Spread of Islam

Makkah

525

They had important trade stops and they were the religious center of Arabia. One of the reasons they settled there was because of the fresh water well. They had a very diverse religions, Arabs, Christians, Jews, etc. The location was Kaaba with a shrine with 300 religious idols

Quraysh

547

They were a powerful local tribe of Arabs and encouraged tribes to deposit idols in the Kaaba and protected them for a fee

Arabs

560

Most of the Arabia's first inhabitants were Bedouins. They came from Africa or Mesopotamia and they are Semites which means they are descendants of Noah's son and they are descendants of Abraham's son Ishmael. They valued camels and sword, they didn't have a strong central government, and they practiced animistic polytheism.

Birth of Muhammad

576

Muhammad's Early Life

580

He was born into Hashim familiy of the powerful Quraysh tribe sometimes between 570-580. The angles told his mother, Amina to call him Muhammad and his father, Abdallah died before his birth and then his mother died when he was 6 years old. His uncle, Abu Talib was the one to raise him. He worked for a wealthy widow, Khadija and eventually married her and they had 7 children. The only child that survived was Fatima, which was a daughter. He had a reputation as a seeker of solitude.

Marriage

591

When he was 25 he married Khadijah, a wealthy widow which he previously worked for. They had 4 daughters, the most known was Fatima and she later married her cousin, Ali.

Muhammad's Suspecting Somethings Wrong

592

He suspected that the way the people lived in Mecca was wrong. The thing that was wrong was that people did not share their wealth with the poor and the tribes were constantly at war with one another.With just realizing this he decides to retreat to the mountains.

Muhammad's Visions and Teachings

Aug 6, 612

In the mountains he prayed and fasted for many days in a cave. On his 17th day there he saw the angel of Gabriel. Gabriel told him the sacred word of Allah and told him to tell all of his people but he didn't until 2 years after in exception of his wife and her cousin. Muhammad told the people the only god was Allah but didn't force Christians or Jews to convert. The new prophet declared that it was the duty of the rich to share what they had with the poor. People also had to pray 3 times a day.

Discrimination

Nov 6, 617

Many people were not happy with Muhammad's message, such as Quraysh and merchants of Mecca. Muhammad and his converts were called Muslims and they leaders of the city declared that the Muslims should be boycotted, which caused them to face starvation. The boycott lasted 2 years and in those 2 years his wife and his last living relative died.

First Islamic Community

Nov 6, 621

A group of tribes from Yathrib came to Mecca to talk to Muhammad. They were tired of fighting amongst themselves. They sought his wisdom and council to end their conflict. They heard his message and converted to Islam, pledging to protect one another. This was the first Islamic community.

Leaving Mecca

Nov 6, 622

Him and his followers left Mecca and moved to Yathrib because the Muslims and his life was still in danger. This was unrepresented because never before had part of an Arab tribe split off to create an independent tribe, which made Quraysh furious. He pledged that they would protect one another and respect one another's religions

Medina

Nov 6, 625

His house in Medina served as the first mosque, with large and spacious rooms. This has been the basis for every mosque built since. To this day 4 is set as the maximum standard, but the rule can be flexible. Muhammad allowed the followers of all faiths to worship freely in Medina. He changed where they should face when they're praying so instead of Jerusalem they faced Mecca.

Muhammad's Death

Nov 6, 632

He united most of the region under his leadership and faith of Islam. Islam continued to spread around the world and today there are more than 1.5 billion Muslims.