11.3 Islamization and Religious Rule under Islam

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Explain how the Abbasids established themselves as the dominant state in the Middle East
• Discuss the formation of sects within the Islamic community
• Analyze how Islam influenced the religious and cultural experience of people living under Abbasid rule

The Rashidun and Umayyads played an important role in articulating the new religion of Islam while establishing the Islamic state in the Middle East. But the dynasty that followed them in 750 CE was the one that solidified Islam’s place in the region and in world history. While the Abbasid caliphate did not greatly extend the borders of the Islamic state, its achievements included overseeing and building on the transmission of ancient knowledge that had gone unseen in much of world history until then. The Abbasids presided over what was arguably the end of antiquity in the Middle East and its transition to the Middle Ages, becoming one of the most important powers of their time. They also faced the fracturing of their authority over the outlying provinces, and the growth within Islam of distinct sects with different theological beliefs and goals.