ghazni, called the “Sword of Islam” led a series of raids on northern India. He destroys various temples, statues, and other religious art. This is one of the main roots of anti-Muslim thought among Hindus.

1099

Christians undertake the first crusade against the Muslims, and eventually achieve their goal and reconquer Jerusalem.

The Muslims win by resisting a Christian siege of Damascus.

The Muslims recapture Jerusalem from the Christians.

1324

World War I ends with the defeat and dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, which was the last of the Islamic empires. Many regions populated by Muslims in Africa and Asia are colonized by Europeans. Traditional religious ways of life are threatened and, in some cases, destroyed.