TIMELINE OF ISLAM
The start of Islam is marked in the year 610, following the first revelation to
the prophet Muhammad at the age of 40. Muhammad and his followers
spread the teachings of Islam throughout the Arabian peninsula. Soon after
the death of the prophet Muhammad, there were military expeditions, called
"futuhat," or literally "openings," into what is now Egypt and other parts of
North Africa. In other parts of the world, Islam spread through trade and
commerce. The following is a brief timeline that highlights some of the
major occurrences in Islam's development, as well as the geographical
spread of Islam to some of the countries featured in the film.
570 C.E. Muhammad is born in Mecca. He comes from a noble family and
is well-known for his honesty and upright character.
610 C.E. According to Muslim belief, at the age of 40, Muhammad is
visited by the angel Gabriel while on retreat in a cave near Mecca. The angel
recites to him the first revelations of the Quran and informs him that he is
God's prophet. Later, Muhammad is told to call his people to the worship of
the one God, but they react with hostility and begin to persecute him and his
followers.
622 C.E. After enduring persecution in Mecca, Muhammad and his
followers migrate to the nearby town of Yathrib (later to be known as
Medina), where the people there accepted Islam. This marks the "hijrah" or
"emigration," and the beginning of the Islamic calendar. In Medina,
Muhammad establishes an Islamic state based on the laws revealed in the
Quran and the inspired guidance coming to him from God. Eventually he
begins to invite other tribes and nations to Islam.
630 C.E. Muhammad returns to Mecca with a large number of his followers.
He enters the city peacefully, and eventually all its citizens accept Islam.
The prophet clears the idols and images out of the Kaaba and rededicates it
to the worship of God alone.
633 C.E. Muhammad dies after a prolonged illness. The Muslim community
elects his father-in-law and close associate, Abu Bakr, as caliph, or
successor.
638 C.E. Muslims enter the area north of Arabia, known as "Sham,"
including Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq.
641 C.E. Muslims enter Egypt and rout the Byzantine army. Muslims
consider their conquest as the liberation of subjugated people, since in most
instances they were under oppressive rule.
655 C.E. Islam begins to spread throughout North Africa.
661 C.E. Imam Ali is killed, bringing to an end the rule of the four
"righteous caliphs": Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali. This also marks the
beginning of the Umayyad rule.
711 C.E. Muslims enter Spain in the west and India in the east. Eventually
almost the entire Iberian Peninsula is under Islamic control.
732 C.E. Muslims are defeated at Potiers in France by Charles Martel.
750 C.E. The Abbasids take over rule from the Umayyads, shifting the seat
of power to Baghdad.
1000 C.E. Islam continues to spread through the continent of Africa,
including Nigeria, which served as a trading liaison between the northern
and central regions of Africa.
1099 C.E. European Crusaders take Jerusalem from the Muslims.
Eventually Muslims defeat the Crusaders and regain control of the holy
land.
1120 C.E. Islam continues to spread throughout Asia. Malaysian traders
interact with Muslims who teach them about Islam.
1299 C.E. The earliest Ottoman state is formed in Anatolia, Turkey.
1453 C.E. Ottomans conquer the Byzantine seat of Constantinople and
change its name to Istanbul.
Circa 1800 C.E. Approximately 30 percent of Africans forced into slavery
in the United States are Muslim.
1870-1924 C.E. Muslim immigrants from the Arab world voluntarily come
to the United States until the Asian Exclusion Act is passed in 1924.
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.
1930 C.E. The Nation of Islam is created in the U.S. by W. D. Fard. It is
based on some Islamic ideas, but contains innovations, such as the
appointment or declaration of Elijah Muhammad as a prophet.
1948 C.E. The state of Israel is created. Some Palestinian and Lebanese
refugees flee to the United States, among them, Muslims and Christians.
1952 C.E. The McCarren-Walter Act relaxes the U.S. ban on Asian
immigration. Muslim students come to the U.S. from many nations.
1965 C.E. Revisions of immigration law further open the doors for Muslim
immigration.
1975 C.E. Wallace D. Muhammad, the son of Elijah Muhammad, takes over
leadership of the Nation of Islam after his father's death and brings most of
his followers into mainstream Islam. He later creates the Muslim American
Society, which attracts many members, most of whom are African-
American.
1979 C.E. The Iranian Revolution results in the establishment of the Islamic
Republic of Iran, the first attempt at an Islamic state in the modern era.
