Comprehensive History

Alexander III of Macedon was the king of Ancient Greece. Due to his great successes and occupation of a large empire, he is famous as Alexander the Great. During his 13 years of reign, he conquered Egypt, Persia, and a large part of Asia and North Africa. He is known as one of the greatest military generals in human history. Early Life Alexander was born on 20 th July 356 BC in Pella (then the capital of the Macedonian kingdom and now in Greece). His father,  Philip II of Macedon ,  united all parts of Greece under a single leadership. In his childhood, Alexander learned the traits of the noble youth of Macedon, including reading, horse-riding, hunting, and fighting. At 13, Philip appointed the great scholar Aristotle as his tutor. Alexander learned morals, philosophy, medicine, logic, religion, etc. from Aristotle. His later victories were positively affected by the teachings of Aristotle. Alexander’s victories started at 16 when he crushed the rebellion in Thrace. In 338

Ancient Rome was one of the earliest civilizations in Europe, centered around the Italian Peninsula. The era of this civilization started as a kingdom around the 8 th Century BC in  Rome and later transformed into an empire within a few centuries. However, the significance of the Roman Empire diminished after its   division into two parts in the 4 th Century AD. Along with Ancient Greece, the civilization of Ancient Rome laid the foundations of several modern ideologies in science & technology, politics, society, etc. For instance, the se two ancient civilizations influenced the views of the  Renaissance in Europe during the 14 th Century. There are four eras of this ancient civilization: the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic, the Roman Empire, and the division of the Roman Empire . Roman Kingdom According to a myth,  Romulus  founded the city of Rome in the 8 th Century BC and became the first king of the Roman Kingdom. Seven monarchs of this kingdom ruled for mo

Ancient Greece was one of the earliest civilizations in the world and the first civilization in Europe. This civilization started around the 8 th century BC in modern-day Greece  and can be divided into three main periods. The Archaic Greek Period initiated around 800 BC after the Greek Dark Ages and lasted around the 5 th century BC. It was followed by the Greek Classical Period,  which lasted around 200 years. The last period of Ancient Greek civilization is known as the  Hellenistic Period. It started in 323 BC after the death of Alexander the Great and lasted till 146 BC. The Romans captured Greece after the Battle of Corinth, which initiated the Roman-Greek era . Archaic Greek Period The formation of city-states was the main characteristic of this Greek period. These city-states were independent in their everyday matters, and bodies of citizens ruled these cities. Each city-state had its own social & financial center, fortified area for defense, religious place (te

In 622 AD, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his followers migrated from Makkah to Madinah to save themselves from the atrocities of the Quraysh of Makkah. This migration ( Hijra ) later resulted in the formation of the  First Islamic City State in Madinah, which paved the way for the  Conquest of Makkah and gaining strength of Islam in the whole of the Arabian Peninsular during the life of Muhammad (PBUH). Reasons of Migration The revelation of the Holy Qur’an started in 610 AD, and Muhammad (PBUH) publically declared his prophethood in 613 AD. The majority of the idol-worshipping people of Makkah, the Quraysh tribe, totally refused the oneness of God, the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH), and his teachings and did anything possible to eliminate this new religion before it could develop its roots. The rich and poor Muslims faced the cruelty and atrocities of Quraysh, while converted slaves suffered severe punishments from their masters.  In 613 and 615 AD, several Muslims migrat

Migration to Abyssinia is a significant event in Islamic History. Through this migration (Hijrah), several Muslims saved themselves from the persecution of the  Quraysh tribe of Makkah. The helpful experience of this migration paved the way for a far more fruitful Muslim Migration to Madinah, which later proved to be the basis of the formation of the Islamic Caliphate. Situation Before Hijrah Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) started preaching Islam secretly in 610 AD. After three years, he publically started teaching Islam and declared his prophethood. Quraysh became furious at his teachings as it was against the way of their forefathers. They started mistreating those few people who accepted Islam, and life became difficult for Muslims in Makkah.  First Hijrah to Abyssinia At that time, Muslims heard about a kind-hearted king of Abyssinia (now in Ethiopia and Eritrea), Najashi . On seeing the difficulties of people and the cruelty of Quraysh, Muhammad (PBUH) allowed a few Mus

Ali bin Abi Talib (RA) was a companion, cousin, and son-in-law of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He was the fourth Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate and became the ruler after the martyrdom of the third Caliph, Usman (RA). He was a brave warrior and able leader, but  the  First Fitna  (first civil war) between Muslims ruined his five years of the Caliphate. Early Life Ali (RA) was born in 601 AD in Makkah in the Bani Hashim clan of Quraysh. His father was Abu Talib (uncle of Muhammad (PBUH) ), and his mother’s name was Fatimah bint Asad. At a younger age, Muhammad (PBUH)  adopted Ali due to the weak economic conditions of Abu Talib. He was one of the earliest converts to Islam, even before his teenage. Migration to Madinah & Later Life On the night when Muhammad (PBUH) and Abu Bakr (RA) migrated to Madinah , Ali (RA) slept on the bed of the Prophet (PBUH) and endangered his life. He later reached Madinah after returning the belongings of different persons who ke

Usman bin Affan (RA) was a companion and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He also became the third Caliph of the  Rashidun Caliphate after the martyrdom of the second Caliph Umar (RA). Usman is famous for his generosity, which earned him the title of Ghani (the generous). He married two daughters of Muhammad (PBUH):  Ruqayyah (RA) and Umm-e-Kulsum (RA). Due to this, he is also known as Zul-Nourain (Possessor of Two Lights). He was the last Islamic ruler with  Madinah as  Capital . His martyrdom during his caliphate began the division among Muslims, which even prevails today. Early Life Usman (RA) was born in Makkah in 577 AD in the  Bani Umayyad clan of the Quraysh tribe. His father’s name was Affan bin al-As while his mother was Urwa bint Kariz, a  cousin of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) . Usman (RA) was a successful merchant and one of the wealthiest among the Makkans. Life as a Muslim Usman was a close friend of Abu Bakr (RA) . In 611 AD, he accepted Islam after a

Umar bin Khattab, popularly known as Umar Farooq (the Distinguisher between truth and falsehood), was a companion (sahabi) and father-in-law of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) . He was the second Caliph of the  Rashidun Caliphate after Abu Bakr (RA). He ruled for ten years and is known as one of the best Muslim rulers due to the expansion of the Islamic State and his social security measures for the well-being of people.  Michael Hart  placed him   in his famous book " The 100 " for his achievements during the caliphate.   Life Before Islam Umar was born in Makkah in 579 AD to the Banu Adi clan of Quraysh. The names of his father and mother were Khattab bin Nufayl and Hantama bint Hisham respectively . He was among the few literate people of Makkah who could read and write. He was tall, well-built, a good wrestler, and athlete. Like many other people of Quraysh, he became a merchant in his early life. He was a strict opponent of Islam before his conversion. His attitude

Abu Bakr (RA) was a companion and father-in-law of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). He was also the first Caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate. His real name was Abdullah bin Abu Quhafah. His popular name, Abu Bakr (father of a young camel), was due to his love for young camels during childhood. He was a close friend of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) even before the arrival of Islam and among the first ones to embrace Islam. Muslims regard him as the grand companion among the companions ( Sahaba ) of the Prophet (PBUH). Early Life Abu Bakr (RA) was born around 573 AD in Makkah ( Saudi Arabia ) in the clan of Banu Taym (Quraysh tribe). Usman Abu Quhafah was the name of his father, while Salma bint Sakhar was his mother. During his teens, he adopted the occupation of a cloth merchant. He became a wealthy and prominent merchant after some time. Abu Bakr (RA) was among the few literate persons of Makkah. He was fond of poetry and Arab genealogy.  Even before Islam, he disliked alcohol drinking