Summary Points

The social conditions and religious practices that existed in pre-Islamic Arabia

Islam began during the seventh century CE in the Arabian peninsular
People of the region were mostly shepherds and merchants
Makkah and Madinah were the two main cities associated with the development of Islam
Most of the local religious beliefs were polytheistic
Judaism and Christianity were well established minority religions of the region
Makkah was regarded as a sacred city due to the presence of the Ka'bah
The Ka'bah was a site of great religious significance and attracted many pilgrims
There was a considerable industry in existence in Makkah based on the sale of idols and other elements of the worship at the Ka'bah
Among the people of the region were groups of devout Arabs known as "hanifs
Hanifs believed in a supreme god over and above all the other gods.

The principal events in Muhammad's life

Muhammad was born in 570CE
There are many legends concerning the birth of the prophet which point to his extraordinary life
Despite these, Muslims are careful to not elevate Muhammad's status beyond that of a human being
Muhammad's mother Aminah died when he was a young child.
Muhammad was raised by his uncle Abu Talib who was a wealthy merchant.
In the course of working for his uncle, Muhammad met his future wife the wealthy widow Khadija
The marriage of Muhammad and Khadija saw the birth of six children
After spending considerable time in prayer and spiritual searching Muhammad experienced the night of power "Laylat-ul-Qadr
It was here he received the command to proclaim the message of Allah
The revelation to Muhammad was brought by the Angel Jibril
After the initial revelation there was a period of waiting before the proclamation the message began
After two years Jibril appeared again and this brought on the beginning of Muhammad's preaching
During the course of his life from this point Muhammad continued to preach while receiving further messages and instructions from Allah.
Muhammad's preaching was of the message of one true God
Due to the monotheism of the preaching there was no place for the worship of idols
Muhammad's preaching was rejected by the people of Makkah and he was exposed to ridicule because of his message.
619 CE was the Year of Sorrows where both Khadija and Abu Talib died
Soon after Muhammad experienced the miraculous night journey to Jerusalem and through the seven realms of heaven to be in the presence of Allah.
In the course of the night journey he received the instruction regarding the requirement for daily prayer
Soon after he was visited by a delegation from Yathrib asking him to come to their city
Muhammad undertook a perilous journey and experience a miraculous escape from his enemies in a cave
The journey from Makkah to Yathrib is known as the Hijrah
In Yathrib, Muhammad built a house which is regarded as the first mosque
The name of the city was changed from Yathrib to Madinah
This year 622 CE marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar
In Madinah Muhammad received the revelation to face Makkah during prayer and also of the Ramadan fast
Conflict with Makkah continued throughout the time Muhammad was in Madinah
Ultimately Makkah was captured in 630CE
After this Makkah became the holy city of Islam, dedicated to Allah
The Prophet Muhammad died at 63 years of age in 632 CE

The Prophet Muhammad as the final messenger is the model for Muslim life.

Muhammad is a sublime example of surrender to the will of Allah
Muslims ensure that respect for the Prophet Muhammad does not become a form of worship
Muhammad comes in the tradition of the Prophets, he is the last and greatest of the Prophets of Allah
He is known as the seal of the Prophets
The traditions of the Hadith and Sunna are used by Muslims to learn from the wisdom of the words and actions of the Prophet
Muslims place great significance of the Prophet's life and actions
Muhammad proved himself to be a wise and capable leader
Throughout his life and even before the night of power, Muhammad showed himself to be a person devoted to prayer and spiritual searching
Muhammad displayed profound faith, trust and patience in dedicating himself to the will of Allah
He showed himself to be a fearless preacher
He demonstrated his trust in Allah in making the perilous journey from Makkah to Yathrib
Muhammad showed himself to be a prudent and just leader in Madinah
Under his leadership the Muslim community had many strong characteristics such as integrity, sexual morality, just and fair dealings and care for the poor

The development of Islam after the death of Muhammad under the leadership of the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs and the emergence of the Sunni and the Shi'ia

After the death of Muhammad the leadership of the Muslim community was carried out by the four Rightly Guided Caliphs
These are regarded as having preserved orthodoxy in Islam
Abu Bakr , `Umar ibn al-Khattab, 'Uthman ibn Affan and Ali ibn Abi Talib were the four rightly guided caliphs
The first of the rightly guided caliphs was Abu Bakr was the father of Aisha
Abu Bakr was a long time friend and associate of Muhammad's
He was the only person allowed to accompany Muhammad during the Hijra
His main contribution restoration of stability after the death of Muhammad
Following the death of many huffaz during a battle he began the process of developing a written version of the Qur'an
`Umar ibn al-Khattab was the second of the rightly guided caliphs
He oversaw the extension of Muslim empire
`Umar was an effective military leader
Among his contributions was the capture of Jerusalem and the restoration of the temple site - now the Dome of the rock
'Uthman ibn Affan was the third of the rightly guided caliphs
Conditions were placed on the Caliphate after the death of `Umar
These conditions were ejected by Ali, accepted by 'Uthman
Ali ibn Abi Talib became the fourth of the rightly guided caliphs after the death of 'Uthman
Ali was the son in law of the Prophet Muhammad
During the caliphate of Ali Internal tensions came to the surface leading to a period of civil war
Ali was assassinated in 661CE
The Sunni and the Shi'ia groupings in Islam today trace their origins back to the disputes of this time
Sunni make up 90% of the world's Muslims. Shi'ia make up most of the remaining 10%
Shi'ia Muslims believe that the leader of Islam should be a descendent of the Prophet Muhammad
Sunni Muslims believe that the leader should be chosen from among the tribe of Muhammad but that it does not have to be one of Muhammad's direct descendents
Shi'ia Muslims use the term Imam to designate their leader as they believe the caliphate has been discredited