Downloaded by [New York University] at 12:17 05 August 2016 The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates Third Edition The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates is an accessible history of the Near East from c. AD 600 to 1050, the period in which Islamic society was formed. Begin- ning with the life of Muhammad and the birth of Islam, Hugh Kennedy goes on to explore the great Arab conquests of the seventh century and the golden age of the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates when the world of Islam was politi- cally and culturally far more developed than the West. The arrival of the Seljuk Turks and the period of political fragmentation which followed shattered this early unity, never to be recovered. This new edition is fully updated to take into account the considerable amount of new research on early Islam, and contains a completely revised bib- liography. Based on extensive reading of the original Arabic sources, Kennedy breaks away from the Orientalist tradition of seeing early Islamic history as a series of ephemeral rulers and pointless battles by drawing attention to underly- ing long-term social and economic processes. The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates deals with issues of continuing and increasing relevance in the twenty-first century, when it is, perhaps, more important than ever to understand the early development of the Islamic world. Students and scholars of early Islamic history will find this book a clear, inform- ative and readable introduction to the subject. Hugh Kennedy is Professor of Arabic at SOAS, University of London. His previous publications include The Armies of the Caliphs: Military and Society in the Early Islamic State (2001), The Great Arab Conquests: How the Spread of Islam Changed the World We Live In (2007) and (as editor) Warfare and Poetry in the Downloaded by [New York University] at 12:17 05 August 2016 Middle East (2013). This page intentionally left blank Downloaded by [New York University] at 12:17 05 August 2016 The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates The Islamic Near East from the sixth to the eleventh century Third Edition Hugh Kennedy Downloaded by [New York University] at 12:17 05 August 2016 This edition published 2016 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2016 Hugh Kennedy The right of Hugh Kennedy to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. First published 1986 by Pearson Education Limited Second edition published 2004 by Pearson Education Limited British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kennedy, Hugh (Hugh N.) The Prophet and the age of the caliphates : the Islamic Near East from the sixth to the eleventh century / Hugh Kennedy. — Third Edition. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Islamic Empire—History—622-750. 2. Islamic Empire—History—750-1258. I. Title. DS38.5.K38 2015 956'.013—dc23 2015020347 ISBN: 978-1-138-78760-5 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-138-78761-2 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-67351-6 (ebk) Typeset in Bembo by Apex CoVantage, LLC Downloaded by [New York University] at 12:17 05 August 2016 In memory of my daughter, Susannah Louise, who died far too young. Loved and remembered every day, bright star. Downloaded by [New York University] at 12:17 05 August 2016 This page intentionally left blank Downloaded by [New York University] at 12:17 05 August 2016 Contents List of maps ix List of genealogical tables x Preface to the third edition xi Preface to the second edition xii Preface xiii Notes on names, titles and dates xiv 1 The matrix of the Muslim world: the Near East in the early seventh century 1 2 The birth of the Islamic state 13 3 Conquest and division in the time of the Ra-shidu-n caliphs 43 4 The Umayyad caliphate 71 5 The early ‘Abbasid caliphate 107 6 The middle ‘Abbasid caliphate 136 7 The structure of politics in the Muslim commonwealth 172 Downloaded by [New York University] at 12:17 05 August 2016 8 The Buyid confederation 182 9 The Kurds 214 10 The Hamdanids 229 11 Bedouin political movements and dynasties 244 12 Early Islamic Egypt and the Fatimid empire 264 viii Contents Postscript: the coming of the Seljuks 295 Principal sources for the history of the Near East, 600–1050 298 Suggested further reading 332 Glossary 341 Index 345 Downloaded by [New York University] at 12:17 05 August 2016 Maps 1 Provinces of the early Islamic world xvi 2 Syria, Palestine and the western Jazira xvii 3 Iraq and western Iran xviii 4 Egypt xix Downloaded by [New York University] at 12:17 05 August 2016 Genealogical tables 1 Muh.ammad and the descent of the caliphs xx 2 The Umayyad caliphs xxi 3 The ‘Abbasid caliphs xxii 4 The principal Buyid rulers xxiii 5 The ‘Uqaylids of Mosul xxiv 6 The Hamdanids of Aleppo and Mosul xxv Downloaded by [New York University] at 12:17 05 August 2016 Preface to the third edition In this third edition I have again taken the opportunity to update the text in the light of the very considerable amount of new research, and to completely revise the bibliography to try to bring it up-to-date. I am grateful for the suggestions made by friends and colleagues and for the support of the new publishing team at Routledge. H. Kennedy, SOAS, University of London, March 2015 Downloaded by [New York University] at 12:17 05 August 2016 Preface to the second edition I have taken advantage of this new edition to incorporate the results of research published since the 1986 edition, especially in the chapters on the Ra-shidu-n, the Umayyads and the Middle ‘Abbasids. The discussion of the sources has been revised and the bibliographies have been brought up-to-date. I am grateful to many reviewers and colleagues who have drawn my atten- tion to deficiencies in the first edition. I owe a very great debt of gratitude to Paul Cobb, who generously took the time and care to bring numerous glitches to my attention and suggest improvements: I have acted on almost all of them. H. Kennedy, St Andrews, April 2003 Downloaded by [New York University] at 12:17 05 August 2016 Preface This work is intended as an introduction to the history of the Near East in the early Islamic period, from the time of the Prophet to the vast upheaval caused by the arrival of the Seljuk Turks in the mid-fifth to eleventh centuries. In it I have attempted to strike a balance between a presentation of factual material, which may seem too dry, and speculative interpretation. Some will no doubt find this approach traditional and unadventurous, but I have tried to bear in mind the needs of the reader who is approaching the history of the Near East for the first time and requires a basic framework of chronological narrative. At the same time I have tried to avoid the impression that Islamic history is full of ephemeral rul- ers and pointless battles and to devote space to long-term social and economic changes and to the positive aspects of Muslim government and the immense achievements of the period, which are too often neglected in Western writing. Whether I have reached the right balance is for the reader to judge. In writing this book, I am deeply conscious of the debt I owe to many schol- ars who have worked on the period. I have been especially helped by the works of W. M. Watt on Muh.ammad and F. M. Donner and M. Morony on the Islamic conquests. The articles of G. M. Hinds on the reign of ‘Uthm-an and the battle of S·iff ı¯n are of fundamental importance. For later periods, I have been greatly helped by the work of J. Lassner and F. Omar on the ‘Abbasid caliphate, R. M. Adams on the economic and archaeological background to the breakup of the caliphate and the works of R. Bulliet and R. Mottahedeh. Although we may disagree on some interpretations, I owe much to the teaching of M. A. Shaban. I should also draw attention to the excellent and wide-ranging studies of W. Madelung and C. E. Bosworth, both of whom have contributed greatly to our understanding of the Downloaded by [New York University] at 12:17 05 August 2016 period. It is inevitably invidious to single out individual authors, and there are many others to whom I owe much. The list of secondary sources at the end of this volume gives details of works I have found useful. I must emphasize that all the errors in this work are my own. I owe particular debts of gratitude to Professor P. M. Holt, who has edited this volume with the greatest care and saved me from numerous mistakes.