Islamic History / Middle Eastern History

The era of Islamic history is usually considered as the era of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS), and later. Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) brought the last message of God (Allah) through Allah’s last revealed book, The Quran (The Koran).

Numerous prophets came before Prophet Muhammad. Some of these prophets that are also mentioned in the Quran are the following –

David (Daud in Arabic)
Jacob (Yaqub in Arabic)
Ishmael (Ismail in Arabic)
Joseph (Yousuf in Arabic)
Moses (Mousa in Arabic)
Jesus (Eesa in Arabic)

The Era of the Prophet Muhammad

Prophet Muhammad was born in 571. He was bestowed the prophethood when he was forty years of age. He died when he was 63 years old.

The Era of the four caliphs

The four caliphs of Islam were –

Caliph Abu Bakr Siddique
Caliph Umar ibn Khattab
Caliph Uthman bin Affan
Caliph Ali bin Abi Talib

The Umayyads

The Umayyad house was one part of the the Quraysh tribe. Uthman, the third caliph was part of the Umayyad’s but not considered as part of the Umayyad’s reign. The Umayyad Caliphs were based in Damascus as Muawiyah transferred the rule to Damascus after the death of the fourth Caliph of Islam, Ali bin Abi Talib.

The Islamic empire expanded greatly in the Umayyad’s rule. This expansion extended from North Africa and Iran, through the late 600s, from the Iberian Peninsula, in the west, to the east in what is today called Pakistan. Forces led by Tariq ibn-Ziyad crossed Gibraltar and established Muslim power in the Iberian peninsula, while other armies established power far away in Sindh, in Northern India.

The Caliphs of Umayyad reign were as follows:

Muawiyah I ibn Abi Sufyan, 661–680
Yazid I ibn Muawiyah, 680–683
Muawiya II ibn Yazid, 683–684
Marwan I ibn Hakam, 684–685
Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, 685–705
al-Walid I ibn Abd al-Malik, 705–715
Suleiman ibn Abd al-Malik, 715–717
Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, 717–720
Yazid II ibn Abd al-Malik, 720–724
Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik, 724–743
al-Walid II ibn Yazid II, 743–744
Yazid III ibn al-Walid, 744
Ibrahim ibn al-Walid, 744
Marwan II ibn Muhammad (ruled from Harran in the Jazira) 744–750

The Abbasids

During Walid II, Yazid III, Ibrahim’s reigns, numerous rebellions paralyzed the caliphate. Specifically, the Kharijites seized Kufa, and feuds between the Qaysites and Kalbites errupted. The last Umayyad caliph of Syria, Marwan II (744-750), attempted to bring some calm but by this time the Abbasid revolutionary movement had gained momentum in the eastern provinces of the empire. In 749 Abu al-Abbas al-Saffah was proclaimed the first Abbasid caliph; and the final Umayyad caliph was killed in 750. Only one Umayyad, Abd al-Rahman, escaped: he fled to Spain where he established the dynasty of the Umayyads of Cordoba. (REWORD)

Al-Mansur was one of the first Caliphs of the Abbasid reign. Abbasid’s transferred the power of Islamic rule to Baghdad. Abbasid’s were one of the longest ruling families in Islamic history.

The caliphs (and the years of their rule) are as follows –

What is the "Middle East"?

The term “Middle East” was coined by American naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan in 1902. The US military strategists in the 1920-1930s used the term to define the world region that is skirted by South-Eastern Europe, across south-western Asia and North Africa. The term was initially used in political sense, but the term has almost got geographical recognition in the modern times.

The countries that broadly falls in the Middle East include (alphabetically) Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.

Links and Resources on Islamic / Middle East History

History of the Battle of Badr
Muslim Scientists
Muslim Contributors to Science
Sultan Abdul Hameed The Second And The Fall Of The Islamic Khilafa
The Role of Sheikh-ul Islam Ibn Taymiyah in Jihad Against the Tatars
Islamic History - The Liberation of Constantinople
The Battle of Ain Jaloot: A Turning Point in History
Islams first contacts with the Balkan nations
The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah By Sh. Safi-ur-Rahman Al Mubarakfuri
Al-`Izz Ibn `Abdus-Salam - Sultan of the `Ulama' By Dr. Muhammad Esma'il Sieny
Indisputable Islamic History Evidence By Dr. Safar Al-Hawali



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