Islamic History Timeline

Born in Makkah into the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe. His father Abdullah had already passed away before his birth. He was known even before prophethood as Al-Amin (the trustworthy).

His mother Aminah passed away when he was approximately six years old. He was then raised by his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib, and later by his uncle Abu Talib.

At age 25, he married Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, a wealthy businesswoman who was 40. She would become his greatest supporter and the first to believe in his prophethood. Their marriage lasted 25 years until her death.

At age 40, while in the cave of Hira on Jabal al-Nour, the angel Jibreel (as) came and revealed the first ayahs of Surah Al-Alaq: "Read in the name of your Lord who created." This marks the beginning of the Quran.

After three years of private dawah, the Prophet (saw) began preaching publicly. The response was largely hostile from the Quraysh, who feared losing their social and economic status.

Facing persecution in Makkah, around 80 Muslims emigrated to Christian Abyssinia (Ethiopia) under the protection of the just King Negus (Ashama ibn Abjar). This was the first migration in Islamic history.

Within weeks of each other, Khadijah (ra) and Abu Talib both died. The Prophet (saw) lost his greatest emotional support and his tribal protection. He described 619 CE as the year of sorrow.

The Prophet (saw) was transported from Makkah to Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, then ascended through the heavens. The five daily prayers were made obligatory on this night.

The migration to Madinah (Yathrib) marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar (Hijri year 1). The Prophet (saw) established the first Muslim community state and signed the Constitution of Madinah.

The first major military engagement of the Muslims. An army of 313 poorly-equipped Muslims defeated a Qurayshi force of ~1,000. This battle is described in the Quran (Surah 3:123). 14 Muslims and 70 Quraysh were killed.

Muslims suffered a setback when archers left their positions against orders. Around 70 companions were martyred, including Hamza (ra), the uncle of the Prophet (saw). The lessons of obedience are preserved in Surah Al-Imran.

When a coalition of 10,000 attacked Madinah, the Prophet (saw) adopted the Persian tactic of digging a trench around the city. The siege failed after two weeks and the coalition dispersed.

A 10-year peace treaty with the Quraysh, which appeared to favor Makkah but enabled Islam to spread rapidly across Arabia. The Quran calls it a "manifest victory" (Surah 48:1).

When the Quraysh violated the treaty, 10,000 Muslims marched on Makkah. The city was taken with virtually no bloodshed. The Prophet (saw) granted general amnesty to his former persecutors. He then cleansed the Kaaba of 360 idols.

The Prophet (saw) performed his only Hajj and delivered the Farewell Sermon on the plain of Arafah, establishing universal human rights. He passed away in Madinah at age 63 on 12 Rabi al-Awwal, 11 AH.

The first caliph of Islam. He suppressed the apostasy (Ridda) wars, began compilation of the Quran in book form, and expanded the caliphate into Persia and Byzantine territories.

After the Battle of Yamama, in which many Huffaz (Quran memorizers) were martyred, Abu Bakr ordered Zayd ibn Thabit to compile the Quran into a single manuscript. This was preserved with Hafsa (ra).

Under Umar, the Islamic state expanded dramatically. Jerusalem, Egypt, Persia, and Syria came under Muslim rule. He established the first codified legal and administrative system.

Umar (ra) personally traveled to Jerusalem to accept the city's surrender. He signed the Covenant of Umar guaranteeing the safety and rights of all Christians, Jews, and their holy sites.

Uthman oversaw the standardisation and distribution of the Mushaf (official Quran copies) to prevent textual divergence. He sent standardised copies to major cities and had other variants destroyed.

The Prophet's cousin and son-in-law. His caliphate was marked by civil strife following the assassination of Uthman. He is deeply revered in both Sunni and Shia traditions.

Ali (ra) was assassinated by Ibn Muljam while praying Fajr in Kufa (Iraq). His death marks the end of the Rightly Guided Caliphs (Khulafa al-Rashidun) and the beginning of the Umayyad period.

Based in Damascus (Syria), the Umayyad dynasty ruled for nearly a century. They oversaw massive territorial expansion from Spain in the west to the borders of China in the east.

Husayn ibn Ali (ra), the grandson of the Prophet (saw), was killed at Karbala (Iraq) along with 72 companions by the forces of Yazid. This event split Islam into Sunni and Shia paths and remains deeply significant.

Tariq ibn Ziyad crossed the Strait of Gibraltar with 7,000 troops and defeated the Visigoth king. Muslim rule in Spain (Al-Andalus) would last nearly 800 years, becoming a center of learning and culture in medieval Europe.

Muslim expansion into France was halted at the Battle of Tours by Frankish forces under Charles Martel. Many historians consider this a turning point that prevented further Muslim expansion into Western Europe.

The Abbasid Revolution overthrew the Umayyads. Most Umayyad rulers were killed. One survivor, Abd al-Rahman I, escaped to Spain and established the Emirate of Cordoba.

Caliph al-Mansur built Baghdad (Madinat al-Salam, City of Peace) on the Tigris River. It became the capital of the caliphate and would grow into the largest city in the world.

The caliphate reached its cultural and political peak. Baghdad became the world's center of science, medicine, philosophy, and trade. The stories of One Thousand and One Nights are set in this era.

Founded by Caliph al-Ma'mun, the House of Wisdom in Baghdad was the world's greatest center of learning. Greek, Persian, and Indian texts were translated and expanded. Mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and philosophy flourished.

Pope Urban II called for a Crusade to reclaim Jerusalem. In 1099, Crusaders captured Jerusalem and massacred its Muslim and Jewish population. The city remained under Crusader control until 1187.

Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi (Saladin) defeated the Crusaders at the Battle of Hattin and recaptured Jerusalem. Unlike the Crusaders, he allowed Christians and Jews to remain and guaranteed their safety.

The Mongol army under Hulagu Khan sacked Baghdad, killed Caliph Al-Musta'sim, and massacred hundreds of thousands. The House of Wisdom was destroyed. The Tigris River reportedly ran black with ink from the books thrown into it. This ended the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad.

Osman I established a small Anatolian principality in northwestern Turkey. His descendants would build the longest-lasting Muslim empire in history.

Sultan Mehmed II (Fatih, "the Conqueror") captured Constantinople at age 21, ending the Byzantine Empire after 1,000 years. He fulfilled a prophecy of the Prophet (saw) and renamed the city Istanbul.

Sultan Selim I conquered Egypt and assumed custodianship of Makkah and Madinah from the Mamluk rulers, making the Ottomans the preeminent Muslim power and symbolic head of the Sunni world.

Ottoman forces under Suleiman the Magnificent besieged Vienna but withdrew due to supply issues and the onset of winter. This marked the furthest westward expansion of the Ottoman Empire.

The second Ottoman siege of Vienna was defeated by a Polish-led coalition. This is often cited as the beginning of Ottoman decline in Europe.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk abolished the Ottoman Caliphate on 3 March 1924, ending an institution that had existed in various forms for 1,292 years. The last caliph, Abdulmejid II, was exiled to Paris.

The Caliphate ends. Muslim-majority lands are divided largely among British and French colonial powers under Sykes-Picot and League of Nations mandates. The political shape of the modern Middle East is set.

After the partition of British India, Pakistan becomes the first modern state established specifically as a homeland for Muslims. 14 million people cross the border in one of history's largest mass migrations.

The establishment of Israel in 1948 results in the displacement of approximately 700,000 Palestinian Arabs. This event, called the Nakba (Catastrophe), continues to shape the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Following the arson attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque, Muslim leaders met in Rabat, Morocco and established the OIC, the second largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations.

The Islamic Revolution in Iran under Ayatollah Khomeini overthrows the Shah and establishes the Islamic Republic of Iran. It significantly reshapes regional politics and the Sunni-Shia geopolitical divide.

The September 11 attacks in the United States lead to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, widespread Islamophobia, and a sustained global debate about Islam, terrorism, and Muslim identity. The attacks were condemned by Muslim scholars worldwide.

Popular uprisings across the Arab world topple governments in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen. Syria descends into civil war. The promise of democratic reform is largely unmet, but the events reshape the political landscape of the Muslim world.