Historical Background
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Muhammad did not appoint anyone to succeed him, because all his sons had died in infancy which left Muhammad without a clear hereditary male successor.This ultimately created a significant division in Islam, which still remains today. Abu Bakr was asked by Muhammad to be the first caliph, he died two year later and was succeeded by Umar, and later followed Uthman both were assassinated.
The fourth caliph was Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, Ali, the husband of his daughter Fatima. Ali was also assassinated, and his opponents, who ruled from Damascus, assumed control of Islam in 661 CE.This marked the division between Islam the Shiite and Sunni. Islam arose in political and religious power. The Byzantine Empire had repeatedly fought with the Persian Empire which weakened their efforts. The weakness of the Byzantine and Persian Empires helped Islam quickly expand into their territories. Islamic armies took Syria in 635 CE and Persia in 636 CE.This was believed to be a divine purpose.
The movement began to move westward toward Egypt and taking control in 640 CE. Islam spread across most of northern Africa over the next seventy years, and it spread across the Red Sea and Indian Ocean from Arabia to eastern Africa. Islam was stopped in South of France by Christian forces Charles Martel, the grandfather of Charlemagne, in 732 CE at the Battle of Tours. This battle was one of the defining battles in world history.
661 CE to 750 CE, Islam was controlled by the Umayyad Dynasty. During this period Islam adopted elements of architecture and cuisine that were introduced by the Roman Empire. Control of Islam shifted to Baghdad in 750 CE by the Abbasid dynasty, a hereditary line that claimed connection to Muhammad.This dynasty did not end until 1258, which is considered the Golden Age of their cultural peak. Islam continued to spread eastward into non-Arab cultures, and Arab domination of Islam spread to present-day Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India, and Bangladesh. Islam also spread into western China, where millions of Muslims still live today.
The fourth caliph was Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law, Ali, the husband of his daughter Fatima. Ali was also assassinated, and his opponents, who ruled from Damascus, assumed control of Islam in 661 CE.This marked the division between Islam the Shiite and Sunni. Islam arose in political and religious power. The Byzantine Empire had repeatedly fought with the Persian Empire which weakened their efforts. The weakness of the Byzantine and Persian Empires helped Islam quickly expand into their territories. Islamic armies took Syria in 635 CE and Persia in 636 CE.This was believed to be a divine purpose.
The movement began to move westward toward Egypt and taking control in 640 CE. Islam spread across most of northern Africa over the next seventy years, and it spread across the Red Sea and Indian Ocean from Arabia to eastern Africa. Islam was stopped in South of France by Christian forces Charles Martel, the grandfather of Charlemagne, in 732 CE at the Battle of Tours. This battle was one of the defining battles in world history.
661 CE to 750 CE, Islam was controlled by the Umayyad Dynasty. During this period Islam adopted elements of architecture and cuisine that were introduced by the Roman Empire. Control of Islam shifted to Baghdad in 750 CE by the Abbasid dynasty, a hereditary line that claimed connection to Muhammad.This dynasty did not end until 1258, which is considered the Golden Age of their cultural peak. Islam continued to spread eastward into non-Arab cultures, and Arab domination of Islam spread to present-day Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India, and Bangladesh. Islam also spread into western China, where millions of Muslims still live today.