BroadChronology

ProphetMuhammad(570632)

ConquestofArabia(624632)

RightlyGuidedCaliphs(632661)

FirstWaveofConquests

AbuBakr(632634)
`Umar(634644)
`Uthman(644656)
`Ali(656661)

Iran,GreaterSyria,Egyptand
Sudan

TheUmayyadCaliphate(661750) SecondWaveofConquests
N.Africa,Spain&southern
France
Transoxiana&Sicily
TheAbbasidCaliphate(7501258)
800950

GoldenAgeofIslamic
Civilization?

circa10002008

Decline?

AtthedeathoftheProphetin
632:Questionofsuccession:

Whowastobetheleader?

Attheheartoftheproblem:
accesstopower,resources,and
foraminority,spiritualdirection

Theseissuespreoccupiedthe
participantsintheperiodofRightly
GuidedCaliphs(632661).
TheyhauntedtheCaliphateduring
theUmayyad(661750)andearly
Abbasid(7501258)periods

Theseissuesledto
thefirstpoliticalschismamongthe
earlycommunity:Shiis/Sunnis
thewarsofconquest

1) QuestionofSuccession:
WhoshouldleadtheMuslimCommunity(orthe

a)

Umma)?

Howwashetobechosen?

b)

c)

atriballeader?Arbitrating?
Morerealpower?
DivineSanction?

TheCommunitysconsensus?
HereditarySuccession?
Whoweretobetheeliteatanyrate?

Thesequestionscreatedtensions
Themostimportantoftheseledtothe
Shii/Sunnischism
DuringthisearlyperiodShiismwas
predominantlyapoliticalschism

 Shiisargued:successionshouldremaininthe
familyoftheProphetthroughthelineofAli
(Prophetscousinandsoninlaw)
MostShiisinlatergenerationstracedtheir
genealogythroughAliandFatima(theProphets
daughter)
Theorthodox:Shiisultimatelycametotrace
theirgenealogyfromAliandFatimaand11their
offspring,hencetheirname:theTwelvers

 Accordingtothetraditionalaccounttheschismreachedits
heightduringUthmansdeath(656)conflictledtothefirst
civilwar
Alitookupcaliphate
Aliimplicated
Muawiyarefusedthebaya(oathofallegiance)toAli
BattleofSiffin(657)Aliagreedtoarbitration
Agrouplefthiscamp(kharaja=secede),hencekhawarij
Godtheonlyarbitrator
Alikilledbytheseceders(661)

Notclearwhetherornotthedeathof
theProphetinstigatedthesecondmost
importanthistoricaleventofthisperiod
for
NotclearwhentheProphetdiedandif
infacthisdeathcausedtheconquests

Whatisclear:

1
2
3
4
5
6

Thecontextoflateantiquity
ThehavocwroughtbytheByzantineSasanianwarsof
603628
Thedisruptionoftraderoutes
Naturaldisasters
TheintegrationoftheArabsintotheworldoflate
antiquityandthetradenetworks
andsomearguethecreationofaespritdecorps,
politicallyandspiritually,amongtheArabs

ALLTHESEISSUESINSTIGATEDTHEWARSOF
CONQUEST
Themajorityopinionalsoarguesthatthislast(#6andthe
deathoftheProphetledtothewarsofapostasy(ridda)
which,inturn,ledtotheConquests.

BytheendoftheRashidun
period,Arabshadconquered
Iran,GreaterSyria,Egyptand
theSudanandpenetratedinto
theCaucasus

ArabExpansionthroughtheUmayyadPeriod
Brown:LifetimeoftheProphet,afterProphethood
Orange:PeriodoftheRightlyGuidedCaliphs(632?661)
Yellow:TheUmayyadPeriod(661750)

SohowdoweassesstheRightly
GuidedCaliphsPeriod:
Shortcomings:
ThequestionsthathadstartedwiththeProphet'sdeathstill
remainedunanswered
Whoshouldruleandwhatpowerswashetohave?
WhoshouldbetheeliteoftheIslamicpolity?

AchievementsoftheRightlyGuidedCaliphs:
thetraditionalnarrative
deathofMuhammadthreatenedthedissolutionoftheMuslim
community
onsetofapostasywhichledtothewarsofapostasy(orridda)
AbuBakrfoughtagainstthese
bytheendofRiddaArabiawasanarmedcamp
Conquestsfollowedonthetailofthese
TrueorFalse?Notyetclear

Umarsperiodmostimportant
developedsystemofsettlement:garrisoncities(oramsar)
BasraandKufainMesopotamia
Fustat(laterCairo)inEgypt
developedsystemoftheregistrars(diwans)=payingpensiontothe
conquerors
mostfamousachievement
conquestsofSyria636
ConquestofpartsofIran,637
ConquestofEgypt6410/41
Theconquestsultimatelytransformedtheancientworld.

TheUmayyadCaliphate(661
750):Achievements
CreatedConditionsinwhichthenew
IslamicCivilizationcouldbebuilt
Beginningofexpansion:in20yearsNorth
Africa,SpainandTransoxianwere
conquered

Achievements
1) setupaworkablestate:hardtoachieve
withapredominantlytribalpeople
recruitedanarmyfromthesedentaryArabsofSyriaand
plantedtheminWasit705
earlycaliphs=glorifiedshaykhs
frombeingArabchieftains,adoptedthewayoflife
NearEasternrulers
mimickingtheByzantinesandPersians

 Muawiyasegregatedhimself
Accusedofestablishingmulkorkingdom
thepositionofthecaliphbecamehereditary
thecapitalofthecaliphatemovedtoDamascus
AsopposedtoMedina,Damascuswasbetterableto
sustainacourt,governmentandarmy
GavethecaliphscontroloftheeasternMediterranean
andNorthAfrica

Achievements
2)Theadministrationoftheconqueredterritoriescontinuedas
before
machineryofgovernmentelaborated
administrativedepartmentscreated
(waroffice)

(taxoffice)

(privyseal)

(secretariat)

(postoffice)

 newcoinagewasalsointroducedbytheUmayyadcaliphAbd
alMalik(685705)
novizierorministersyet
Thescribesorkatibscontinuedfunctioningasbefore
staffedbyGreek,Coptic,Persianspeakingpopulations
Importantdevelopment:
Arabicbecametheofficiallanguageoftheempire
duringtheruleofAbdalMalik

3) consolidationofIslaminthefirstconqueredlands
by700thecompanionsoftheProphetweredead

newgeneration=morezealousandsincereMuslims
preceptsofPeopleoftheBookmaintained
PeopleoftheBook:JudeoChristianandultimatelyZoroastrian
populations
churchescontinuedtobebuilteveninMuslimcitieslikeFustat
governmentunwillingtoactivelyencouragedconversionbecausenon
Muslimpaidthejizyaorpolltax
attheendofUmayyadspopulationofSyria,IraqandEgyptwerestil
Christians,Jews,orZoroastrias(inIraqandIran)l

3a)promotedbuildingactivity
AbdalMalikconstructedtheDomeoftheRockin
Jerusalem
SimilararchitecturalpatronagetookplaceinDamascus,
Aleppo,Qayrawan(inTunisia)andCordoba(InSpain)

3b)beginningofthesystematizationofthesacred
law
OfthefourIslamicschoolsoflawormadhhabs,thatof
AbuHanifalawschoolemergedatthistime

4)ThemostspectacularfeatofUmayyads
Inauguratedasecondageofconquest
TheArabshadoverruntheSemiticworldandsubjugated
thegreaterpartoftheIranian
theynowbrokeintonewculturalareas:TheLatinand
Turkishlands
670QairawanestablishedinTunisia

 711ThegeneralTariqdefeatedtheVisigothkingRODERICK
(716717)Constantinoplewasbesiegedforawholeyear
732ArabarmynorthtoPoitierandTourandwasdefeatedby
CharlesMartel(fatherofCharlemagne)
By700IntheEastIranandCentralAsiaconquered
IntheCaucasus,TaurusandinCentralAsia=frontier
societiesestablished

Shortcomings:
Politicalschismincreases

MuawiyaassumedtheCaliphate
Alisoffspringremainedquietforawhile
Muawiyadesignatesson,Yazid,asthenextcaliph
Theshiisrevolt
BattleofKarbala680=crucialbattleinShiihistory
leadstothemartyrdomofHusayn,thegrandsonofthe
Prophet,and72ofhisfamilymembers

 TheUmayyadshadcontinuedtomaintainandelaborate
upontheinfrastructureoftheByzantineandthe
SasanianEmpires.
Regionsmaintainedinfrastructures
MajorityofthePopulationmaintainedtheirreligions,
but
Onecrucialdifference:thelanguageoftheeliteand
thesacredlanguagebecameArabic!