1.3 The Rise and Decline of the Muslim Ummah (610-1571 C. E)

The history of the Muslim Ummah starts from the seventh century of the Christian era as the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was born in 571 A.D. He started his mission in 610 A.D. After having brought about a complete Islamic revolution throughout the Arabian Peninsula, The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) passed away in the year 632 A.D. At the death of the Prophet (PBUH), Islam was still confined to the Arabian Peninsula. His death created the first major crisis of the ummah. Muhammad (PBUH) was both prophet and political leader. He combined in his person the political and spiritual leadership of the community. The critical issue after his death was the nature of leadership. The issue of succession created the first schism in Islam. However, the internal disagreement did not stop the rapid expansion of the Muslim community.

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was succeeded by caliphs, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali (RAA) who were all amongst his prominent and outstanding Companions. In less than a quarter of a century, under the second and the third caliph, Muslims extended the banner of Islam not only in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Palestine and Egypt, but also upon a considerable portion of North Africa.

During the Caliphate of Ali (RAA) this expansion ceased temporarily, but with the beginning of the Umayyad era it started again. The Umayyad established an empire based in Syria. They remained in power until &50 C.E. Within a short span of time, new lands came to the fold of Islam extending in the East through Turkistan and Afghanistan, and in the West extending through the entire area of North Africa and a vast area of Western Europe including Spain. This was the time when Arab armies, advancing from Spain, had knocked at the gates of Paris. Opposition to their rule came from non-Arab converts to Islam who resented Arab Muslim elitism, and also from pious opponents of ...

1.3 The Rise and Decline of the Muslim Ummah (610-1571 C. E)

...Umayyed political expediency, compromise and what the rulers euphemistically called "realism".

The Umayyads were replaced by the Abbasids descendants of the uncle of the Prophet (PBUH). The capital shifted from Damascus to Baghdad under the Abbasids. They were heir to the political "realism" of the Umayyads and maintained the imperial structure of the community they had adopted from pre-Islamic governments. But Cairo did not accept the ascendancy of Baghdad. In 973 C.E. it became the capital of the Fatimid Caliphate, the only major Shiite one in Islam. The Abbasid Caliphate lasted until 1258 C.E. but they had gradually to lose control over the far-flung provinces of the empire and by the ninth century the political unity of Islam was visibly breaking. Political fragmentation was accompanied by invasion and immigration of new races, the most important of them being the Turkish speaking peoples from Central Asia. Mongol armies from central Asia and the Crusaders from Europe provided the most significant external threat to the World of Islam. The Crusades started in 1095. They brought the Muslim presence in Spain to n end by conquering Cordova and Granada. But the Crusades were defeated in the East and the Mongols, who represented a major threat, were converted to Islam.

Muslim political domination was at its zenith in the 8th, 9th, and 10th centuries CE. The Umayyads and the Abbasids upheld the banner of the Muslim world for decades. Their civilization and culture, their religion, their arts and sciences and their supremacy continued to influence the greater portion of the world. But the more their worldly power and majesty grew, the more their religious sentiments and enthusiasm for their faith declined. In this way this majestic power structure rotted from its inside. The signs of internal weakness took some time to become evident, but by the tenth century it had become quite clear that the Arabs had...

1.3 The Rise and Decline of the Muslim Ummah (610-1571 C. E)

...touched utter decadence and senility. In the eleventh century the decline and deterioration of the Arabs had reached to its final stage, and consequently a power vacuum was created in the heart of the Islamic world.

As a result of this decline, in the 15th century (9th century A.H.) tribes arose from the north-eastern borders of the Muslim world, and penetrated to the centre of the Muslim lands. These were the Kurds and the Seljuk Turks. In the eleventh century they succeeded to strengthen their hold in Syria, Palestine and Egypt. In 1455 C.E. (853 A.H.) their twenty-four year old sultan, Muhammad the Conqueror, took Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. In this way, a fresh force was supplied for the safety and protection of the centre of the Islamic world. The victory of Muhammad the Conqueror was not created in a vacuum, or the gift of fortune. The Sultan had been preparing for a long time. He had taken advantage of all the existing scientific knowledge. The Ottomans were vigorous large-hearted and possessed a great military strength.

It is unquestionably true that the enlightenment of Europe after the dark ages was the result of Islamic progress. The Muslims introduced oriental arts and sciences to Europe. The great Uthmanian Caliphate served as a security guard over the central part of the Islamic territory. But their misfortune and the misfortune of the whole Islamic world, the Turks gave themselves up to the temptations of ease and luxury; their moral deteriorated and their rule grew tyrannical. Their greatest error is that they allowed their minds to become static. In the sphere of warfare and military organization they utterly ignored the Divine injunction, reproduced earlier, enjoining on them to keep their strength ready to the utmost of their power to strike terror into the hearts of their enemies, and allowed their magnificent fighting machine to rust and decay.

1.3 The Rise and Decline of the Muslim Ummah (610-1571 C. E)

Again, the advice of the Prophet, that "Wisdom is the lost property of a Muslim; wherever he finds it, it is his" failed to influence them any more. Placed as they were in the midst of the the hostile nations of Europe, it was expected that they would permanently keep before them the wise advice of 'Amr Ibn al-'As had given to the Egyptians viz.., "Don't forget that you are eternally in danger. Your are standing at an outpost of vital importance. Therefore be always vigilant and ready with your arms. You are surrounded with enemies whose covetous eyes are on you and your country." But the Ottomans became complacent. While the European nations went on making rapid progress, the Turks remained where they were.

Europe, meanwhile, had been making a colossal scientific progress. During the 16th and the 17th centuries C.E it produced a large number of outstanding men in all fields of creative activities. In 1774 C.E., the Ottoman Empire suffered a defeat at the hands of Europe.

The most regrettable aspect of this story is that Western colonialism completely smashed the unity of the Muslim Ummah. In the beginning of this century it planted such seeds of racial and regional prejudices as are still yielding bitter fruits. At first they instigated the Arabs against the Turks. As a result of this, the central region of the Islamic word was split into two portions and the essential as well as symbolic institution of Islamic unity, the Caliphate, was destroyed. Then they fragmented the Arab world to the extent that, in spite of linguistic unity, the integration and consolidation of the Arab nations turned to be impossible.