Rise Of Islam Dbq Analysis

Despite his successful sovereignty and his last, grandeur sermon emphasizing unity within the umma and peaceful coexistence with neighbors, Muhammad did not appoint a successor before death and left a legacy of ambiguous power which spurred a cycle of sectarian severance. Along with this evident division within the empire, ethnic grievances, social and economic dissatisfaction continued to arise throughout its expansion. But most importantly, Muhammad’s equivocal lineage left room for many devout followers and Khalifas to silently assume power for themselves rather than to unify the empire. Then the inevitable question arises, “which aspect of Muslim empire was most significantly affected by the sectarian turmoil?” I can safely argue that such

The product of this political tension lingering with constant thirst for dominance is best shown in Document 5 “Harun al-Rashid and the Succession Arrangement” in The Rise of Islam written by Matthew S. Gordon. Additionally, this result is also reflected from on-going contest between the Amsars and Muhajiruns, the four Rashidun Khalifas and social inequality of Mawalis. In Document 5 “Harun al-Rashid and the Succession of Arrangement,” Jarir al-Tabari, a historian in Baghdad, describes Harun al-Rashid’s succession scheme and illustrates a lucid assumption of responsibility from his two sons (Gordon 128). This document captures the significance of how easy it was to claim power since the opportunity was always open and no laws on authority were established by Muhammad. After the death of

Though Muhammad never appointed a successor, Sunnis firmly believed that Abu Bakr was elected as first of the four caliphs of Muhammad's rightful deputies while Shittes believe that Muhammad explicitly chose his successor as Ali and thus, Muslim leadership belonged to him since he was determined by divine order. Although Sunnis claimed that they follow the “most original path of Muhammad” and labeled themselves as “well-trodden traditions” of the Prophet Muhammad, as professor Chang mentioned in lecture, there really was no concrete evidence to support that claim because of Muhammad’s ambiguous legacy (Chang “Islamic Civilization”). Sunnis did not follow living Imam but rather adhered to religious authority of learning men like Ulamaas and