On this day in Islamic history: March
This is a list of events that took place throughout Islamic history in the month of March.
(This will be constantly updated when new information arises; your help in this regard would be most appreciated).
March 3:
On this day (3 March, 1924 CE {26/27 Rajab, 1342 AH}), the Ottoman Caliphate was officially abolished by the Turkish Republic under Mustafa Kemal (more popularly known as Atatürk).
The last Ottoman Caliph, Abdülmecid II (Abdul Mejid II), was sent into exile in France along with the rest of the Ottoman family.
Source: Lost Islamic History
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On this day (March 3, 1707 CE {27/28 Dhul Qa'dah, 1118 AH}), the Great Mughal Sultan Muhi-ud-Din Muhammad better known as Aurangzeb Alamgir, at the age of 88 years old, died of natural causes at his imperial war tent.
"Gradually unconsciousness crept on, his breathing became harder and harder, but such was the mastery of that indomitable spirit over his rosary and his lips to gasp out the remembrance of God, till about eight O clock when all was over. He had ever wishes to die on the blessed day of Friday, and the prayer had been granted by the gracious deity to one of his truest servants."
Credit: Mughal Imperial Archives
March 4:
On this day (4 March, 1193 CE {19/20 Safar, 589 AH}), An-Nasir Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, more commonly known as Salah ad-Din or Salahuddin al Ayyubi, passed away in Damascus, Syria.
Salahuddin was the Sultan of Egypt and Syria (officially recognised by the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad) and the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. He was of Kurdish ethnicity and led the Muslim military campaign against the Crusader states in the Levant/Shaam whereby he ultimately liberated Jerusalem from the Crusaders in 1187.
March 6:
On this day (March 6, 1964 CE {20/21 Shawwal, 1383 AH}), the famous boxer Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali (Allah have mercy on him).
Ali was initially affiliated with Elijah Muhammad's Nation of Islam (NOI) but he later disavowed the NOI and adhered to (Sunni) Islam.
March 8:
On this day (March 8, 1964 CE {22/23 Shawwal, 1383 AH}), Malcolm X (El-Hajj Malik El-Shabbaz) publicly announced his departure from Elijah Muhammad's heretical Nation of Islam (NOI).
He was still a Muslim he said (or now an adherent to normative Islam) , but felt that the Nation had "gone as far as it can" because of its rigid teachings and especially due to events in 1962 and 1963 which caused Malcolm X to reassess his relationship with the NOI and particularly its leader, Elijah Muhammad.
March 11:
On this day (11 March, 1917 CE {16/17 Jumada al-Awwal, 1335 AH}), Baghdad was conquered by the British Empire from the Ottomans as part of their Mesopotamian Campaign in World War One (WW1).
Picture is of British general Frederick Maude's entry into the city on that day.
Source: Lost Islamic History
March 13:
On this day (March 16, 624 CE {17 Ramadan, 2 AH}), the Battle of Badr took place between the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (upon whom be peace) & his companions, and the Arab tribe of Quraysh in the Hejaz region of western Arabia (modern-day Saudi Arabia).
It was the first major battle and military victory of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. It simultaneously strengthened the political position of the Muslims (in Madinah) whilst significantly damaging the prestige of the Pagan Arabs, and established Islam and Muslims as a viable force in the Arabian peninsula.
March 24:
On this day (24 March, 809 CE {28/29 Jumada al Awwal, 193 AH}), the Abbasid Caliph Harun al-Rashid passed away in Tus, Khorasan (modern day Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran).
He was the fifth Abbasid Caliph, and ruled from 786 CE/170 AH to 809 CE/193 AH, during the zenith of the Abbasid Caliphate and the peak of what is termed the “Islamic Golden Age” (I personally posit that the true Islamic Golden Age is the time period of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ & the Sahaba {ridwanullahi ta'ala 'alaihim ajmain})
Pictured is the gold dinar of Harun al-Rashid dated 787-788 CE (171 AH).
March 26:
On this day (26 March, 1917 CE {1/2 Jumada al-Thani, 1335 AH}), Ottoman soldiers halted the British advance into modern Palestine at the First Battle of Gaza.
The British would eventually overrun Ottoman positions in southern Palestine by November of 1917 CE (Safar 1336 AH).
Source: Lost Islamic History
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On this day (26 March, 1169 CE {17/18 Jumada al-Thani, 564 AH}), a Kurdish soldier and eventual founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, Salah al-Din (Salahuddin al Ayyubi), became the Emir of Egypt.
At the height of his power, his later Sultanate included the aforementioned Egypt as well as Syria, Upper Mesopotamia/the Jazira (located in parts of modern-day Iraq), the Hejaz (includes Makkah & Madinah), Yemen and (other) parts of North Africa.
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