This study is an attempt to reexamine prevailing views concerning the question of politioal power during the first three and a half decades of the fourth/tenth century Abbisid caliphate.

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Drawing on a variety of primary and archaeological sources, this study attempts to recreate the political history and the social and economic character of the Balqa' region during the Umayyad period. The Balqa' was a provincial area of Transjordan, which had long been part of the classical world heavily influenced by the Arab tribes of the Syrian desert. After the Arab conquest the Balqa' took on a new role as the home or some of the ruling Umayyad elite. But a process of economic, demographic and urban decline had already begun in the middle of sixth century. Even the ethnic and religious composition of the Balqa's population remained stable; the region was primarily inhabited by Christian Arabs during both the late Byzantine and the Umayyad periods. In passing from Byzantine to Umayyad control the Balqa' underwent a process of transformation, especially in regards to political matters. But the more important trend was one of continuity, even the transfer of political power from the Byzantine bureaucracy to Arab notables was but the culmination of a trend which had begun with the rise of the Ghassanids in the previous century.

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No description available.

The struggle for power between the military class and state officials in the 'Abbasï court on governmental affairs had assumed serious proportions by the time of Munis' rise to power (296/908). There was a similar struggle among the ghilman, the class to which Munis belonged. From the start, those ghilman particularly the Hujariya and the Masaffiva appeared as armed political groups rather than apolitical military units. The purpose of this thesis is to deal with Munis' political and military career at the 'Abbasi court between 296-321/908-933. Three focal areas were chosen for this study. (1) The struggle for power between the military class and the kuttab as exemplified by Munis' struggle with the wazir Ibn al-Furat. (2) The struggle for power within the military class itself as it appears through Munis' struggle with Harun b. Gharib and Yaqut. (3) The struggle between the military class and the khalifa as shown hy Munis' conflict with al-Muqtadir and al-Qahir.

This dissertation studies the evolving relationship of the early 'Abbasid caliphs with the proto-Sunni 'ulama'. By the time of Harun al-Rashid, the 'Abbasids had aligned themselves with the emergent proto-Sunnitrends; a pattern of state - 'ulama' relations, with the caliph's view of his function approaching that of the 'ulama ', had begun to emerge. al-Ma'mun was uncharacteristic of the early 'Abbasids in claiming religious authority for himself, apparently to challenge the 'ulama's influence and authority. That effort proved abortive, and confirmed in its failure the earlier pattern of state - 'ulama' relations. The pattern was one of collaboration between the caliphs and the 'ulama'. Proto-Sunni scholars were among the beneficiaries of extensive caliphal patronage, and it was their viewpoints which caliphal interventions in religious life upheld. Owing perhaps to the effects of 'Abbasid patronage, but also to the implications of certain proto-Sunni viewpoints, proto-Sunnis were generally favourable towards the 'Abbasids. A convergence is discernible in the interests of the Caliphs and the 'ulama', and partly explains not only the latter's pro-'Abbasid sentiment but also why it was the proto-Sunni viewpoints that the 'Abbasids came to patronize.

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No description available.