The Abbasids and the Umayyads were the two dominant parties that came into power after Muhammad’s death. The Umayyads were the first dynasty to come to power and fell in 750 CE, and ruled for 89 years, and the Abbasids came into power after them. They ruled until 1258 CE.
Similarities
The Umayyads and the Abbasids may have had many differences but they were also similar in many ways. First, both the Ummayads and the Abbasids followed the Quran. They both tolerated Jews and Christians because they were “people of the book”, meaning that they only believed in one God and were mentioned in the Quran.
Both dynasties also had corruption. Many of the Umayyad Caliphs were openly corrupt and interested only with personal gains.
Another similarity is that both the dynasties expanded during their reign. They both claimed to have a relation to Muhammed.
In both dynasties Mecca was an important area for trade and pilgrimage for Muslims, and Arabic was the language usually used for trade.
Both dynasties manufactured mainly the same things, the Abbasid dynasty manufactured textiles, sugar, ...
The political structure of the Arabian and Byzantine empires greatly differed from each other. The Arabian empire was ruled over by a Caliphate. The Caliphate was the successor to the great prophet Muhammad. Politically, the Caliphate sometimes caused trouble for the stability of the empire. With multiple groups such as the Umayyad and the Abbasid believing the were in charge of the Caliphate led to conflicts and violence. An example of conflict would be towards the end of the Abbasid empire when the death of Harun al-Rashid brought several full scale revolutions. Another example would be at the beginning of Abbasid empire when they went as far as too kill off all of the remaining Umayyad leaders to sustain full control with little to no interference. Politically, the Arab/Muslim empire stretched from India and the Middle East into the Africa, the Mediterranean, and Iberia. They also had a large influence in Southeast Asia. When they conquered these areas, there was no forced conversion. On the other hand, they did enforce a higher tax for non-Muslims which prompted people to convert. Only later were there violently forced conversions. A testimony to this would be when the Muslims invaded India and did not touch the Buddhist or Hindus already there. They even respected the Hindu leadership and allowed them to continue. The Muslim empire was successful in other parts of the world due to tolerance, and continued to operate in the face of power struggles.
In conclusion, both Ibn Fadlan and al-Andalusi traveled much of the same area and saw many of the same groups of people but often chose to focus on different cultural aspects. Ibn Fadlan chose to fixate on the rituals and customs of a culture, whereas al-Andalusi concentrated on resources. Both of them had identical religious view points and would attempt to convert the people they encountered to Islam and Islamic rituals. Finally, they had nearly opposite writing styles, with al-Andalusi being more passive, while Ibn Fadlan chose to write down his feelings, judgments, and the difficulties in his travels
After the fall of the Roman Empire, no one imagined that the next great world power would emerge from Saudi Arabia. Especially, because ancient empires thought that the land was worthless, but they didn’t know that it had great trade routes. Trade brought them in connection with other civilizations and that’s how the city of Mecca, located in Saudi Arabia, became known. The city of Mecca was a mix of religious beliefs, they used to worship many gods and had their own rituals. The world of Islam took place in Mecca, where Muhammad was born in 570 CE.
... had control various territories. Many merchants learned the Islamic language and became custom to their traditions. This allowed for its culture to spread and Islam had received converts. The trading industry has a major effect on the economy and allows the spread of one’s culture.
Sumerians and Egyptians can be different in many ways; they can be different in geography, religion, and kings. In Sumer rivers flooded but they were very unpredictable, different of Egypt where the river was very predictable. Sumerians hated their afterlife, but the Egyptians loved their afterlife. Hammurabi was very different from the Pharaohs in Egypt. They ruled differently. Sumer and Egypt are both ancient civilizations, but they are very different from each
The Egyptian and Mesopotamian religion and society were similar, but their government/leadership was different. Religion in Egypt and Mesopotamia were very similar because both faiths were polytheistic and had priestly authority. Both cultures had powerful priests, both had a belief of an afterlife, and religion was part of their daily lives. Both societies had similar rigid social classes, relied on slavery; both also had a religion which played an important role in their daily lives. Although, their societies were very common, they still had some differences in government. The Egypt, the government was a theocracy, whereas the government in Mesopotamia was run by a monarchy. Despite their similarities, the differences between these two civilizations were most likely a result of unique geographical and topographical conditions.
While there are some significant similarities between these two faiths, there are also some major differences. Firstly, in Islam, God works through prophets and does not have a physical form. They do not believe in idols and cannot have images of God. However, in the Nation of Islam, Fard Muhammad was the re-incarnation of Allah. He was essentially God in the physical form, which is what Islam goes
... by the method with which the military elite class dealt with factionalism as a result of the slave-state system in which they lived. The Sultan was more of a factional leader defined by how much popular support he carried and was in constant danger of being overthrown. As a result, the economic system that was implemented which intaled a hybridization of the Egyptian bureaucratic system and the Syrian Iqta system was founded on appeasement of the ruling elite class. Tax distribution and land grants were given to amir to both ensure loyalty and codify the legitimacy of the sultanate. While local participation was limited, the Mamluk state was based on a religious Sunni conceptualization of legitimacy and therefore the Ulama offered the local Arab Muslim populations opportunity to carry a measure of power through religious education and spiritual community leadership.
This shows that Mecca is in the middle of many trade cities, as a result of this trade moves through the city. Trade allows people to interact and move around, when they move around they bring their religious beliefs with them. Mecca was also the home to the most famous pagan shrine, the Ka’ba(Document A).This proves that many people come to Mecca, they came seeking the Ka’ba for their own religions that were important to them. , while they were in the city they began to trade. The people came seeking the Ka’ba but they may hear some Islamic people talking about their own religion.
Similarities and Differences between Christianity, Judaism and Islam. There are many similarities and differences between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. There are also many differences that separate the three major religions of the world. This paper will delve into all three of these.
Furthermore, this background gave Marwan a front-row seat as he watched the quasi-religious office of caliph evolve. Contemporary Umayyad caliphs were inaugurated with special oaths that carried religious as well as politico-legal considerations: caliphs were bound to uphold not only "the sunna of God and his Prophet, but also of his predecessors as caliph" (Blankenship 1994, pp. 76-78). In any event, after ascending to the role of caliph himself, Marwan proved to be an imposing military commander and adept political leader, and he oversaw significant consolidation of the authority of the Umayyads as he ruled from the multi-ethnic and multi-religious
Judaism and Islam are known to be two of the main religions that are found throughout the world. They each have similar traits and many more differences. They both are monotheistic, which means they only believe in one god. Muslims worship the God called Allah, which means in Arabic “the God”. And Jews worship the god called Yahweh, which means the God of Israel. Their differences include their core beliefs, rituals, symbols, and history.
Mecca is also known as Makkah and its full name is Makkah al-Mukkaramah. Mecca is a city in the Hijaz region of western Saudi Arabia. It is known as the holiest site in the Islamic religion. The history of Mecca goes back as early as the fifth century. It was an independent and powerful city in pre-Islamic times. It is the religious center for Islamic people and it houses the Kaaba and the Great Mosque. It is also the birthplace of Muhammad, the first capital of caliphate, and the center of present day mosques. In 630 Muhammad and some of his followers went into the city of Mecca and captured it. Mecca is said to have started one of the most important religions in the world and it brings together the Islamic religion.
At the time Medina’s population consisted of half Jews, a quarter Aws (Arab tribe) and a quarter Kharajites (another Arab tribe). The city was in disagreement as the two Arabic tribes were fighting so they all agreed that they needed someone to lead them. The Jews did not want a polytheistic leader and had heard of Muhammad’s teachings, they were all in agreement to invite Muhammad to their city. Muhammad accepts their offer as if He had stayed in Mecca him and His followers would have been tortured and killed for their beliefs and Muhammad needed to stay alive to spread the word of God. “The transition from Mecca to Medina marked a change in the role of Muhammad from Prophet to Ruler and from Warner to Warrior” (Cragg). This journey is called ‘The Hijrah’ which literally means ‘The Flight’ “the emigration marked a turning point in history”.
The stories are similar in many ways, but they are also very different. This can be related to the relationship between the two religions themselves.