The history of the Muslim Empire

The history of the Muslim Empire

Introduction

The Abbasid were a dynasty that formed their ideals and principles on the teachings of Islam. The dynasty came into power when it inflicted a comprehensive and decisive defeat on the Umayyad dynasty. As the Abbasid dynasty rose to prominence, it remained a formidable force for nearly half a millennium, commanding huge swathes of land across the Middle East, Asia and some parts of Europe.

The primary factor that contributed to the Abbasid's rise to power was their culture. Issawi emphasizes, “Empires are characterized by a large population of diverse people, a vast extent of territory, durability and sustainability over time and, most importantly, a powerful leader who rules all of these”. According to Issawi (1989), the Arab empire was arguably the most important and powerful empire in Medieval times, including both the Umayyad and Abbasid empires.

Discussion

The rise of the Muslim Empire

The Muslim empire, represented by the Abbasid dynasty, rose to prominence and glory as a result of its strong culture. In a short time after the dawn of this dynasty, it was overwhelming in terms of size as well as strength might and demonstrated exceptional skills in matters of politics and military might. From the very beginning, the dynasty was a staunch supporter of Islamic scholarships and disciplines and ensured the establishment of a wide network of mosques and schools to spread education and increase literacy among the people. In this way, they were able to effectively imprint their unique language and culture over the masses. A 'Culture Imprinter' is a person who follows an agenda of stamping various high and low cultural elements on large masses of people that dwell in a region.

The most important of these cultural traits were the language, religious beliefs, governing laws, folk music, arts, architecture and cooking. In order to gain a better understanding of the causes that led to the impressive rise and eventual fall of the Muslim empire, it is essential to learn more about their culture, language, religious beliefs and economy. It is appropriate to state that religion played as crucial a role in the rise of the Abbasid dynasty as it did in any other Muslim empire.

Whenever a study is conducted on the wide dominion in which a particular nation rules other bodies of people and tribes, it is common for researchers to consider the various conditions and circumstances that allowed the dominant ruler to enforce his will on the conquered and force them into subjugation.

Among the conditions and circumstances, religion was clearly one factor of such importance that it deserved a thorough and careful assessment. So how precisely did the Islamic religion affect the long-term growth, sustainability and endurance of Muslim power? Islam is the only religion that lays emphasis on the power of a single supreme existence which is God. The Muslims believe themselves to be mere servants of their supreme ruler, submitting their will and desire to him. The religion of Islam grew very steadily within the ...