Abassid Dynasty (750-1258)

     Abbasid was the dynastic name generally given to the caliphs of Baghdad, the second of the two great Sunni dynasties of the Muslim empire, that overthrew the Umayyid caliphs. Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (AD 566-652), one of the youngest uncles of the Prophet Muhammad S.A.W., by virtue of which descent they regarded themselves as the rightful heirs of the Prophet as opposed to the Umayyads.

    The Abassids also distinguished themselves from the Umayyads by attacking their secularism, their moral character and their administration in general. The Abassids also appealed to non-Arab Muslims, known as Mawali, who remained outside the kinship-based society of Arab culture and were at best second-class citizens within the Umayyad empire. Muhammad ibn 'Ali, a great-grandson of Abbas, began to campaign for the return of power to the family of the Prophet, the Hashimites, in Persia during the reign of Umar II.

    During the reign of Marwan II this opposition culminated in the rebellion of Ibrahim, the fourth in descent from Abbas, who, supported by the province of Khorasan, achieved considerable successes, but was captured (747) and died in prison. The quarrel was taken up by his brother Abdallah, known by the name of Abu al-'Abbas as-Saffah, who finalyy crushed the Umayyads and proclaimed Caliph after a decisive victory on the Greater Zab river in 750.

     The Abassids had depended heavily on the support of Persians in their overthrow of the Umayyads. Abu al-'Abbas' successor, Mansur, moved their capital from Damascus to the new city of Baghdad and welcomed non-Arab Muslims to their court. While this helped integrate Arab and Persian cultures, it isolated many of their Arab supporters, particularly the Khorosanian Arabs who had supported them in their battles against the Umayyads, which had led to immediate problems.

     The Abassids also found themselves at odds with the Shia, many of whom had supported their war against the Umayyads, since the Abassids claimed legitimacy by their familial connection to Muhammad. Once in power, the Abassids embraced Sunni Islam and denied any support for Shi'a beliefs. That led to numerous conflicts, culminating in an uprising in Mecca in 786, followed by widespread bloodshed and the flight of many Shi'a to the Maghreb, where the survivors established the Idrisid kingdom. Shortly thereafter Berber Kharjites set up an independent state in North Africa in 801.

     At the same time the Abassids faced challenges closer to home. The Byzantine Empire was fighting Abassid rule in Syria and Anatolia. Former supporters of the Abassids had broken away to create a separate kingdom around Khorosan in northern Persia. Harun al-Rashid (786 - 809) added to these troubles by turning on the Barmakids, the Persian family that had supplied the caliphate with competent administrators, over a personal dispute.

    Faced with these challenges from within, the Abassids decided to create an army loyal only to their caliphate, drawn mostly from Turkish slaves, known as Mamluks, with some Slavs and Berbers participating as well. This force, created in the reign of al-Ma'mun (813 - 833), and his brother and successor al-Mu'tasim, prevented the further distintegration of the empire.

    The empire ended lastly under the reign of Motawakkil III, when the Abassid Dynasty was experiencing a great loss of life.

Reference link: http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/history/abbasid.htm

Umayyad Dynasty (661-750)

     Umayyad Dynasty, first great Muslim dynasty to rule the Empire of the Caliphate (661–750). The Umayyads, lead by Abu Sufyan, were a largely merchant family of the Quraish tribe centred at Mecca. They had initially resisted Islam, not converting until 627, but subsequently became prominent administrators under Muḥammad and his immediate successors. In the first Muslim civil war, the struggle for the caliphate following the murder of Uthman, the third caliph,  Muawiya was presented with the opportunity to challenge Ali's rulership.

     Umayyad rule was divided between two branches of the family: the Sufyanid (661–684), descendants of Abu Sufyan, and the Marwanid (684–750), Marwan I and his successors. 

The Family Tree of Umayyads

 

     With the death of Ali, Muawiya succeeded in establishing himself as the caliph, making Damascus the capital of the Islamic empire. He concentrated in strenghtening his rule by offering truce with the Byzantines, which had renewed tribal alliances and securing the succession of his Yazid. After Muawiya's death in 680, Yazid faced the opposition of Husein, the son of Ali.

     Civil war and the deaths of Yazid I in 683 and of Muʿawiyah II in 684 brought Sufyanid rule to an end. Marwan I was proclaimed caliph in Syria in 684 amid tribal wars.

     Under Abd al-Malik, the Umayyad caliphate reached its peak. Muslim armies overran most of Spain in the west and invaded Mukrān and Sind in India, while in Central Asia, the Khorasanian garrisons conquered Bukhara, Samarkand, Khwarezm, Fergana, and Tashkent. In an extensive program of Arabization, Arabic became the official state language; the financial administration of the empire was reorganized, with Arabs replacing Persian and Greek officials; and a new Arabic coinage replaced the former imitations of Byzantine and Sasanian coins. Communications also improved with the introduction of a regular post service from Damascus to the provincial capitals, and architecture flourished.

Dome of Rock built by Umayyad Caliph Abd al- Malik

 

     The last Umayyad, Marwan II, was defeated in the Battle of the Great Zab River. Members of the Umayyad house were hunted down and killed, but one of the survivors, Abd ar-Raḥman, escaped and established himself as a Muslim ruler in Spain, founding the dynasty of the Umayyads of Cordoba.\

Reference link: http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/people/umayyad.html
                         http://history.muslimscholars.info/index.php?ID=1

Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. (PBUH)

The life of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. (PBUH)

     When he was born in Mecca in 570 AD, he was given the name Muhammad, which means "praised one", by his grandfather Abu Mutalib. His father had died when he was born and he lost his mother at the age of six. He was then called "As-Saddiq" (the Truthful) for his truthful and honest nature. He is known for always said only the truth. He was also called "Al-Amin" (the Trustworthy)due to his integrity and always upholding any trust given to him. All of his names indicated the very nature of a man who was praised for his honesty, integrity and trustworthiness. At the age of 25, he had married Khadija and took no other wife than her until her death 24 years later. Khadija had been very supportful to Muhammad S.A.W and had made his burden light.

     In his late 30's, he regularly visits to a cave in Mt Hira' to seek solitude and contemplation. at the age of 40, Muhammad returned from his visit at the cave and told Khadija of an angel that visited him. He reported that  while in a trance-like state, the Angel Gabriel appeared to him and said "Proclaim!" But like Moses, Muhammed was a reluctant prophet. He replied, "I am not a proclaimer." for could illiterate and could not write. The angel persisted, and the Prophet repeatedly resisted, until the angel finally overwhelmed Muhammad and commanded him:

Proclaim in the name of your Lord who created!
Created man from a clot of blood.
Proclaim: Your Lord is the Most Generous,
Who teaches by the pen;
Teaches man what he knew not. (Qur'an 96:1-3)
 

     The initially startled Khadija became his first convert. After receiving his wife's support and the additional angelic visits, Muhammad's message to his countrymen was to convert from pagan polytheism, immorality and materialism, repent from evil and worship Allah, the only true God. He was always careful to clarify his role in God's work - he was only a prophet. He was not an angel, he did not know the mind of God, he did not work miracles. He simply preached what he had received.

     The Meccans felt threatened by his preachings because they were mostly pagans at that time. Threats, violences and even battles were put up against Muhammad and his followers.

Hijrah to Yathrib

     Persecution continued to increase until Muhammad received some welcome news: he had gained followers in the city of Yathrib.The city was in need of a strong leader, and a delegation from Yathrib proposed that Muhammad take the job. In return, they pledged to worship Allah only, obey Muhammad and defend him and his followers to the death. Allah revealed to Muhammed his approval of this arrangement, and Muhammad made plans to migrate to Yathrib (Madinah/ Medina). He was warmly welcome by the people there and also had settled there.

Reference link: http://www.prophetofislam.com/what_did_he_do.php
                         http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/history/prophet.htm

ISLAM

Islam As A Way of Life

"The best among you are those have excellent character and conduct"

                                                                             -Bukhari / Muslim
 

 Islam         - "submission to the will of Allah (God)"
Al-Qur'an   - "the recitation" ----- of which when used in regards to Islam, Qur'an means God's final message to mankind that was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. (PBUH)

Hadith        - "the sayings and teachings of Prophet Muhammad S.A.W (PBUH)"


Muslim refers to one who submits to the will of Allah, regardless of their race, nationality or ethnic background. According to Islam, it is not enough that Muslim believe that "God is One", but they must actualize this belief by proper conduct. In the Holy Qur'an, Allah teaches human beings that they were created in order to worship Him , and that the basis of all true worship is God-consciousness.

The teachings of Islam as an Islamic way of life:
 

God-consciousness is encouraged in all human affairs, since the teachings of Islam encompass all aspects of life and ethics.
 

The teachings of Islam act as a mercy and a healing for the human soul, and such qualities as humility, sincerity, patience and charity are strongly encouraged. Islam condemns pride and self-righteousness, since Allah is the Almighty God and is the only judge of human righteousness.

The nature of human beings as created by God in His Wisdom, have been created weak and regularly fall into sin. However, this is not an aspect that in need of repair as the avenue of repentance is always open to all human beings, and Almighty God loves the repentant sinner more than one who does not sin at all.

The true balance of an Islamic life is established by having a healthy fear of God as well as a sincere belief in His Infinite Mercy. A life without fear of God leads to sin and disobedience, while believing that we have sinned so much that God will not possibly forgive us only leads to despair. In short, only the misguided despair of the mercy of Allah.

The Holy Qur'an contains a great deal of teachings about the life hereafter and the Day of Judgement. For that, Muslim believe that all human beings will ultimately be judged by Allah for their beliefs and actions in their earthly lives. Islam teaches that life is just a test and human beings will be accountable before Allah. Without a sincere belief in life hereafter, to lead a well-balanced life and moral, could cause human beings to become more selfish, materialistic and immoral.

 

Reference link: http://discover.islamway.net/articles.php?article_id=2