Divisions and Controversies in Islam and the Umayyad Dynasty by Sasha Addison
Death of Muhammad The prophet to the Muslim people was not immortal and so did die on June 8, 632 in Medina located in current Saudi Arabia. His death brought along major political effects that altered Islam and the Muslim people. Such divides lead to revolts on who the new ruler would become Even after a new caliph was chosen there remained a divide between the two of his rightful position His death brought tensions within the Muslim population causing the divide of Shias and Sunnis that exists to this day
What happened during the divide of Islam? The divide of Islam was a point in Islam s history where the Muslim population was divided into two main seperate groups after the death of their prophet Muhammad on June 8, 632 C.E The Muslim people and government depended so much on Muhammad to give them religious meaning and be their voice from Allah to them, power and assurance overruling the entire Islamic empire and keeping the peace through his beliefs and teachings and maintaining a central security than when he died citizens were split over who was the next rightful caliph. It was divided by SHIA S Made up 15-10% of the Muslim population Populating majorly within Iran and Iraq and minority in Yemen Populating everywhere within the Islamic empire SUNNI S Made up 85-90% of the Muslim population
Map of Sunni and Shia populations Source: https://www-tc.pbs.org/wnet/w p-content/blogs.dir/2/files/200 8/08/wa_img_redlines_map1.j pg
Who became the next caliph? It was decided that the next true caliph should be a relative of Muhammad so the role of caliph became a trade off within the males of the family after the reigning caliph had passed away. Leaving the role open to Muhammad s father-in-law Abu Bakr. Abu Bakr He was elected caliph the same day as Muhammad s death on June 8, 632 C.E. He worked alongside Muhammad in political aspects and so knew how to work in the fields politically, and in Muhammad choosing Abu to be the one to go with him on his trip to Median played heavily in him becoming caliph He was liked among the majority Sunni population, and not as liked within the Shias who believed that Ali, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law was the true caliph and not Abu
Abu s reign and influence Interactionally: Interactionally Abu sent raids past the Islamic empires borders to gain land. He sent raids into what would present day be known as Iraq, Syria and Turkey and expanded the Islamic empire They spread the Arabic language, cotton, sugar, and citrus fruits into these conquered areas With the conquering of new territory and peoples came the new taxation put upon Non-Muslims to practice their own religion if they did not convert to Islam, though the taxations were not demanded of this population the taxation was against Muhammad s beliefs and teachings of forcing Muslim against others Non-Muslims ended up converting to Muslim to avoid the heavy taxation which stirred tensions with the Muslim population and Abu
Abu s reign and influence Politically Politically Abu failed to continue the peaceful and transfer of power, or apparatus, that Muhammad had established to ensure a good ruling to the Muslim people Instead of continuing with Muhammad s created system he created system he made his own that wasn t as manageable as Muhammad s had been, Abu s unfortunately had too many faults within in it to work successfully However in succeeding in Muhammad s administrative function was what got him into the position of caliph, so the change in this system caused a significant change in the relationship between the Muslim community and Abu He made conquests into Iraq and Syria from Arabia by being able to suppress political and religious revolts so stimulating a somewhat peace within Arabia that proved safe for expansion and military to pass through without an uproar
Arab-Byzantine Wars: The Battle of Firaz The Battle of Firaz fought at the border of Syria and Iraq on January 634 C.E. was part of the Arab-Byzantine Wars and also part of the Islamic conquest of Persia that achieved successful to Muslim forces. The military leader, Khalid had first marched to Firaz December of 633 to initially drive away the Persian forces that were located close to Muslim land and to also scare the Persian troops as well as show that they were a force to be reckoned with They first made contact with Persian and Byzantine troops that came to aid the Persian troops a month later in January of 634 C.E. first allowing the two troops to cross the Euphrates river before initiating attack Muslim forces won against Byzantine and Persian forces in Mesopotamia which was the first conquest in Mesopotamia for Islam The victory also aided in the conquering of Syria for Islam, now that the border and way into Syria was now accessible to them from the conquest It also represents the conquest and strength of the Islamic military during Abu s reign
Map showing the Battle of Firaz Source: https://i.ytimg. com/vi/v0vjd6 vukuo/maxres default.jpg
Assassination of Abu and choice of Second Caliph On August 23, 634 C.E. two events occured that changed Islam 1. The assassination of caliph Abu Bakr in Medina, Saudi Arabia after ruling for only two years (632-634 C.E.) His death stirred tensions between the Sunni population that was devastated with the death of the caliph which they favored and the Shias with their new choice of the next true caliph would be. 2. A new caliph had to be chosen and that was a man by the name Umar, who was named caliph through the will of Abu he made on his deathbed. He was well liked among the Muslim population, specifically the majority Sunni population but was disliked by the minority Shia population
Umar s Expansion and Conquest: Battle of Yarmouk Umar made interactional achievements one being the victory of Yarmouk on August 20, 636 C.E. The Battle of Yarmouk occurred on the border of Syria and Jordan in a town of Yarmouk where the Muslims took on the Christian Byzantine Empire after their great victory at Firaz that devastated the Sassanid Empire January 634 C.E. The battle went on for six days in total, with the ending conclusion being the Byzantine troops retreating from the attacking Arabian troops, so them surrendering to the Muslims The victory of the Battle of Yarmouk ended Byzantine rule over Syria and so expanded the Islamic empire, but it also was the greatest victory during Umar's reign as caliph which showed the strength of the Arabic troops
Conquering of Persia: The Battle of Qādisiyyah Along with interactional doings of Umar came more battles and conquest, one important battle that found an end and surrender of Persia to Muslim was The Battle Of Qādishiyyah Being a 4 day long battle with the Muslim Arab forces against the Persian forces that ended on November 19, 634 C.E. with Muslim victory The importance of the victory was the end of Persian rule and surrendered their land to the Muslims and it was helpful for the Muslims in their conquest of Iraq However another event that had happened due to this event was that it gave their neighbor the Byzantine empire a new ally that aided them in attacking Arabian forces
Assassination of Umar and Reign of Third Caliph Umar is said to be the most liked of all the caliphs after Muhammad, but he ended up being assassinated on November 3, 644 C.E. by a Persian man This enraged he Sunni population that very much liked Umar as a caliph and again made another conflict of who would be the next caliph that didn t stir after the elect of the next caliph Uthman Was elected on November 6, 644 C.E. and was the one who wrote Abu s will when Abu spoke it Originally part of the Umayyad clan and converted to Islam on 615 C.E. and been a part of the Islamic politics ever since working alongside Muhammad It was Uthman s relationship with the Umayyad clan that stirred tensions in the beginning between the Muslim population
The Umayyads Relations with Islam The Umayyads were originally enemies to Muhammad, but they too converted to Islam in 615 C.E. and lived within the borders of the islamic Empire Though the Umayyads converted to Islam they were not much liked, as evident by Uthman s claim as the first Umayyad Caliph and the negativity that came with the Umayyads support from Uthman and vice versa Uthman respected the Umayyad way of respecting family and going with family that he made alterations with he finances within the governance that sought that his family would receive a piece of the money that was supposed to be given to the government, not really making a good impression on the people
Uthman s Achievements 664-656 C.E. Despite the controversy of the favor with the Umayyads he did however make some cultural, political, and interactive effects from his time as caliph Culturally During Uthman s reign the first book version of the Quran was published and was even translated in other languages and put in book form too Politically Uthman kept some of the same political aspects that Abu had however not as forceful. He continued with the raids to conquer land however did not receive as much money for these conquests and did attempt to fix the loose ends that were made after Muhammad s death within the central authority Interactive His rule had caused a lot of tension within groups in the Muslim borders, and since Uthman was not as good as Umar when it came to regulating revolts within the groups revolts began to occur in Egypt that persisted and ended to his downfall
Source: https://fthmb.tqn.com/1pqdwrh0ytmda1jpvhjbujz1kdk=/768x0/filters:no_upscal e()/130308560-56a5367e5f9b58b7d0db8904.jpg
Rebellions of Egypt and Assassination of Uthman The rebellions in Egypt began from 650 C.E. and really did damage when a group attacked the caliph Uthman five years later in 655 C.E. Having been attacked by a group of Muslims from Egypt in Medina, Saudi Arabia it was a major factor that eventually lead to the beginning of the First Islamic Civil War His attackers also caused much tension between the next Caliph and the citizens of the Muslim population 1 day after the death of Uthman the next caliph was chosen being Ali or Muhammad s cousin and son-in-law He further upset the conflicts of the Civil War by not punishing the murderers of Uthman and instead seeking out to fight Muawiyah in Basra, Iraq and not punish Uthman's killers in Medina. This is also known was the Battle of Bassorah that happened on November 17, 656 C.E.
Change of Capital and Assassination of Ali After the Battle of Bassorah Ali decided to move the capital of Islam from Medina, Saudi Arabia to Kufa, Iraq It's not known for sure why Ali did this, either because the citizens of Kufa had aided them in a fight against the Persian troops and so they stayed there for a while or because Ali was freightened that if they didn t move their capital they would attacked, either way the move of capitals lead up to his assassination in the same town of Kufa on January 29, 661 C.E. Ali was killed by a group of Muslims from Mecca tha were unhappy with the rise in tension between the Umayyad population and the Muslim population However, the Umayyads, seeing this as a weak spot in Islam time took charge as the political ruler and placed their second Umayyad caliph that signalled the beginning of the Umayyad Dynasty, with the caliph being Mu awiyah in the same year as Ali s death in 661 C.E.
What is the Umayyad Dynasty? The Umayyad Dynasty is described as a point in time when the Umayyad clan of Islam took over political control within the capital of Kufa, Iraq shortly after the death of the fourth caliph Ali. The Umayyad Dynasty was divided between two families who took political rule the Sufyanids (661-684 C.E.) and the Marwanids (684-750 C.E.) The major Sunni population adapted reluctantly to the new Umayyad rule, but the minor Shia population opposed the new rulers and dynasty, however being a minority there was not much they could do Sufyanids The Sufyanids began rule with the second Umayyad caliph Mu awiya who first moved the capital of Islam from Kufa to Damascus. Mu awiya also expanded lands into China s borders and the Indus River Valley while placing Garrisons along the way of conquest
Umayyads Ways of Ruling When conquest grew and more people were being enveloped within the Muslim community the Umayyads made some changes to politics and cultural aspects of their culture Though the people were free to practice whatever religion they wanted that didn t change the taxation that was placed on Non-Muslims and they only intensifies as conquest grew, but it did indeed cause dissatisfaction among the citizens They created a new system of passing down the power of caliph by vote and no so much hereditary as it was with Muslim culture before Even with the new idea of voting caliphs Mu awiyah had grown accustomed to the way of passing down the role through bloodline and so when he died on April or May 680 C.E. he passed down the position of caliph to his son, Yazid, who became the third Umayyad caliph
Tensions of the True Caliph On October 10, 680 C.E. tensions between Ali s son Husayn ibn-ali and caliph Yazid grew and the two fought regularly First resonating from Husayn ibn-ali s displeasure of the choice to have Yazid as ruler it became a bigger thing One battle that occured was the Battle of Karbala which had occurred in Karbala located in present day Iraq The battle is depicted from Shias and Sunnis differently as a fight between good and evil, with Yazid being the evil force and Husayn representing the good force At the end of the battle Husayn s troops ended up being cornered and retreated showing defeat against Muslim forces.the remaining citizens from Husayn s armies and supported him were held prisoner in Damascus and treated very poorly leading to 72 deaths within the imprisonments in Damascus
End of Sufyanid Rule with Death of Yazid On November 12, 683 C.E. Yazid suddenly died reigning as caliph for only 3 years and being one of the most controversial figures in Islamic history that caused massive tension politically and socially among the Muslim population Since the person best fit for role of caliph next died during the Battle of Karbala, being Husayn a new Umayyad caliph had to be chosen either by vote which was the way the Umayyad government most liked or hereditarily through passage of the bloodlines Also coming with Yazid's death saw the end of Sufyanid Umayyad family rule in Islam and gave way for the beginning of the next Umayyad family rule with the Marwanids that lasted from 684-750 C.E. with the new caliph that was chosen in 685 C.E.
New Caliph and Achievements The new caliph that was chosen for being the first man to succeed in establishing authority within Damascus after Muawiyah death was a man named Abd al-malik and he made big architectural achievements that show today The major one being within Jerusalem with the Dome of the Rock that was completed in the late 7th century to estimated 600 s It has a religious background in its history for being the location where Christians and Jews would go and worship their beliefs, since they populated heavily in Jerusalem and had been fighting against each other throughout Muslim history Along with the architectural innovations one major political event occurring during Abd al-malik's reign was the conquest of Cordoba, Spain in the year 711 C.E. and was partially destroyed but recovered later in life by a Abd al-rahmān when it was then turned into the Muslim capital in 756 C.E.
Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/jerusalem_do me_rock.jpg/220px-jerusalem_dome_rock.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co mmons/thumb/0/07/the_dome_of_the_r ock.jpeg/800px-the_dome_of_the_rock. jpeg
The Siege of Constantinople 717-718 C.E. The battles fought to siege Constantinople lasted roughly for exactly a year, either beginning in July or August 15, 717 C.E. and ending on August 15, 718 C.E. Fought both by land and sea offense against the Umayyad caliph and the Muslim Arabs vs. the Byzantine empire of Constantinople The Siege was built up upon long years of fighting against the Byzantine empire that went on and off throughout Muslim history After winning victory and hiding out in Asia Minor from 716-717 C.E. an attack was made to siege the city of Constantinople from the Byzantines However the were heavily defeated and were not able to conquer the city of Constantinople causing stirs throughout the Muslim population especially with the Abbasid clan population rising in actions of rebellions that caused the end of the Umayyad dynasty
The End of the Umayyad Dynasty In the late 740 s C.E. displeasement between the citizens were growing, and the Abbasid population within Islam were teaming up with Muslim Arab population in order to gain numbers and strengths that they needed in order to attack the Umayyad officials. When they did get the numbers they began rebellions starting in Iraq and Iran in the late 740 s and grew successful in their conquest and defeated almost all the Umayyad families in the empire With the fall of all the Umayyad families came the death of the Umayyad caliph Abd al-malik and the Abbasids took advantage of the opportunity and took political power and starting the Abbasid Empire and ending the Umayyad empire
Citations: Revolvy, LLC. Battle+of+Firaz on Revolvy.com. Trivia Quizzes, www.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s=battle%2bof%2bfiraz. https://www.britannica.com/event/battle-of-karbala https://www.britannica.com/biography/muawiyah-i http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/plaintexthistories.asp?historyid=aa56 https://www.al-islam.org/restatement-history-islam-and-muslims-sayyid-ali-ashgar-razwy/change-capital-medina-kufa https://www.britannica.com/topic/battle-of-yarmouk-636 https://www.britannica.com/biography/abd-al-malik-umayyad-caliph https://www.britannica.com/topic/umayyad-dynasty-islamic-history