Place
Cities, sites and routes on a map that moves through time.
What is in this wing so far: Roadmap: the full Place hall arrives in a later phase.
- Building
Masjid Al-Aqsa
A mosque in Jerusalem. - Building
al-Qullays (the Yemeni Kaaba)
The church Abraha built in Yemen to divert the Arabs’ pilgrimage from Mecca — the ambition that led to the elephant campaign. - Building
Badshahi Mosque
A mosque in Lahore, dated to 1671 CE. - Building
Dar al-Nadwa
The council house founded by Qusayy on the north side of the mosque of the Kaaba, with its door into the mosque; Quraysh deliberated its grave matters and married off its daughters there. - Building
Dome of the Rock
A shrine in Jerusalem, dated to 691 CE. - Building
Eyüp Sultan Mosque
A mosque in Istanbul, dated to 1458 CE. - Building
Ferhat Pasha Mosque
A mosque in Bosnia and Herzegovina, dated to 1579 CE. - Building
Great Mosque of al-Nuri
A mosque in Mosul, dated to 1172 CE. - Building
Great Mosque of Diyarbakır
A mosque in Turkey, dated to 1091 CE. - Building
Great Mosque of Kufa
A mosque in Kufa. - Building
Great Mosque of Qal'at Bani Hammad
A mosque in Algeria, dated to 1008 CE. - Building
Hagia Sophia
A building in Istanbul, dated to 532 CE. - Building
The Kaaba
The House whose foundations Ibrahim and Ismail raised at Mecca; it was a raised mound before the building, then the sanctuary toward which Arabia’s tribes came — custodied successively by Ismail’s line, Jurhum, Khuzaʾa and finally Quraysh under Qusayy. - Building
The Maʾrib Dam
The great dam of the Sabaean kingdom whose construction began in the Mukarrib era; its repeated breaches, and final burst around 450 CE, are the Sayl al-Arim of Surat Saba in the sira’s account. - Building
Al-Masjid Al-Haram
The mosque in Mecca. - Building
Masjid al-Dirar
A mosque near Medina built by twelve men named by Ibn Ishaq; they asked the Prophet, then preparing for Tabuk, to pray in it, and he put them off until his return. On his way back he stopped at Dhi Awan and ordered it demolished and burned, and Qur'an was revealed about them. It is also called Masjid al-Shiqaq. - Building
Quba Mosque
A mosque in Quba, dated to 622 CE. - Building
Mosque of Omar
A mosque in Jerusalem, dated to 1193 CE. - Building
New Mosque
A mosque in Istanbul, dated to 1597 CE. - Building
Prophet's Mosque
The mosque in Medina, dated to 622 CE. - Building
Tongxin Great Mosque
A mosque in China, dated to 1573 CE. - Event
Abu Dharr lags behind and follows on foot
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHMan after man fell behind the Prophet on the march, and he would say: leave him; if there is good in him, God will bring him up to you. Then Abu Dharr was reported to have fallen behind, his camel slowing him, so he took his baggage on his back and set out on foot following the Prophet's tracks. When a watcher saw him the Prophet said: let it be Abu Dharr; and it was he. The Prophet prayed for him and said that he walks alone, dies alone and is raised alone. - Event
Abu Khaythama catches up with the Prophet
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHDays after the Prophet had marched, Abu Khaythama returned to his family on a hot day and found his two wives in two bowers they had prepared for him with cold water and food. He refused to enter, saying he would not sit in cool shade while the Prophet was out in the midday wind and heat; he took his provisions and his camel and went after the Prophet until he caught up with him at Tabuk. - Event
The conversion of Abu Quhafa
January 630 CE · Ramadan 8 AHAt Dhu Tuwa or upon the entry into Mecca, Abu Bakr led his aged, blind father Abu Quhafa to the Prophet to profess Islam; the Prophet remarked with tenderness that he should have gone to the old man instead, and instructed that his white hair be dyed. - Event
Abu Ruhm and the stragglers of Ghifar and Aslam
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHIbn Ishaq relates from al-Zuhri, from Ibn Ukayma al-Laythi, from the nephew of Abu Ruhm al-Ghifari that Abu Ruhm Kulthum ibn al-Husayn — one of those who pledged under the tree — campaigned to Tabuk. Riding near the Prophet at al-Akhdar his mount jostled the Prophet's, and the Prophet asked him about the Ghifar men who had stayed behind, then about a party of their Aslam allies, and said that the dearest of his people to him were those who did not stay behind: the Muhajirun of Quraysh, the Ansar, Ghifar and Aslam. - Event
The conversion of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb
January 630 CE · Ramadan 8 AHAt Marr al-Zahran on the eve of the Conquest, al-Abbas brought Abu Sufyan into the Muslim camp; after witnessing the ten thousand campfires and parading contingents, Abu Sufyan professed Islam, and the Prophet granted general sanctuary to whoever entered his house. - Event
Abu Sufyan's mission to Medina
629 CE · 8 AHFrightened by what had been done at al-Watir, Quraysh sent Abu Sufyan ibn Harb to Medina to stiffen the pact and extend its term. The Prophet gave him no answer; Abu Bakr and Umar declined to intercede; Ali advised him to grant protection himself, which he did and returned home empty-handed. - Event
al-Jadd ibn Qays asks leave to stay behind
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHAl-Jadd ibn Qays of Banu Salima asked the Prophet whether he had any part in fighting the Banu al-Asfar, meaning the Byzantines, and excused himself as a man too fond of women who feared temptation; the Prophet turned away from him and gave him leave. Ibn Ishaq says a verse of Sura al-Tawba was revealed about him, explaining that his falling into temptation by staying behind was greater than what he feared. - Event
Ali is left in charge of the Prophet's family
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHThe Prophet left Ali in charge of his family and ordered him to stay with them. The hypocrites spread the rumour that he had found Ali a burden, so Ali took up his weapons and caught up with the Prophet at al-Jurf. The Prophet told him he had left him behind for what he had left behind him, and asked: are you not content to be to me as Aaron was to Moses, except that there is no prophet after me? Ali returned to Medina. - Event
The Battle of Badr
13 March 624 CE · 17 Ramadan 2 AHThe first major battle between the Muslims of Medina and the Quraysh of Mecca, fought at the wells of Badr on 17 Ramadan 2 AH. - Event
The Conquest of Khaybar
c. May 628 CE · Muharram 7 AHIn Muharram 7 AH (May-June 628 CE), the Prophet marched with 1,400 companions of Hudaybiyya against the formidable Jewish oasis of Khaybar; following fierce assaults and the capture of eight major fortresses (including Na'im, al-Sa'b ibn Mu'adh, al-Zubayr, Ubayy, and al-Qamus), the Jewish leaders surrendered and agreed to cultivate the land for half of its produce. - Event
The Battle of the Trench (al-Ahzab)
c. February 627 CE · Shawwal 5 AHIn Shawwal 5 AH (February-March 627 CE), a confederate army of 10,000 Meccans and Bedouin allies besieged Medina; upon Salman al-Farisi's advice the Muslims dug a protective trench on their northern boundary; the siege endured for nearly a month amidst cold, hunger, and the treachery of Banu Qurayza, until broken by Nu'aym ibn Mas'ud's stratagem and a violent night windstorm. - Event
The Bedouin excuse-makers
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHBedouin came making excuses to the Prophet, and God did not excuse them, according to Ibn Ishaq; they were reported to him as a group of Banu Ghifar. - Event
Four believers lag behind without doubt
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHIbn Ishaq records that a number of Muslims whose resolve lagged stayed behind the Prophet without doubt or suspicion, naming among them Ka'b ibn Malik, Murara ibn al-Rabi', Hilal ibn Umayya and Abu Khaythama, and describing them as truthful men whose Islam was not to be questioned. - Event
The Withdrawal of Abdullah ibn Ubayy with a Third of the Army
March 625 CE · Shawwal 3 AHThe withdrawal of Abdullah ibn Ubayy with about a third of the army (some 300 men) on the march to Uhud; al-Raheeq al-Makhtum's author reads it as an attempt to sow confusion in the Muslim ranks. - Event
The fifty-night boycott of the three
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHAfter his return the Prophet forbade the Muslims to speak to Ka'b, Murara and Hilal; people shunned them and their world changed for fifty nights. Two of them kept to their houses, while Ka'b went out to prayer and the markets and no one spoke to him. - Event
The burial of Dhu al-Bijadayn at Tabuk
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHIbn Ishaq relates from Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Harith al-Taymi that Abdullah ibn Mas'ud told how he rose in the depth of night on the Tabuk campaign and saw a fire-brand at the edge of the camp: the Prophet, Abu Bakr and Umar were burying Abdullah Dhu al-Bijadayn al-Muzani, who had died; the Prophet was in the grave receiving the body, saying: bring your brother close to me. He then prayed for him, and Ibn Mas'ud said: would that I had been the man of that grave. - Event
Burning of Suwaylim's house
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHIbn Hisham reports from 'a trusted source' that the Prophet was told that some of the 'hypocrites' were gathering in the house of Suwaylim the Jew at Jasum, discouraging people from him on the Tabuk campaign, so he sent Talha ibn Ubaydullah with a party and ordered him to burn the house down on them; he did so, and al-Dahhak ibn Khalifa rushed out of the back of the house and broke his leg while his companions escaped. - Event
The army camps at al-Hijr and the Prophet bans its water
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHOn the road to Tabuk the Prophet stopped at al-Hijr, and the people drew water from its well. After they had rested he forbade them to drink its water, perform ablutions from it or eat dough kneaded with it, and ordered that no one go out at night without a companion; two men of Banu Sa'ida disobeyed — one was strangled and the wind carried the other to the mountains of Tayy. - Event
The Conquest of Mecca (Fath Makka)
c. 11 January 630 CE · 20 Ramadan 8 AHIn Ramadan 8 AH (January 630 CE), following Banu Bakr and Quraysh's breach of the Hudaybiyya peace at al-Watir, the Prophet mobilized 10,000 Muslims and entered Mecca in triumphant humility; dividing the army into four columns, the city was taken almost without resistance; the 360 idols around the Kaaba were shattered, and the Prophet announced a general amnesty to the populace: 'Go, for you are free'. - Event
The Consultative Council for the Battle of Uhud
March 625 CE · Shawwal 3 AHA military council where the Prophet and his companions discussed the defense plan, debating between fortifying Medina or exiting to face the enemy. - Event
The death of Abu Dharr at al-Rabadha
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHIbn Ishaq relates, through Burayda ibn Sufyan al-Aslami from Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, that when Uthman exiled Abu Dharr to al-Rabadha and his death came there, he had with him only his wife and his servant. He charged them to wash and shroud him and lay him on the road; Ibn Mas'ud passed in a party of Iraqis and helped bury him, and recalled what the Prophet had said to Abu Dharr on the march to Tabuk. - Event
The demolition of Masjid al-Dirar
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHWhen the Prophet stopped at Dhi Awan on his return from Tabuk, news of the mosque reached him; he summoned Malik ibn al-Dukhshum and Ma'n ibn Adi (or his brother Asim) and ordered them to demolish and burn it. They did so, its people dispersed, and Qur'an was revealed about them, according to Ibn Ishaq. - Event
The distribution of Hunayn spoils at al-Ji'rana
February 630 CE · Dhu al-Qa'da 8 AHAt al-Ji'rana the Prophet divided the vast spoils of Hunayn (twenty-four thousand camels, forty thousand sheep, and four thousand silver awqiya); he warned against the misappropriation of spoils, and bestowed major grants upon Meccan notables and Najdi tribal chieftains to reconcile their hearts to Islam. - Event
The Negus carries the emigrants to the Prophet in two ships
c. 628 CE · c. 7 AHIbn Ishaq says: those of the Prophet's Companions who remained in Abyssinia stayed until the Prophet sent Amr ibn Umayya al-Damri to the Negus, who carried them in two ships and brought them to him at Khaybar after al-Hudaybiyya. The total who arrived in the two ships was sixteen men, and with them were carried wives of Muslims who had died there. - Event
The expedition to Awtas
c. January 630 CE · Shawwal 8 AHA detachment sent by the Prophet under Abu Amir al-Ash'ari in pursuit of the routed Hawazin remnants encamped at Awtas; Abu Amir was struck by an arrow and martyred after routing nine enemy champions, whereupon Abu Musa al-Ash'ari took the banner and secured victory. - Event
The cleansing of the Kaaba and destruction of idols
January 630 CE · Ramadan 8 AHUpon entering the sacred precinct, the Prophet circumambulated the Kaaba on his mount, toppled three hundred and sixty lead-fastened idols with his staff while reciting Qur'an 17:81, opened the sanctuary with Uthman ibn Talha's key, effaced the wall frescoes inside while reciting Qur'an 3:67, and had Bilal deliver the adhan from atop the roof. - Event
The proscribed persons on the day of the Conquest
January 630 CE · Ramadan 8 AHPrior to entering Mecca, the Prophet ordered the army to fight only those who offered armed resistance, except for a small named group of individuals accused of apostasy combined with murder, severe physical harm, or treasonous incitement, ordered slain even if found under the Kaaba's curtains. Several were executed, while others were granted protection and returned to Islam. - Event
The Prophet's sermon at the Kaaba and general amnesty
January 630 CE · Ramadan 8 AHStanding at the threshold of the Kaaba, the Prophet addressed the assembled people of Mecca, abolishing pre-Islamic blood feuds, reciting Qur'an 49:13 on human equality, returning the hereditary custodianship of the key to Uthman ibn Talha, and declaring a comprehensive general amnesty with the renowned words: 'Go, for you are the free ones' (al-Tulaqa'). - Event
The first Friday prayer
24 September 622 CE · 12 Rabi' I 1 AHOn the Friday of his entry into Medina, prayer time overtook the Prophet among Banu Salim ibn Awf, and he led a congregation of a hundred men in the mosque in the valley bottom — counted in the sira as the first Jumu'a. - Event
The three nights in the cave of Thawr
c. 13 September 622 CE · c. 1 Rabi' I 1 AH†The Prophet and Abu Bakr hid in the cave of Thawr for the nights of Friday, Saturday and Sunday while Quraysh combed the country offering a hundred camels for each man; their pursuers reached the cave's mouth and turned back. - Event
The letter of the king of Ghassan to Ka'b ibn Malik
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHWhile Ka'b was walking in the market during the boycott, a Nabataean from the Nabataeans of al-Sham who had brought food asked after him and handed him a letter from the king of Ghassan, wrapped in a scrap of silk, inviting him to join him; Ka'b thrust it into a lit oven. - Event
Expedition to Hamra al-Asad
24 March 625 CE · 8 Shawwal 3 AHOn the morning of Sunday 8 Shawwal 3 AH the Prophet called the people to pursue Quraysh and said: only those who fought with us may come. The Muslims answered despite their wounds. They reached Hamra al-Asad, eight miles from Medina, and camped. The Prophet sent Ma'bad ibn Abi Ma'bad al-Khuza'i to Abu Sufyan, and at al-Rawha he waged a propaganda war of nerves on him: 'Muhammad has come out with a gathering I have never seen the like of, burning for you.' The Meccan army's resolve collapsed and they kept withdrawing to Mecca. Abu Sufyan sent riders of Abd al-Qays to threaten the Muslims, which only increased their faith. The Prophet stayed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, then returned and executed Abu Azza al-Jumahi, who had broken his pledge {cite:mubarakpuri-raheeq p.284}. - Event
The Hawazin delegation and the amnesty of captives
February 630 CE · Dhu al-Qa'da 8 AHA delegation of Hawazin came to the Prophet at al-Ji'rana after professing Islam, invoking his foster-kinship among their clans; the Prophet relinquished his own share and that of Banu Abd al-Muttalib, and inspired the Muhajirun and Ansar to return six thousand captives to their families in a grand act of reconciliation. - Event
The Hijra
c. 12 September 622 CE · c. 29 Safar 1 AH†The migration of the Prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina in 622 CE, the event from which the Islamic calendar is counted. - Event
The departure night of the Hijra
c. 12 September 622 CE · c. 29 Safar 1 AH†The night of 27 Safar when eleven Quraysh chiefs surrounded the Prophet's house to kill him at dawn; Ali slept in his bed wrapped in his green Hadrami cloak while the Prophet walked through the cordon unscathed and reached Abu Bakr's house. - Event
Some say: do not march in the heat
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHSome of the 'hypocrites', in Ibn Ishaq's account, said to one another: do not march out in the heat — in disdain for the campaign, doubt of the truth and to demoralise the Prophet's side; he says two verses of Sura al-Tawba were revealed about them. - Event
A group of hypocrites mock the army, then excuse themselves
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHA party of the 'hypocrites', among them Wadi'a ibn Thabit and Makhshan ibn Humayr al-Ashja'i, were riding toward the Prophet as he set out for Tabuk and said that fighting the Banu al-Asfar was not like fighting the Arabs and that they would be tied up in ropes tomorrow. The Prophet sent Ammar ibn Yasir to question them; they excused themselves that they had only been jesting and playing, and God revealed a verse of Sura al-Tawba about them. - Event
Ibn Ubayy's separate camp and his staying behind
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHAbdullah ibn Ubayy pitched his own camp below the Prophet's camp toward Dhubab — as they claim, no smaller than the Prophet's own. When the Prophet marched on, Ibn Ubayy stayed behind with those of the 'hypocrites and doubters' who stayed. - Event
The Isra and Mi'raj
c. 621 CEThe miraculous nocturnal journey of Prophet Muhammad from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, and his ascent through the seven heavens, where the five daily prayers were ordained. - Event
Ja'far ibn Abi Talib comes before the Prophet at Khaybar
c. 628 CE · c. 7 AHIbn Hisham, not Ibn Ishaq, transmits a report from Sufyan ibn Uyayna from al-Ajlah from al-Sha'bi: Ja'far ibn Abi Talib arrived to the Prophet on the day Khaybar fell; the Prophet kissed him between the eyes and embraced him, saying he did not know which gave him more joy — the conquest of Khaybar or the arrival of Ja'far. - Event
The Prophet's journey to al-Ta'if
c. May 619 CEThe Prophet Muhammad's journey on foot with Zayd ibn Haritha to al-Ta'if in Shawwal of the tenth year of prophethood, seeking support from Thaqif, their rejection, the incident of Addas in the orchard, and the encounter with the Jinn at Nakhla on return. - Event
Ka'b and Abu Qatada at the garden wall
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHDuring the boycott Ka'b climbed the wall of his cousin Abu Qatada's garden and greeted him; he did not answer. Ka'b adjured him three times: did he know that Ka'b loved God and His Messenger? On the third Abu Qatada said: God and His Messenger know best — and Ka'b's eyes welled up. - Event
Ka'b ibn Malik puts off his preparations for Tabuk
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHKa'b related that he had never stayed behind from any campaign except Badr, and that he was never stronger or better provided than when he stayed behind from Tabuk: he kept putting off his preparations day after day until the army left without him. When the Prophet asked about him at Tabuk, Mu'adh ibn Jabal spoke in his defence. - Event
Ka'b offers his wealth and vows to speak only the truth
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHKa'b told the Prophet that part of his repentance was to give up his wealth in charity; the Prophet said: keep some of your wealth, it is better for you, so Ka'b kept his share of Khaybar and vowed to speak nothing but the truth as long as he lived, counting his truthfulness to the Prophet the greatest blessing after Islam. - Event
Ka'b tells the Prophet the truth
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHWhen news of the Prophet's return from Tabuk reached Ka'b he resolved on honesty. When he greeted the Prophet in the mosque and was asked why he had stayed behind, he admitted he had no excuse; the Prophet said: you have told the truth — rise until God decides your case. Men of Banu Salima followed him out, blaming him. - Event
Khalid's mission to Ukaydir of Dumat al-Jandal
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHThe Prophet summoned Khalid ibn al-Walid and sent him to Ukaydir ibn Abd al-Malik al-Kindi, the Christian king of Duma, telling him he would find him hunting wild cows. Khalid set out, and on a moonlit night Ukaydir came out when the cows rubbed their horns against his palace gate; the Prophet's cavalry met him, captured him and killed his brother Hassan. Khalid took his brocade gown laced with gold and sent it to the Prophet. - Event
The skirmish of al-Khandama
January 630 CE · Ramadan 8 AHA sharp clash on the heights of al-Khandama where armed resisters from Quraysh and Banu Bakr under Safwan ibn Umayya, Ikrima ibn Abi Jahl, and Suhayl ibn Amr attempted to bar Khalid ibn al-Walid's entry; the resistance was quickly routed, leaving twelve to thirteen Meccan fighters dead, while Kurz ibn Jabir, Khunays ibn Khalid, and Salama ibn al-Mayla' fell on the Muslim side. - Event
The killing of Ibn al-Anwa' and the sermon on Mecca's sanctity
January 630 CE · Ramadan 8 AHAfter the general safety was proclaimed, Khirash ibn Umayya ambushed and killed Ibn al-Anwa' al-Hudhali to settle an old blood dispute; the Prophet strongly condemned the murder, paid the full wergild from his own funds, and the next day delivered a decisive sermon proclaiming the perpetual inviolability of Mecca's blood, trees, and game. - Event
Khuza'a's appeal to Medina
629 CE · 8 AHAfter al-Watir, Amr ibn Salim al-Khuza'i stood before the Prophet in the Medina mosque and recited his plea invoking the pact of the fathers — 'and that was what stirred the conquest of Mecca' — then Budayl ibn Warqa' arrived with Khuza'i men reporting Quraysh's backing of Bakr. - Event
The Bakr–Khuza'a clash at al-Watir
629 CE · 8 AHA night raid by Banu al-Dil of Banu Bakr — secretly armed and joined by men of Quraysh — on Khuza'a at their watering place al-Watir in lower Mecca. The breach of the Hudaybiyya truce it caused is the spark the tradition gives for the conquest of Mecca. - Event
The builders of the mosque ask the Prophet to pray in it
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHShortly before marching to Tabuk, the people of the mosque they had built came to the Prophet saying they had built it for the sick and needy and for rainy and wintry nights, and asked him to pray in it for them; he put them off until his return. - Event
Mobilization of the Muslim Army for Uhud
March 625 CE · Shawwal 3 AHThe departure of the Muslim army of 1,000 fighters, divided into three battalions (Muhajirun, Aws, and Khazraj). - Event
Medina Intelligence on the Uhud Army
March 625 CE · Shawwal 3 AHAl-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib sending a detailed message to the Prophet regarding Quraysh's army movements. - Event
The army's halt at Ma'an and Ibn Rawaha's speech
c. September 629 CE · Jumada I 8 AHThe Mu'tah army camped at Ma'an in Syria; news reached them that Heraclius had encamped at Ma'ab in al-Balqa' with a hundred thousand Romans, joined by equal numbers from Lakhm, Judham, al-Qayn, Bahra' and Bali under Malik ibn Zaflah. When the men debated sending for reinforcements, Abd Allah ibn Rawaha urged them forward with a speech about the two good outcomes. - Event
Khalid ibn al-Walid's command and the army's withdrawal
c. September 629 CE · Jumada I 8 AHAfter the three commanders' deaths, Thabit ibn Aqram picked up the standard and declined command; the men chose Khalid ibn al-Walid. Khalid maneuvered defensively and withdrew the army intact. Ibn Hisham cites al-Zuhri with a divergent tradition that God granted victory under Khalid. - Event
Martyrdom of Abd Allah ibn Rawaha after his hesitation
c. September 629 CE · Jumada I 8 AHWhen Ja'far was killed, Ibn Rawaha took the standard and hesitated; he exhorted his soul in verse then dismounted. His cousin brought him a bone of meat; he bit from it, heard the battle roar and threw it down, advancing to fight until killed. The Prophet reported seeing Ibn Rawaha's throne in Paradise tilted slightly relative to the thrones of Zayd and Ja'far because he had hesitated. - Event
Martyrdom of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib and his hamstringing of his horse
c. September 629 CE · Jumada I 8 AHAfter Zayd's death Ja'far took the standard, dismounted and hamstrung his chestnut horse — the first such act in Islam — then fought until killed. Ibn Hisham adds (from a trusted source) that he gripped the banner with his right hand (cut off), then his left (cut off), then clasped it between his arms, dying at thirty-three. Ibn Hisham also records (ويقال) that a Roman cut him in two. - Event
Martyrdom of Zayd ibn Haritha as first commander
c. September 629 CE · Jumada I 8 AHAt Mu'tah, Zayd ibn Haritha carried the Prophet's standard and fought until he was killed. The Prophet announced his martyrdom in Medina before news arrived, and reported seeing him raised on a golden throne in a vision. - Event
Return of the Mu'tah army to Medina and the Prophet's reception
c. 629 CE · c. 8 AHWhen the army neared Medina, the Prophet and Muslims went out to meet it; boys ran ahead. The Prophet asked for Ja'far's son and carried Abd Allah ibn Ja'far on his mount. Some people threw dust and called the army 'deserters'; the Prophet replied: 'They are not deserters; they are the ones who will charge again, God willing.' Salama ibn Hisham hid at home in shame. - Event
The order that the three keep apart from their wives
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHWhen forty nights had passed, the Prophet's messenger came to Ka'b ordering him to stay apart from his wife and not approach her, and the same was sent to his two companions. Ka'b sent his wife to her family, while Hilal ibn Umayya's wife was allowed to serve him without him approaching her. - Event
Quraysh Preparations for the Battle of Uhud
March 625 CE · Shawwal 3 AHA large-scale military and financial mobilization by Quraysh to avenge their defeat at Badr. - Event
The Prophet's prayer places between Medina and Tabuk
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHIbn Ishaq names seventeen places where the Prophet had known, named mosques between Medina and Tabuk — the first a mosque at Tabuk and the last a mosque at Dhi Khushub. - Event
The Prophet's return and the excuses of those who stayed behind
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHThe Prophet reached Medina in the morning, began at the mosque where he prayed two rak'as and sat for the people. Those who had stayed behind came swearing oaths and making excuses — eighty-odd men by Ka'b ibn Malik's count; he accepted their outward professions and oaths, asked forgiveness for them, and left their inner thoughts to God. - Event
The Prophet's speech to the Ansar at al-Ji'rana
February 630 CE · Dhu al-Qa'da 8 AHAfter the Ansar felt grieved that newly reconciled Qurashi and Bedouin chieftains received large gifts while they received nothing, the Prophet gathered them in an enclosure at al-Ji'rana and delivered an impassioned, tearful address: 'Are you not pleased that people return with sheep and camels while you return with the Messenger of God to your dwellings?', moving the entire gathering to tears. - Event
The sojourn at Quba
23 September 622 CE · 8 Rabi' I 1 AHThe Prophet's stay at Quba from Monday 8 Rabi' I 1 AH: hosted by Kulthum ibn al-Hidm, he founded the mosque of Quba — the first mosque 'upon taqwa' — before riding to Medina on Friday; the length of the stay is debated (four days per Ibn Ishaq, up to 24 nights in Bukhari). - Event
Funding of the Uhud Army
March 625 CE · Shawwal 3 AHThe sale of a thousand camels by Quraysh to raise fifty thousand dinars to fund their war against Muslims. - Event
Rain falls after the Prophet's prayer at al-Hijr
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHThe people woke with no water and complained to the Prophet; he prayed, and God sent a cloud that rained until they were quenched and carried away what they needed. In Mahmud ibn Labid's account, a man known for hypocrisy said on seeing it: a passing cloud. - Event
The acceptance of the repentance of the three
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHAt dawn on the fiftieth night Ka'b heard a caller on Mount Sal' bringing him good news and fell prostrate. After the dawn prayer the Prophet announced God's acceptance of their repentance and people congratulated them; Talha ibn Ubaydullah rose to Ka'b and congratulated him, and the Prophet told him this was the best day that had come upon him since his mother bore him. - Event
Return of the Abyssinian emigrants with Ja'far ibn Abi Talib
c. 628 CE · c. 7 AHAfter Hudaybiyya, the Prophet sent Amr ibn Umayya al-Damri to the Negus, who transported the remaining Muslim emigrants in two ships to the Prophet at Khaybar after the conquest. The Prophet received Ja'far with a kiss between the eyes, saying 'I do not know which gives me greater joy — the opening of Khaybar or the arrival of Ja'far.' Sixteen men came on the two ships; thirty-four others came later or died in Abyssinia; sixteen women emigrated in all, counting those who came back and those who died there, apart from daughters born there. - Event
The Prophet leaves Medina and appoints a deputy
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHThe Prophet pitched his camp at Thaniyyat al-Wada'. Ibn Hisham says he put Muhammad ibn Maslama al-Ansari in charge of Medina, and he reports from al-Darawardi from his father that he appointed Siba' ibn Urfuta. - Event
The Prophet orders the people to prepare to fight the Byzantines
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHIbn Ishaq says the Prophet stayed in Medina from Dhu al-Hijja to Rajab, then ordered the people to prepare for the campaign against the Byzantines — in a time of hardship, fierce heat and drought, when the fruit had ripened. He rarely went on a campaign without concealing its destination, but for Tabuk he declared it plainly because the distance was far, the time harsh and the enemy many. - Event
The stay at Tabuk and the return to Medina
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHThe Prophet stayed at Tabuk a few nights, no more than a dozen, then turned back toward Medina. - Event
The Prophet's she-camel strays and Zayd ibn al-Lusayt's remark
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHThe Prophet's she-camel strayed on the road and his Companions went out searching for her. With him was Umara ibn Hazm, and in his litter rode Zayd ibn al-Lusayt al-Qaynuqa'i, a hypocrite in Ibn Ishaq's account, who said mockingly: does Muhammad bring news of the heavens yet not know where his camel is? The Prophet announced what he had said and where the camel was; it was found where he described, and Umara drove Zayd from his litter. - Event
The three who were left behind after Tabuk
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHAfter the Prophet returned to Medina he forbade speech with three Muslims who had stayed behind from Tabuk 'without doubt and without hypocrisy' in Ibn Ishaq's words — Ka'b ibn Malik, Murara ibn al-Rabi' and Hilal ibn Umayya. People withdrew from them for fifty nights until their repentance was announced after the dawn prayer. - Event
The Weepers: seven who asked to be carried
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHSeven men of the Ansar and of Banu Amr ibn Awf, called the Weepers, needy men, came to the Prophet begging for mounts; he said: I find nothing to carry you on — and they turned away, their eyes overflowing with tears that they had nothing to spend. Ibn Yamin ibn Umayr al-Nadri gave one of them a camel and dates. - Event
The treaty with Yuhanna ibn Ru'ba, lord of Ayla
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHWhen the Prophet reached Tabuk, Yuhanna ibn Ru'ba, the master of Ayla, came to him, made peace and paid the jizya; the people of Jarba and Adhruh also came and paid it, and he wrote them a document they still hold. For Yuhanna and the people of Ayla he wrote a letter of safe-conduct whose text Ibn Ishaq preserves. - Event
The treaty with Ukaydir
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHKhalid brought Ukaydir to the Prophet, who spared his blood, made peace with him on payment of the jizya, and released him; he returned to his village. - Event
Ubaydullah ibn Jahsh becomes a Christian in Abyssinia
Ibn Ishaq says: Ubaydullah ibn Jahsh went out with the Muslims emigrating to Abyssinia, and when he arrived he became a Christian, left Islam and died there a Christian; the Prophet afterwards married his wife Umm Habiba bint Abi Sufyan. The book does not date the event. - Event
Burial of the Uhud martyrs
23 March 625 CE · 7 Shawwal 3 AHThe Messenger of God looked over the martyrs and said: 'I am witness over these.' He ordered that anyone who had carried a slain man back to Medina return him, and that they be buried where they fell, in their clothes, the iron and leather removed, unwashed; two or three were laid in one grave, the one who had taken most of the Qur'an placed first. Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Haram and Amr ibn al-Jamuh were buried together for the love between them. They looked for Hanzala and found him dripping water; the Prophet said the angels were washing him, and he was called the angels' washed. Among the martyrs they found Mus'ab ibn Umayr, for whom no shroud was found but a striped cloak {cite:mubarakpuri-raheeq p.281}. - Event
Defection of the hypocrites at Uhud
23 March 625 CE · 7 Shawwal 3 AHOn the road to Uhud, when the army was near al-Shawt, Abdullah ibn Ubayy broke away and withdrew with some three hundred fighters on the pretext that the Messenger had rejected his advice to stay in Medina. This withdrawal revealed for the first time the hypocrisy that had been hidden. The Banu Haritha of the Aws and Banu Salama of the Khazraj wavered toward going back, then held firm by God's help; Abdullah ibn Haram, Jabir's father, tried to turn the hypocrites back and they refused {cite:mubarakpuri-raheeq p.253}. - Event
Muslim deployment at Uhud and the archers' post
23 March 625 CE · 7 Shawwal 3 AHThe Prophet halted with seven hundred fighters in the gorge of Mount Uhud, facing Medina with his back to the mountain — the best position on the field. He picked fifty skilled archers under Abdullah ibn Jubayr ibn al-Nu'man al-Ansari al-Awsi and posted them on a small hill southeast of the camp known as the Archers' Hill, ordering them not to leave their position in victory or defeat, and told their commander: 'keep the cavalry off us with your arrows so they cannot come at us from behind.' He put al-Mundhir ibn Amr on the right wing and al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam on the left, supported by al-Miqdad {cite:mubarakpuri-raheeq p.255}. - Event
Uhud war council and Muslim mobilization
22 March 625 CE · 6 Shawwal 3 AHWhen news of the Quraysh army heading for Medina reached the Prophet he held a senior war council. His view was to stay in Medina and fight the polytheists through the alleys, and Abdullah ibn Ubayy agreed; but the young Companions who had missed Badr pressed to march out until he yielded. The Prophet put on his armour and girt his sword, then divided his army into three battalions: the Muhajirun under the banner of Mus'ab ibn Umayr, the Aws under Usayd ibn Hudayr, and the Khazraj under al-Hubab ibn al-Mundhir {cite:mubarakpuri-raheeq p.252}. - Event
Tactical Deployment of the Muslim Army at Uhud
March 625 CE · Shawwal 3 AHThe distribution of forces on the right and left wings, and the appointment of fifty archers on the Archers' Hill to protect the army's rear. - Event
Muslim withdrawal to the mountain pass at Uhud
23 March 625 CE · 7 Shawwal 3 AHWhen about thirty Companions had gathered around the Prophet he began an orderly withdrawal into the mountain gorge, cutting a path through the attacking polytheists. During the retreat he killed Ubayy ibn Khalaf with his own hand. The polytheists made a last attempt to climb the mountain under Abu Sufyan and Khalid, and Umar and a party of the Muhajirun fought until they drove them down. The Messenger of God settled in the gorge, where Fatima washed his wound and cauterised it with a burnt mat to stop the bleeding. Muhammad ibn Maslama brought fresh water from which the Prophet drank and prayed for him; he prayed the noon prayer sitting, from the effect of his wounds {cite:mubarakpuri-raheeq p.278}. - Event
Umar dismisses al-Nu'man ibn Adi from Maysan
0634/0644Ibn Ishaq relates that Umar ibn al-Khattab appointed al-Nu'man ibn Adi over Maysan in the Basra region, then dismissed him when verses attributed to him reached Umar. Al-Nu'man excused himself that he was a poet saying what poets say, and Umar answered that he would never employ him again as long as he lived. - Event
The Prophet's Umrah from al-Ji'rana
February 630 CE · Dhu al-Qa'da 8 AHAfter completing the distribution of spoils, the Prophet entered the state of ihram from al-Ji'rana by night, entered Mecca to perform the rites of Umrah, confirmed Attab ibn Asid as governor of Mecca, and departed back to Medina in Dhu al-Qa'dah 8 AH. - Event
Uthman funds the army of hardship
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHThe Prophet urged the wealthy to spend and provide mounts in God's path, and men among them did. Uthman ibn Affan spent a vast sum such as no one else spent, in Ibn Ishaq's account; Ibn Hisham adds, from 'one who is trusted', that it was a thousand dinars and that the Prophet said: God, be pleased with Uthman, for I am pleased with him. - Event
The water of Wadi al-Mushaqqaq
October 630 CE · Rajab 9 AHOn the road was a trickle of water in a valley called Wadi al-Mushaqqaq, enough only for a rider or two. The Prophet forbade anyone to reach it before him; some of the 'hypocrites' went ahead and drew what was in it, and he cursed them and prayed against them. He then placed his hand beneath the trickle, the water gushed forth, and the people drank. - Group
Banu Bakr ibn Abd Manat
A tribe of Kinana that entered Quraysh's pact at Hudaybiyya; the night attack by its Banu al-Dil clan on Khuza'a at al-Watir — secretly armed by Quraysh — broke the truce and set off the conquest of Mecca. - Group
Khuza'a
The tribe of the Meccan lowland, long allied to the Prophet's house by marriage and oath; it entered his pact at Hudaybiyya, was attacked at al-Watir by Banu Bakr with Quraysh's secret aid, and its appeal to Medina set off the conquest of Mecca. - Journey
The Medina army's march to Badr
The Muslim army's route from Medina to Badr in Ramadan 2 AH: out of Medina's pass to Bir al-Rawha, off the Mecca road at al-Naziya to Rahqan and the Safra pass, then Dhi Afran, al-Asafir and al-Dabba, to the wells of Badr. - Journey
The march of the Conquest of Mecca
The march of the ten-thousand-strong army of the Conquest from Medina to Mecca in Ramadan 8 AH (January 630 CE): departing Medina on 10 Ramadan, breaking fast at al-Kudayd, encamping with 10,000 fires at Marr al-Zahran, halting at Dhu Tuwa to divide columns, and entering Mecca. - Journey
The emigrants' return from Abyssinia to Khaybar
The emigrants' voyage from Abyssinia to the Prophet at Khaybar in the two ships the Negus provided, with Amr ibn Umayya al-Damri, after al-Hudaybiyya. Ibn Ishaq names neither the port nor the route, and says they arrived while the Prophet was at Khaybar. - Journey
The march to Tabuk and back
The Prophet's march from Medina to Tabuk in Rajab of year nine and his return, by the halting-places Ibn Ishaq names: Thaniyyat al-Wada' where he camped, al-Jurf where Ali caught up, al-Hijr, and Tabuk where he stayed some ten nights, and Wadi al-Mushaqqaq on the way back. Ibn Ishaq does not order every stop; the return section (Dhi Awan) was completed in a later batch. - Media
Schematic map of The Battle of Badr
Map for The Battle of Badr, drawn from sourced positions. - Place
Abyssinia (Aksum)
The Aksumite kingdom across the Red Sea: twice occupier of Yemen (340 and 525), patron of Abraha’s elephant campaign, and later refuge of the first Muslim emigrants. - Place
Aden
A port in southern Yemen on the Indian Ocean, a major station on the maritime trade routes. - Place
Adhruh
A place whose people came to the Prophet at Tabuk and paid the jizya, according to Ibn Ishaq. - Place
Afshana
Village near Bukhara in which Ibn Sina was born. - Place
Agra
A city in northern India; it was the Mughal capital in the reign of Akbar and holds the Taj Mahal. - Place
Ajnadayn
A place in the land of al-Sham where Amr ibn Sa'id ibn al-As, Hubbar ibn Sufyan and Sa'id ibn Amr were killed in Abu Bakr's caliphate, according to Ibn Ishaq. - Place
Aksum
Capital of the Christian kingdom of Aksum in the Ethiopian highlands, where early Muslims took refuge around 615 CE. - Place
al-Akhdar
A place named by Abu Ruhm al-Ghifari in the night he rode near the Prophet on the road to Tabuk. - Place
al-Hijr
A place where the Prophet and the Muslims stopped on their way to Tabuk; they drew from its well and were then forbidden to drink from it. - Place
al-Hira
The Arab capital on the edge of Iraq’s Sawad, seat of the Lakhmid kings who guarded Persia’s frontier from Ardashir’s day until 632. - Place
al-Ji'rana
A settlement between Mecca and Ta'if where the Prophet halted the spoils and captives of Hunayn, received Hawazin's delegation and granted them general amnesty, distributed the shares to al-Mu'allafa Qulubuhum, addressed the Ansar, and entered ihram for Umrah. - Place
al-Jurf
A place three miles from Medina, in the editors' reckoning; the Prophet stopped there and Ali ibn Abi Talib caught up with him. - Place
al-Khaliqa (Dhu al-Khalifa)
Khalifat Bani Abi Ahmad near Medina, where Ali and al-Zubayr caught the woman carrying Hatib's letter to Quraysh and took it from her braided hair. - Place
al-Khandama
A rugged mountain on the edge of Mecca where resisters from Quraysh and Banu Bakr gathered under Safwan ibn Umayya, Ikrima ibn Abi Jahl, and Suhayl ibn Amr, and clashed with Khalid ibn al-Walid's column on the morning of the Conquest. - Place
al-Kudayd
A watering place between Usfan and Amaj on the road between Medina and Mecca; there the Prophet broke his fast and the army broke theirs on the march of the Conquest in Ramadan 8 AH. - Place
al-Qadisiyya
A place in Iraq where Amr ibn Uthman al-Taymi was killed with Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, according to Ibn Ishaq. - Place
al-Rabadha
A place near Medina, in the editors' reckoning; Ibn Ishaq records that Abu Dharr was exiled there and died there. - Place
al-Sham (Greater Syria)
The lands north of Arabia where Qudaʾa’s Salihids then the Ghassanids ruled as Rome’s client kings, and to which Harran-bound Ibrahim had earlier passed through Palestine. - Place
al-Shaykhan
A location between Medina and Mount Uhud where the Prophet reviewed his army before the battle. - Place
al-Watir
A watering place of Khuza'a in lower Mecca where Banu al-Dil of Banu Bakr made the night attack that broke the Hudaybiyya truce. - Place
al-Yamama
A region in central Arabia; Abu Qays ibn al-Harith al-Sahmi was killed there on the day of al-Yamama in Abu Bakr's caliphate, and Hawdha ibn Ali al-Hanafi appears there in the context of the Prophet's envoys, according to Ibn Ishaq. - Place
al-Yarmuk
A place in al-Sham; Ibn Ishaq dates the deaths of Abdullah ibn Sufyan al-Makhzumi and Sa'id ibn al-Harith al-Sahmi to it with the phrase 'the year of the Yarmuk', in Umar's caliphate. - Place
al-Zurayba
A place in the direction of al-Ta'if; Sa'id ibn al-As Abu Uhayha died there over property of his, according to Ibn Ishaq. - Place
Aleppo
A city in northern Syria, among the oldest inhabited cities in the world, flourishing under the Hamdanid, Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman eras. - Place
Alexandria
Mediterranean port of Egypt that surrendered to the Muslim army in 641 CE, long a centre of Greek learning and trade. - Place
Archers' Hill
A hill southeast of the Muslim camp at Uhud, where the Prophet stationed fifty archers to prevent the Meccan cavalry from flanking them. - Place
Usfan
A settlement two stages from Mecca on the Medina road; there Abu Sufyan met Budayl ibn Warqa' coming back from Medina, and there the Prophet's army passed on the march of the conquest. - Place
Awtas
A valley in the territory of Hawazin where Malik ibn Awf mustered the tribal confederation before Hunayn, and where the defeated remnants of Hawazin rallied under Durayd ibn al-Simma before being pursued by Abu Amir al-Ash'ari. - Place
Ayla
A town whose master Ibn Ishaq names as Yuhanna ibn Ru'ba, who made peace with the Prophet at Tabuk and paid him the jizya. - Place
Ayn al-Tamr
A place where Umayr ibn Ri'ab al-Sahmi was killed with Khalid ibn al-Walid on his way back from al-Yamama in Abu Bakr's caliphate, according to Ibn Ishaq. - Place
Badr
Settlement in the Hejaz, southwest of Medina, near the wells where the Battle of Badr was fought in 624 CE. - Place
Baghdad
Capital of the Abbasid caliphate, founded by al-Mansur in 762 CE and a great centre of learning. - Place
Bahrayn (historic Eastern Arabia)
The pre-modern name for the eastern Arabian coastal region where Kinda first settled and where Abd al-Qays, branches of Bakr ibn Waʾil and Tamim dwelt; also a seat of the Mazdean faith among the Arabs. - Place
Basra
Port city in southern Iraq founded as a Muslim garrison town around 636 CE, a centre of grammar, theology and trade. - Place
Bukhara
Silk Road city in present-day Uzbekistan, a centre of learning under the Samanids and the home of Ibn Sina's youth. - Place
Bursa
Anatolian city taken by the Ottomans in 1326 CE and their first major capital. - Place
Cairo
Capital of Egypt; al-Qahira was founded by the Fatimids in 969 CE beside Fustat and became home to al-Azhar. - Place
Cordoba
Spanish city, capital of the Umayyad emirate and then caliphate of al-Andalus, with its Great Mosque. - Place
Damascus
Syrian city, capital of the Umayyad caliphate (661-750 CE) and home of the Umayyad Mosque. - Place
Delhi
A city in northern India; it was the capital of the Delhi Sultanate from the thirteenth century CE and then the Mughal capital. - Place
Dhaka
The capital of Bangladesh; it became capital of the Bengal region in the Mughal era in the early seventeenth century CE. - Place
Dhu Awan
A place where the Prophet stopped on his return from Tabuk, a town an hour's daylight travel from Medina according to Ibn Ishaq; from there he sent the men who demolished Masjid al-Dirar. - Place
Dhu Tuwa
A valley in lower Mecca where the Prophet halted the army, bowed his head in humility on his mount until his beard nearly touched the saddle, divided the columns for entry, and where Abu Quhafa was brought to embrace Islam. - Place
Dhubab
A mountain at Medina, in the editors' reckoning; Abdullah ibn Ubayy pitched his camp near Dhubab below the Prophet's camp. - Place
Dumat al-Jandal
A town ruled by Ukaydir ibn Abd al-Malik al-Kindi the Christian, according to Ibn Ishaq; the Prophet sent Khalid ibn al-Walid to him from Tabuk. - Place
Edirne
Thracian city, an Ottoman capital from the 14th century until 1453, with Sinan's Selimiye Mosque (1575). - Place
Fahl
A place in al-Sham where the Muslims fought a battle with the Byzantines a year after the conquest of Damascus, in the editors' marginal note; al-Sa'ib ibn al-Harith al-Sahmi was killed there in Umar's caliphate, according to Ibn Ishaq. - Place
Fez
Moroccan city founded under the Idrisids around 800 CE, home of al-Qarawiyyin, founded in 859 CE. - Place
Gao
A city in Mali on the Niger River; it was the capital of the Songhai Empire. - Place
Ghadir Khumm
Pool and halting place on the pilgrim road between Mecca and Medina, near al-Juhfa, where the Prophet halted in 632 CE. - Place
Granada
Spanish city, capital of the Nasrid kingdom, the last Muslim state in Iberia (13th century to 1492), with the Alhambra. - Place
Hama
A Syrian city on the Orontes, famous for its water-wheels; a branch of the Ayyubid family ruled it, and it is the home of the historian Abu al-Fida. - Place
Hamadan
City in western Iran where Ibn Sina served as vizier and where he died in 1037. - Place
Hamra al-Asad
A place eight miles south of Medina. The Prophet reached it the day after the battle of Uhud (Sunday 8 Shawwal 3 AH) in pursuit of the withdrawing Quraysh army, camped there Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, then returned to Medina. The march on Hamra al-Asad is counted a continuation of Uhud, not a separate campaign {cite:mubarakpuri-raheeq p.285}. - Place
Hudaybiyya
Place on the edge of Mecca's sacred territory where the truce between the Muslims and the Quraysh was agreed in 628 CE. - Place
Iraq
The land of Ur and the Sawad under Persian rule: home of the Lakhmid client kingdom at al-Hira, the Jewish settlements that migrated to the Hijaz, and the banks of the Euphrates giving onto the Jazira tribes. - Place
Isfahan
Central Iranian city where Ibn Sina spent his last years at the court of Ala al-Dawla. - Place
Istanbul
City formerly known as Constantinople, conquered by Mehmed II in 1453 and capital of the Ottoman Empire. - Place
Jabal al-Rumma (Archers' Hill / Jabal Aynayn)
A small hill on the southern bank of Wadi Qanat, southeast of the Muslim camp at Uhud, about a hundred and fifty metres from the Muslim army's position. The Prophet appointed Abdullah ibn Jubayr commander of fifty archers on it to protect the Muslims' left flank from the polytheist cavalry. In the Prophet's time it was known as Jabal Aynayn, and was later called the Archers' Hill {cite:mubarakpuri-raheeq p.255}. - Place
Jarba
A place whose people came to the Prophet at Tabuk and paid the jizya, according to Ibn Ishaq. - Place
Jasum
A place where Suwaylim's house was said to stand, in the report transmitted by Ibn Hisham. - Place
Jeddah
Red Sea port of the Hejaz, the main gateway for pilgrims to Mecca since the time of the caliph Uthman. - Place
Jerusalem
City sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims; the first qibla of Islam, the destination of the Night Journey in tradition, and surrendered to the Muslims in 637 CE. - Place
Kairouan
City in Tunisia founded around 670 CE by Uqba ibn Nafi as a base for the conquest of the Maghreb; its Great Mosque is among the oldest in the Islamic West. - Place
Kano
A city in northern Nigeria, among the oldest centres of Islam in the Hausa lands. - Place
Kashgar
A city in far western China on the Silk Road; it became an Islamic centre after the conversion of the Qarakhanid khans in the tenth century CE. - Place
Khaybar
Oasis north of Medina, home of Jewish communities and the objective of the Muslim expedition of 628 CE. - Place
Khiva
A city in Khwarazm in present-day Uzbekistan; it was the capital of the Khanate of Khiva. - Place
Konya
Anatolian city, capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum and the burial place of Rumi (d. 1273). - Place
Kufa
Garrison city in Iraq founded around 638 CE, seat of Ali ibn Abi Talib's caliphate and an early centre of Islamic scholarship. - Place
Lahore
A city in Pakistan, among the most important Mughal cities; it holds the Badshahi Mosque. - Place
Ma'an
Town in Syria where the Mu'tah army camped for two nights on learning of Heraclius's numbers; Ibn Rawaha's speech urging them forward was delivered here. - Place
Malacca
A port in Malaysia; the Sultanate of Malacca in the fifteenth century CE was a centre for the spread of Islam in Southeast Asia. - Place
Maʾrib
The second Sabaean capital after Sirwah, seat of the famous dam; its ruins lie about sixty miles east of Sanaa, and its flood is the Quranic Sayl al-Arim. - Place
Marj al-Suffar
A place at Damascus, in the editors' marginal note; Khalid ibn Sa'id ibn al-As was killed there in Abu Bakr's caliphate, according to Ibn Ishaq. - Place
Marr al-Zahran
A major valley stage one stage north of Mecca (modern Wadi Fatima); there the ten-thousand-strong Muslim army encamped and lit ten thousand fires, Abu Sufyan was brought in by al-Abbas, and the tribes paraded in iron before the entry. - Place
Marrakesh
Moroccan city founded around 1070 CE by the Almoravids as their capital. - Place
Masharif
Village in the Balqa' region of Syria where the Muslim army first encountered Heraclius's forces and their Arab allies before withdrawing to Mu'tah itself. - Place
Maysan
A district of the Basra region in Iraq; Umar ibn al-Khattab appointed al-Nu'man ibn Adi over it, according to Ibn Ishaq. - Place
Mecca
City in the Hejaz, birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and site of the Kaaba and the annual Hajj. - Place
Medina
City in the Hejaz to which the Prophet migrated in 622 CE; site of the Prophet's Mosque and the first Muslim community. - Place
Merv
An ancient city in present-day Turkmenistan; it was the capital of Khurasan, the Abbasid movement set out from it, and al-Ma'mun resided there before moving to Baghdad. - Place
Mosul
A city on the Tigris in northern Iraq; it was a Zengid centre in the twelfth century and holds the al-Nuri Great Mosque. - Place
Mount Sal'
A mountain in Medina; Ka'b ibn Malik pitched a tent on its back during the boycott, and the caller who brought him the news of the accepted repentance climbed it. - Place
Multan
A city in southern Punjab in Pakistan, conquered by Muhammad ibn al-Qasim in 712 CE; it is an important centre of Sufism. - Place
Muscat
The capital of the Sultanate of Oman on the Gulf of Oman, an old trading port; Oman is the centre of the Ibadi school. - Place
Mu'tah
Village in southern Jordan, near which the Muslims fought a Byzantine-led force in 629 CE. - Place
Najran
A large town some seven stages south of Mecca toward Yemen, remembered in the prophetic sources as comprising seventy-three villages and a powerful Christian community whose delegation reached Medina in 9 AH. - Place
Nishapur
A city in Khurasan in northeastern Iran; it was an important centre of hadith scholarship, and Imam Muslim, author of the Sahih, is ascribed to it. - Place
Palermo
Sicilian city that fell to Muslim forces in 831 CE and was the capital of the Emirate of Sicily until the Norman conquest in 1072. - Place
Petra (al-Batraʾ)
Capital of the Nabataeans — the descendants of Nabit ibn Ismail in the traditional account — in northern Hijaz, whose strong kingdom dominated the fringes until the Romans broke it. - Place
Quanzhou
A port in southeastern China where Muslim merchants resided in the Middle Ages; it holds an old mosque dating to 1009 CE. - Place
Rayy
An ancient city near present-day Tehran, among the largest cities of the Persian lands in the Abbasid era; the physician Abu Bakr al-Razi is ascribed to it. - Place
Samarkand
A city in present-day Uzbekistan on the Silk Road; the Muslims conquered it in the early eighth century CE and it became the Timurid capital. - Place
Samarra
City on the Tigris founded in 836 CE as the Abbasid capital, with the Great Mosque and its spiral minaret. - Place
Sana'a
Capital of Yemen, an early centre of Islam in the south of Arabia with a UNESCO-listed old city and a very old Great Mosque. - Place
Sarajevo
Bosnian city founded by the Ottomans in the 15th century, with the 16th-century Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque. - Place
Seville
Spanish city known in Arabic as Ishbiliya, a major city of al-Andalus and a capital under the Almohads. - Place
Shiraz
A city in southern Iran, birthplace of the poets Sa'di and Hafez, and a centre of learning and literature. - Place
Tabriz
A city in northwestern Iran; it was the Ilkhanid capital, then an early Safavid capital. - Place
Tabuk
Town in northwest Arabia, the furthest point of the Prophet's expedition of 630 CE toward the Byzantine frontier. - Place
Ta'if
Hill town southeast of Mecca, visited by the Prophet in 619 CE and besieged in 630 CE. - Place
Thaniyyat al-Wada
A mountain pass overlooking Medina trodden by anyone bound for Mecca, in the editors' reckoning; the Prophet pitched his army's camp on it when he set out for Tabuk. - Place
Timbuktu
A city in Mali on the edge of the desert; it was a centre of Islamic learning in the Middle Ages and holds the Sankore and Djinguereber mosques. - Place
Tlemcen
Algerian city, capital of the Zayyanid kingdom (1235-1554) and a centre of Maghrebi scholarship. - Place
Toledo
Spanish city under Muslim rule from 711-712 CE until Alfonso VI took it in 1085, later a centre of translation from Arabic. - Place
Mount Uhud
Mountain just north of Medina, below which the Battle of Uhud was fought in 625 CE. - Place
Wadi al-Mushaqqaq
A valley on the Prophet's road back from Tabuk holding a little water that issued from a trickle. - Place
Wadi Hunayn
A deep, hollow valley in the Tihama lowlands between Mecca and Ta'if with narrow gorges where the Hawazin confederation laid their ambush against the Muslim army in Shawwal 8 AH. - Place
Xi'an
A Chinese city that was the ancient capital of China and the end of the Silk Road; its Great Mosque dates its founding to the eighth century CE. - Place
Yanbu
Red Sea port on the Hejaz coast, long the port of Medina. - Place
Yemen
The southwest corner of Arabia, homeland of the Qahtani Arabs and seat of the successive Sabaean, Himyarite, Abyssinian and Persian powers narrated in the sira's prologue. - Place
Zabid
Yemeni coastal town, a centre of Islamic learning in the later Middle Ages and a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993. - Place
Zanzibar
An island off the East African coast, an Islamic trading centre of Swahili culture; the Sultanate of Oman ruled it in the nineteenth century. - Polity
Abbasid Caliphate
750 CE · 132 AH†A caliphate established in 750 CE and ended in 1258 CE; its capital was Baghdad, then Cairo. - Polity
The Aksumite Kingdom (Abyssinia)
The Ethiopian power across the Red Sea which twice occupied Yemen — first 340–378 exploiting Himyarite rivalries, then in 525 under Aryat with Roman ships, in revenge for Dhu Nuwas’s trenches of fire — and whose commander Abraha led the elephant campaign on Mecca. - Polity
Almohad Caliphate
1121 CE · 515 AH†A caliphate established in 1121 CE and ended in 1269 CE. - Polity
Ayyubid dynasty
1171 CE · 566 AH†A ruling dynasty established in 1171 CE and ended in 1341 CE; its capital was Cairo. - Polity
Bahmani Sultanate
1347 CE · 748 AH†A sultanate established in 1347 CE and ended in 1527 CE. - Polity
The Byzantine Empire
The Roman power that ruled Egypt and Syria, controlled the sea trade routes that strangled Yemen’s caravan economy, set up client kings among the Arabs of al-Sham, and armed Abyssinia’s fleet for the second occupation of Yemen. - Polity
Delhi Sultanate
1206 CE · 602 AH†A sultanate established in 1206 CE and ended in 1526 CE; its capital was Delhi. - Polity
Emirate of Granada
1238 CE · 635 AH†An emirate established in 1238 CE and ended in 1492 CE; its capital was Granada. - Polity
Emirate of Sicily
827 CE · 212 AH†An emirate established in 827 CE and ended in 1091 CE. - Polity
Fatimid Caliphate
909 CE · 296 AH†A caliphate established in 909 CE and ended in 1171 CE; its capital was Cairo. - Polity
The Ghassanid Kingdom
c. 220 CEThe Arab client kingdom of Rome in al-Sham: the house of Jafna of the Azd displaced the Salihid Dajaʾima and ruled as Rome’s wardens of the desert frontier until Yarmuk, when their last king Jabala ibn al-Ayham entered Islam in Umar’s reign. - Polity
Ghaznavid Empire
962 CE · 351 AH†An empire established in 962 CE and ended in 1187 CE. - Polity
Hafsid dynasty
1229 CE · 626 AH†A ruling dynasty established in 1229 CE and ended in 1574 CE. - Polity
The Himyarite Kingdom
c. 115 BCEThe Himyarite power that took over Saba around 115 BCE and ruled from Zafar; its last centuries saw decline, the Abyssinian occupations after Dhu Nuwas’s massacre of Najran’s Christians, then Persian control until Badhan’s conversion in 638 CE. - Polity
Ilkhanate
1256 CE · 654 AH†A state established in 1256 CE and ended in 1335 CE. - Polity
Khwarazmian Empire
1077 CE · 469 AH†An empire established in 1077 CE and ended in 1231 CE. - Polity
The Kingdom of Saba (Sheba)
c. 1100 BCEThe oldest named power of Yemen in the sira’s prologue: its traces reach twenty-five centuries before the Common Era in the excavations of Ur, its flourish begins in the eleventh century BCE, and it passed through the Mukarrib era at Sirwah and the kingdom era at Maʾrib before Himyar absorbed it around 115 BCE. - Polity
The Lakhmid Kingdom of al-Hira
c. 268 CEThe Arab client kingdom at al-Hira on Persia’s border: from Amr ibn Adi under Shapur until the last Lakhmid al-Mundhir (al-Maʾrur) in 632, serving the Sasanians as a buffer against Arab raiders and Rome’s own Arab clients. - Polity
Marinid dynasty
1215 CE · 612 AH†A ruling dynasty established in 1215 CE and ended in 1465 CE. - Polity
The Nabataean Kingdom
The strong north-Hijazi kingdom of the sons of Nabit ibn Ismail in the traditional account, capital at Petra, which dominated the peninsula’s fringes until Rome broke it. - Polity
Ottoman Empire
29 July 1299 CE · 28 Shawwal 698 AH†An empire established in 1299 CE and ended in 1922 CE; its capital was Constantinople. - Polity
Qajar Iran
1789 CE · 1203 AH†A state established in 1789 CE and ended in 1925 CE. - Polity
Rashidun Caliphate
June 632 CE · Rabi' I 11 AH†A caliphate established in 632 CE and ended in 661 CE; its capital was Kufa, then Medina. - Polity
Rasulid dynasty
1229 CE · 626 AH†A ruling dynasty established in 1229 CE and ended in 1454 CE. - Polity
Saadi dynasty
1549 CE · 956 AH†A ruling dynasty established in 1549 CE and ended in 1659 CE. - Polity
Safavid Iran
1501 CE · 906 AH†An empire established in 1501 CE and ended in 1736 CE. - Polity
Samanid dynasty
819 CE · 203 AH†A ruling dynasty established in 819 CE and ended in 999 CE. - Polity
The Sasanian Empire
The Persian power rebuilt by Ardashir from 226 CE: it ruled Iraq and the Gulf, kept the Lakhmid kings of al-Hira as frontier wardens, and absorbed Yemen as a province after expelling the Abyssinians until Badhan’s conversion. - Polity
Seljuk Empire
1037 CE · 428 AH†An empire established in 1037 CE and ended in 1194 CE; its capital was Nishapur. - Polity
Sokoto Caliphate
1804 CE · 1219 AH†A caliphate established in 1804 CE and ended in 1903 CE. - Polity
Timurid Empire
1370 CE · 771 AH†An empire established in 1370 CE and ended in 1507 CE. - Polity
Umayyad Caliphate
661 CE · 41 AH†A caliphate established in 661 CE and ended in 750 CE; its capital was Damascus. - Polity
Zengid dynasty
1127 CE · 521 AH†A ruling dynasty established in 1127 CE and ended in 1250 CE; its capital was Damascus.