Timeline of Islam

Timeline of Islam

Geoff Dougherty

Overview Over time, the Islamic faith has spread throughout the world due to a few key

events in history. I believe the 10 most important of these events are:

1. Life of Muhammed

2. Shia split from Sunni

3. Muslim empire can no longer expand

4. West Africa begins conversion to Islam

5. Christian Crusaders invade Islamic cities

6. Conqueror Saladin dies; Crusader states returned to Islam

7. Muhammed Ali elected governor of Egypt; extends into Sudan

8. Non-Muslim citizens granted equality with Muslim citizens

9. Taliban comes to power in Afghanistan

10. Terror attack on World Trade Center

Life of Muhammed

Born in 570, the prophet Muhammed went through his life as a merchant, until 610 when he has a spiritual vision in a cave outside of Mecca. Eager to share his new thoughts with others, he preached in Mecca until 622, during which he laid the foundations of Islam, writing the Quran and establishing the rules Muslims live by. He lived until 633, dying at the age of 63.

Shia-Sunni Split

In 656, the man known as Ali became the fourth caliph. During his reign, a group known as the Shia began to form. They started as supporters of Muhammed after he had died, but eventually they graduated into a religious movement. They started to rebel from the Sunni, which was the original group of Muslims during the time of Muhammed, because they didn’t support some of their beliefs. However, this was not what the Sunni had in mind. In order to stop this rebellion, they organized the murdering of Ali, the current caliph and important figure in the Shia rebellion. Instead of stopping the Shia, this made them angry. They continued to pull away and even fight with the Sunni, resulting in 3 bloody battles that marked the split of these two groups. After the split had been made, the Shia actually adopted some of the Sunni’s old beliefs that they had at first disagreed with.

End of Expansion

By the year 732, the Arab Empire had reached the end of its expansion. Entering Spain in 710, the Arab army had conquered much of the known world and had nowhere else to go. Lasting a full century, this conquest had stretched all the way from Northwest India, across Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, southern Italy, and the Iberian Peninsula, to the Pyrenees. This conquest also brought on collapses in the areas they passed through, such as the Sassanid Empire. The Byzantine Empire did not entirely collapse, but they were heavily weakened when they lost a large part of their territory to the Arabs.

Conversion of West Africa

In the late 900’s, the spread of Islam made its way into West Africa. Originating in cities such as Mecca and Jerusalem, Islam was one of the fastest spreading religions in history. As soon as the religious expansion hit West Africa, it stuck. Today a variety of religions can be found in this same region, with Islam still ranking supreme is the far western parts of Africa and the Western interior. It is still unsure why Islam spread so quickly and so efficiently into regions that never focused much on religion. I believe that it’s because Islam is a very free spirited religion without as many strict rules as other religions. It allows you to worship a variety of gods rather than just one.

Christian Crusades Begin

Starting in the early 1000’s, Christian Crusaders began invading Islamic cities and taking control. These Western European crusades took place in Asia, Greece, and of course Israel. Kingdoms were established in Palestine, Syria, and perhaps the biggest takeover, Jerusalem. These takeovers spanned over a century, with the seizing of Jerusalem coming in 1099.

Crusades Ended

Nearly 100 years after the Crusades of Israel began, they were ended. In the year 1193, after the death of Saladin, who was the sultan of Egypt and Syria and the leader of the Christian Crusades, most of the conquered states were recovered by Arab armies. Once the backbone of the crusades was no longer controlling them, the whole organization fell apart, making it easy for the Arabs to regain their territory. These crusades were the first true test of the power of Islam, and they passed.

New Governor of Egypt

When Ali was put into the position of the governor of Egypt, he started an expansion campaign once more. After the Islam faith ended its expansion efforts, nobody attempted to restore the campaign until Ali. In 1805 he became the governor, gained control of western Arabia, and then expanded into Sudan. This expansion another spread of Islam. This second attempt was nowhere near as big as the first, but it was significant.

Equality in Muslim Life

For thousands of years native-born Muslims were held in higher regard than converted Muslims or non-Muslims in an Islamic society. That was until the 1850’s when those non-Muslims were recognized as equal with the true Muslims. They now could have a higher social standard if they worked for it and they were now allowed to hold government positions. Before they were granted equality, they had no say in the government. Decisions were made by elite families and citizens in high social standing rather than lowly converted Muslims that were supposed to have no idea how to run a government.

Taliban Rises to Power

In the late 1990’s an extremist group known as the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan. The Taliban was known for their brutal tactics and their violent tendencies. They ruled over Afghanistan with an iron fist. The members of the Taliban were treated extremely well and lived a life full of paradise. If you were not a part of this inner circle, however, your life was made very difficult. They considered themselves a small military unit with the power to take on anyone. They equipped themselves with lethal weapons and patrolled the streets keeping everything in line. Their violent presence scared off anyone who dared to contradict them. They ruled from 1996 until 2001 when they were forced out of power and into hiding.

September 11, 2001

On the morning of September 11, 2001, two planes hijacked by Islamic extremists crashed into both World Trade Center buildings in New York City, bringing both to the ground. A total of 2,965 people were killed and thousands of others were injured. This attack was planned and carried out by members of a group called Al-Qaeda because they didn’t like what America stood for. This is perhaps the event with the biggest impact on the Islamic world. It sent the message of many Muslims extremists to the world and was one of the main causes for the US’s invasion of the Middle East, which has caused a war that continues this day.