The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates

THE PROPHET AND THE AGE OF THE CALIPHATES

THE ISLAMIC NEAR EAST FROM THE SIXTH TO THE ELEVENTH CENTURY Second edition

HUGH KENNEDY

Harlow, England • London • New York • Boston • San Francisco • Toronto Sydney • Tokyo • Singapore • Hong Kong • Seoul • Taipei • New Delhi Cape Town • Madrid • Mexico City • Amsterdam • Munich • Paris • Milan CONTENTS

LIST OF GENEALOGICAL TABLES viii

LIST OF MAPS ix

PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION x

PREFACE xi

NOTE: NAMES, TITLES AND DATES xiii chapter one THE MATRIX OF THE MUSLIM WORLD: THE NEAR EAST IN THE EARLY SEVENTH CENTURY 1 chapter two THE BIRTH OF THE ISLAMIC STATE 15 Arabia in the Sixth Century 15 The Early Life of Muhammad 29 Muhammad in Medina 33 chapter three CONQUEST AND DIVISION IN THE TIME OF THE RASHIDUN CALIPHS 50 Abu Bakr and the Ridda Wars 11-13/ 632-634 50 'Umar and the Early Islamic Conquests 13-23/634-644 57 'Uthman and the Beginnings of Internal Strife 23-35/644-656 69 The Caliphate of 'All 35-40/656-661 75 chapter four THE UMAYYAD CALIPHATE 82 The Sufyanid Caliphs: Mu'awiya and his Family 41-64/661-684 82 The Foundation of the Marwanid Caliphate and the Achievement of cAbd al-Malik 64-86/684-705 90 CONTENTS The Sons of 'Abd al-Malik and 'Umar II: Consolidation and Division in the Marwanid Caliphate 86-125/705-743 103 The Collapse of the Umayyad Caliphate 125-132/743-750 112 chapter five THE EARLY 'ABBASID CALIPHATE 123 The Coming of the 'Abbasid Caliphate 132-145/750-763 123 The Golden Age of the 'Abbasid Caliphate 145-193/763-809 132 The Great 'Abbasid Civil War 193-218/ 809-833 147 chapter six THE MIDDLE 'ABBASID CALIPHATE 156 The Rise of the Turkish Army and the Caliphate of Samarra 218-247/833-861 156 The Anarchy at Samarra 247-256/861-870 169 The Revival of the 'Abbasid Caliphate 256-295/870-908 173 The Disastrous Reigns of al-Muqtadir and his Successors 295-334/908-946 185 chapter seven THE STRUCTURE OF POLITICS IN THE MUSLIM COMMONWEALTH 198 chapter eight THE BUYID CONFEDERATION 210 The Origins 210 Expansion and Conflict 215 The Years of Decline: 372-440/983-1048 234 The Buyid Kingdom of Rayy 243 chapter nine THE KURDS 248

chapter ten THE HAMDANIDS 265 The Hamdanids of Mosul 265 The Hamdanids of Aleppo 273

chapter eleven BEDOUIN POLITICAL MOVEMENTS AND DYNASTIES 283 Origins 283 The Qaramita 285

• VI CONTENTS The Bedouin Dynasties 290 The Mazyadids 292 The 'Uqaylids 295 The Mirdasids 300 Other Bedouin Tribes 304 chapter twelve EARLY ISLAMIC EGYPT AND THE FATIMID EMPIRE 307

POSTSCRIPT: THE COMING OF THE SELJUKS 343

PRINCIPAL SOURCES FOR THE

HISTORY OF THE NEAR EAST, 600-1050 346