Islam: "submission" to the will of God.

Muslim: "one who submits."

1. The Shahada, or Profession of Faith: "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is his Prophet."
2. Prayer, five times a day.
3. Fasting, during the holy month of Ramadan.
4. Almsgiving.
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca (the Haj) at least once.

The Qur’an: a series of revelations delivered by the Angel Gabriel to Muhammad, who then repeats them to his followers. After his death they are collected and written down. Each chapter or sura corresponds to one revelation.

"Peoples of the Book": Christians, Jews and other peoples tolerated (and subordinated) under Islamic rule.

Jizya: Special tax paid by non-Muslims.

Muhammad (c.570-632).

c.610: begins receiving revelations and preaching.

622: Persecuted by the pagan Quraysh, Muhammad and his followers are forced to flee Mecca and take refuge in Medina. This event, called the Hijra, marks Year One in the Islamic calendar.

630: Muhammad conquers Mecca and unites most of Arabia under his rule.

Successors to Muhammad: the Caliphs ("deputies" or "successors"). In theory, these rulers hold both political and spiritual authority over the community of Muslims.

632-661: The so-called "rightly guided" Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali.

656-661: First major civil war in Islam, a dispute over who can claim the mantle of the Prophet. Ali, Muhammad’s nephew, is defeated and killed. His followers become the Shi’ite sect of Islam.

661-750: Umayyad dynasty, with its capital in Damascus (Syria).

750: Umayyads overthrown by Abbasids, who create new capital at Baghdad (Iraq). A branch of the Umayyad dynasty survives to set up an independent kingdom in Muslim Spain.

The Conquests:

634-636: Palestine and Syria conquered from the Romans. Jerusalem captured.

637-642: Conquest of Iraq and then Iran: complete defeat of Sasanian empire.

641: Egypt taken from Romans.

650s: Arabs begin raiding into Anatolia (Asia Minor).

698: Arabs capture Carthage and North Africa from Romans.

711: Arabs and Muslim Berbers cross from Morocco into Spain, conquering the Visigothic kingdom. Islamic empire now stretches from the Atlantic to Central Asia.