Q. & A. 711 to 1707 with solved Papers css 1971 to date

36
SOCIAL STRUCTURE UNDER UMAYYADS
Arabia was in ferment: a society in the midst of constructive political experiments was endangered by anarchy; strong clan and tribal powers threatened to overwhelm the fragile forces of agricultural and stability, commercial activity, and political cohesion. It was a society touched by the monotheistic religious but without an established church; susceptible to Middle Eastern ideas but not permeated by them Arabia had yet to find its place in the Middle Eastern world. Every thing was in question. Nothing was decided. Here Muhammad (PBUH) was born, was raised and become the Messenger of the God. He propagated the teachings of the Qur’an.
The rapid transformation of the Middle East in the first century of Arab-Muslim rule generated intense conflicts fueled by the changing composition of the Arab elites and especially by the division between active soldiers and settlers, the claims of the Mavvali. the assimilation of the Arabs and non-Arabs, and rise of sectarian religious associations. These conflicts drove the Caliphate to trance; fi; itself from r. coalition of nomadic conquerors into anew form of Middle Eastern empire defined and legitimized in Islamic terms. Tims the history of Caliphate went through several phases of politic trends which were changed by the forces of tribal system of the Arab.1
From the life of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) 571-632 A.D to the down fall of the Abbasids empire m 1258 A.D. several phases coinciding with the following
Levy, 1 he Social Structure o i Islam. P 164

474 Political and Cultural History of Islam

1. Holy Prophet (5 71-63 2)
2. Pious Caliphs (632-661)
3. Umayyads(66I-750) ••
4. Abbasids 1st Phase (750-833)
5. Abbasids 2nd Phase (83 3-945)
6. Abbasids 3rd Phase (845-1258)
Upon coming to power, Mu’awiya opened a new chapter of efforts to reconstruct both the authority and power of the Caliphate, dealt with the factionalism within the ruling elite. In Umayyad period the structure of tribal system had some minute political changes. ”The new tribal elite and their descendants formed the secretarial backbone of the Arab-Muslim empire until the tenth century”.
Within about the four decades of Islamic revolution initiated in city state of Medina by the Holy Prophet, the tribal structure, social, religious, political had much changed. Social structure had passed the clan and tribal stage and feudal elements had begun to appear in their rudimentary form. It took the whole of Umayyad period to render the feudal organization complete. The social structure of the Arab with the minor changes in the feudal system had changed the direction of its original roots. Under the Pious Caliphs there was a complete balance in all types of matters regarding the rights of the people.
The revolution was brought about by the poor and the needy under the leadership of scion of the upper class. But the fruits of the revolution went, as was the case with all such revolutions, to the upper class against whom it had started. Within about thirty years after the demise of the Hoiy Prophet, we see his erstwhile enemies in control of the empire with the son of Abu Sufyan at the top. The Umayyad society was the mixture of all classes and clans. Various classes with distinctions of wealth, power of clans, social status, religion, race, culture existed in the Umayyad society. The Umayyad society comprised of the following groups or social feudal classes.
1. The Feudal aristocracy
2. Military Class
3. Mawali
4. Dhimmis
5. Small Landlords
6.
Social Structure Under Umayyads Artisans
475
7. Slaves
8. Non-Arabs elite
9. Religious Leaders, Ulemas
In the social history of Umayyad period feudal aristocracy was the highest class in society. They have, had highest position in the civil and military administration. They had a complete control on the Qatia Lands with the very less payment of tax to the government. The economic conditions of the country badly effected due to the misuse of the funds of the government. The general masses were not satisfied with that unequally distribution of the land and collection of taxes. Umar bin Abdul Aziz had changed this administrative set up of the Umayyad.
The tribal feudalism of that society consisted of Arabs settlers. Military aristocracy of the Umayyad’s period had fully depend upon this class. They received a big amount in the name of pensions and military services. Under the Abdul Malik this class ->s more influential in the civil and military matters. The period of Walid which is called the era of Islamic conquest, they attained the much privileges from the Caliph. The few tribes were closely associated with the civil matters of the province. The growth of this tribal structure was the major cause of the downfall. ”In the early Muslim Empire of feudalism was completely divested of military obligation. If the old feudal order was retained, it was done so only for the purpose of collecting taxes and not to serve military ends.
The lands which conquered through wars, were given to the actual owners of the land, in some cases the matters were different. According to this the divisions of the land:
1. Lands vacated from the rulers
2. Kharaj’s Lands
3. Lands which were attained through peace - without war. So from these land jizya and Kharaj acquired.
The population throughout the empire was divided into four social classes. The highest consisted naturally of the ruling Muslims headed by the Caliph household and the aristocracy of Arabian -conquerors. Exactly how numerous was this class can not be ascertained. The position of the neo-Muslim and non-Muslim as described in the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet. But the rights and privileges in early Islamic State were maximum for the

476 Political and Cultural History of Islam
Muslims and in those days the Muslim community consisted of Arabs. They enjoyed all types of rights and privileges provided by the State.
Mawali
The Mawala of a people is one among them, one through captivity, through affiliations, or through covenant. Under the Hazrat Umar (Rad.A) reign, the preaching of Islam reached through all parts of the World and the majority of non-Muslims had converted to Muslims. This was more increased during the period of Umayyad. These new converts were called the Mawali. They belonged to the non-Arabs classes of that time. According to the injunctions of the Qu’ran and Sunnah of the Hol> Prophet, Islam granted equal rights and privileges to all the creed of Islam. But the conditions of the converted Muslims under the Umayyad rulers were not according to the Arab-Muslims they had paid taxes, jizya and Kharaj as before they were non-Muslims.2
These discriminations produced the bad blood among the non-Arab Muslims. That was reduced by the fair and just policies of the great Caliph Hazrat Umar bin Abdul Aziz. Within the Muslims societies these clients were naturally the first to devote themselves to learn studies and fine arts, for they represented the longer traditions of culture. As they outshone in the Arabian in the intellectual field they began to contest with them in the political leadership. Through their intermarriages with the conquering stock they served to dilute the Arabian blood and ultimately make that element inconspicuous amidst the mixture of varied racial strains. Obstinately kept up hitherto passed away. Islam was evidently far more powerful than the spirit of Arab nationalism. Among the various classes under the Umayyads, Dihqans were the powerful one and had a powerful influence in the Islamic society under the Umayyads Caliphate. They were a major part of the agrarian feudal system of Persia. Under the administrative system of the Umayyad they had occupied major offices of the state.
The treatment meted out Jby Umayyad^aristocracy to the growing mass of new converts to Islam called forth a party which not merely claimed equality with the Arabs but was even disposed to exalt the Persians over the Arabs. They relied support of their contention upon the Qur’an and the traditions of the Holy Prophet.
-Hitti. P 196
Social Structure Under Umayyads 477
They were called the Friends of Equality. Umar bin Abdul Aziz conceded equal rights to the Mawali. They rose even in the social scale higher and higher until the distinction from which they suffered in Islamic state. The system of pension and sadqats could not embrace all Arabs and non-Arabs. Therefore begging become a common thing. Abdul Malik took the measure against the beggary but there was no proper way to annul the beggary After the death of Abdul Malik, Walid made an elaborate arrangement to support the disables and incapacitated. ”The rise of Islam, which favoured private property and personal ownership”.