The Rightly guided Caliphs
Upon the death of the Prophet, Abu Bakr, the friend of the
Prophet and the first adult male to embrace Islam, became caliph. Abu Bakr
ruled for two years to be succeeded by 'Umar who was caliph for a decade and
during whose rule Islam spread extensively east and west conquering the Persian
empire, Syria and Egypt. It was 'Umar who marched on foot at the end of the
Muslim army into Jerusalem
and ordered the protection of Christian sites. 'Umar also established the first
public treasury and a sophisticated financial administration. He established
many of the basic practices of Islamic government.
'Umar was succeeded by 'Uthman who ruled for some twelve
years during which time the Islamic expansion continued. He is also known as
the caliph who had the definitive text of the Noble Quran copied and sent to
the four corners of the Islamic world. He was in turn succeeded by 'Ali who is
known to this day for his eloquent sermons and letters, and also for his bravery.
With his death the rule of the "rightly guided" caliphs, who hold a
special place of respect in the hearts of Muslims, came to an end.
The Caliphate
Umayyad
The Umayyad caliphate established in 661 was to last for
about a century. During this time Damascus
became the capital of an Islamic world which stretched from the western borders
of China to southern France.
Not only did the Islamic conquests continue during this period through North
Africa to Spain and France in the West and to Sind, Central Asia and Transoxiana in the East, but the basic
social and legal institutions of the newly founded Islamic world were
established.
Abbasids
The Abbasids, who succeeded the Umayyads, shifted the
capital to Baghdad
which soon developed into an incomparable center of learning and culture as
well as the administrative and political heart of a vast world.
They ruled for over 500 years but gradually their power
waned and they remained only symbolic rulers bestowing legitimacy upon various
sultans and princes who wielded actual military power. The Abbasid caliphate
was finally abolished when Hulagu, the Mongol ruler, captured Baghdad in 1258, destroying much of the city
including its incomparable libraries.
While the Abbasids ruled in Baghdad,
a number of powerful dynasties such as the Fatimids, Ayyubids and Mamluks held
power in Egypt, Syria and Palestine.
The most important event in this area as far as the relation between Islam and
the Western world was concerned was the series of Crusades declared by the Pope
and espoused by various European kings. The purpose, although political, was
outwardly to recapture the Holy Land and especially Jerusalem for Christianity. Although there
was at the beginning some success and local European rule was set up in parts
of Syria and Palestine, Muslims finally prevailed and in 1187 Saladin,
the great Muslim leader, recaptured Jerusalem
and defeated the Crusaders.
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