Islam CCOT Essay
Allison Hung Ms. Eager
Chapter 6-7 12/5/2012
From the 600s to the 1300s, the Arabic Peninsula changed vastly. Starting as a desert wasteland, they grew from a clan based society to a rich center of culture and world trade. From the Bedouin clans to the Umayyad Caliphate to the Abbasid Caliphate, internal fighting remained as a source of continuity and contributed to the downfall of the empire, while the status of women in society evolved drastically.
In all three time periods, internal fighting remained constant and led to weaknesses against outside invaders. Regular battles between the Bedouin clans erupted due to struggles to gain and control pasturelands and water holes. Because they lived in a harsh desert environment, these oases and sources of food were vital to their survival. While the inter-clan rivalries and regular battles helped maintain clan cohesion, it also created a huge vulnerability to outside invaders. During the Umayyad Era, there existed an internal conflict over the succession to the throne. The Sunnis believed that anybody could become caliph, while the Shi’ites believed that only descendants of Ali could rise as ruler. This led to a split within the Arabs which sparked hostility and is still significant today. During the Abbasid Era, there were again internal disputes over succession to the throne. After third caliph al-Mahdi died, he failed to determine which of his older sons would take his place, and the eldest sons resorted to fighting each other for the throne. This was a precedent to wars breaking out between the sons whenever the time came for a new caliph. Over time, Arab princes formed slave armies in order to defend themselves and win over their brothers. This large dependency on the slave armies led to the armies themselves becoming the real center of power. The issue of succession remained from the Umayyad Caliphate to the Abbasid Caliphate because before Muhammad died, he never appointed a
Chapter 6-7 12/5/2012
From the 600s to the 1300s, the Arabic Peninsula changed vastly. Starting as a desert wasteland, they grew from a clan based society to a rich center of culture and world trade. From the Bedouin clans to the Umayyad Caliphate to the Abbasid Caliphate, internal fighting remained as a source of continuity and contributed to the downfall of the empire, while the status of women in society evolved drastically.
In all three time periods, internal fighting remained constant and led to weaknesses against outside invaders. Regular battles between the Bedouin clans erupted due to struggles to gain and control pasturelands and water holes. Because they lived in a harsh desert environment, these oases and sources of food were vital to their survival. While the inter-clan rivalries and regular battles helped maintain clan cohesion, it also created a huge vulnerability to outside invaders. During the Umayyad Era, there existed an internal conflict over the succession to the throne. The Sunnis believed that anybody could become caliph, while the Shi’ites believed that only descendants of Ali could rise as ruler. This led to a split within the Arabs which sparked hostility and is still significant today. During the Abbasid Era, there were again internal disputes over succession to the throne. After third caliph al-Mahdi died, he failed to determine which of his older sons would take his place, and the eldest sons resorted to fighting each other for the throne. This was a precedent to wars breaking out between the sons whenever the time came for a new caliph. Over time, Arab princes formed slave armies in order to defend themselves and win over their brothers. This large dependency on the slave armies led to the armies themselves becoming the real center of power. The issue of succession remained from the Umayyad Caliphate to the Abbasid Caliphate because before Muhammad died, he never appointed a