History 102 Notes

Islamic History 102 Module 1
Notes from Ismail Kamdar’s presentations & The History of Islam (A S Najeebabadi) Vols 2 &3
THE CALIPHATE OF BANU UMAYYAH

 There had been a historical rivalry between Banu Umayyah & Banu Hisham – both tried to excel each
other
 The Prophet (pbuh) belonged to the tribe of Banu Hisham; probably why Banu Umayyah initially
opposed him
 The first two caliphs, Abu Bakr & Umar bin Khattab did not belong to either of these tribes and so the
rivalry was not revived
Caliphate of Muawiyah Ibn Abi Sufyan (RA) 41 -61 AH
“He was the first of kings and the best of kings,” (Ibn Kathir, Bidayah Wa Nihayah)
 Amir Muawiya’s mother Hind bint Utba was first married to Faka Bin Mughira Quraishi. Faka once
doubted his wife’s chastity. She refused his allegation absolutely. Hind’s father Utba took them to a
soothsayer in Yemen. The soothsayer said she was innocent and would give birth to a king. Hind then
married Abu Sufyan bin Harb and Muawiya was born.
 From childhood he was called the “Choro (Kisra) of the Arabs” Kisra- King
 By the month of Rabia al-Awwal 41 Hijra, the Islamic world took Ba’it (swearing allegiance) to Amir
Muawiya. Imam Hasan accepted him as Caliph.
 Zeyed bin Abi Sufyan’s mother Sumayya was the slave of Harith bin Kilab Thagafi. People had doubts
who his real father was, and Muawiya did not accept him as Abu Sufyan’s son. However, after becoming
caliph thought it was wise to keep him on side. He made him governor of Basra to keep a firm rule as
the people had grown very undisciplined
Virtues of Caliph Muawiyah

 He was a companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him)
 Most likely converted at the conquest of Makkah or Treaty of Hudaibiyah (about age of 25 years)
 He was a scribe of the Prophet and was one of the recorders of the revelations
 He was appointed governor of Damascus by Umar Ibn Al-Khattab after his brother Yazeed died; later
Uthman bin Affan made him governor of Syria and all the adjoining areas
 He was governor of Syria for 20 years then Caliph for 20 years – ruled for 40 years in total
 Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) prophesized his rule and made dua for him
 He led the first Muslim navy battle attack on Constantinople during Uthman’s reign and kept the Romans
away
 Ibn Abbas declared him a scholar of Fiqh (Mujtahid)
Accomplishments During His Reign

 End of Civil War between the Sahaba
 Subdued all uprisings and rebellions
 No internal strife for the full 20 years; it was a period of peace and prosperity
 Ummah expanded and conquered territories in all four directions
 Constantinople was besieged for first time in history in 48 AH . The siege and the attacks were
unsuccessful, but the Roman Empire knew they were fortunate to have avoided a conquest and ceased
attacking Islamic borders
 Developed a strong navy of 2,000 war boats
 Developed a postal and registry system
Yazid as the heir apparent

 Mughirah Ibn Shoba left Kufa for Damascus and suggested that Yazid be appointed as Muawiyah’s
successor and Muawiyah liked the idea
 Amir Muawiyah wanted to avoid any riots or disturbances over the caliphate
 Zeyed bin Abi Sufyan, the governor of Basra was unsure after consulting others, especially as Yazid was
young and had so far led a life of entertainment.
 Obadiah bin Kab said that he would go to Damascus and request Yazid to reform himself
 Resentment was expressed by the people of Hijaz & Madinah; they welcomed the idea of a successor
being nominated; but someone worthy of the caliph
 This idea was opposed by the senior Sahaba in Madinah for three reasons:
o A Tabi’ee shouldn’t be made Caliph while righteous Sahaba were still alive
o This would start a monarchy and that was not the practice of the early Caliphs
o There were still people alive who were more suited to the Caliphate
 Mughirah Ibn Shoba died in Kufa in 51 AH and Zeyed bin Abi Sufyan was made governor of Basra &
Kufah- so that he could persuade all the people of Iraq to take ba’it. He managed to keep peace in all
the eastern territories – a real asset to the Caliph
 Eventually the governors of the different provinces took the pledge of allegiance to Yazid; Abdullah Ibn
Abbas, Abdullah Ibn Zubair and Husain Ibn Ali all did not
Muawiyah’s Ijtihad
 The appointment of Yazid as heir was an Ijtihad decision by Muawiyah
 He reasoned that if he did not appoint his heir while living, his death would cause a civil war over the
Caliphate
 He felt Yazid was suitable for Caliphate being raised in the house of the Caliph
 There is no explicit evidence prohibiting the appointment of one’s son as successor
 He was right in his Ijtihad regarding the civil war but wrong in his choice of successor
Death of Aisha (RA)
 Ummul-Muminin Aisha died in 58 AH and was buried in Jannat al-Baqi

 She used to oppose Marwan, the governor of Madinah, as his deeds were not good
 A year later in 59 AH Abu Huraira died; he often made the dua “Oh Allah, I seek your protection against
the rule of young boys”; his prayer was accepted
Death of Muawiyah (RA)

 During Muawiyah’s reign, several other key figures passed away including Amr Ibn Al-Aas, Ziyad Ibn Abi
Sufyan & Hassan Ibn Ali
 Muawiyah (RA) passed away in 61 AH from natural causes
 He had advised Yazid to follow the way of Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman and treat Husain well
 Yazid succeeded him and became the new Caliph
Controversies about Muawiyah

 Muawiyah made two major errors which Shi’a and some other groups hold against him: The Battle of
Siffeen and His appointment of Yazid as successor
 Neither are major enough to erase his good deeds or outweigh them, and they were both Ijtihad
mistakes.
 Sincere Ijtihad mistakes are forgiven by Allah.
 The Sahaba, Tabi’een and major scholars all respected him, so hating him is the way of the Shi’a, not the
way of the Salaf
Caliphate of Yazid Ibn Muawiyah 61 – 64 AH
 Upon his father’s death in 61 AH, Yazid became the Caliph

 Amir Muawiya committed a blunder by taking bay’at for Yazid in his lifetime, introducing a practice that
put an end to consultation and the son succeeding his father as king
 Yazid was not popular as he wasn’t known for any outstanding good qualities
 The senior Sahabah were not happy with his appointment as he was young and not a Sahabi
 At this time governors were
 Madinah: Waleed bin Utba Abi Sufyan
 Kufa: Noman bin Bashir
 Abdullah Ibn Abbas & Abdullah Ibn Umar gave Yazid the pledge of allegiance
 Abdullah bin Zubair & Husain bin Ali went to Makkah instead to seek sanctuary at the Kabah
Opposition from Sahabah
 Upon arriving in Makkah, Abdullah Ibn Zubair was given the pledge of allegiance by the people there
 Ibn Zubair took over Makkah but the other Sahabah did not give him allegiance
 Husain Ibn Ali stayed in Makkah to worship at the Kabah and avoid fitna, however, he did not appreciate
Abdullah bin Zubair being in power in Makkah and did not give him ba’it
 The people of Kufah kept writing letters to Husain inviting him to come there and that they would make
him the Ameer
 Amir Muawiya knew about the nature and habits of the people of Kufa and had already warned Yazid at
the time of his death not to be cheated by them, but also to treat Imam Husain respectfully and leniently
Muslim Ibn Aqil
 Muslim Ibn Aqil was the cousin of Husain Ibn Ali

 Husain sent him to Kufa secretly as his deputy to assess the situation
 Upon arriving in Kufa, he was given the pledge of allegiance for Husain from 12,000 people
 The governor Noman Ibn Basheer did not stop Muslim and so he was disposed by Yazid
Obaidullah bin Zeyad
 To stop the uprising in Kufa, Yazid appointed Obaidullah bin Zeyad as the governor of both Kufa and
Basra
 Ibn Zeyad was as strict as his father but less religious and more cruel
 Ibn Zeyad hunted Muslim Ibn Aqil, who was in hiding
 Muslim Ibn Aqeel came out with sword in hand and called for those that had taken bay’at, only 4,000
(out of the 18,000) collected
 Obaidullah bin Zeyad climbed onto the governor’s headquarters with 30-40 people and showered them
with arrows
 The relatives and friends of Muslim ibn Aqil’s supporters began to persuade them to leave, leaving only
30-40 supporters
 Eventually Muslim was captured and executed in front of his followers who then abandoned him
Husain leaves for Kufah
 Husain received Muslim’s letter that 18,000 had given the pledge but did not know what happened after
that
 He decided to leave for Kufa even though he was advised not to go by all the major Sahaba including
Abdullah Ibn Abbas, Abdullah Ibn Umar and Ibn Zubair
 They advised him that the people of Kufa were not trustworthy
 Abdullah bin Abbas said to him as he parted that his father preferred Kufa to Makkah & Madinah, but
look how they treated him. They martyred him, and robbed and ultimately poisoned Hasan
 Ibn Zubair even offered him the rule of Makkah
 On the 3rd day of Dhul Hijja 60 AH, Imam Husain along with the members of his family left Makkah (the
same day Muslim bin Aqil was slain in Kufah)
 On the way to Kufa, Husain learned about what happened to Muslim and found his family abandoned by
their followers and hunted by Ibn Zeyad’s armies
 He and his family moved to Karbala and camped there
Karbala
 Ibn Zeyad sent our two armies to find Husain:
 under Amr Ibn Sad bin Abi Waqqas – given 4,000 soldiers to keep watch on all paths and roads into
Kufa to find out the route and where he was camping
 under Hur Ibn Yazid – 1,000 soldiers put on patrol
 Hur Ibn Yazid was among those who had given the pledge to Muslim Ibn Aqeel
 Yazid had ordered Ibn Zeyad to capture Hussain and send him to Yazid (He was not ordered to kill him)
 Imam Husain halted at Karbala. Amr bin Sad was informed of his arrival and followed him to Karbala
 Amr bin Sad left his army and called for Imam Husein, and said that he deserved the caliphate more than
Yazid, but it was not destined to be in his family
 Husain offered Ibn Zeyad 3 alternatives for himself:
o Returning to Makkah for Ibaadah
o Joining the jihad in the frontlines
o Going to Yazid in Damascus to discuss the issue as Imam Hasan had done with Amir Muawiya
 Ibn Zeyad rejected all three and said that the only thing that was acceptable was that Imam Husain
surrender before him and take the allegiance for Yazid at his hands
 Imam Husain replied that it was better for him to die than take bay’at on Ibn Zeyad’s hand
 Ibn Sad was trying his best to avoid bloodshed during the week long correspondences where they were all
camped at Karbala
 Jowira bin Tamimi was the messenger that Ibn Zeyad sent ordering Amr to either capture Husain and take
him to Ibn Zeyad or attack him and cut off his head
 Ibn Zeyad thought that Amr might show slackness so also sent Shimr Dhul Jaushan to Karbala
The Tragedy
 On 10th Muharram 61 AH, Husain’s family was surrounded by the armies of Arm ibn Sad and Shimar
 Unsure of the exact number but less than 240 people on Imam Husain’s side compared to thousands of
strong well-armed soldiers of their enemies
 He gave a speech when he said that he had made a mistake not to listen to Abdullah bin Abbas and should
have not bought the women and children (who were crying). He said that he was the grandson of the
Prophet (pbuh) who had called him the chief of the Youths of Paradise. The people of Kufa had sent him
letters to become caliphate, he had responded to their call and now they had revolted. He asked them not
to kill him so that he could return to Makkah or Madinah.
 Hur Ibn Yazid’s army had joined Husain to defend him
 Imam Husain’s companions and members of his family presented exemplary valour and self-sacrifice
 Imam Husain had seen with his own eyes his brothers and sons being martyred. He was left alone and
continued to attack the enemies valiantly. He received 45 wounds from arrows on his body but continued to
face the enemy
 Eventually Shimr took 6 soldiers and killed him
 His body was trampled, and his head and family were first sent to Ibn Zeyad in Kufa, who sent it to Yazid in
Damascus
 Yazid cried upon seeing the head of Husain, stating he did not want this and ordered Shimr and his
associates to leave
 Yazid gave the remaining family members of Hussain safety and wealth and returned them to Madinah
 Obaidullah bin Zeyad after the incident of Karbala received nothing in reward but shame and sorrow
Aftermath of Karbala
 The righteous Muslims in Makkah and Madinah were outraged by the events of Karbala and began to revolt
against Yazid
 Abdullah Ibn Zubair openly claimed Caliphate in Makkah. All the Makkans took bay’at at his hands
 Ibn Zeyad refused to attack Ibn Zubair as he had already killed one Sahabi and wasn’t rewarded for it by
Yazid
 Waleed bin Utba was the governor of Madinah and tried to please Yazid by planning to arrest Abdullah bin
Zubair. Ibn Zubair found out about the plan and wrote a letter to Yazid about the foolishness of his cousin
 Yazid sent another of his cousins, Uthman bin Mohammad as governor of Madinah in 62 AH
 He went there and started drinking; the people of Madinah were also upset to have a governor who would
drink alcohol
 Uthman had sent a delegation from Madinah to Yazid in Damascus, where they had seen Yazid holding
singing & entertainment sessions. On their return they made up their minds to oppose Yazid’s caliphate
 Yazid sent Muslim Ibn Uqba with 1,000 selected cavalries to subdue the revolt in Madinah
Massacre of Madinah
 Muslim Ibn Uqba’s army attacked Madinah in Dhul Hijja 63 AH

 The people of Madinah fought valiantly, but they were defeated
 Muslim Ibn Uqba held the city for 3 days continuing a general massacre with looting and arson
 During the battle and massacre over 1,000 people were killed (including 300 noblemen of the Quraish &
Ansar)
 On the 4th day he stopped, and the people were to give the pledge of allegiance to Yazid or be killed
 Muslim Ibn Uqba and his army then set out to attack Makkah
 He was ill and on the way his condition deteriorated, and he died on his way to Makkah
First Siege of Makkah
 Muslim Ibn Uqba was replaced with Haseen Ibn Numair

 Haseen attacked Makkah and lay siege to it for from 27 Muharram until 13 Rabi Al-Awwal
 They burnt the Kabah’s cover and blackened its walls
 The Syrian army after reinforcements came to 5,000
 Yazid died on 10 Rabi Al-Awwal and for this reason Haseen lifted the siege and offered Ibn Zubair to go to
Damascus and claim Caliphate
 Ibn Zubair rejected his offer so he went to Madinah and offered the Caliphate to Zainul Abideen (Ali bin
Husain). Ali bin Hussein said that he had made a pledge with Allah that he would not take ba’it in his lifetime
End of Yazeed’s Reign
 Yazeed was Caliph for three years and eight months and died at the age of 38
 His reign was full of chaos, turmoil and bloodshed
 He had not taken advantage of the elders with their chaste habit and high morals
 He had not displayed any merit in governance and politics
 The tragedy of Karbala, massacre of Madinah and first siege of Makkah all took place during this reign
 It was the first time the ummah had witnessed such a reign
 After Yazid died, the people of Syria offered the Caliphate to his son, Muawiyah II
Caliphate of Muawiyah bin Yazid 61 AH
 After the death of Yazid, the people of Syria elected his son Muawiyah as their next ruler
 Muawiyah II (also known as Abu Laila & Abu Abdur Rahman) was 20 years, a pious and devout Muslim
who disapproved of his father’s policies regarding Karbala and Makkah
 Muawiyah II was young, but sickly and only ruled for a few days or months during which he was unable
to accomplish anything due to his health
 He eventual gave up his Caliphate without choosing a successor and passed away.
The Triangle of Caliphs (civil war)
 At the death of Yazid, several figures claimed Caliphate

 Outside Syria, the majority of the Muslim world chose Abdullah Ibn Zubair as their Caliph
 Obaidullah bin Zeyed wanted the people of Kufa to take Bay’at for him – but they refused
 The Egyptian governor, Abdur Rahman bin Jehdan, took bay’at for Abdullah bin Zubair
 Iraq however was taken over by the Shi’ite Mukhtar Ibn Abi Ubayd who began to incite people to take
retribution for Husain’s blood
 Marwan Ibn Hakam took over the Caliphate of Southern Syria and soon sent armies to take back
Northern Syria and Egypt from Ibn Zubair. He was from Banu Umayyah
 Marwan had been the head clerk and minister during Uthman bin Affan’s caliphate and had governed
Madinah several times during Muawiya’s reign and wanted to restore Umayyad rule. He argued that
Khalid bin Yazid was too young to assume the caliphate
 Marwan was able to conquer these Syria & Egypt and bring them under Umayyad Control
 Marwan was not successful in taking Hijaz or Iraq
 The ummah was now divided between three Caliphs
Caliphate of Marwan Ibn Hakam 65 AH
 Marwan came into power through force, moving the Caliphate away from the descendants of Muawiyah
to the Hakami branch of the Umayyads
 He was to be succeeded by Khalid Ibn Yazid but decided to keep the Caliphate for his family
 He appointed his sons Abdul Malik and Abdul Azeez as his heirs to the throne, one after the other
 His reign was predominantly one of internal conflict between the three rulers
Death of Marwan
 Marwan married Khalid Ibn Yazid’s mother as a political move

 However, she killed him for taking the Caliphate away from her son and insulting him in public
 She persuaded 4 or 5 slave girls to strangle him whilst he was sleeping
 He ruled for less than a year and died in 65 AH, aged 63
 The Caliphate passed on to his eldest son Abdul Malik as he had decided, and was meant to pass upon
his other son Abdul Azeez after the death of Abdul Malik
 However, Abdul Azeez passed away during the reign of Abdul Malik
Caliphate of Abdul Malik bin Marwan 66-86 AH
 Abdul Malik came into power during a time when the ummah was divided between three Caliphs
 He immediately sought to bring all territories under Umayyad Rule
 Mukhtar bin Abi Ubaid sent his commander Ibrahim bin Malik from Kufa to confront Obaidullah bin
Zeyad, who was governing on behalf of Abdul Malik in Syria. The Syrians were defeated in 66 AH and
their general, Obaidullah bin Zeyed, was killed
 The ummah was now split between Ibn Zubair and the Umayyads
 Ibn Zubair was losing support and the leading scholars like Ibn Abbas and Ibn Umar did not want to take
sides in the civil war
Rise of the Umayyads

 Even though most territories belonged to Ibn Zubair, he did not strengthen them or build their defences
 One by one they all fell back into the hands of the Umayyads, leaving Ibn Zubair with a few followers in
Makkah
 Abdul Malik appointed Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf as governor of Iraq and in charge of ending Ibn Zubair’s rule
 Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf was cruel and harsh to those who opposed the Umayyads
 He introduced dots and vowel signs into the Qur’an to make it easy for Non-Arabs to recite
Second Siege of Makkah

 Hajjaj besieged Makkah for many months and attacked it with catapults
 The attacked only stopped for a few days during Hajj then started again
 Even the Kabah was broken by his catapults, no supplies were going in or out, people were hungry
 Hajjaj promised amnesty and security for those that would join him
 Ibn Zubair’s followers abandoned him, except for a few. Even his two sons, Hamza & Habib left their
father and went over to Hajjaj’s side; only one son remained valiantly with his father
 They took their last stand in Makkah and were martyred.
 Under Abdul Malik, Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf killed Ibn Zubair and brought the Muslim world entirely under
Umayyad rule
 Hajjaj was made governor of Hijaz and began to live in Madinah
 The ummah now had one Caliph, Abdul Malik Ibn Marwan and the civil war which lasted for ten years
was over
Abdullah bin Zubair

 He was the first child born to Muhaajireen in Madinah – celebrated as the Jews had said that they had
cast a spell that no child could be born to an emigrant
 He was a child Sahabi, and grew into a brave warrior
 His father was Zubair Ibn Awwam – one of the blessed ten
 His mother was Asma Bint Abi Bakr Abu Bakr Siddiq’s daughter. She died a few days after he was
martyred
 His parents were both famous for their bravery
 He aspired to become the Caliph from a young age
 He had been reigning in Makkah since Amir Muawiya’s death – he never allowed Yazid’s rule to be
established in Makkah
 Mukhtar bin Abi Ubaid revolted in Kufa ,but his army was defeated by Musab Ibn Zubair, bringing Iraq
under the Caliphate of Ibn Zubair. Ibn Zubair appointed Musab as governor of Basra.
 He made many mistakes politically which cost him his Caliphate and life; he chose not to journey to Syria
(which may have been advantageous); did not make Madinah the capital (as it was closer to Syria)…so
that Marwan’s caliphate and Banu Umayyah’s influence might not have taken place
 He was extremely pious and well known for his khushoo in Salah
Reign of Abdul Malik bin Marwan
 Abdul Malik bin Marwan was born in Ramadan 23 AH. His familiar name (Arabic: kunya) was Abu Waleed.
 All opposition to the Umayyads were removed during his reign
 He was known for his piety and scholarship before coming into power
 He is known as Abul Mulook "father of kings" as four of his sons became kings:
 Waleed
 Sulaiman
 Yazeed
 Hisham
 He is also known as the second founder of the Umayyad Dynasty
 He made Hajjaj bin Yusuf the Governor of Hijaz. He was cruel to the venerated Sahabah. One of Hajjaj’s
agents pierced Abdullah bin Umar’s foot with a spear as he was making Tawaf. He died a few days later.
 He ruled for over twenty years and the Muslim empire expanded greatly during his reign (13 years without
opposition)
 He adopted stern and violent measures, with courage and determination. He ranked high in terms of
knowledge and virtue and is considered as a popular and successful caliph.
 He was the first to cover the Ka’bah with a silk curtain
 Islamic coins were invented in his reign, taking Muslims away from the usage of Roman coins and
establishing our own currency
 His brother, Abdul Aziz, was heir apparent and Abdul Malik wanted to be able to dismiss him and install his
own sons; but Abdul Aziz died towards the end of his reign
 Before he died, he asked all the Governors to take oath for his sons Waleed and Sulaiman
 Died in Shawwal 86 AH at the age of 63
The Reign of Waleed Ibn Abdul Malik 86-96 AH
 Abdul Abbas Waleed was born in 50 AH; came to be caliph at age of 36

 He was brought up in a pampered way; deficient of studies and lacked knowledge and virtue
 His reign faced no opposition from Muslims – internal peace, comfort and prosperity
 He maintained Hajjaj in a place of authority
 The Muslim empire expanded greatly during his reign
 It was the largest period of expansion in the history of the ummah – Sindh, Turkistan, Bukhara, Samrakland,
most of the cites and forts of Spain & Asia Minor and several Islands were added
 The expeditions and expansions were carried out mainly by three generals:
 Muhammad bin Qasim
 Musa bin Nusayr
 Qutaybah Ibn Muslim
 Waleed appointed his cousin, Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz as governor of Madinah in his reign but later removed at
the request of Hajjaj Ibn Yusuf
 Spain was conquered by Tariq Ibn Ziyad during his reign
 Parts of India were also conquered during his reign by Muhammad Ibn Qasim
 Qutaybah Ibn Qasim conquered lands as far as Samarkand (city in Ukbekistan) during his reign
 Waleed built the famous Umayyad Masjid
 He was the first Umayyad ruler to pay scholars a salary
 He introduced useful rules and regulations for the welfare of the people
 He fell into dispute with his brother Sulaiman who was supposed to succeed him, but he wanted his son to
succeed him instead
 Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez openly opposed Waleed, and so was imprisoned for supporting Sulaiman's right to
succession. He remained there for 3 years.
 Waleed died at Dairmaran in Syria 96 AH, after ruling for just over 9 years
The Reign of Sulaiman Ibn Abdul Malik 96-99 AH
 Sulaiman succeeded his brother but his reign was short (just over 2 years)
 Sulaiman had every general who supported Waleed killed, tortured or humiliated.
 This included Muhammad Ibn Qasim, Musa Ibn Nusayr, Tariq Ibn Ziyad and Qutaiba Ibn Muslim
 Musa bin Nusayr, as Governor of the western territories, had maintained peace in the entire of North
Africa and completed the conquest of Spain by sending his liberated slave, Tariq bin Ziyad. He had been
called to Damascus by Caliph Waleed, who had died before he got there. Sulaiman rather than
honouring him took him captive
 The treatment of Muhammad bin Qasim was a gross mistake – he was a wise, brave, gentle and pious
youth and was a capable general; he was only killed because he was a relative of Hajjaj
 Sulaiman had appointed his cousin Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez as his chief advisor – this is the main reason he
cultivated good habits. Sulaiman had been obliged for his sacrifice during imprisonment.
 He had made his son, Ayyub, heir apparent, but he had fallen ill
 One of the most praiseworthy acts of Sulaiman was to appoint Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez as his successor;
after him his brother Yazid bin Abdul Malik
Caliphate of Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz 99-101 AH
 Umar bin Abdul Azeez Ibn Marwan Ibn Hakam is considered by historians as the fifth caliph among the
Khulafa ar-Rashideen (the rightly guided caliphs) and born in 62 AH
 His father was supposed to succeed Abdul Malik Ibn Marwan but passed away while Abdul Malik was
still the king
 He was the great-grandson of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab from his mother's side
 He had a scar on his face as he was kicked by a horse as a child. Umar bin Khatab used to say that there
would be a descendant of his with a scar on his face who would fill the world with justice and
righteousness
 He was educated by his grandfather's brother Abdullah Ibn Umar and grew up in Madinah. His early life
was spent in the company of learned legal scholars of Madinah.
 He was the governor of Madinah in the time of Waleed, then the advisor to the king during the reign of
Sulaiman then he became Caliph himself
Reign of Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz
 Umar was hesitant to accept the Caliphate as he felt the burden of the entire Ummah; but when he did
accept it, he set about to bring instant reforms
 He went back to the lifestyle and ruling style of the first four Caliphs
 After becoming Caliph, he lived a simple life and tried to reform the excesses of the Umayyads
 He halted expansion of the empire and focused on reform instead
 He removed the jizya that was imposed on converts
 He sent scholars to do dawah to the Non-Muslims under his rule
 He also sent scholars to every land to educate the people
 He increased the salaries of scholars and teachers
 Conversions to Islam increased dramatically during his reign
 He suggested to scholars to compile Hadith into books
 Umar worked to reform the Muslim world in every way, including economically, politically and in terms
of Dawah and education
 The Umayyads grew unhappy with his reforms which took away their wealth and luxuries
 They paid his slave to poison and kill him
 Umar died from the poisoning, having ruled for just two and half years in which he accomplished more
than most kings did in decades.
The Latter Umayyad Rulers
Yazid bin Abdul Malik 101-105 AH
 Worldly person who did not accomplish much during his reign of 4 years.
 His ignorance led him slowly and gradually into decadence until he began to drink wine and wasted his
time on entertainment.
 Banu Umayyah imposed themselves onto the Caliphs court and squashed all the reforms regarding their
lands.
 He made his brother Hisham bin Abdul Malik and after him his own son Waleed bin Yazeed the heir
apparent.
Hisham bin Abdul Malik 105-125 AH
 Last great Umayyad Caliph, the ummah prospered during his reign
 He appointed Muslim bin Sayeed as administrator of Khorasan. He invaded the Turks and remained at
war with them until the end of 105 AH. He defeated them and collected the taxes due
 The Muslims defeated the Caesar of Rome’s army repeatedly during this time
 20-year rule was outwardly one of peace, but secret planning to end the rule of the Umayyads was
happening
 Hisham wanted to depose Waleed and make his own son his successor, but the leaders in government
were not willing to accept this
Waleed bin Yazeed 125-126 AH
 The worst Umayyad; from the beginning of his adulthood his conduct was not good. Well known for
being a womanising alcoholic (main reason why Hisham wanted to depose him)
 Start of ruin of caliphate of Banu Umayyah
 His cousin, Yazeed bin Waleed, in particular started to work against him- exposing his unlawful activities
 Led an uprising to Damascus in 126 AH and Waleed was killed
Yazeed bin Waleed (Yazid III) 126 AH
 reestablished Islamic Law but did not live long

 died of the plague, aged 35, after ruling for about 6 months
Ibrahim Ibn Waleed 126 AH
 He was killed by his cousin Marwan's army before he could accomplish anything
Marwan Ibn Muhammad 126-131 AH
 The last Umayyad Caliph which lasted for about 6 years- no peace in this time because of his
predecessors’ negligence
CALIPHATE OF BANU ABBAS

Descendants from Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib
Rise of the Abbasids
 When the Umayyads began fighting over the Caliphate, the Alawis (supporter of Ali) and Abbasids began
gaining support from the masses to overthrow them
 The Abbasids grew in influence after promising to help the Alawis gain power and revive Islamic rule
 They made a little-known village, Hamimah (located between Damascus & Madinah) as their HQ. Imam
Ibrahim became leader of this formidable group after the death of his father (Mohammad bin Ali Abassi)
in 124 AH.
 Imam Ibrahim assigned well-chosen military personnel for specific regions and organised them in an
orderly way
 Imam Ibrahim came across a man, Abu Muslim Khorasani, who shouldered the entire responsibility of
taking the mission further and was made leader of the missionaries of Iraq & Khorasan
 Abu Muslim Khorasani contributed the most to making the spread of the Abbasids a success and
remained in Khorasan; ruling dictatorially
 The Abbasids mostly grew in power in the East and made Iraq their center of power. Imam Ibrahim
made his brother Abul Abbas Abdullah Saffah his successor and ordered him to go to Kufa and live there
& gather support
 Abul Abbas Saffah declared himself the Caliph and massacred the Umayyads to prevent them from
rebelling and overthrowing him; he ordered Marwan to be killed
 Banu Abbas committed shameful deeds, bloodshed and slaughter to accomplish their task of taking the
Islamic Caliphate
Abul Abbas Saffah 132-136 AH

 He is known as As-Safaa (The Butcher) due to his massacring the Umayyads
 The only Umayyad prince to escape him was Abdur Rahman bin Muawiyah bin Hisham who fled to Spain
and Spain remained a separate Umayyad State for 300 years
 Abu Abbas claimed the caliphate and bribed some of the Alawis to remain silent about his betrayal; he
managed to silence the Alawiites with his money and not let them stand against him
 However, resentment grew between the Abbasids and Alawis as they felt they were also entitled to the
caliphate and it had been taken away
 Caliph Saffah was hearing concerning reports and wanted to reduce Abu Muslim’s authority and
influence
 Caliph for 4.5 years, before dying he wrote a testament that his brother Abu Jafar Mansoor, and after
him Isa bin Musa would be Caliph
 Immediately after Saffah’s death the Alawiites prepared to revolt, but by then the caliphate of the
Abbasids had become very powerful
Abu Jafar Mansoor 136-158 AH

 He was known for his bravery, pride, intelligence and particular point of view and ruled for almost 22
years
 He was a scholar, particularly in Islamic law and imprisoned Abu Hanifa for refusing to accept the post of
chief justice
 He persuaded Imam Malik to compile the Muwatta
 Abu Jafar sought to remove all opposition to Abbasid rule and as a result he assassinated Abu Muslim Al-
Khurasaani in 137 AH and imprisoned the Alawi leaders
 His reign was one of political strife between him and the other factions
 Many were unhappy with how the Abbasids came into power and this led to many rebellions which were
crushed by the forces of Abu Jafar
 As a politician, he was harsh and brutal, although he was religious and lenient in his personal life
 In 140 AH he wanted to build a separate capital and the foundation of the city of Baghdad was laid and
completed in 149 AH, from that time the capital of the Abbasids was Baghdad
 During the same period the scholars began the work of foundation and compilation of religious
knowledge and writing the books of Hadith
 Isa bin Musa was meant to be the Caliph after Mansoor, but he wished to make his own son Madhi his
successor. He managed to depose Isa bin Musa as Governor of Kufa, who went to Rahba to pass a quiet
life
Muhammad Al-Mahdi 158-169 AH & Musa Al-Haadi 169-170 AH

 Abu Jafar was succeeded by his son Muhammad Al-Mahdi (kunya: Abu Abdullah) who ruled for 11 years
 He was generous, widely admired, true in faith and popular
 The first thing he did as Caliph was to release all the captives (other than rebels, usurpers & murderers)
in Mansoor’s jails
 His reign was the first peaceful reign of an Abbasid ruler
 He was the first Abbasid to give high positions to Non-Arabs
 In 163 AH Mahdi collected soldiers from Khorasan and other provinces and left Baghdad with the
intention of declaring Jihad against the Romans. He left his oldest son Hadi in Baghdad as his deputy and
took Haroon with him. The conquered many Roman forts. In 164 AH there was a second invasion
against the Romans, sending Haroon again with 100,000 army who reached up to Constantinople.
 Haroon was made administrator in charge of all of the Western territories
 He extended the area around the holy Ka’bah by purchasing the adjoining buildings
 He appointed his son Musa Al-Haadi as his successor and after him, his next son Harun and gave him the
title Rasheed, the guide.
 Musa died suddenly and had only ruled for just a year, most of which was spent trying to remove his
brother as his successor and install his own son, Jafar in his place, but he was not successful.
Abu Jafar Haroon Rasheed bin Mahdi 170-193 AH
 Haroon Rasheed was famous for his generosity, Jihad, Hajj trips and funding research and education
 He put all his efforts into strengthening the system of government
 In 175 AH, when Mohammad (who was born from his wife from Banu Hashim) was only 5 years old, took the
oath for his succession and gave him the title Ameen. His other son Abdullah, born in the same year was
from a slave girl.
 Soon after coming into power he made Yahya bin Khalid Barmuk his Prime Minister and made him the most
important man in matters of expeditions of the government. He was very suited for this high post. Yahya
bin Khalid had been Haroon’s tutor and so had educated and trained him (also a father-figure to him).
 Idris bin Abdullah had propagated his leadership under the Berbers and founded his own government in
Morocco- Andulus (Spain). Haroon Rasheed sent his slave Sulaiman bin Jareer (Shumakh) to Morocco to kill
him. He waited for a chance and then poisoned him to death in 177 AH. However, the government Idris
founded continued.
 Later in his reign he made Abdullah 2nd heir apparent (then 12 years old), giving him the title Mamoon and
then Qasim as 3rd heir apparent, honouring him with title Motamin
 During his reign, Yusuf bin Imam Abu Yusuf was appointed the Chief Justice
 In 179 AH Malik bin Anas died at the age of 84
 Having appointed three of his sons as his successors he hung the declaration on the Kabah – not a wise step
which was fated to end in failure
 In 182 AH Imam Abu Yusuf, one of Abu Hanifa’s students and judge of judges of Baghdad, passed away
 Haroon Rasheed was determined to go to Khorasan and left with his army in 192 AH. He made Motasim his
deputy at Riqqah, Ameen his deputy in Baghdad. Mamoon accompanied him at first but he then sent him to
Merv. His illness took a turn for the worse and he died in 193 AH
Fall of Barmak Family
 Yahya Barmuk was Harun Rasheed's Prime Minister, and his son Jafar bin Yahya Barmuk succeeded him
 The Barmuks held a very high position in the Abbasid Empire and had strategically placed people in Khorasan
& its provinces
 In 186 AH, Haroon Rasheed had Jafar executed, and removed the Barmuks from positions of power
 A lot of controversy and stories revolving around why this happened; most plausible is that it was because
Haroon Rasheed had been informed that they were building up their power base so that they could avenge
Abu Muslim Khorasani’s death. They were supported by the Alwites.
Reign of Haroon Rasheed
 Haroon Rasheed was the most famous Abbasid Caliph and passed away while leading an army against a
revolt in Transoxiana (modern-day Uzbekistan region)
 He is even the main character in the fictional work "A thousand and one nights" and appears in other works
of fiction
 The Abbasid empire reached its pinnacle during his reign and the reign of his sons
 Even Non-Muslim historians regard him as one of the greatest kings the world has ever seen
 He was a scholar, extremely rich and generous
 Knowledge, research and science all developed greatly during his reign and that of his sons
 He established the famous Baytul Hikmah (House of Knowledge) in Baghdad
 He was ruler of the entire Islamic world except Spain & Morocco
 The Christian Empire of Rome paid taxes to him; he left 900 million dinars in the treasury at his death
 During his rule the life of the people was comfortable, and they enjoyed a high level of wealth & prosperity
Ameen Rasheed bin Haroon Rasheed 193-198 AH
 Haroon Rasheed was succeeded by his son Ameen

 Ameen spent most of his 4-year reign trying to wrestle his brother’s territories away from them and deny
them their right to succeed him – heart and mind not suited
 His reign was one of civil war, riots and carnage. Thousands of Muslims were killed for only political reasons
 He was killed in a battle against his brother Mamoon
 He was the first Abbasid Caliph to be killed by Muslims
 He did not contribute anything positive to Islamic History. Haroon Rasheed knew that Mamoon was more
capable and deserving but he chose Ameen (maybe because he was a pure Hashimiite and Mamoon’s
mother was Iranian)
Mamoon Rasheed bin Haroon Rasheed 198-218 AH
 Mamoon returned the ummah to his father's policies of focusing on research and education
 Entire regime was passed in fighting battles & putting down rebellions. He was a valiant general.
 During his reign, the ummah splintered into more mini states
 Morocco, Khorasan and Yemen all became independent countries like Spain with their own Caliphs
 He appointed the Alawi, Ali Radha as his successor but Ali passed away during his reign
 During his reign, Muslims advanced in all worldly sciences, but this also caused a fitna
 He showed good intention and courage by appointing his brother Abu Ishaq Motasim as his successor – who
was more capable than his son Abbas in administrative affairs. He did not fix two successors which had been
done before, so did not show preference for his son and rejected the previous tradition that had no Islamic
precedent
 Died at age 48; ruled for 20 years and 6 months
Rise of Mutazilite Ideas
 In his quest for more knowledge, Mamoon had the books of Greek Philosophy sent from Rome to Baghdad
and translated into Arabic. He was interested in having the Aristotle’s work translated.
 The Christian scholars advised the Roman Emperor to send them as philosophy expelled respect for religion
from people’s hearts and would dampen the spirits of the Muslims
 These books corrupted the aqeedah of Mamoon and his scholars and they became the Mutazilites
 He encouraged debate which produced antagonistic parties and the debates on religion created unnecessary
problems
 There was a debate about the creation of the Qur’an. Mamoon was convinced by those stating that the
Qur’an was created, and he began to perpetrate atrocities on those that did not agree with him
 During the reign of Mamoon and his successors, the Sunni scholars were oppressed and killed by the
Mutazilite rulers
 The main scholar to oppose them was Ahmad Ibn Hambal
 This fitna continued until the reign of Mutawakkil Alallah who restored Sunni Aqeedah as the state belief
Academic developments of Mamoon Rasheed
 He supported scholarship in an unprecedented manner exceeding that of any other age

 Founded the institute of translation & House of Wisdom in Baghdad
 Muhammad bin Musa Khwarzami wrote a book on the principles of algebra – principles still used today
 He had an observatory built at Shamisayah and appointed scholars of Astronomy
 In Baghdad scholars were fully exposed to the sciences and arts of Greece, Iran, Egypt & India
Reign of Motasim Billah 218-227 AH
 Abu Ishaq Motasim bin Haroon Rasheed succeeded his brother Mamoon (he had been the governor of Syria
& Egypt)
 He was born of a slave girl named Barwah at Zabtarah in 180 AH
 Favoured by his father, Haroon Rasheed. Spend childhood days in games & sports
 He was not into education, but was a very brave military leader
 He was famous for his wars against the Byzantines and rebel leaders
The revolt of Muhammad bin Qasim
 Muhammad bin Qasim lived near the mosque in Madinah and spent his time in prayer
 A Khorasani visited him and persuaded him that he deserved the caliphate and should take the oath from
people secretly
 As more people who came from Khorasan (roughly present-day Iran) passed through Madinah to perform
Hajj, they would take the oath for his Caliphate
 He went to Jurjan and when he had enough supporters, he revolted
 The governor of Khorasan, Abdullah bin Tahir, sent an army to quell the riots. The rioters lost every battle
 Muhammad bin Qasim was captured and sent to Motasim in Baghdad, but managed to escape
The fitna of the creation of Quran
 During his reign, the Mihna (inquisition) in favor of Mutazilite doctrine continued
 He mercilessly tortured Imam Ahmad Hambal about the creation of the Qur’an
The City of Sammara
 Motasim initially purchased thousands of Turkish slaves to form an army. He liked their style of fighting and
their ability to bear extreme hardship
 Motasim set up a military cantonment 90 miles from Baghdad. He built a palace for himself, houses for the
soldiers, large market and mosque and settled the Turks there
 Samarra became second capital of the Abbasid Caliphate after Baghdad
 He introduced Turks into governmental positions
The capture of Amurah & Battle of Rome
 Babak Khurmi, was a Zoroastrian, and his power and influence had been growing considerably in northern
Persia. All the generals of Mamoon Rasheed, that had been sent to fight against him, had been defeated
 A long chain of battles that lasted for a year and a half resulted in Babak Khurmi’s defeat and captivity
 Before his captivity Babak had sent a letter to Nofil bin Michael, a Roman emperor
 The Roman emperor launched an attack with 100,000 soldiers, first launching a night attack on Zabtarah and
killed all the men who fought him and captured the women and children
 Caliph Motasim gathered an army and wanted to go to the most important city of the Romans in that area
 Amurah was a strong, fortified fort and city and also the birthplace of Nofil. Motasim vowed to avenge the
ruining of Zabtarah (his birthplace).
 Motasim’s army encamped at Angoora and waited for Afsheen’s army from Armenia. At the end of Shaban
223 AH they left and declared war, Afsheen on right flank, Ashnas on left and Motasim remaining in the
middle. For 55 days they kept Amurah encircled and finally conquered it
Death & legacy of Motasim

 Caliph Motasim Billah died on 30 Rabi-al-Awwal 227 AH. He was buried at Samarra. After his death his son
Wathiq Billah became caliph and people took oath at his hands
 He fought the Roman emperor very hard and surpassed any previous successes by Muslims forces against
the Romans
 Many Kings used to assemble at the Caliph’s door
 He increased the Turk armies and wanted to break the power of the Khorasanis. However, he was wise and
was able to neutralise any dangers. These same Turks would be responsible for the ruin of the Abassi
Caliphate.
Caliphate of Wathiq Billah 227-232 AH

 Wathiq Billah succeeded his father Motasim. His real name was Haroon.
 He was a great poet and literary expert. He was educated and a philosopher. He sought knowledge and was
called Mamoon, the second
 He continued the Mihna (Islamic courts of inquiry to impose the Mutazilite doctrine of a created Qur’an) and
killed great scholars thinking it to be virtuous. Eventually he saw the error in his ways
 There were revolts during his reign, some due to racism and others due to his Mutazilism
 Commerce and scientific developments flourished in his reign
 He came to suffer from oedema, his whole body swelled up, and he died soon after at the age of 36. He
ruled for 5 years and 9 months.
 Wathiq Billah’s brother Jafar bin Motasim was chosen to be Caliph (Wathiq’s son was only 9 years old at the
time)
Caliphate of Motawakkil Alallah 232-247 AH

 Motawakkil Alallah bin Motasim Billah bin Haroon Rasheed. His real name was Jafar.
 He was suppressed during his brother's reign for opposing Mutazilite doctrine
 Immediately after becoming Caliph he made his son Muntasir the ruler of Hijaz, Yemen & Taif
 He ended the Mihna and reestablished the Salafi Aqeedah as the state Aqeedah
 He was opposed by other Abbasids for abandoning Mutazilite beliefs
 He followed the Shafi'ee math'hab and was first Caliph to follow a math'hab
Roman Invasions
 In 238 AH the Romans with a fleet of 100 ships looted Dimyat. They burned the central mosque & looted the
city’s goods and did the same in Tunis
 At first the Roman Empress Nadurah wanted to convert the captives to Christianity. Those who refused
were killed. Afterwards, the Queen requested Motawakkil to exchange the Muslim & Christian prisoners
 After this the Romans again led a surprise attack and captured many muslims
 Caliph Motawakkil then declared jihad on the Roman Empire
 A big army was sent under Bagha Kabeer’s command, and the battles continued until in 246 AH when a
multi-pronged attack was launched eventually the Romans conceded
 Motawakkil was killed by his own army at the orders of his son, the Mutazilite Muntasir
Murder of Motawakkil Alallah

 His son, Muntasir, was greatly influenced by the Shiites. The difference in belief led to an estrangement
 Motawakkil made his mind to make his second son, Motaz his heir apparent
 Bagha Kabeer (Turk commander) plotted with Muntasir to kill the Caliph
 Mustansir was Caliph for less than 6 months and died in 248 AH
After Mutawakkil
 Mustansir needing the military leader's assistance to kill his father started a new trend
 The Abbasids became dominated and controlled by their military leaders
 Motawakkil was the last famous Abbasid
 His sons fought and killed each other over the Caliphate after his death, and this became the norm
 After him the dynasty continued for many centuries but would never be as powerful again
Muslim Inventors
Notes from: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/sep/26/baghdad-centre-of-scientific-world
Caliph Mamoon Rasheed was passionate in collecting the world's books under one roof, translate them into Arabic
and have his scholars study them. The House of Wisdom (Bayt al-Hikma) symbolises this golden age. The Muslims
learnt about the production of paper from Chinese prisoners of war, as a new and cheaper writing material replacing
papyrus and parchment.
 Al-Kindi (801-873) known as "The Philosopher of the Arabs". He is regarded as the first of the Abbasid
polymaths. A great mathematician; but he is mostly famous for being the first to introduce the philosophy of
Aristotle to the Arabic-speaking world.
 Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi (780-850) was a mathematician, geographer and astronomer. Together
with Kindi, he was instrumental in introducing the Arabs to the Hindu decimal numerals that we use today.
But his greatest legacy is his extraordinary book on algebra. Indeed, the word "algebra" is derived from the
title of this book: Kitab al-Jebr (The Book of Completion) in which he lays out for the first time the rules and
steps of solving algebraic equations.
 Ibn Sina (Latin name: Avicenna, 980-1037) is best known as a physician and is by far the most famous scholar
in Islam, founding modern medicine. His Canon of Medicine was required reading in Renaissance Europe
right up to the 17th century
 Ibn Rushd (Latin name: Averroes 1126-98) was born in Cordoba, is thought of as one of the founders and last
of the great Muslim philosophers
 Ibn al-Haytham, the greatest physicist in the 2,000-year span between Archimedes and Newton
 al-Biruni, the Persian polymath regarded as the Da Vinci of Islam
 al-Tusi, a mathematician and astronomer who would influence Copernicus
 Ibn Khaldun, the acknowledged father of social science, historical analysis and economic theory
 Abbas Ibn Firas crafted world's first flying/gliding device
 Ibn Batutta revolutionized travel
Muslims were also responsible for inventing or discovering

 Soap
 Alchemy
 Coffee
 Cheques
 University Degrees
 Optics
 Algorithms
 Medical Schools
And much more
The Conquest of Spain
 During the reign of Waleed Ibn Abdul Malik, Muslims were known for their justice
 The oppressed Christians and Jews of Southern Europe turned to the Muslims for help against their
tyrant King Roderick
 Musa Ibn Nusayr sent his freed-slave Tariq Ibn Ziyad (Governor of Africa) as the head of an army of 7,000
to assist the oppressed in Spain
 Tariq had a dream in which the prophet promised him victory
 When Tariq landed on the coast of Spain his first order was to burn all the ships so that his forces could
not retreat. They needed courage, determination and quick action
 The place Tariq landed on came to be called Jabal Tariq (now Gibraltar)
 Roderick built his army and he came from Toledo to Cordova where the troops assembled
 Meanwhile Tariq continued marching and occupying cities and towns
 He defeated Roderick's army of 100,000 with an army of only 7,000 and conquered many areas
 The Christians tasted defeat because of the daring deeds of the Muslim fighters
 Musa bin Nasayr came into Spain with his army and led the campaign against the cities in the west
 Victory was accomplished on 5 Shawwal 92 AH. This was the beginning of the Muslim rule in Spain.
 Musa bin Nasayr was ordered back to the court of the Caliph (Waleed bin Abdul Malik). He deputed his
son Abdul Aziz and took with him the treasure of Spain
 When he reached Damascus, the caliph was on his death bed. His brother Sulaiman Ibn Abdul Malik told
him not to appear, but he did not listen.
First ruler of Spain

 Although Musa & Tariq were the conquerors of Spain, Musa Ibn Nusayr did not get to rule Spain as he
was tortured by the Caliph Sulaiman Ibn Abdul Malik for his debt to the public treasury
 The first governor of Islamic Spain was Musa's son Abdul Aziz
 Spain remained neglected during Sulaiman's reign, like most distant countries
 The Christians of Spain loved Abdul Aziz's justice, and many converted to Islam
 The Muslims were the first to announce religious freedom
 Abdul Aziz had become agitated and was looking at freeing Spain from the control of the Caliph
 Abdul Aziz was a just governor, but he too was assassinated in 98 AH on the orders of Caliph Sulaiman
 The next two governors were unpopular and disposed of quickly
Reforms during reign of Caliph Umar ibn Abdul Aziz
 The new Caliph instated Samh Ibn Malik

 Under, during the reign of Caliph Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez, Spain began to prosper and reflects his noble
caliphate
 Umar Ibn Abdul Azeez gave considerable attention to Spain, as he did to all distant countries which came
under Muslim rule
 Rules and regulations regarding trade and commerce, agriculture etc. were endorsed. Several mosques
and bridges were built in various cities
 Peace and justice existed
 Samh bin Malik was also a great warrior and led his forces into Southern France, but died in battle
Utbah bin Hajjaj Saluli
 Abdul Malik bin Qatn Fihri was displaced as Governor of Spain by Utbah bin Hajjaj in 117 AH by the African
Governor
 Utbah appointed Abdul Malik bin Qatn Fihri as Governor of a small territory which would prove later to be a
mistake
 Utbah was very intelligent & just and bought about peace in Spain. He set up police departments to patrol
the streets and built separate courts and madrassas in each village
 The Berbers rose in revolt in Africa in 121 AH and the African Governor called Utbah from Spain
 Disorder and anarchy predominated during his absence
 When Utbah returned to Spain he found clear signs of rebellion, but he was overtaken by death in 123 AH in
Cordova
 Thus, Abdul Malik bin Qatn was able to capture Spain easily
Spain is divided in provinces
 Spain was no longer attached to the centre of the Caliphate and was inhabited by Muslims of many tribes (it
tended to remain under the control of the Governor of Africa, as it was so far away from the Caliph).
 The people of Spain chose Yusuf bin Abdur Rahman Fihri as their ruler, but internal conflict still arose
 He divided Spain into 5 provinces -Andalusia, Toledo, Merida, Saragossa & Arbonia (Catalonia)
 Issues with Umayyad and Abbasid rule resurfaced. Abdur Rahman al-Dakhil was encouraged to go to Spain
 He captured Spain and so the first phase of Islamic rule came to an end
Christian Rule in the Northern Areas
 A minor act of negligence from the early Muslim rulers would be costly in the future
 Pelayo set up a camp in the Pyrenees and attracted many Christians and his group grew strong in a short
time
 Alfonso was elected leader after the death of Pelayo. Asturias was made the capital of this sovereign rule
 They plotted to expel the Muslims from Spain and establish Christian rule
Abdur Rahman bin Muawiyah, the Umayyad
 Abdur Rahman bin Muawaiyah (113 – 172 AH) kept away from evil and foul practices. He had high
ambitions and courage and saw opportunity for himself in Spain
 The Umayyads and the Syrians in Spain rushed to offer their total submission and loyalty
 He defeated Yusuf and captured Cordova
 Abdur Rahman made Spain an independent Umayyad State during the reign of Abu Abbas As-Safah
 Educational institutions were opened all over the country spreading learning and wisdom to the masses
 All the cities were fortified, and mosques were built wherever they were needed – the foundations of The
Grand mosque of Cordova were laid
 The provinces were divided into 6 and he put a commander in each of them
 Abdul Rahman was kind, courteous and cultured and ruled Spain for 33 years and changed the course of
history and allowed Spain to flourish. He wanted to be succeeded by his son Hisham
Hisham bin Abdur Rahman 139 AH – 180 AH
 Hisham bin Abdur Rahman became the ruler of Spain at the age of 32/33 years, he had previously been
Governor of Merida
 Hisham’s brothers began to create troubles for him but he managed to deal with them successfully
 He led a 40,000-man force against France and regained control of Catalonia province and south of France
 Many of these spoils of war were used to complete the Cordova Mosque
 Sultan Hisham promoted learning by declaring Arabic compulsory in all Madrassas, many Christians were
able to read the Qur’an and accepted Islam
 He excelled his father in piety, devotion and worship
 Hisham died at the age of 40, having ruled for 7 years. He appointed his son, Hakam as the crown prince
Abdur Rahman III
 In the previous century, the condition of the Umayyad dynasty in Spain had become low
 The treasury was empty, and it had been torn to pieces with revolts and was on the verge of going into the
Christian fold
 A young Sultan, Abdur Rahman III succeeded his grandfather, Abdullah, at the age of 21 years, 300 AH
 This was the golden age of Islamic rule in Spain – peace and trading were at its peak
 He made lots of changes and strengthened his navy, army and warships
 Neat & clean roads, beautiful houses
 His son Hakam bin Abdur Rahman was made the crown prince
Hakam bin Abdur Rahman
 Caliph Hakam came to the throne of Spain in 350 AH, at the age of 48 years
 He was an eminent scholar and very particular in maintaining justice
 Cordova became the center of arts and learning
 During this period there was peace and order throughout
 However, despite his wisdom he was overpowered with the love for his son whom he appointed his
successor, even though he was only 11 years old
 Caliph Hakam’s brother, Mughira, would have been a better successor
 The Umayyad dynasty carried on; however, it was not effective and came to an end with the Caliph of
Cordova, Mustain Billah being assassinated in 407 AH
 Some Umayyads tried to regain power but by 428 AH the Umayyad rule had finally ended
Bani Hamud (Hammudid’s) Rule
 Two brothers Ali bin Hamud & Qasim bin Hamud had come to Spain from Morocco and fought valiantly
against the Christians
 They played a pivotal role in uprooting Ibn Abi Aamir’s rule and made Mustain the Umayyad Caliph of Spain
 The Hamud dynasty only ruled over small territories of the Spanish peninsula
State of Anarchy & Christian brutality
 The Muslim states were taken over by chaos and disorder

 During the period of anarchy in Islamic Spain, Seville was ruled by the Banu Abbad (Abbadids)
 The Christian states of the northern frontiers began to see the opportunity for advancement and prosperity
 Alfonso VI began atrocities against the Muslims and demolished mosques and converted grand mosques into
churches
 The Christian King of Aragon massacred Muslim forces
 Cordova was then under the control of Mutamid, who sent an ambassador to Yusuf bin Tashfain in Morocco
to seek his help against the Christians
 Yusuf bin Tashfain came to Spain and defeated the Christians on the battlefield
 The Muslim chiefs continued to engage in mutual conflicts and feuds
 Two years later Yusuf bin Tashfain returned to Spain in 483 AH to punish the audacious Christians
 The entire Islamic Spain came back under control of Yusuf and the state of anarchy ended and peace
returned
 He reigned for 15 years and died in 500 AH
Reign of Muraabitoon
 The citizens of the Arab race disliked the Almoravid rule because they disliked the Berbers ruling over them
 Abdul Hasan Ali bin Yusuf bin Tashfain succeeded his father at the age of 33
 Muslim jurists were very strong at this time and mainly followed the Maliki madhab
 Muslim Spain was fragmented, and every city and town had its separate rule, they were also unfriendly and
hostile towards one another. Once again strife and fighting surfaced
 Eventually the Almoravid rule showed signs of weakness and decline
 The Christians took the opportunity to seize the whole of the peninsula
 In such a turbulent atmosphere, Abdul Momin, the ruler of the Almohads dislodged the Almoravids from
Morocco and deputed his own commander in Spain and occupied it in 542 AH
Almohads (Al-Mowahad) Rule in Spain
 Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Tumurt (Ibn Tumert) was born in a village called Sus in Morocco and belonged
to the Berbers of Mauritania
 He declared himself as Imam Mahdi and established followers
 Brought followers under the command of Abdul Mumin and asked him to wage a war against the Almoravid
rule
 After taking charge of Morocco Abdul Mumin first sent General Abu Imran Musa bin Sayeed to Spain in 536
AH and later his sons
 Abdul Mumin began to build a huge army and advance further into European territories but died in 558 AH
 Abu Yaqub Yusuf, his son, came to the throne as his successor. He was a great lover of learning.
 During the reign of Abu Yaqub all the countries from Morocco to Tripoli and the entire Spain including the
Island of Sicily and other Mediterranean Islands came to the fold of Islam
 His son, Abu Yusuf Mansur took over the throne at age 32 and during his reign Muslim power and welfare
remained the dominant factor.
 He reigned for 15 years; held religious scholars in high esteem and loved books
 As Mansur had such a strong navy, Salahuddin Ayubi requesting him to reinforce the Muslims with his
warships against the Christian forces and guard the coastal areas of Palestine. He delayed the matter.
 His son, Abu Abdullah Muhammad (title of Nasir Li-Din-Allah) came to the throne in 595 AH at the age of 17
 The Christians had suffered defeats in Syria and Palestine, and now gave a call to the Christian world to join
the crusade against the Muslims
 The Muslim army was in a state of revolt as they had not received salary for many months because of the
miserliness of the Commander Nasir and they refused to obey orders
 The Christian army were victorious, and many Muslim men, women and children were killed
 The damages caused brought the decline of the Muslim rule in Spain. In 610 AH Nasir went to Morocco from
Seville and died shortly after that
 Nasir was succeeded by his son Yusuf Mustansir, only aged 16. He lacked courage and spirit and lived a
luxurious life.
 Most of Spain was captured by the Christians in his rule and he continued to live in Morocco
 His brother, Abdul Wahid came to the throne after Mustansir. He was assassinated after only 9 months
 In 621 AH, another son of Nasir, Abdul Wajid Adil came to the throne but after being defeated in battle by
the Christians he appointed his brother Idris (title of Mamun) as his successor
 The Almohads had lost their power over the whole of Morocco & Spain and their rule ended by 625 AH
 A person from Bani Hud, Muhammad bin Yusuf rose to the occasion and laid the foundation of his rule
Anarchy again in Muslim Spain
 When the Almohad rule came to an end, more than a half of the northern part of Spain and all of the
western provinces had come under Christian control
 Muslim Spain was overtaken by anarchy again – Muslim chiefs invited Christian troops against one another
 Muhammad bin Yusuf had become a chief - he then set himself the task of increasing his strength
 By 625 AH the entire Muslim Spain came under his control
 He requested the Abbasid Caliph Mustansir Abbasi of Baghdad authorising him to be ruler
 Peoples support did not last long, and old antagonistic activities resurfaced resulting in civil war again
 Christians retook cities and after a fierce encounter Alfonso IX defeated Muhammad bin Yusuf
 In 629 AH Ibn al-Ahmar staked his claim on Spain and captured a number of cities, capturing Granada and
Malaga in 632 AH
 In 636 AH the king of Castile conquered Cordova and established their government
 Ibn al-Ahmar made peace with Ferdinand and established strong rule over ¼ of Spain – a rule which spanned
250 years
 The capital of Muslim Spain changed to Granada
 Ibn al-Ahmar laid the foundation of Al-Hambra Palace in Granada. The Muslims of Spain invented cement of
such an amazing quality that Al-Hambra palace is still an object of wonder for tourists from all over the world
 Islamic rule eventually ended in 897 AH and most Muslims fled as they were being persecuted and told to
renounce Islam and confess Christianity
 During their rule Muslims had established universities, schools, laboratories and magnificent libraries
 Ibn Rushd was a Muslim of Spain, who was superior even to Aristotle
 The entire European continent came to know rice, cotton, saffron, pomegranate and peach through the
Muslims. They produced olives and dates in Andalusia & Seville
Ubaidi Dynasty in Egypt and Tripoli
Abu Abdullah
 The Alwis (type of Shi’ites) were trying to disrupt the Islamic caliphate
 A person named Muhammad Habib, who lived nears Homs in Syria claimed descent from Imam Jafar Sadiq’s
elder son Ismail (Imam Jafar was very influential in Yemen, Africa & Morocco)
 He tried to convince people of the arrival of Imam Mahdi in the near future
 Abu Abdullah Hasan bin Muhammad bin Zakariya (a Shi’ite) and a supporter of the Alwis came to Habib
 Muhammad Habib told Abu Abdullah that his son, Ubaidullah was Imam Mahdi, and that he was being sent
as one of those inviting people to him
 Abu Abdullah plunged himself into preaching and influenced many by his piety and dedication to prayers
 When Ibrahim bin Ahmad bin Aghlab, the ruler of Africa came to know of his activities he ordered him to
stop them otherwise he would be punished
 The people of Kutama (present-day Algeria) extended their strong support to Abu Abdullah and he became
ruler of the western part of the country within 1½ years
 He managed to keep conquering territories and by 296 AH had had amassed an army of around 200,000
Ubaidullah Mahdi
 After coming to the throne, Ubaidullah wanted to wipe out the influence of Abu Abdullah and his brother,
Abdul Abas
 Abu Abdullah’s eyes now opened, and he tried to convince people that Ubaidullah was not Imam Mahdi, he
had been mistaken
 Ubaidullah had Abu Abdullah and his brother assassinated in 298 AH
 Supporters of Abu Abdullah revolted against Ubaidullah; so, he sent his son Abdul Qasim as the head of a
huge army to punish the people of Kutama. Abdul Qasim also squashed the rebellion of the people of Tripoli
after a long siege
 Abdul Qasim also led a strong navy and invaded Egypt and Alexandria in 301 AH. When Caliph Muqtadir
Abassi of Baghdad received the news he dispatched an army and forced Abdul Qasim and Habasa out from
the borders of Egypt
 As Ubaidullah was an Isma’ili Shi’ite, who claimed to be Imam Madhi, he was in constant fear of uprisings
against him as most North Africans did not accept this, so he laid the foundations of new city for his capital,
Mahdiya (present day Tunisia)
 He tried to invade Alexandria again in 307 AH but Caliph Muqtadir sent his slave, Munis to Egypt who, after a
number of encounters was victorious
 Ubaidullah died in 322 AH after completing 24 years on the throne
 Abdul Qasim Muhammad Mahdi (also known as Abdul Qasim Nazar) succeeded his father. His reign was
dominated by the Kharijite rebellion of Abu Yazid
 He once again turned to Morocco and brought it under his rule, he died shortly after in 324 AH
Successive rulers
 Isma’il bin Addul Qasim succeeded his father, titled himself Al-Mansur. In 340 AH he built a massive war
fleet to invade Italy, but died in 341 AH before the victorious army returned
 Muiz bin Isma’il succeeded his father. By 355 AH he had built up a huge army and ordered them to march to
Egypt. He captured Damascus in 360 AH and made Cairo his capital.
 Muiz died in 365 AH after ruling for 23 years and he was the first Ubaidite King that captured Egypt
 His son, Nazar, with title of Aziz Billah succeeded him. During his time Damascus remained in the grip of
large-scale fighting and bloodshed. He died in Balbis in 386 AH
 Aziz’s son Mansur Hakam bin Aziz Ubaidi came to the throne, but was killed in 411 AH
 His minor son, Ali bin Hakim (title Zahir Li-Din Allah) succeeded him. He had to run the Government with the
help of nobles and courtiers. Salah bin Mirda captured Syria in 420 AH and dislodged the Ubaidite rule.
Zahir managed to regain Damascus & Palestine, but died in 427 AH
 His son Abu Tamim M’ad (title of Mustansir bin Zahir Ubaidi) came next to the throne. Arab tribes captured
Syria & Damascus in 433 AH and the country went out of control of the Ubaidites. His reign was full of
troubles and he died 487 AH
 Civil war marked the decline of the Ubaidi dynasty, and the last caliphs were no more than a local Egyptian
dynasty, without power or influence
Nuruddin Muhammad Zangi turns to Egypt
 Sultan Naruddin Muhammad Zangi dispatched his commander Asaduddin Sherkoh & Shadar to go to Egypt
 Shardar became prime minister but then turned and joined hands with the Christians against Naruddin’s rule
 With the permission of Naruddin, Sherkoh invaded Egypt in 562 AH and captured a number of Egyptian cities
 Shadar sought help again from the Christians
 The Christian force was much bigger but Sherkoh defeated them
 He appointed his nephew, Salahuddin bin Najmuddin Ayub, Governor of Alexandria
Salahuddin Ayubi
 Salahuddin was appointed prime minister of Egypt

 Salahuddin was a staunch follower of Imam Shafi and replaced the Shiite jurists and judges
End of Ubaidi dynasty
 King Azid Ubaidi died in 567 AH and so ended the Ubaid dynasty that had lasted for 270 years
 Thousands of devout Muslims were killed during this time; the rulers did nothing to serve Islam
 Egypt once again became part of the Abbasid Caliphate of Baghdad
 Salahuddin Ayubi was given the royal order to rule Egypt
OTTOMAN DYNASTY
 The Oguz and Ghazan Turks had injured and eroded the prestige of the Seljuk Dynasty by entering Iran and
Khorasan
 With the rise of Genghis Khan their power had diminished
 The Oguz Turks of Khorasan shifted to Armenia and settled there. Their chief was Sulaiman Khan
 3 years before his demise in 621 AH, Genghis Khan sent a huge army to invade the Konya based Seljuks
 Konya was then ruled over by Alauddin Kaiqbad Seljuk
 When Sulaiman came to know that Alauddin was targeted by the Mongols, who were unbelievers, he sent
his son Artughril as the head of 444 fighters as a vanguard
 As the battle between the Mongol and Seljuk forces was about to break out, Artughril and the Muslim
soldiers appeared and fought so fiercely that the Mongols fled
 Sulaiman was overjoyed with the support from his Muslim brethren and bestowed on Artughril an estate
near Angorah (present day Ankara) and appointed Sulaiman Khan as commander-in-chief of his army
 As Artughril’s land bordered the Roman Empire, he kept trying to capture land and expand his own borders
 Alauddin Kaiqbad died in 634 AH and was succeeded by his son, Ghayathuddin Kaikhusro
 A son was born to Artughril in 657 AH, Osman Gazi (Osman I). Artughri did in 687 AH when Osman was 30
 Ghayathuddin appointed Osman as commander in chief of his army, gave him his daughter in marriage and
he eventually rose to become Prime Minister
Osman Khan
 Ghayathuddin Kaikhusro was killed during a Mongol disturbance, he did not have a son only a daughter
(married to Osman)
 Osman Gazi was unanimously chosen as King of Konya and so in 699 AH the Seljuk rule ended, and the
Ottoman rule began
 Osman Gazi was a devout Muslim, showed no weakness with his rivals and was incredibly brave
 The Christians built a strong army to invade Konya soon after he came to power, but he launched a massive
attack on the Christians and conquered and brought Eskisehir under his control.
 Osman Gazi continued to win one city after another and forced them out of Asia minor too.
 He dispatched part of his army under his son, Orkhan, a gallant fighter, to combat the Mongols. Orkan
fought against the Mongols and forced them to give up their mission. He also pushed the Christians back
and conquered Bursa
 Osman Gazi went to Bursa and died there in 727 AH, aged 69 years; he had reigned powerfully and
magnificently for 27 years. His piety and abstinence showed that he left nothing except his armour, sword
and girdle as personal property
 On his death bed he instructed his son to put into practice the codes of Shari’ah. He also advised to make
Busra as the capital of the empire (wisdom & far-sightedness that if Konya had remained there would be
ongoing conflicts).
Roman Empire
 At its highest point, Roman empire divided into 2:

o Western Rome – Rome as capital
o Eastern Rome – Constantinople as capital
 Caesar of Constantinople confessed and propagated Christianity
 Then the Christian state and Magian state of Persia remained constantly at war with one
another and eventually the Magian empire broke up before the advent of Islam
 Asia Minor had been the cause of disagreements between the Muslims and Christian for 700
years
 Muslims had been caught in feuds, civil wars and in-fighting
 The Turks did not engage themselves with armed conflict with other Muslim states; kept
their resources for combating the Christians
Reign of Orkhan I
 Osman Gazi left behind 2 sons - Alauddin (the elder) & Orkhan
 Osman Gazi was more impressed with the military acumen and fighting spirit of his younger son, Orkhan,
and so appointed him as his successor, the second in the Ottoman line
 Alauddin had no issue with his father’s decision, and really wanted a remote, peaceful life, however, his
brother persuaded him to be Prime Minister, which he did very well and was also a wise counsel for his
younger brother
 Within one year of his accession, Orkhan had expanded the borders of the country up to the Danube Pass &
ended Christian occupation of Asia Minor.
 He reigned marvelously for 38 years
Alauddin as Prime Minister & modernisation of armies and institutes
 Prime Minister Alauddin suggested to his younger brother, that the young Christian boys captured could be
taught Islam and then trained by them to form a Royal army
 Alauddin opened madrasas in different parts of the country and the Christians were given the same rights
that Muslims enjoyed – many accepted Islam. There was no compulsion.
 Alauddin brought about reforms in the army, gave it uniforms according to rank and divided them into
various regiments
 Alauddin paid special attention to construction works and built mosques, hospitals, magnificent parks and
palaces in big cities etc. He did everything he could for the country
Attack on Venice
 Orkhan helped Cantacuzenus take the throne of Byzantium from John V Palaeologus and as a reward
allowed him to marry the emperor’s daughter Theodora, even though she was young and Orkan was 60
 Genoa and Venice had strong naval powers and clashed and had entered armed conflict near Bosphorous
Straits. Orkhan disliked Venice for its hostile activities and so felt compelled to lend his support to Genoa
 Orkan’s son, Sulaiman, was the Governor of nearby coastal province and took only 40 men and landed on
European coast and conquered the fort of Gallipoli
 Important as it kept safe the western coast of Asia Minor from Venice
 2 years after this Sulaiman suffered a fall from his horse and died in 759 AH
Death of Orkan I
 Orkan was terribly shocked at the death of his son Sulaiman, who was a very promising, brave and wise
leader
 He died in 761 AH, at the age of 75 years and had declared his younger son, Murad as the Crown Prince
Reign of Sultan Murad I
 Murad was 40 years when he ascended to the throne

 He had a strong desire to expand his territory in Europe, and conquered Adrianople and renamed it Erdirne
and made it his capital
 The conquest of Adrianople made the people of Serbia & Bulgaria anxious
 The Caesar of Constantinople messaged the Archbishop of Rome and united Christian forces were
assembled and marched towards Adrianople in 756 AH
 Murad sent his commander, Lala Shahin, at the head of 20,000 soldiers. This handful of Muslim soldiers gave
a smashing defeat to the huge Christian army
 European bishops were giving speeches against the Muslims across Europe and many European countries
united to annihilate the Ottoman dynasty
 In 791 AH, whilst Murad was away, he heard the shocking news that 2,000 troops stationed at Romiliya had
been killed by Christian forces
 Murad went to Adrianople to take charge of affairs
 In 792 AH, Ali Pasha, Murad’s commander, subdued the King of Serbia
 Murad assumed charge of the army and there was a decisive battle in Kosovo
 The Muslims seemed awe-struck by the size of the Christian army and some suggested rows of camels as
fortifications
 Bayazid Yaldaram, the elder son of the Sultan wanted to take the enemy on in the open field
 Murad could not arrive at a decision, he prostrated; invoking the help of Allah (swt)
 With the blessings of Allah, it began to rain, settling the dust and dirt
 Prince Bayazid Yaldaram was put to the right, Prince Yaqub to the left and Murad in the centre
 A Serbian Commander, said that he wanted to join the Muslim Camp and had some secrets to share with the
Sultan, and moreover wanted to embrace Islam. The Sultan was very happy to hear this and called him
near, and he took a dagger out and stabbed Murad
 The battle of Kosovo proved that even the allied forces of all Europe could not drive the Muslims out of their
lands, the thought of conquering Syria now left their minds
 Sultan Murad had ruled for 32 years – he was devout, wise and courageous
 Bayazid Yaldaram succeeded his father
Reign of Sultan Bayazid Khan Yaldaram
 In 793 AH, in his 2nd year of succession, Sultan Bayazid Yaldaram heard there were efforts against the Muslim
rule and that Serbia & Bosnia were on the verge of revolt
 The Muslim rulers of Armenia, Kurdistan & Azerbaijan were knocking on the door of Asia Minor
 The Ottoman dynasty had from the beginning made it a principle to avoid conflict with Muslim rulers
 However, because of the invasions by the Turkmen into Bayazid’s territories in Asia Minor, he was forced to
proceed in 795 AH and defeated his enemies
 This year he also obtained the title of Sultan from Motasim Billah, the Abbasid Caliph of Egypt. He became
the first “Sultan” of the Ottoman Empire (kings before him were called “Amir”)
 He became aware in 799 AH that the allied forces of Europe were making serious preparations under the
command of King Sajmund of Hungary. France & England had also joined
 The Pope of Rome had already issued his verdict that anyone joining the crusades would be absolved from
all sins
 The Christian army consisted of the bravest and most experienced soldiers of the Christian World
 They marched to the Ottoman Empire through two routes via Walachia & Serbia
 Bayazid organized his army and moved ahead with 40,000 troops
 The Muslim army launched a massive attack , demolishing the sand walls of the Christians and warned the
captured commanders that he would avenge the blood of the Muslim soldiers killed
 Shortly afterwards he conquered Athens in 800 AH and then sent his troops to Austria & Hungary
 The Caesar of Constantinople negotiated and agreed to build a mosque in Constantinople for the Muslims
with a Muslim Qadi (judge) to look after their affairs
 Meanwhile the Caesar of Constantinople started plotting with Timur* (leader of a Mongol subgroup that had
settled in Uzbekistan) against Bayazid
 Timur arrived at the eastern border of Asia Minor and created large-scale loot, arson and carnage in
Azerbaijan & Armenia and brought a reign of terror all over the region
 Bayazid dispatched a detachment under the command of his son, Turghril
 Timur first wanted to conquer Syria & Egypt so that Bayazid could not get help from them. After these
conquests he marched onto Baghdad and captured this also
 Timur had invaded the frontier city of Sivas where Bayazid’s son, Artughril was stationed as a commander.
Timur besieged the fort and instead of sparing the lives of the 4,000 soldiers he tied them up and buried
them alive
 Bayazid boiled with anger and lost his balance when hearing about the atrocities against his son & others
and wanted revenge as quickly as possible and took as many soldiers as he could and marched to Sivas
 Timur was cunning and shifted to Ankara
 When Bayazid arrived in Sivas, the site of his son’s burial ground turned him mad and he rushed to Ankara
(rather than sending word to Syrian/Egyptian commanders to make advances so they could surround Timur)
 Bayazid arrived in Sivas with an extremely tired & disillusioned army
* Also called Tamerlane

The Battle of Ankara
 On Dhul Hijjah 19, 804 AH battles lines were drawn between Bayazid and Timur
 Timur had 500-800,000 fresh troops against Bayazid’s 120,000. The Mongol section also deserted Bayazid
during the battle and the Christian commanders showed weakness and timidity
 Bayazid had showed short-sightedness , Timur had shown patience, far-sightedness, military acumen and
strategy.
 Bayazid showed his swordsmanship throughout and he alone was a match for the Mongols and pushed them
back, the Turkish lion. He was eventually captured falling from his tumbling horse on the battlefield of
Ankara. His son Musa was also captured, Isa & Muhammad fled for their life
 The defeat of Bayazid caused immense and immeasurable loss to the world of Islam and Europe and the
Muslim’s advance towards Europe came to a halt
 Timur put Bayazid in an iron cage – not a good reflection on Timur
 He died after about 8 months in captivity and his body was handed over to his son, Musa to be buried in
Bursa
Bayazid’s sons at war
 Bayazid had 7/8 sons and 5/6 had survived the Battle of Ankara
 His sons rose against each other; fighting for the throne
 Isa & Muhammad clashed with one another to claim Asia Minor; Muhammad defeated Isa and joined
Sulaiman who was substituting for his father in Adrianople
 Musa & Muhammad joined forces against Isa & Sulaiman
 Isa lost his life, Sulaiman was defeated and then captured by the Caesar of Constantinople and assassinated
 European part of Ottoman rule went to Musa; Muhammad occupied the Asian Territory
 Musa was killed in combat against the Caesar of Constantinople, so Muhammad sat on the throne of
Adrianople
 11 years of civil war and family strife came to an end by 816 AH – a wonder that the dynasty survived this
Sultan Muhammad I
 Sultan Muhammad, son of Bayazid Yaldaram ascended the throne in Adrianople in 816 AH
 He believed in internal strength and consolidation of power instead of expansion of territories
 His soft policy and wise steps saved a dying Empire. He died at the age of 47 years; buried in Bursa
 His son Murad II ascended to the throne
Murad II
 He ruled over his country for 30 years and passed an eventful life
 He played a significant role in consolidating the Ottoman Empire and expanded his territories deeply into
Europe
 He was noble, pious and devoted to the principles of Islam. He wanted a life of piety and seclusion and tried
to hand over the throne to his son, Muhammad II even before his death
Sultan Muhammad II
 At the time of his father’s (Murad II) death, Muhammad II was 21

 He had spent his late teenage years developing skills as a ruler, administrator, fighter and warrior. He also
kept company with religious scholars which had enhanced his mind & spirit
 He entered into a 3-year peace treaty with Hani Das, the king of Hungary, to make the northern borders safe
 The Janissaries army had become powerful and sometimes rebellious, so he punished the commanders and
cut them down to size
Events leading to the conquest of Constantinople
 Caesar Constantine XII had come to the throne of Constantinople and encouraged others to take up arms
against the Ottomans and also tried to extort money from Muhammad II with threats and capturing Prince
Orkhan for ransom. As he was young, he thought Muhammad II would be a weak ruler
 Muhammad II concluded that peace could not be maintained unless the Christian Kingdom of
Constantinople was eliminated; so he set himself to prepare to invade Constantinople
 Caesar Constantine was a distinguished fighter and started preparing for the ensuing battle. He joined the 2
factions of the Christians and wrote to the Pope of Rome to bury their differences and rise against the
Muslims
 Both sides started their preparations from 856 AH
 The Sultan ordered Arban, a blacksmith who was a new Muslim, to make long-range heavy cannons
 Caesar Constantine had hoarded within Constantinople large quantities of food grain. The walls of the city
were strong and fortified within a circumference of 14 miles and were virtually invincible. They were lower
towards the port as they did not expect to be attacked from that side
 Deep trenches were dug around the city and outside of these walls were towers having cannons and squads
of archers to provide safeguards to the trenches
 Sultan Bayazid Yaldaram had built a fort at the narrowest place on the Asian Coast of the Bosphorus Straits.
Muhammad II built a fort in front of the first one and cannons were fitted at the top
 This fortification, was to prevent the entry of Caesar’s fleet into the Black Sea
 Muhammad II had 300 small boats, all much smaller than the Constantinian fleet of 14 ships
Ottoman Dynasty - Conquest of Constantinople
 Rabia al-Awwal 26, 857 AH Sultan Muhmmad II appeared in front of the walls of Constantinople; the
Ottoman fleet were in the Marmara Sea and laid siege to the Golden Horn (port of Constantinople)
 The Sultan ordered his diggers to dig mines and carry parapets near to the city walls
 The Christians also put up their defences with great skill and expertise. Caesar Constantine assumed overall
charge of the allied forces
 At first there was a heavy loss of life for the Ottoman troops, but eventually cracks appeared in the city-
walls. They could not gain control over the walls because the Christians started throwing blazing kerosene
oil at the Muslim troops, causing them to retreat
 Now the Sultan erected wooden towers as high as the city walls with wheels to move them at will, but the
enemy hurled blazing shells setting the wooden structures on fire
 On the 9th day of the siege, 4 reinforcement ships from Genoa reached the Golden Horn – the Turkish ships
weren’t able to breach the high & heavy enemy ships. The Sultan was sad & angry at the navy commander
 Every failure enhanced the Sultans commitment and will and he showed invincible courage. He had brought
with him religious scholars & pious men, and in their company, he had taken lessons in determination & grit
 When the siege dragged on, he thought of a new plan that had not come to his mind before; spreading
wooden planks from the Bosphorous to the Golden Horn on the moonlit night of 14 Jumad al-Awwal
 Approx. 80 ships were pushed across the strip of land. 1000’s of troops kept pushing the ships ahead. At
last the Ottoman ships were brought into the Golden Horn before dawn – right below the city walls
 They then set up cannons at suitable spots to shell the weak portions of the city-wall
 Constantine sent a peace offering (land in southern Greece) but the Sultan was too far-sighted to know that
a Christian Constantinople, in the middle of the Ottoman Empire, would always remain a source of danger
 On Jumad al-Awwal 19, 857 AH the Sultan ordered the army to attack the next day at dawn, but not harming
government buildings, the old, women and children, or those seeking peace
 The Caesar induced his commanders and troops to fight gallantly to the last drop of blood and then went to
St Aya Sofia Church to pray for his victory
 Sultan Muhammad gathered everyone for tahajjud prayers and asked the religious scholars and pious
people to pray for the victory of Islam
 10,000 horsemen then set off. A separate booth was erected for the spiritual guide to pray to Allah (swt) for
an Ottoman victory
 The Ottomans launched a multi-faceted attack and their cannons and catapults made cracks and holes in the
city-walls
 However, all their attempts to enter the city met with failure as the besieged troops and even the Christian
women and children put up stiff resistance; the situation was discouraging for the Muslim troops
 The Sultan was growing anxious and sent an emissary to his spiritual guide to make a special prayer
 Unexpectedly the city wall in front of the Sultan caved in all of a sudden, and at the same time the Ottoman
navy captured a tower and hoisted the royal flag atop
 Noticing the flag flying the Turkish troops launched a massive attack
 The Christians faced the Muslims firmly, but they could not overcome them
 The Sultan went straight to the church of St Aya Sofia and called the adhan, offered prayers and thanked
Allah (swt)
 Constantine had been killed in the battle and this completed the conquest of Constantinople on Jumad al-
Awwal 20, 857 AH (29th May 1453 CE)
 Sultan, the conqueror, gave protection to the Christian population and their wealth and properties
remained safe; churches (except Aya Sofia) were left to their control
 The capital shifted from Adrianople to Constantinople
 It had come to the Muslim fold after 1100 years of Christian rule
The reign of Sultan Muhammad II

 Conquest of twelve states and more than two hundred cities and forts
 the establishment of Madrassas in every city, town and village expenses borne by the government
 the martyrdom of eight hundred thousand Muslim soldiers during Jihad
 he was a first-rate law maker
I hope these notes are beneficial Insha’Allah; my sincere apologies if there are any mistakes.
May Allah (swt) accept this humble effort and increase us all in knowledge.
Wassalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh
February 2021

History 102 Notes

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Islamic History 102 Module 1

THE CALIPHATE OF BANU UMAYYAH

Caliphate of Muawiyah Ibn Abi Sufyan (RA) 41 -61 AH

Virtues of Caliph Muawiyah

Accomplishments During His Reign

Yazid as the heir apparent

Death of Aisha (RA)

 Ummul-Muminin Aisha died in 58 AH and was buried in Jannat al-Baqi

Death of Muawiyah (RA)

Controversies about Muawiyah

Caliphate of Yazid Ibn Muawiyah 61 – 64 AH

 Upon his father’s death in 61 AH, Yazid became the Caliph

Opposition from Sahabah

Muslim Ibn Aqil

 Muslim Ibn Aqil was the cousin of Husain Ibn Ali

Obaidullah bin Zeyad

Husain leaves for Kufah

 Muslim Ibn Uqba’s army attacked Madinah in Dhul Hijja 63 AH

First Siege of Makkah

 Muslim Ibn Uqba was replaced with Haseen Ibn Numair

End of Yazeed’s Reign

Caliphate of Muawiyah bin Yazid 61 AH

The Triangle of Caliphs (civil war)

 At the death of Yazid, several figures claimed Caliphate

Caliphate of Marwan Ibn Hakam 65 AH

 Marwan married Khalid Ibn Yazid’s mother as a political move

Caliphate of Abdul Malik bin Marwan 66-86 AH

Rise of the Umayyads

Second Siege of Makkah

Abdullah bin Zubair

Reign of Abdul Malik bin Marwan

The Reign of Waleed Ibn Abdul Malik 86-96 AH

 Abdul Abbas Waleed was born in 50 AH; came to be caliph at age of 36

The Reign of Sulaiman Ibn Abdul Malik 96-99 AH

Caliphate of Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz 99-101 AH

Reign of Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz

The Latter Umayyad Rulers

Yazid bin Abdul Malik 101-105 AH

Hisham bin Abdul Malik 105-125 AH

Waleed bin Yazeed 125-126 AH

Yazeed bin Waleed (Yazid III) 126 AH

 reestablished Islamic Law but did not live long

Ibrahim Ibn Waleed 126 AH

Marwan Ibn Muhammad 126-131 AH

CALIPHATE OF BANU ABBAS

Rise of the Abbasids

Abul Abbas Saffah 132-136 AH

Abu Jafar Mansoor 136-158 AH

Muhammad Al-Mahdi 158-169 AH & Musa Al-Haadi 169-170 AH

Abu Jafar Haroon Rasheed bin Mahdi 170-193 AH

Fall of Barmak Family

Reign of Haroon Rasheed

Ameen Rasheed bin Haroon Rasheed 193-198 AH

 Haroon Rasheed was succeeded by his son Ameen

Mamoon Rasheed bin Haroon Rasheed 198-218 AH

Rise of Mutazilite Ideas

Academic developments of Mamoon Rasheed

 He supported scholarship in an unprecedented manner exceeding that of any other age

Reign of Motasim Billah 218-227 AH

The revolt of Muhammad bin Qasim

The fitna of the creation of Quran

The City of Sammara

The capture of Amurah & Battle of Rome