Part One: Preliminaries

Section one

      ·        570 CE  Muhammad b. Abdullah is born

·        610 CE   Muhammad first receives revelation from the Angel Gabriel during the month of Ramadan

·        Muhammad announces his Prophethood to his close family, including his wife, uncle, Abu Talib, and his cousin, Ali b. Abu Talib.  During their lifetimes, Abu Talib and Khadija would be Muhammad’s best protectors, and Ali b. Abu Talib would be Muhammad’s most dedicated follower

·        Muhammad and his followers experience heavy persecution in Mecca.  He is mocked and insulted in the streets, and his followers are harassed and assaulted.  Some are killed.  Opposition is led by members of his own tribe, the Quraysh, in particular from the powerful Bani Umayya clan, led by prominent Meccan noble Abu Sufyan.  These nobles feared loss of power, influence, and wealth.  Throughout the decade that followed, Abu Sufyan would be one of Muhammad’s fiercest enemies.

·        1 A.H.  Muhammad and his followers, learning of a plot to assassinate Muhammad in Mecca, escapes in the night with his followers and flees to Medina.  Ali b. Abu Talib stays in Mecca, taking Muhammad’s place in his house to fool the Quraysh.  Ali later joins the other Muslims in Median.  This event, known as the hijra, marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar.

·        Agressions of the Meccans continue, with numerous attacks launched against the Muslims.  Throughout these battles, Ali b. Abu Talib stood out for his valor and bravery, and was a key element to the victories of the Muslims.

·        6 A.H. Muhammad signs the peace treaty of Hudaybia with the Meccans.  The terms of the treaty included the condition that hostilities would cease unless one of the two parties aggressed.

·        8 A.H.  The Meccans, however, violated the treaty, leading to the Muslims marching against Mecca.  The Meccans surrendered, and Muhammad re-entered Mecca in victory.  Muhammad liberated the Kaaba from idols and treated his enemies with admirable restraint.

·        10 A.H. During the last year of his life, following the final pilgrimage to Mecca, Muhammad addresses the pilgrims at Ghadir Khumm, an area between Mecca and Medina where the pilgrims parted to go their separate ways to return home.  In front of tens of thousands of people, Muhammad announces, “For whomsoever I am his guardian, Ali is his guardian.”  This marked a public designation of Ali as the spiritual leader of the Muslims following the death of Muhammad.

·        10 A.H. Muhammad dies.  While Ali b. Abu Talib prepared the body of Muhammad for burial, a group of companions met on the outskirts of Medina.  A dispute breaks out about the leadership of the Muslim community after the death of Muhammad.  In the turmoil, Abu Bakr, one of the prominent members of the community is put forward as leader and people swear allegiance to him.

·        13 A.H. Abu Bakr dies, appointing Umar b. Khattab as caliph after him.

·        18 A.H.  Muawiyya b. Abu Sufyan is appointed governor of Syria by the caliph Umar.

·        24 A.H.  Umar b. Khattab is assassinated by one of his servants.  On his deathbed, he engineers a process to choose the next caliph from amongst a group of six people, including Ali b. Abu Talib.  Ali is again overlooked, and Uthman, a member of the Bani Umayya clan, is selected as caliph.

·        Problems arise under Uthman’s caliphate as Uthman falls victim to bad and manipulative advice under the influence of Marwan b. Hakam, a member of the Umayyad clan once exiled by Muhammad.

·        Umayyad influence over the administration of the Islamic state reaches a new height as key positions are given to close family members of Uthman.  Complaints arise of corruption and immoral behavior amongst the administrators, lack of justice, and embezzlement of public funds for gifts to Umayyad family members.  This is in stark contrast to the relative integrity of the first two administrations.

·        32 A.H. Abu Dharr, one of the prominent companions of Muhammad launches peaceful protests in Medina regarding misuse of khums money from African campaigns for lavish gifts to members of Uthman’s family.

·        Abu Dharr is sent by Uthman to Damascus, in Syria, where Muawiyya is governor.

·        Abu Dharr continues his protests against Muawiyya in Damascus.

·        Muawiyya sends Abu Dharr back to Medina, pressuring Uthman to punish him

·        32 A.H.   Uthman exiles Abu Dharr to Al-Rabadha, a harsh area in the desert outside Medina without vegetation or water.  Abu Dharr, and his children later perish there.

·        35 A.H. The provinces of the Muslim state, tired of the corruption they saw in the administration, send delegations to Medina to petition Uthman to cleanse his administration of corrupt individuals and restore justice to the state.  Ali encourages him to comply.

·        The mob, growing angry, and stirred by unidentified provocateurs, storms Uthman’s palace.  Despite efforts by Hassan and Hussayn, the sons of Ali b. Abu Talib to stop the mob, it is of no use; the mob enters the palace and kills Uthman as he kneels in prayer.

Part One: Preliminaries

      Section 1

      Section 2

Part Two: Hussayn's stand at Kerbala

Part Three: Aftermath of Kerbala