Beginning in Arabia, Islam grew into a vast religion spreading across the globe. At its start in 610 C.E., Muhammad, the leader of Islam, began having mystical visits from the archangel, Gabriel, explaining the necessity of the preaching of the one true god, Allah, as shown in this video. And so, Islam was created. Within 100 years of the creation of Islam, major expansion had taken place. Though, the death of Muhammad caused major conflict between Muslims; does the next leader need to be a descendant of Muhammad or simply the person best able to lead the community. A competition between Abu Bakr, a close friend of Muhammad, and Ali, Muhammad’s relative, flared. Eventually, Abu Bakr was appointed, ruling from 632-634 C.E. A summary of the achievements of his ruling include the confirmation of the Five Pillars, the unification of Muslim Arabs, and the expansion of the Muslim community. This rule began to upset Ali, eventually causing the split between Sunnis and Shias. Abu Bakr selected a successor, Umar, who ruled from 634-644 C.E. Umar, as well, expanded the Muslim community, defined the Dar al Islam (places where Islam is routed in society), gave more structure to the government, and chose a comity to decide the next Caliph. The race began between Uthman and Ali, and Ali was overthrown. Uthman ruled from 644-656 C.E., and used similar tactics to Umar. During his reign, financial problems caused revolts, leading to his death. Meanwhile, Ali and the Umayyad leader, Mu’awiya, fight for the role as Caliphate. A third party is chosen to decide the verdict which is that both should resign. When both refuse, the Karijites (Islamic faction) attempt to kill both, but only succeed in killing Ali. Therefore, Mu’awiya takes over, causing the main split between Sunnis and Shias. As stated in the video, the Sunnis are the acceptors of Mu’awiya, believing that the caliph should be a devout Muslim even if he is not related to Muhammad. On the other hand, the Shia are Ali’s supporters who believe that the caliph should be a direct descendant of Muhammad. With Mu’awiya in control, the Umayyad dynasty (661-750 C.E.) takes control, spreading Muslim rule from Spain to central Asia. The Umayyads moved the capital to Damascus, created a tax system, made coinage uniform throughout the empire, established innovative architecture such as mosques and canals, but eventually wars over succession caused the major downfall of the Umayyad dynasty. While being taken over by a different clan, the Abbasids (750-1258 C.E.), the Umayyad leader escapes to Spain and sets up an empire there. The Abbasids move the capital to Baghdad, becoming a crossroad for land and water trade. The achievements of the Abbasid dynasty include a code of law (Shari’ah), a sophisticated banking system, new libraries and universities, development in translation, medicine, astronomy, math, chemistry, and advanced navigation and sailing techniques. Eventually, the Abbasid dynasty fell due to the inability to maintain complete control over the entire Muslim empire and separated into independent states. Meanwhile, Muslim Spain (where the Umayyads take over), known as Al-Andalus, became a thriving dynasty, consisting of tolerance and distinct Umayyad culture as shown in the video, including authentic artwork and glorious architecture such as the Great Mosque of Córdoba. Sadly, the Spanish Inquisition (1492 C.E.) ends the glory age of Spain, as the Christians gain control and expel all Jews and Muslims, crumbling the Muslim empire. Bibliography: TheHistoryTV. " YouTube - Abd a-Rahman dynasty - the beginning of Golden Age in Islamic Spain ." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. . N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. . Period, Time. "The Art of the Abbasid Period (750–1258) | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: metmuseum.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. . "The Origins of the Shia-Sunni Split : NPR." NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. . "Heart Touching Mosques: Great Mosque of Cordoba." Heart Touching Mosques. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. . "Dome Of The Rock Jerusalem The Dome of the Rock Temple Mount." Jerusalem Israel Yerushalayim JerusalemPedia Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. . ARAFAT, ZAINA. "The Empire's New Middle East Map: ethnic cleansing and petroleum geography." www.oilempire.us A Political Map: Connected Dots. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. . volumes., 000 manuscript. "700 to 800 Timeline : From Cave Paintings to the Internet." 2,500,000 BCE to 8,000 BCE Timeline : From Cave Paintings to the Internet. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. . jaballebnan. " YouTube - old classical arabic music by alkindi~~vieja música árabe~ ~eski arapca müzik ." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. . N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. .