Praise be to Allah, the One who is in control of all things. History has learned us many lessons including the rise and fall of previous nations and leaders. This essay will pacifically explore the factors that lead to the fall of the Umayyad dynasty.
The Umayyad dynasty ruled over the Islamic world for almost a century. They were the first dynasty to rule empire after the caliphate. During their rule they showed brutality and strength, so much so that one would think that they will never be overthrown. Before looking into the factors that lead to the collapse of the Umayyads, it is only fair to mention some of the contribution Umayyad dynasty made to the Islamic world not to give a misrepresentation of their rule.
Amongst other contributions, the Umayyad’s promoted education by establishing educational centers; they also sponsored the ship building industry and established welfare programs for their citizens. They also expanded the footprint of the Islamic rule. We will now explore some the main factors that lead to the collapse of the Umayyad dynasty.
Leadership
Muawiya (RA), was the founder of this dynasty and was given leadership by Hasan Ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA), he was the companion of the Prophet (pbuh). Muawiya transformed the Islamic rule into a monarchy; however, he continued to establish Islamic traditions and Sharia rulings. His successors Yazid ibn Muawiya failed to uphold this tradition. At the beginning of the dynasty there was division amongst the people
Disagreements over the question of succession to the caliphate emerged following the assassination of the third caliph, Uthman. A civil war was fought between those who supported keeping the caliphate in Uthman’s clan (the Ummaya) and those who supported the claim of Muhammad’s first cousin and son-in-law Ali. The Umayya forces won and established the Umayyad Caliphate in 661.
Pre-Islamic Arabia was a culture knit together by kinship. In this society there was no emperor or ruling elite. The people of pre-Islamic Arabia were bound together by nomadic tribes who made profit by trading and most importantly “raiding”. These raids were often described as small-scale warfare and were instrumented by tribal leaders in order to increase the wealth and power of the tribe (Gordon 5). This was the society in which Islam came to power. Warfare and raiding were essential in order to be successful in pre-Islamic Arabia. The integration of warfare into the Islamic religion created a similarity among Muslims, those who follow Islam, and non-Islamic Arabian people. This relationship and common interest established by the prophet Muhammad helped in the rise of Islam among non-Islamic
A change that occurred in the political life of Islamic civilization was the shift from the election of a Caliphate to a more dynastical system. Previously, the caliphates were elected by the Islamic community. Capable leaders were preferred over heirs who were not as qualified. Sunni Muslims were firm believers of this concept, while Shia muslims believed that Ali should’ve
Islam is an empire that expanded greatly, but they didn’t expand by people just joining them they did it by battles and other ways. Muhammad guided a small group of people who followed him in 622 CE. Then died in 632 CE, because there was no one who took charge some Arab tribes started leaving Islam. But Abu Bakr used military force to get back some Muslims. People who were Jew or Christian liked how Islam thought of how people can be equal. But in 656 the third caliph was killed and 661 the fourth was killed and they Umayyad dynasty started to take place. They did what Abu Bakr did and used military forces to expand; they expanded it to Persia, Central Asia, and Spain. By 732 a battle started and Christians stopped Muslim armies. The Umayyad’s
When Muhammad died, Muslims faced the challenge of creating institutions to preserve the community. This is the Middle period of Islam. Muslims believe that the revelation was completed with the work of Muhammad, who is described as the seal of the prophets. The leaders after Muhammad were described only as caliphs, or successors to the Prophet, and not as prophets themselves. The first four caliphs were companions of the Prophet and their period of rule (632-661) is described by the majority of Muslims as the age of the Rightly Guided Caliphate. This was an era of expansion during which Muslims conquered the Sasanid (Persian) Empire and took control of the North African and Syrian territories of the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empire. The Muslim community was transformed from a small city-state controlling much of the Arabian Peninsula into a major world empire, in this case the Umayyad empire, extending from northwest Africa to central Asia. The emphasis
The decline of the Abbasids was not a steady of rapid series of events. There were numerous revivals of the Caliphate in which certain strong Caliphs gained more control and influence over the Islamic world than their predecessors had had. However at no point after the death of Harun al-Rahid (reigned 786-809) was the Caliphate ever as powerful. This period is regarded as the Golden Age of the Abbasid Caliphate and was followed immediately by civil war between his sons. Harun’s two sons were called Al-Amin and Al-Mamun. Al-Amin was the elder and was nominated as the heir to the Caliphate. However Al-Mamun, who was the effective governor of the eastern provinces was ambitious. He was spurred towards seizing the Caliphate for
This document teaches historians about the Islamic Empire under the rule of the Abbasid Empire and how, during al-Ya’qubi’s time, Baghdad was the heart of the huge network the Islamic Empire had created. Al-Ya’qubi lived during the ninth century and his observations on Baghdad in “A New Islamic Dynasty” gave historians more insight into the Islamic World regarding: a) the central role that Baghdad played in the Islamic State during his time, b) Baghdad’s transformation from village to powerful city and c) perceiving how al-Yaqubi’s personal ties to Baghdad affected his observations. Although al-Ya’qubi may have exaggerated when describing some people or events, he certainly highlighted the historical period and society where he lived by mentioning how central and pivotal Baghdad as a city was to the Islamic World both during his time – and, to an extent, for world history as a
Many Muslims knew the cause of Utham’s death and were angry at Ali, for he had not brought Utham’s killers to justice, one of whom was Mu’awiya, who had been the governor of Damascus and cousin of Utham. When Ali was assassinated in 661 A.D., Mu’awiya felt great pleasure in his death and found his revenge in stealing Ali’s old position; there was, yet again, another Sunni leader. Mu’awiya lead the Sunni Muslims through a prosperous time, the Umayyad dynasty. This period of growth played a huge role in the power, control, and population of the Sunni Muslims while the Shi’ttes remained uninvolved. In the year 661 A.D. many converted to the Sunni ways, for they were very successful.
In this essay I will talk to you about different things such as,what the Islamic people did and how they became more successful and expanded their empire. Now that, that's said I hope you enjoy and stay open-minded about my ideas.
It grew from a local, oppressed faith that was pioneered by Muhammad and his close family and friends, to a force that united nations under one of the largest empires that the world had ever seen. It would have never become what it was without the incorporation of whole populations into the faith, the unified network of trade it provided, and the scholarly developments it pioneered and renewed. Without the deliberate conquests of different nations, Islam would not have grown so rapidly. If Islam had not grown so large, so quickly, the entirety of Afro-Eurasian trade would not have been so standard and unified. Likewise, if there was no such established network of trade, the ideas and innovations of Muslim education would not have become so widespread. Therefore, it is evident that each of these effects of the Islamic faith and its empire needed the others. Without all of them, Islam would not have been so influential to the history of Afro-Eurasia and would have produced a very different outcome that would have affected the history of Islam up until
The Prophet Muhammad’s large influences over the foundations of Islam helped shape its empire into a powerful militant group that would result in the unification of Arabia in 622 AD . From there, Muhammad would be looked to by many as both a religious prophet and a competent military leader. Conquests made my Muhammad lasted from 622 CE to
3. The Mughal and the Ottoman Empires were two of the greatest and most powerful civilizations of the ancient period. Their fame and glory in the sixteenth century represented the zenith of art, architecture, and human creativity. These eminent empires were the largest and the most influential civilizations of the Muslim world, and their splendor reached as far as Europe. The two most important rulers of these empires were Akbar the Great and Suleiman the Magnificent, under whose reign the empire reached its triumphant moments. Just as the reign of Akbar and Suleiman marked the Golden age, their deaths resulted in the slow downfall of the empires. Both the Ottoman and Mughal empires were distinctive civilizations of their time due to the local culture
In the center was the Arabian Peninsula, made out of evidently frail and isolated tribal social orders. Within hundred years, both domains would fall before the armed forces of Allah as Arabia united under the umbrella of Islam, which gave a guideline of association and inspirations. . (Esposito, John 1988) Under the successions of a number of Prophets, an inconceivable empire and a region of Islamic states would come to command a great part of the world. Its ministers would be fighters, dealers, and spiritualists. Islam would give the premise of a community and the common beliefs or authenticity for rulers and their strategies of extension and success. In this manner, for instance, the wars of success were termed faith, "opening or triumph" of the route for Islam. As Muhammad represented a Trans tribal state for the sake of Islam, so too the Islamic group got to be connected with a far reaching domain.
In this week’s chapter, it discusses a lot about the rise and fall of the Ottoman and Safavid Empires. In many dynasties, it is critically important to have a well balanced society and economy. Anderson displays many of the reasons why these two empires were so great during their time, but evidently loss of power and control of government can be a major turning point and, eventually, led to the decline of these empires. This specific chapter focus on the systems of governance that was established in each empire.
rightly guided caliphs and continues with the Umayyad dynasty which is the first dynasty of