Timeline of Islam: from the 25 prophets to the Ottoman Empire

A complete timeline of Islam: key dates and foundational events

The history of Islam begins in the 7th century with the birth of the prophet Muhammad around 570 AD in Mecca. In 610 he received his first revelation from the angel Gabriel in the cave of Hira. That date marks the beginning of the revelation of the Quran.

In 622 the Hijra was a major turning point. Muhammad and his first followers migrated from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution. This migration marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. In Medina the first Muslim community took shape and the foundations of Islamic society were laid.

The conquest of Mecca in 630 was a decisive moment. Muhammad returned to his native city with his followers and cleansed the Kaaba of the pagan idols. Islam then spread quickly throughout Arabia. Two years later, in 632, the prophet Muhammad died in Medina after his farewell pilgrimage.

After the death of the prophet, the first four caliphs led the Muslim community from 632 to 661. This period, called the rashidun caliphate, saw the rapid expansion of Islam towards Syria, Egypt and Persia. Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali followed one another at the head of the young Islamic state.

The Umayyad and then Abbasid dynasties marked the following centuries. Islam continued to spread geographically and intellectually. The prophets of Islam remain central figures of this history, as do the hadiths who passed on the teachings of the prophet Muhammad to later generations.

This timeline shows how Islam went from a message revealed to one man in a cave to a world civilisation in only a few decades.