Early Islamic History Timeline: From Revelation to the Rightly Guided Caliphs
A clear timeline of early Islamic history for competitive exams: key events of the Seerah, the Ghazwat in Hijri years, and the era of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs.
By the World MCQ Forum Editorial Team · 27 October 2026 · 2 min read
Islamic history questions often ask “in which year” or “which came first”. Learning the events as one continuous timeline, rather than as separate facts, makes these questions far easier. Below, years are given as the commonly accepted dates; a few early dates are recorded slightly differently by different historians.
Before the Hijrah (Makkah)
| Event | Notes |
|---|---|
| Birth of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) | Makkah, in the Year of the Elephant (Aam-ul-Fil) |
| Marriage to Hazrat Khadija (RA) | At the age of 25 |
| First revelation | At the age of 40, in the Cave of Hira; the opening verses of Surah Al-Alaq |
| Migration to Abyssinia | Muslims sought protection with the Christian king Najashi |
| Year of Grief (Aam-ul-Huzn) | Deaths of Hazrat Khadija (RA) and Abu Talib |
| Isra and Meraj | The five daily prayers were made obligatory |
The Hijrah (622 CE)
The migration to Yathrib, renamed Madinah, marks year 1 of the Hijri calendar. On arrival, the Prophet (PBUH) built Masjid Quba, the first mosque, and established Mawakhat, the brotherhood between the Muhajirin and the Ansar.
The Madinan period
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2 AH | Battle of Badr; change of Qibla; fasting in Ramadan made obligatory |
| 3 AH | Battle of Uhud; martyrdom of Hazrat Hamza (RA) |
| 5 AH | Battle of the Trench (Khandaq / Ahzab), on Hazrat Salman Farsi’s (RA) advice |
| 6 AH | Treaty of Hudaibiyah |
| 7 AH | Conquest of Khaybar |
| 8 AH | Battle of Mutah; conquest of Makkah; Battle of Hunain |
| 9 AH | Expedition of Tabuk, the last Ghazwa |
| 10 AH | Farewell Hajj and Farewell Sermon at Arafat |
| 11 AH | Passing of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in Madinah |
The Rightly Guided Caliphs (11–40 AH)
| Caliph | Titles | Notable events |
|---|---|---|
| Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) | Al-Siddiq | About two years; the Quran collected into one volume after the Battle of Yamamah |
| Hazrat Umar (RA) | Al-Farooq | About ten years; Hijri calendar adopted; Jerusalem came under Muslim rule; victories at Yarmouk and Qadisiyyah |
| Hazrat Usman (RA) | Zun-Nurain, Ghani | About twelve years; standard copies of the Quran sent to the provinces |
| Hazrat Ali (RA) | Asadullah, Haider-e-Karrar | Capital moved to Kufa |
Together, the four caliphates lasted about 30 years.
Quick self-test
Cover the right-hand columns and answer:
- In which year was the Battle of Uhud? (3 AH)
- Which came first: the Treaty of Hudaibiyah or the conquest of Khaybar? (Hudaibiyah, 6 AH)
- Which Caliph adopted the Hijri calendar? (Hazrat Umar RA)
- Who suggested digging the trench? (Hazrat Salman Farsi RA)
Then practise with our Seerah and Ghazwat and History MCQs.