Understanding Islam: Significant Events in History

This article provides a summary of the most significant events in the history of Islam, including the birth of Muhammad, the conquests of Muslim, the rise of the Ottoman Empire, and the founding of Islamic nations. It explores the key moments that shaped the religion and its impact on the world.

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Understanding Islam
Part 1: Summary
Write a 350- to 525-word summary of the most significant events in the history of Islam.
Summary
In 570 AD, birth of Muhammad took place. In 610, Muhammad received first vision in a cave
near Mecca. From 610-22 Muhammad preached in Mecca. In 622, Mohammad and his
followers flee to Medina (History, 2018). In 624, Muslims successfully attacked Meccan
caravans at Badr. In 625, Muslims were defeated at Uhud at Meccans. In 630, Mecca was
captured where rites of pilgrimage were Islamicized, Ka’ba was cleansed and Arabian tribes
vowed allegiance to Muhammad. In 632, Muhammad died and Abu Bakr was made as caliph.
From 632-33 there was restoration to Islam took place by Wars of ridda. In 633, conquests of
Muslim began. In 650, Caliph Uthman made Qur’an to be written down. Ali became the fourth
caliph when Uthman was murdered. In 661, Ali was murdered, Mu’awiya become caliph.
Husayn died in 680 and it marked the beginning of shi’a sect. In between 685-705, Arabic
becomes the official language. In the late 600s most of the ruling classes in West and East
Africa adopted Islam. Arab armies entered Spain. In 747, Umayyads were defeated due to
revolt. In between 1100-1200 foundation of Sufi orders took place. In 754, Baghdad became
the new capital of the empire of Abbasid. In late 1100, Islam came to India. In 1258, Mongols
captured Baghdad was Caliph was killed and the city was sacked. From 1281-1324, there was
foundation of Ottoman Empire. In 1400s Islam came to Philippines. In 1453 Constantinople
was conquered by Mehmet Fatih. In 1516-17 Ottomans conquered and extended control in
Syria, Egypt, Mecca and Medina. In 1526, Babur captured India and this Mughal sultanate
proved to be one of the major reasons for the conversion of people into Islam. In 1625, Java
came under the rule of Muslim Kingdom of Mataram (Johns, 2013). In 1830, Greece regained
control from Ottomans. In 1878, Berlin Congress recognized Balkan’s state independence
which was previously under Muslim rule. In between 1908-18 fall of Ottoman rule took place.
In 1912, Sareket Islam or Islamic Union was founded which modernized South-East Asia. In
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Summary
1928 Muslim Brothers also known as Ikhwan-al-Muslimum was founded in Egypt. In 1947,
Pakistan was founded as an Islamic nation. In late 1990s, Taliban came into the power in
Afghanistan.
Part 2: Important Elements
Write a 1- to 2-sentence explanation of the importance to Muslims of each of the elements listed in the
table below.
Qur’an
Qur’an is considered to be a spiritual and material guide for the
community and individuals from all classes at any time or place in
their entire life. Qur’an has things written for all the people i.e. from
king to the last man on the street (Bernheimer & Rippin, 2013).
Five Pillars
Five Pillars of Islam are the five basic rules which every individual
must follow. They are the Shahadah, Salah, Sawm, Zakat and Hajj.
These must be practiced by all the Muslims except the ones who
cannot do or afford it.
Ramadan
Ramadan is the most valuable month in the Islamic calendar and it is
essential that Muslim do fast in this month.
General Islamic Ethics
These general Islam ethics contains all the good teachings from
various sources and hence it is essential that all Muslims follow these
ethics in their daily practices of life (A'la Mawdudi, 2013).
Part 3: Similarities and Differences
Select two of the branches of Islam (e.g., Sunni, Shia/Shiite, Sufi) to compare and contrast. Identify them
in the table below.
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Sunni
It is a branch of Islam that represents 89-90% of Islam followers. Sunni
believed that Muhammad did not appointed specific successor and after
many years of his death his father-in-law Abu Bakr Siddique was chosen
as successor by his followers. Sunnis understands that Qur’an is applied
to all of life and individuals can directly reach to god and he will present
himself on the Judgment day.
Shi’a On the contrary to Sunni, Shi’a believed that Muhammad did not choose
any successor. They have Imams who are community leaders and more
central figures as they are perfect manifestation of God (Ruthven, 2012).
Unlike Sunni, Shi’a does not believe that human will see god on the
Judgment Day.
Describe at least three similarities and/or differences, including at least one similarity and one difference
in how these two branches of Islam practice their traditions.
Similarities Differences
Some of the similarities are:
 They both believe that Allah is the
only God.
 Both believes in angels, demons and
devils.
 Both believe that Islam began in 610
when Muhammad received messages
from god.
 Both sect respects Qur’an as holy
book.
 Both recognize the Five Pillars of
Islam as a framework for daily life
(Sell, 2013).
Some of the differences are:
 Sunni understands Abu Bakr Siddiqui
as their religious leader while Shi’a
believed in Imam.
 Sunni believes that they will meet the
god on Judgment day while Shi’a
believes that they can reach directly to
god by following the teachings of
Qur’an.
 Shi’a gave importance to specific
Sunnah and Hadith literature while
Sunni believed in all the Islamic
literature.
 Shi’a also visits and honors shrines of
past saints, Scholars and Imams while
Sunni understand it to be blasphemy or
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Similarities Differences
equivalent to following another deities
(Tibi, 2012).
 In terms of worshipping, Sunni pray
by kneeling where their head touches
the prayer mat while shi’a kneel by
touching their head on bare earth.
Include references formatted according to APA guidelines. You may find helpful resources for formatting
citations in the Center for Writing Excellence in the University Library.
References
Tibi, B. (2012). Islamism and Islam (p. 74). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Sell, E. (2013). The faith of Islam. Routledge.
Ruthven, M. (2012). Islam: a very short introduction. OUP Oxford.
Bernheimer, T., & Rippin, A. (2013). Muslims: Their religious beliefs and practices.
Routledge.
A'la Mawdudi, S. A. (2013). Towards Understanding Islam. Kube Publishing Ltd.
Johns, A. H. (2013). Islam in Southeast Asia. In The Religious Traditions of Asia (pp. 173-
200). Routledge.
History, (2018) Islam. Retrieved from: https://www.history.com/topics/religion/islam
Copyright© 2018 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved.