Muhammad

In the year A.D. 570 a man who would greatly influence the religious beliefs of Islam was born in the city of Makkah. This man’s name was Muhammad. Muhammad was orphaned when his parents were killed, and was left to be raised by an uncle. In order to survive, Muhammad went to work as a caravan leader when he was only a teenager. He was very good at his job, and brought his employer, a 40 year old widow tremendous wealth. When Muhammad reached the age of 25, this widow proposed marriage to him. After marrying this wealthy woman, Muhammad was now free to contemplate life. His new found wealth allowed him more free time than before his marriage.
As Muhammad contemplated his faith, he became concerned about the greed and wickedness of his people. He saw a great disparity between the wealthy and the poor. He was also concerned about the worship of idols, instead of worshiping Allah, or God. In A.D. 610 after years of prayer, and anguish over the sins of his people, Islamic tradition states that Muhammad received a revelation from Allah telling him to preach to the people. Muhammad later received other revelations giving him further instructions about what to share with his people.
By A.D. 613 Muhammad began sharing the message that Allah had given him with others - beginning with his family and close friends. As word spread that Muhammad had seen a vision from Allah, many in Makkah began to persecute him and his followers. One of the most important elements of the economy in Makkah were the pilgrims who traveled to the city to worship their idols. The wealthy merchants feared that this new religion which forbad the worship of idols would hurt their economy. Muhammad did have some early success however. Mainly with the poorer classes of people who lived in and around Makkah. They were drawn to his message because he taught that the poor and wealthy were equal, and that the wealthy should share their means with those who did not have enough.
In the year A.D. 622 persecution against Muhammad and his followers became especially brutal. Muhammad had received a number of threats against his life, including attempted assassinations. In order to protect both himself, and his people, Muhammad sent his followers, which consisted of about 60 separate families to the town of Yathrib. Muhammad himself traveled to Yathrib secretly. Followers of Islam, known as Muslims call this the Hijrah. Hijrah means ‘great emigration’. The year that the Hijrah took place marks the first year of the Islamic calendar, and is the year that most historians consider the beginning of the Islamic era.
In Yathrib Islam began to flourish. The people accepted Muhammad as their leader and king. Muhammad established all laws, and settled all disputes. He taught the people that they owed their loyalty first to Islam, second to their families, and only thirdly to their own tribes. These teachings united his people under his rule and authority. The teachings and laws revealed by Muhammad were written in books, which became known as the Quran. The Quran today is considered to be holy scripture by those who practice Islam. Gradually the city of Yathrib became known as Madinah, which means “The City of The Prophet”.
In A.D. 630 the people who lived in Makkah attacked Muhammad and his people in an attempt to destroy them. The Muslims were not only able to defend themselves against attack, but in the same year were able to overthrow and conquer Makkah. Many tribes throughout the Arabian Peninsula saw this as a sign of Allah’s power. By A.D. 631 Muhammad was recognized throughout the region as the prophet of God. As Allah’s prophet, Muhammad was then easily able to conquer the entire Arabian Peninsula with little opposition. Muhammad setup a strong central government, whose capital was in Madinah. He destroyed all the idols that were in Kaaba, and instead established Kaaba as the center of Muslim worship. Thus, Makkah became the religious capital of this Islamic nation.
In the year A.D. 632, after battling a fast moving infection, Muhammad died.  However, he left behind a legacy that is almost unparalleled in world history. During his short reign, Muhammad founded a new world religion, and united all of the Arabian tribes behind one central government, giving it new strength, that would help it survive the coming centuries. After the death of Muhammad, the Muslim people began looking to a new type of ruler, which they called a caliph. The word ‘caliph’ means successor. The caliph was the governmental successor to Muhammad. He was not however the prophetic successor, since Muslims believed that Muhammad was the last prophet. Under the direction of the caliphs, the Islamic empire continued to spread in influence, wealth, and power. The first four caliphs were close friends and relatives of Muhammad. Through their military might they greatly expanded the borders of Islam, bringing their once great neighbors, the Persians, completely under their control. These leaders also conquered much of the Byzantine Empire.
In A.D. 656 the fourth Caliph, a man by the name of Ali, was elected as ruler of Islam. Ali came to power when his predecessor was murdered. The governor of Syria, Mu’ Awiyah, was the nephew of Uthman, the former, and now murdered, caliph. Mu’ Awiyah accused Ali of planning the murder of his uncle, so that he could take power for himself. The supporters of Mu’ Awiyah fought for several years against the supporters of Ali for control of the government. In A.D. 661 Ali was murdered by one of his own followers, ending the civil war. Those who followed Husayn became known as the Shiite Muslims, while those who remained faithful to Mu’ Awiyah were known as the Suni Muslims.
From A.D. 661 until A.D. 750 Islam would be ruled by the descendants of Mu’ Awiyah known as the Umayyads. Under the guidance of the Umayyads, Islam continued its rapid spread throughout the world. The Umayyad armies went as far East as China, and as far West as Spain. Islam quickly became one of the largest and most powerful nations on Earth. The Shiites continued to work against the Sunni Umayyad leaders. A building resentment for the Umayyads was furthered by their mistreatment of non-Arab Muslims. These non-Arabs were considered second class citizens. They paid higher taxes, and had fewer rights. In A.D. 747 the Shiites and non-Arab Muslims gathered together an army under the leadership of Abu’ l-‘ Abbas, who was a direct descendant of Muhammad. After defeating the Umayyads, Abbas established himself as caliph. He and his descendants would rule Islam until A.D. 1258. They would become known as the Abbasids Dynasty. Abbas commissioned the building of a new city that would grow to become one of the wealthiest cities in the region. He named his new capital city Baghdad. By A.D. 900 over one million people lived and worked in Baghdad.