What is the history of Islam?

Islam’s historical community begins with Muhammad’s preaching in Mecca, the move to Medina in 622, and his death in Medina on 8 June 632. The split between those who accepted Abu Bakr and those who held that Ali should lead is the origin of Sunni and Shia Islam. The Ottoman claim to the caliphate was abolished on 3 March 1924.

Key points

• Watt’s Britannica biography dates the birth to about 570, the marriage to Khadijah to 595, the call to about 610, the Hijra to 622, and the death to 8 June 632.
• Qur’an 3:123And already had Allāh given you victory at [the battle of] Badr while you were weak [i.e., few in number]. Then fear Allāh; perhaps you will be grateful.Qur’an 3:123 · Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗ names the victory at Badr. What happened at the Battle of Badr?
• Newman’s Britannica article on Shi‘i Islam says the earliest sources agree Muhammad did not formally name a successor on his deathbed, that the community chose Abu Bakr, and that Ali’s party became the Shi‘ah.
• The same article places Husayn’s death at Karbala in October 680, at the hands of Umayyad forces, and the Abbasid overthrow of the Umayyads in 750.
• Britannica on Atatürk says the caliphate was abolished on 3 March 1924.

A short timeline

Only events this site can tie to a fetched page are listed. Later wars and modern movements are not on this list.

• About 570. Birth in Mecca, in the Britannica biography. Who was Muhammad?
• 595. Marriage to Khadijah. How many wives did Muhammad have?
• About 610. The call, associated with the first recitation. Qur’an 96:1–5¹ Recite in the name of your Lord who created ² Created man from a clinging substance. ³ Recite, and your Lord is the most Generous - ⁴ Who taught by the pen ⁵ Taught man that which he knew not.Qur’an 96:1-5 · Saheeh InternationalOpen on quran.com ↗ When was Islam founded?
• 622. The Hijra to Medina. The Islamic calendar counts from this year.
• 624. Badr. What happened at the Battle of Badr?
• 627. The siege of Banu Qurayza after the Trench. What happened to the Banu Qurayza?
• 8 June 632. Death in Medina. How did Muhammad die?
• After 632. Abu Bakr, then Umar, then Uthman, who was killed in 656. Ali was accepted and ruled from Kufa. The Battle of the Camel was in 656, Siffin in 657. Ali died in 661, and Muawiya was then recognized. This sequence is Newman’s account in the Shi‘i article. What is the difference between Sunni and Shia Islam?
• October 680. Husayn, Ali’s son, was killed by Umayyad forces at Karbala.
• 750. The Abbasids unseated the Umayyads.
• 3 March 1924. The Turkish republic abolished the caliphate. What is a caliphate?

The two branches

Sunni Islam and Shia Islam are the branches this site gives their own shelves. They are not separate religions on the religions index. General articles stay on Islam.

Reading order

1. What is the history of Islam? (this page)
2. When was Islam founded?
3. What is the difference between Sunni and Shia Islam?
4. What is a caliphate?

The life of Muhammad is a separate series. Start at Who was Muhammad?.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the later history?

Sieges, Lepanto, Vienna, the Wahhabi movement, and the twentieth-century states are not in this first list. This page keeps the events whose pages were checked. It does not fill the gaps with a textbook summary.

Did Sunnis kill Husayn?

Newman’s article says Umayyad forces killed Husayn at Karbala in October 680. That is an Umayyad army. It is not a sentence that “Sunnis” as a later school did it.

What do Christians say this history means?

Christians confess Jesus as God, crucified and raised, before any of these dates. What do Christians believe about Muhammad? The disagreement between Sunni and Shia Muslims is theirs. The comparison does not pick a side.